This notice comes to us from Karen M. Sibert:

Fourth- and eighth-grade students in the District of Columbia have demonstrated improved performance in math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for the sixth consecutive time.  

In 2011, the District of Columbia was one of only four states to show improvement in both fourth- and eighth-grade math.

“I am proud of the gains made by our DC Public School and public charter school students in math on the NAEP,” said DC Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown. “I offer my congratulations to the students and the staff who have supported them.”  

Also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” the NAEP measures students’ knowledge and skills in mathematics and reading across the United States and is administered every two years.

This notice comes to us from the U.S. Department of Education:

The U.S. Education Department, in advance of remarks today by Secretary Arne Duncan on the proposed American Jobs Act, spotlighted a new report by the Council of the Great City Schools showing that Washington, D.C. and other urban school systems face substantial, costly repairs to deteriorating buildings and classrooms.

This story comes to us from Audrey Williams:

The D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) today released its 2012 Application Guidelines for establishing a public charter school in the District of Columbia.  The guidelines provide the steps required for organizations seeking approval to open a new charter school or convert a traditional, parochial or private school. The application deadline is February 1, 2012.  Approved schools would be authorized to open in the fall of 2013.