Washington, DC—The D.C. State Board of Education (State Board) will hold its monthly public meeting on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 5:30 pm. The public meeting will be held in person in the Old Council Chambers in the Marion S. Barry, Jr. Building (441 4th Street NW) and streamed live via District Knowledge Network (DKN). Materials for the State Board meetings can be found on our website.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will work on updating the DC School Report Card this fall and is looking for public feedback on how the DC School Report Card’s data and design should be improved. In addition to releasing a survey in the coming weeks, OSSE will collaborate with the State Board to host engagement sessions to provide multiple pathways for residents to provide feedback and hear from as many voices as possible. The State Board invites a panel of experts to share their insights on the changes to the DC School Report Card and make recommendations to improve its impact. Confirmed guests include:
- Brennan McMahon Parton, Vice President, State Policy and Advocacy, Data Quality Campaign
- Dr. Jonathan Schwabish, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
- Dr. Betsy Wolf, Education Research Scientist and Local Public School Parent
Bylaws of the State Board govern how the agency operates and are periodically reviewed and amended with improvements. The State Board voted to create committee appointments, which created the ad-hoc Bylaws Committee to revise existing State Board bylaws and establish formal standard operating procedures. The State Board will consider a resolution establishing the Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures Working Group which will establish a final set of bylaws and standard operating procedures to be voted on by the State Board at the January 17, 2024 Public Meeting.
D.C. has a robust sports history and a rejuvenated passion for sports in schools—an important component for a well-rounded education and students’ development of long-term fitness, nutrition, health, and teamwork skills. In 2022, the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Education (DME) sponsored a High School Sports Review Study, the purpose being to significantly upgrade DCPS interscholastic sports programs and improve the quality and competitiveness of D.C. high school sports. Findings suggest girl wrestlers are underrepresented, growth in the sport is inhibited by a lack of gender-specific teams, and girls’ wrestling coaches’ pay should align with that of coaches in neighboring counties.The State Board calls on DCPS, DCIAA, and DCSAA to officially sanction and fully fund wrestling as a sponsored girls’ interscholastic sport in all DCPS middle and high schools that sponsor wrestling, starting in the 2023-24 season.
The School Safety Enhancement Committee, which is currently being formed by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, will investigate cross-sector policy, determine budget needs, and identifies solutions to persistent challenges to positively impact the D.C. youth safety landscape. The School Safety Enhancement Committee is seeking representatives who are knowledgeable about youth safety, can adopt a District-wide lens, are long-time District residents with an understanding of historical community violence in the District, live and/or work in safe passage priority areas, and have experience navigating District public schools—as a student or parent/guardian. The State Board will consider a resolution to select Daniel Davis, a District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) alumnus, a Ward 7 resident, and the Chief Student Advocate of the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA), to serve as a representative on the School Safety Enhancement Committee.
Public Meeting Agenda
Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified, or updated without notice.
- Call to Order
- Announcement of a Quorum
- Approval of the Agenda and Minutes
- Comments from the President of the DC State Board of Education
- Comments from the State Superintendent of Education
- Panel on Updating the DC School Report Card Data and Design
- Brennan McMahon Parton, Vice President, State Policy and Advocacy, Data Quality Campaign
- Dr. Jonathan Schwabish, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
- Dr. Betsy Wolf, Education Research Scientist and Local Public School Parent
- Written Testimony
- Ashley Carey, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Education
- Dr. Jack Schneider, Dwight W. Allen Distinguished Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Public Comment
- Live Testimony
- Maya Baum
- Brittney Henderson
- Rachel Hargreaves
- Mei Miles
- Raynalle Rouss
- Karley Sessoms
- Parag Bhuva
- Rian Reed
- Gabrielle Dubose
- Caroline Pryor
- Kelley Ukhun
- Carey Francis
- Jackeline Peña
- Alison Rice
- Kelsey Salvo
- Dieter Lehmann Morales
- Dallas Cherry Jr.
- Sarah Cole
- Laura Fuchs
- Scott Goldstein
- Live Testimony
- Administrative (VOTE)
- SR23-9 Establishing Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures Working Group
- SR23-10 Supporting D.C. Athletic Associations’ Sponsorship of Girls’ Wrestling
- SR23-11 Selecting Daniel Davis as a Representative to the School Safety Enhancement Committee
- New Business
- Adjournment
About the DC State Board of Education
The DC State Board of Education is an independent agency within the Government of the District of Columbia that advises the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), the District’s state education agency. The State Board is made up of nine elected representatives, each representing their respective wards, with one member representing the District at large and four appointed student representatives. The State Board approves statewide education policies and sets academic standards, while OSSE oversees education within the District and manages federal education funding. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.
The Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education serves as an external, impartial resource for current and prospective school students and their parents or guardians in the resolution of complaints and concerns regarding public education in a way that furthers the students’ best interest. The Ombudsman’s Office uses conflict resolution strategies, including coaching, facilitation, and mediation, to assist families and schools experiencing disagreement or conflict.
The Office of the Student Advocate supports students, parents, and families in their advocacy through parent education, one-on-one coaching, resource supports, and trainings to amplify the voices of families and communities in processes and decision-making; to provide avenues for access to resources and understanding systems; and to support power families and communities already possess. Contact the Office of the Student Advocate Monday through Friday at (202) 741-4692 for questions or support with charter and neighborhood schools.