Mayor Vincent Gray and District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson recently released a five-year strategic plan, "A Capital Commitment," designed to improve the traditional public schools.
The plan outlines five goals: improve struggling schools, increase student achievement, graduation rates, enrollment, and student satisfaction. The Chancellor believes the strategic plan will guide DCPS spending and programmatic decisions through 2017.
"Mayor Gray and Chancellor Henderson's intentions are proper and there is merit to support the overall goals of the five-year strategic plan," said WTU President Nathan Saunders. "However, it only amounts to half of what needs to be done. To improve the quality of education for all students, it is imperative for schools to spend more time on tasks and less time on testing.
"Schools must also provide more services for our returning special education students and every student must have the benefit of robust art, music, physical education and library/media services.
Saunders added: "We must all acknowledge that education not only happens in classrooms, but also in our homes and communities--making it essential to secure and maintain the support of teachers, parents and students as the plan is implemented over the next five years.
"I encourage Mayor Gray and Chancellor Henderson to work with us to achieve these goals and I look forward to developing the substance and sustainability of this plan to achieve long-term success. Mayor Gray and Chancellor Henderson, our appointment books are open and we're ready for the hard work ahead."
