PARENTS UNITED
Survey Response of Peggy Cooper Cafritz
Candidate for D.C. Board of Education President
1. Priorities.
My first priority will be to urge the Board to recognize the crisis in our school
system and to address that crisis in bold and creative ways. I will propose that the Board
and the Superintendent concentrate foremost on what I call the 3 A's: Academics for
every child's mind; Athletics for every child's body; and the Arts for every
child's soul. Academics are of paramount importance because our kids are so far behind
where they need to be. We should start by increasing compensation and resources for our
teachers and principals, who are the most precious resource of any school system. We must
also insist on testing and certification of teachers because every child deserves a master
instructor.
Restoring our schools' once-proud athletic programs is also important. The research is
clear that participation in school sports (both competitive and recreational) not only
builds values like teamwork and discipline, it also keeps kids occupied, and out of
trouble, during the critical after-school hours when many parents are not at home.
Finally, we must emphasize the arts. I will draw on my experience as co-founder of the
Duke Ellington School o the Arts to expand arts education in all of our schools. Arts
education is not just valuable in its own right; it also contributes to learning in other
academic areas.
2. The role of parents and the LSRTs.
I believe that parents should, and indeed must, play a central role in the development
of school policy, at both the school and municipal levels. At Duke Ellington, for example,
I spearheaded the creation of a unique school governing structure, under which school
policies are set by a Board of Trustees comprised of representatives of the Ellington
community, including parents, DCPS, and the school's two civic partners -- the Kennedy
Center and George Washington University. This structure will allow the school's key
stakeholders a greater say in how Ellington is run, and I would like to see it replicated
throughout the city.
As for the LSRT's, I believe that while some have been effective, many have not. As I
explained above, my vision of neighborhood-based school reform entails the creation of a
neighborhood "Board of Trustees" for every school. The board would be comprised
of a civic partner, a financial partner, a school system representative, and a majority of
representatives from the school community. I have worked to implement that type of system
at Ellington, and I would urge the new Board to bring it schools across the city.
3. Facilities.
The state of the city's school buildings and facilities is simply abysmal. Leaky roofs,
falling plaster, and glass-strewn fields are not simply safety hazards. Their greater
danger lies in the message of neglect they send to our children. Students cannot be
expected to learn in an atmosphere that suggests to them that learning is not cherished.
That is why I will undertake a "Marshall Plan" for the renovation and
replacement of our school buildings and facilities. Nothing short of that will do. Many
older school buildings need to be renovated, whereas others may need to be replaced. In
determining the proper mix, we should not focus solely on economic costs and benefits. Our
main concern should be the educational interests of the students and the safety of the
entire school community.
4. Personal involvement with the D.C. public schools.
I co-founded the Duke Ellington School of the Arts nearly thirty years ago, and I have
served the school and its non-profit fundraising affiliate, the Ellington Fund, in
numerous capacities over the years. Duke Ellington is, and has always been, a D.C. public
school. I am therefore the only candidate for School Board President with first-hand
experience in starting and building a public school that has made a positive difference in
the lives of thousands of children. My experience with Duke Ellington has also exposed me
to the dysfunction and inefficiency of the D.C. school bureaucracy, which I will work hard
to reform if elected. Finally, I have experience with the schools as a parent, as several
of my children have attended and graduated from D.C. public schools.
5. Avoiding acrimony.
I have devoted virtually all of my professional life to education and the arts and, in
so doing, have served on numerous boards and committees that have required me to build
consensus and accommodate divergent interests. I am therefore confident that I will be
able to focus the Board's attention squarely on the education of our children, and put an
end to the acrimony that has too often characterized the relationship among some past and
current Board members. At the same time, now is not the time for timidity. Our schools are
in crisis. The Board must acknowledge the crisis and work with the Mayor and the
Superintendent to develop and implement bold solutions. I will be a catalyst for the best
ideas in school reform and administration, and I will provide the necessary leadership to
implement those ideas for the benefit of our children. |
