All 10 comprehensive DC public high schools – including Anacostia, Ballou and Woodson – are restructuring under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Only high schools with selective admission criteria – Banneker, Ellington, McKinley and School Without Walls – have made “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP) over the last five years.

The federal law offers five options for restructuring: becoming a charter school; reconstituting (firing everyone and hiring new staff); hiring a private management company – which DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee announced she is considering; takeover by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE); or an alternative, substantial governance change.

“Because most people are focusing on the closings, restructuring is flying in under the radar,” says long-time schools advocate Iris Toyer. Restructuring should be more widely discussed, she says, but it has been hard for community members to stay informed.

“I've been involved in DCPS a long time. And even in the worst times,” Toyer sighs, “it wasn't as secretive. Parents could get information.” For example, Toyer and others were concerned when DCPS recently altered the curriculum for all restructuring high schools without community input.

Questions Remain on New Curriculum
New requirements for all 10 restructuring high schools include:

• “English Extension” or “Enrichment” in addition to freshman English
• “Conceptual physics” or environmental science for freshman
• No foreign language for ninth-graders scoring below proficient in math and English
• Physical education postponed to upper grades
• Establishment of ninth- and 10th-grade academies

Questions raised about this model have included: Is this arrangement equitable? Does it shortchange some students?

Does it serve an educational benefit? Does it replace careful diagnostic evaluation with a one-size-fits-all prescription?

In addition, Ballou Principal Karen Smith worries about what she calls an “implementation gap – moving from paper to practice.” Will such a change require new lunch periods? More or different faculty? Can each building support the kind of environment and culture so essential in creating an academy?

At Ballou SHS, for example, the entire 10th grade will not fit on a single floor. “The physical piece can sometimes kill a dream,” Smith observes.

Meanwhile, Margot Berkey of the Middle Grades Project suggests that parents of current eighth-graders consult their child's prospective high school to discuss course options under this new model and contact Chancellor Rhee – michelle.rhee@dc.gov – with any concerns.

Uncertainty, Lack of Input Raise Anxiety
Beyond specifics of the new course sequencing, concerns have been raised about the decision-making process surrounding it. The DCPS memo announcing the change mentions “national data and research” correlating ninth grade course failure with failure to graduate. But no support is offered for the particular changes adopted.

“If you're going to do these things, you ought to be able to back it up with research – explain to parents, teachers, and students why the change is beneficial,” says Toyer.

Moreover, the Feb. 29 memo notes that plans were modified “based on feedback from a variety of stakeholders.” But many stakeholders say feedback was not solicited and that they learned of plans through published news reports.

In general, observes Kerry Sylvia, teacher at Cardozo SHS in Northwest, “all we know is what we read in the newspaper.” Cardozo has a new principal this year and has instituted a number of reforms, Sylvia says. “But we don't know if the chancellor is going to support our reforms, decide to bring in an outside company, or say, ‘Good-bye, we're going to let everyone go,’”

Similarly, Ballou has implemented a variety of reforms since Karen Smith took over leadership three years ago (see sidebar), and there is uncertainty as to the future of these improvements.

As unknowns persist – if and how will school- and community-based input be considered as part of Rhee's decision-making? – anxiety around restructuring schools rises.

“Restructuring could have been an opportunity for Rhee to engage parents,” says Sylvia. “Instead, it has disengaged and alienated them, increasing passivity.”

School Communities, DCPS Planning and the State
Mafara Hobson, Rhee's spokesperson, said there is no overall vision of DCPS once its high schools are restructured, “because this is the planning year.” Rhee has said that she plans to make the decision for each school, with “input” from school communities. But Hobson reiterates that details will not be shared with the community until “the plan is finalized” – effectively ruling out community involvement in planning or decision-making for their schools.

OSSE has stressed – in numerous communications – that all restructuring plans must include a strong community involvement component, as is required in the federal legislation.

Sylvia notes that the US Department of Education’s Non-Regulatory Guidance requires an open and collaborative restructuring process, providing an opportunity for teachers to participate in the development of any restructuring plans. She has communicated this concern to OSSE, asking for their help in “ensuring that this collaboration starts happening.” At press time, she had received no substantive response.

Ballou SHS
Taking Strides on a Long Journey

10th-Grade Academy
Expanding on the successful Ninth-Grade Academy model, Ballou began last year to develop a 10th-Grade Academy. Smith got teachers on board and outlined the program. The summer was spent on professional development and curriculum planning. The program was rolled out this year, meeting in a separate location within the school. Academy teachers engage in common planning. The rigorous curriculum includes preparation for the DC-CAS – the annual 10th-grade test on which AYP is calculated – through intensive math instruction and coordinated English and social studies classes.

This year, Smith reports improvements in DC-BAS (DC-CAS practice test) scores and increased attendance on practice test days.

“We're very excited about progress in the academy's first year,” Smith says.

Assessment/Remediation
Also new this year is school-wide interim assessment. Students are tested in each class every four weeks and given opportunities for re-learning. Depending on results, a teacher might give extra help to one student, re-teach a small group, or review material with the entire class.

Although not every teacher implements remediation in the same way, students are benefiting from this new structure, Smith says, and she hopes to build on this program.

At present, professional development occurs during faculty meetings, morning and after-school sessions, and occasional weekends. But professional development for assessment and remediation could be enhanced, Smith believes.

Smaller Learning Environments
Noting that she has watched Ballou grow from 900 to 1,500 students, Smith says the building is at its functional capacity. She wants to develop smaller learning environments for upper grades as well as those students not currently part of the Ninth- and 10th-Grade Academies. The current academies lack capacity for all the remediation and social/emotional support some students need, she says, and so cannot accommodate every student in those grades. However, all students could benefit from a smaller, more focused environment, she believes.

An ideal academy, as Smith envisions it, would offer a separate part of the building, perhaps a separate floor for each new grouping, with students remaining in that area for at least half of their courses.

Also in Smith's ideal academy would be the wraparound services, including mental health. At present, counselors – only one per grade, including the 700-student freshman class – have a diverse and heavy workload: individual course plans, career guidance, classes in conflict resolution and anger management, plus aiding students with issues as complex as pregnancy or losing shelter.

Mobilizing Resources
To address some of its students' many needs, Ballou has received help from William C. Smith, Fannie Mae and other community partners. DC BAS incentives come from community partners, for example, while Fannie Mae has recently provided $4.3 million for tutorials, athletic facilities and other needs at the school. Moreover, each partnership agreements carries with it benchmarks in terms of achievement and attendance. As these agreements grew, Smith hired a coordinator of external partnerships to protect her own time as an instructional leader.

Already Reconstituted?
“I don't want the leadership changed again,” says Thomas Byrd of Ballou's Local School Restructuring Team. One might argue, he explains, that the school was “reconstituted” three years ago when Smith and others replaced former leadership. Improvements are beginning to show, but there is much yet to be done.