DC Agenda   Life and Neighborhoods in DC

I am probably going to be moving to Washington, DC if things go the way that I am expecting. I am currently single and I am looking to find a nice place to live that would be relatively close to the US Bureau of Land Management. The job I believe that I shall be getting will pay well, but I have some obligations as a result of my divorce and the failure of a small business I was involved in. So I am looking for something affordable, particularly in the short term. My former college room mate helped me get an interview for the job, but he does not really know much about the area. Read the rest of this entry »

Washington D.C. area schools are reporting an increase in math scores versus previously years. This is notable, because education remains a huge concern for the district, as it is home to some of the lowest rated schools in the country. So, what is the D.C. area doing right and what can the rest of the country learn from it?

The Washington D.C. is home to a large number of charter schools, and students are turning to charters in greater numbers than ever before to meet their family’s educational needs. While charter schools are not without controversy, there is a benefit to offering families choices, and Washington D.C is doing that in the form of charter schools. The current math proficiency rate in charter schools in the D.C. area is at 55 percent. While this is only a one percent increase over last year, it does show the advantages offered when parents have choices, as these schools continue to out perform traditional public schools while serving a higher number of poverty stricken children.

The city also continues to raise the bar on how they are holding their teachers and schools accountable for pass and failure rates. Read the rest of this entry »