Schools as building blocks for neighborhoods

From Deborah Gist, DC State Superintendent of Education:

Please join me on Friday, June 29th, from 10 to 11:30am at the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (441 4th St, NW, Room 1114 South), for an introduction to a study sponsored by on how the District of Columbia can attract and retain residents and strengthen neighborhoods through enhanced quality school options. Our research partners for this effort are the Brookings Greater Washington Research Program, the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing & Communities Center, and the 21st Century School Fund.

The team will conduct an in-depth analysis of student enrollment and mobility patterns, neighborhood characteristics and change, current school options, and school assignment and choice policies. They will conduct focus groups of parents and high school dropouts to learn about how families decide where to send their children to school.

This study will also be strengthened by input from school advocates, neighborhood developers, foundations, and research organizations. We would like to know what you see as challenges to your efforts – and the city’s – to improve residents’ access to quality education and safe, vibrant neighborhoods. Your perspectives, ideas, and questions will be particularly valuable at this early stage as we fine tune our research questions and goals. We will also hold briefings at the completion of each major stage of the project to share our findings and secure input on our analysis.

Please contact Matthew Dunkle (at 202-724-1513) with any questions and to RSVP.