Thank you to the students, staff, and families who have called or written to ask about proposed changes to our Adult Education programs.

When I receive the final report and set of recommendations, we will post it for all to see not only on the School Board agenda web site, but through other forms of communication such as the Daily Digest.  We will sent a note out letting you know when this report has been posted.

I know that there are some stories going around of drastic measure being recommended, of severe cuts to programs being proposed, of students being left without support and options, and of our adult learners being left without means to address ELL needs.  None of that is true. Read the rest of this entry »

A Message to the Alexandria City Community: 

ACPS Supports Adult Education for our Community to Meet the Needs of Non-Traditional Students

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is proposing to create non-traditional, flexible, and extended learning environments that extend T.C. Williams and support a Continuum of Services.   We will move the division from a narrow focus on recovery to include acceleration to help meet the needs of all students. 

ACPS is not proposing to eliminate Adult Education Program but will propose to restructure the program to better serve our students.  As we work hard to change traditional patterns of not well serving our students, we face a challenging and inspiring  task to reengage students who find it difficult to achieve in a large traditional high school, to eliminate gaps in achievement among racial subgroups, to decrease the dropout rates, to improve systems designed to modify behavior, and to transition and integrate the Adult Learning Program to focus on students through age 22.  Our goal is to help all ACPS students earn a high school diploma.  Read the rest of this entry »

The recent Grand Opening event for the ACPS Center for the Arts K-12 was a true celebration!  If you were unable to attend, I encourage you to watch clips from the program on ACPS TV and be inspired by the enthusiasm and talent of the performers, the guests, and the audience.  ACPS looks forward to enhancing the arts education experience for all students. I was thrilled to make the following remarks to the audience:

“I believe that we here in Alexandria have it right…this evening was a kick-off to a comprehensive forward to the basics movement. Read the rest of this entry »