I’d like to keep our discussion about T.C. Williams going for another week. We’ve posted a lot of information online, including a video that Principal Bill Clendaniel and I made for the students and links to student articles in Theogony. It’s so interesting, as we’re talking and writing about the students, to read their perspectives, and I’m looking forward to continued conversations with them about this issue. I also had the first of several very productive meetings with the T.C. faculty last week (I’ve been spending a lot of time in the school) and with the T.C. PTSA. (more…)
Archive for March, 2010
More on the T.C. Williams PLA Designation
Monday, March 22nd, 2010Dear Mr. President
Monday, March 15th, 2010AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND ARNE DUNCAN, US SECRETARY OF EDUCATION
Dear Mr. President and Secretary Duncan:
T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, has been designated by the Virginia Department of Education as a “persistently lowest-achieving school.” Alexandria’s only public high school qualified for this label because our 11th grade Virginia Standards of Learning assessment pass rate for reading last year was 84 percent, and our combined pass rate for three math end-of-course tests (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry) was 77 percent. These test results place us in the lowest 5 percent of 128 Virginia secondary schools that are eligible for (but do not receive) Title I funding. (more…)
‘NurtureShock’ Nurtures Community Bonding
Monday, March 8th, 2010Tonight (Monday), ACPS will host an extra special event: An appearance by Ashley Merryman, co-author (with Po Bronson) of “NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children,” the thought-provoking New York Times bestseller that’s the highlighted book of the second annual Turn the Page community reading event sponsored by the Alexandria PTA Council. We are excited to welcome Ms. Merryman, who will share her research and answer questions at T.C. Williams High School. (If you’re reading this after the fact, you missed a great program, but you’ll soon be able to watch the video online.) (more…)
A Wellness Center at T.C.
Monday, March 1st, 2010Kids can’t learn if they don’t feel well. It’s especially challenging if they’re lacking access to basic health care. In our ongoing efforts to raise student achievement, we must tackle these most basic challenges by making it easier for students to receive the health care they need. Last week, a local newspaper highlighted a report funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which found that Alexandria fell far below statewide health benchmarks in several key areas. (more…)
