All About Charter Schools inDistrict of Columbia: Charter Legislation and Law, Charter School Numbers, Enrollment and Academic Achievement, and Charter School Resources and Support Organization Contacts, as well as District of Columbia Department of Education Charter School Offices

Charter Schools in District of Columbia

Law:   Passed in 1996

Rank:   3rd strongest of the nation's 40 charter laws

CER Grade:   A

Schools:   39

Students:   11,530

DEVELOPMENTS:

GET THE FACTS: Charters have not yet been formally evaluated as to their progress in advancing the education of the least educated District children, who come from the regular public schools.... In the meantime, parents - the child's first teacher-have spoken loudly, enrolling more than 15% of their children in charters. That voting with their feet ought to count for something.
Click here to read the entire Letter to the Editor by Jeanne Allen, submitted to The Washington Post, June 19, 2003

SCORE: Washington, DC boasts one of the strongest charter laws in the nation. With 39 charter schools, and 15% of the student population in charter schools, its success and health underscore the benefits of strong laws. The District, like many states, has its share of challenges with the usual bureaucratic tinkering, but DC’s crop has an open hearing from the District’s two chartering authorities, has permitted parents and companies to run schools, is given a substantial amount of funding and is autonomous from government entities. Charter School Laws Across the States: Ranking Scorecard and Legislative Profiles, January 2003.

CROWD PLEASIN': More good news comes out of the nation's capital where this year some 15 percent of Washington, DC students are enrolled in the District's 39 charters schools, providing an option to thousands of parents in a system that has been broken for years. Predictably, as the charter school population has steadily grown, enrollment in District schools has declined. The bad news is that some 1,000 students are being prevented from joining them as almost all D.C. charters are full, and lack of facility space is severely stunting charter growth. According to charter operators, dozens of suitable locations, unused school buildings and other similar facilities are not available for consideration or use by the charters, often because D.C. itself won't make them available. CER Newswire November 19, 2002.

FACILITIES FATIGUE: A school district that cares about its students probably wouldn't knowingly put them in asbestos-saturated buildings. It also probably wouldn't want them forced onto the streets. Yet in Washington, DC, those are the two choices the city is offering to charter schools. In the nation's capital there is a major facilities crisis, with numerous schools searching desperately for homes. The city seems to be doing its best to exacerbate that shortage. More details in the CER Newswire July 23, 2002.

DEVELOPMENTS:

CONGRATULATIONS: The first group of seniors from Washington, D.C.'s Cesar Chavez Public Charter High School for Public Policy will graduate later this month. These 24 graduating seniors have been admitted to an impressive group of colleges and universities including Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Seton Hall, the University of Pittsburgh, University of Cincinnati, George Washington University and Georgetown University. CER Newswire, May 14, 2002.

SPONSORSHIP: Although the DC school board and the specially created Public Charter School Board are each allowed to authorize up to 10 schools per year, the district school board has sponsored only 38% of DC's charters, while the independent charter board has sponsored 62% of them. National Charter School Directory 2000

RESOURCES:

SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS:

DC Charter School Resource Center
1155 15th Street, NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005

Contact: Shirley Monastra
Tel: 202-835-9011
Fax: 202-659-8621
Email: info@dcchartercenter.org

Website: http://www.dcchartercenter.org/

Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS)
1530 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Contact: Robert Cane
Tel: 202-387-0405
Fax: 202-667-3798
Email: rcane@focus-dccharter.org

Website: www.focus-dccharter.org

FOCUS is a community group of DC citizens and friends dedicated to improving public education through systemic reform. Activities include: developing interest in and support for District public charter schools by educating policy makers and the general public; facilitating communication and collaboration among and providing direct technical assistance to charter schools; establishing partnerships with independent schools; and conducting comprehensive community outreach activities.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

District of Columbia Board of Education
825 North Capitol Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

Tel: 202-442-4289
Fax: 202-442-5198

Website: http://www.k12.dc.us/dcps/offices/board.html

District of Columbia Public Charter School Board
1436 U Street, N.W.
Suite 401
Washington, DC 20009

Tel: 202- 328-2660
Fax: 202- 328-2661
Email: dcpublic@dcpubliccharter.com

Website: http://www.dcpubliccharter.com

US Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
600 Independence Ave., SW
Portals Building
Washington, DC 20202

Contact: John Fiegel
Tel: 202-260-2641

Website: http://www.uscharterschools.org/