A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

D.C. Public Schools Initiative

The Department's DC Public Schools (DCPS) Initiative was created to help the District's public school system improve the quality of education through system-wide and school-based academic and management reforms. Launched in 1993, with the linchpin as the DC Desk -- a program that continues to supply one-stop shopping access to Departmental resources -- the DCPS initiative was significantly expanded in 1996. The Department currently provides funding, resources, and guidance in such areas as curriculum and instruction, parental and community involvement, assessment and accountability, school governance, and adult education.

The District has, with Departmental support and advice, worked to revitalize the public school system through the professional development of teachers and principals; through the creation of charter schools to increase public school choice for parents; and through the reform of more than twenty schools according to models developed by Temple University, Johns Hopkins University, and the National Institutes of Health. In addition, the Department and District are partnering to rebuild and modernize dilapidated school facilities and to ensure sound financial and personnel management and acceptable procurement procedures.

To enhance academic achievement, the Department and District plan to place a reading specialist in every school and have established a DC Reads Program, based on the Administration's America Reads Challenge, to increase student literacy. The Department provides tutors to support the program and encourages college students on work-study to volunteer as well. The District now uses a standardized test to measure student academic performance and has created Summer STARS, a summer program for students with poor math and reading skills and for students seeking academic enrichment. Supported with Federal funds, the program has become the District's largest summer program ever.

Through these efforts, among many others, the DC Public Schools Initiative facilitates continual reform efforts to improve the quality of public education in the District.

Last updated April 11, 2001 (pjk)