DC VOICE
To Inform and Mobilize....
Greetings!

Next week marks the first day of school for over 50,000 public school children.  Thanks to your help and the yearly efforts of DC VOICE in examining school conditions at the start of each school year, the opening of school has already been reported on this year more than ever before.  This year the entire city has been focused on preparing teachers, classrooms and school buildings for the first day of school and DC VOICE has spent all summer preparing to report on the results.

 
For those not involved in the Ready Schools Project, but eager to know what their neighborhood schools should look like at the start of the school year, please read this month's Educating the District column of the Hill Rag newspaper where DC VOICE will be appearing as a guest columnist throughout the Fall.

 

 
Education Show MobileReady Schools Community Audit Training 
 
Its not too late to sign up for the 1 hour training that is necessary to become a community auditor.  Thus far, nearly 300 DC residents have signed up for our training which is available every Tuesday and Thursday at 12 noon or PM in the offices of DC VOICE - 1436 U St. NW.  You only need one training session but may audit as many schools as your time permits.  For those that prefer other parts of the city, we will be hosting training at Lamond Riggs Library in Ward 5 at PM this Thursday and at the Boys and Girls Club of THE ARC in ward 8 this Saturday at 1:30.  The Ready Schools Project organizes the community to gather the information necessary to give schools, teachers and students meaningful support.  After the collection of data we engage the public in making meaning of the findings and utilize the data as a diagnostic tool in defining educational priorities for the city.

 

Please email RSP@dcvoice.org, visit www.dcvoice.org or call 986-8535 to sign up or receive additional information.
Education Show Mobile Beautification Day for DCPS
 
If you haven't signed up to help a local school with Beautification day, come ride with DC VOICE this Saturday.  Our mobile truck will be visiting schools in every ward of the city to refreshen volunteers with healthy snacks, water and fruit juice. Beautification day is an annual city-wide clean up day to spruce up all DCPS school buildings and grounds.  It was spawned in 2005 by DCPS and city council following reports by DC VOICE that many DCPS schools had not received basic maintenance or upkeep during the summer.  Volunteers are provided paint, mulch, flowers, trees and trash bags to help ensure that children enter a pleasing facility on their first day of school.  To sign up directly with DCPS, please call 727-0488 or email volunteer4schools@k12.dc.us.
 
 
DCPS Test Scores Increase
 
Last week, DCPS published the results of the 2006-2007 test score data for DCPS children.  DCPS witnessed nearly a 25% increase in the amount of schools making AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) while students at both the elementary and secondary school levels demonstrated modest, yet wholesale improvements across the board.  Overall, the test results continued to show the need for rapid improvement but DC VOICE hopes to help the city build upon the progress seen in this years data.
 
A school by school breakdown of this year's performance data, can be found at www.k12.dc.us. 
39 More Reasons to Support
the Ready Schools Project
2007 Community Audit
 
We are pleased to have a representative list of organizations across the city lending thier name to the Ready Schools Project in the form of an endorsement and the recruiting of volunteers. 
 
The 2007 Ready Schools Community Audit is supported by:
 
Asian American LEAD        Center for Com'ty Change
Covenant Baptist Church      Chevy Chase Com'ty Assn.
DC Area Writing Project      DC Congress of PTA's
DC NAACP                         Higher Achievement
Dupont Circle Civ Assn.       Latin American Youth Ctr.
Mt. Carmel Baptist Church   Parents United
SHAPPE                              Teaching for Change
The ARC of DC                   Turning the Page
The Ward 3 Democrats         The Ward 8 Democrats
The Ward 4 Ed. Council        The Ward 5 Ed. Council
Woodridge Civ. Assn.            Youth Education Alliance
YWCA                                   21st Century School Fund
ANC 1B                                 ANC 5A
ANC 5B                                 ANC 6B
ANC 8A                                 ANC 8C
Multicultural Community Services
The Children's Law Center
Pleasant Plains Civic Association
Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) and
The DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative
 
Encourage your organization to join this list now!
Please visit our website www.dcvoice.org to stay up to date on education news or view our 9 minute video chronicling public education in Washington, DC over the past 10 years.
 
Sincerely,
 

Jeff Smith
Executive Director
DC VOICE