Together we can do it.
We will reestablish a commitment to public education in the District of
Columbia.
Making SmartStart happen will require vigilance, patience and determination. My
goal is to see tangible results — improved performance within two years, and net
outcomes system-wide in five years. I am confident that we can successfully implement all
eight core components of SmartStart before the end of my first four-year term.
As your Mayor, I can and will marshal the city’s will to succeed in an effort of
this magnitude. We must and will reestablish a commitment to public education. If we are
dedicated to bridging the growing canyon between the classes in our society, then I
believe that we must be dedicated to the hard work and the willingness to accomplish the
reeneineering of the DC public schools.
I am so dedicated. And I urge every Washingtonian who cares about our future to join me
in making it happen.
Kevin P. Chavous
Let’s work together and through SmartStart we will:
- Improve student performance
- Increase parental involvement
- Provide new educational opportunities for all our children
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Kevin Chavous
Vote
Kevin Chavous
for Mayor
#1 on the ballot
September 15.
Paid for by the Chavous for Mayor Committee
Victor Reid, Treasurer -- Labor Donated |
See http://www.chavousformayor.com for the complete text of
SmartStart.
Kevin Chavous’ SmartStart starts at age 3.
Earlier this month, I released SmartStart: a New Vision for the DC Public
Schools. In this document, I stress the importance of beginning public
support for early childhood learning from age three. Research has shown that preparing our
children in these early years helps them to be successful in both future schooling and in
life after school. By making free early childhood learning from age three available to all
our residents, we will finally be able to bridge the gap in school performance between our
middle-class students and our children from low-income families.
Closing this gap will be the top priority of my administration.
The SmartStart strategy is described in the chart to the right. |
SmartStart will:
- Give a SmartStart to all three- and four-year-old District children by providing
them with safe learning spaces staffed by gifted and qualified early childhood
specialists.
- Increase the opportunity to learn by lengthening the school year to 220 days per year
and lengthening the school day.
- Challenge our students with a rigorous curriculum beginning in the elementary grades that
includes the arts and other higher level subjects such as algebra and geometry.
- Create a School to Career path by implementing a rigorous curriculum of core
subjects to be mastered by age 16 and developing a wide offering of specialized classes,
magnet schools that provide vocational, technology skills training and academic enrichment
for the last years of high school.
- Provide the most effective learning environment by providing smaller class size
and creating smaller schools: K-6, maximum 350 students; 8-12, maximum 700 students.
- Make effective use of existing DC public schools facilities. Embargo the sale or
lease of any school property until the DC public schools prepares a detailed facilities
plan.
- Provide effective special education services by using private sector assessment
professionals and closely monitoring all providers.
- Build a corps of professional teachers through peer collaboration, training, and
competitive pay and incentives.
- Reduce truancy, drug abuse, crime and violence by keeping close track of all our
children both in school and out-of-school.
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My Commitment to the DC Public Schools.
In addition to the innovations of SmartStart, my administration will take the
following actions to improve the DC public schools.
- Increase school performance by taking care of students' non-school problems. DC
child and family services and the DC public schools must coordinate and keep track of each
child.
- Establish before- and after-school programs at all schools. My administration
will establish safe before and after school programs to both provide learning
opportunities and an extended day for all our children.
- Reinstate the elected Board of Education. The Board of Education is a critical
forum through which parents and neighborhoods make their voice heard in public education
city-wide.
- Ensure that parents and communities have have a voice in their local schools. The
DC public schools must effectively invlove parents and communities.
- Demand that the control board accelerate system reform of the DCPS. The control
board has not completed the majority of reforms needed to correct DC public schools
problems.
- Institute performance appraisal of DC school administrators. The DC public
schools must institute performance criteria and evaluation process of our school
administrators that include recommendations of parents and communitites.
- Clarify school governance and the role of the State Education Agency. The
question of who has responsibility, authority and accountability in our school system
remains a critical concern in our school reform.
- Control public charter schools. My administration will ensure that administrative
and budgeting controls for charter schools are established.
- Set performance markers for DCPS special education services. The DC public
schools will be given a six month deadline to correct problems with timely assessment and
quality placement of special education students.
- Increase library hours. Our libraries will be opened 12 hours a day, seven days a
week.
- Retain quality schools. Schools that are performing, working at capacity or
filling a special need will not be closed.
- Close no schools until we have an approved Master Facilities Plan. We must have a
plan to provide safe, moderized schools of appropriate size for all present and future
students.
- Embargo the sale of school properities until we have an approved Master Faciltities Plan.
KEVIN
CHAVOUS
Paid for by the Chavous for Mayor Committee, Victor Reid,
Treasurer Labor donated
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