To: Kaya Henderson, DCPS Chancellor, De'Shawn Wright, Deputy Mayor for Education, and Tommy Wells, Councilmember
Don't close SWS--expand it to a full elementary school
Don't close School Within a School (SWS)--expand it into a full neighborhood elementary school in the Van Ness Elementary building to open in fall, 2012.
Why is this important?
We need great elementary schools in Capitol Hill and Ward 6. Programs like School Within a School (SWS), the Reggio-Emilia inspired school that has a waiting list more than double its enrollment.
But it's a small school, and DC Public Schools has made clear they don't have room for small schools anymore. They want elementary schools of at least 300 students.
SWS is a terrific school, with award-winning teachers (two of whom were honored by Chancellor Henderson and President Obama in recent days) and an innovative project-driven educational approach that’s resulting in top-notch test scores. SWS is a great model for DC Public Schools.
Rather than letting DCPS close SWS, it’s time to expand SWS from its current pre-K and kindergarten program into a full-sized DCPS elementary school, covering preschool through 5th grade. One great option is to move SWS to the former Van Ness Elementary building as a neighborhood school in the rapidly growing Capitol Riverfront community near the Navy Yard. Let’s open SWS at Van Ness in fall, 2012 -- our kids can’t wait!
If you have a child who could attend SWS at Van Ness next year, note their ages in the comment box.
But it's a small school, and DC Public Schools has made clear they don't have room for small schools anymore. They want elementary schools of at least 300 students.
SWS is a terrific school, with award-winning teachers (two of whom were honored by Chancellor Henderson and President Obama in recent days) and an innovative project-driven educational approach that’s resulting in top-notch test scores. SWS is a great model for DC Public Schools.
Rather than letting DCPS close SWS, it’s time to expand SWS from its current pre-K and kindergarten program into a full-sized DCPS elementary school, covering preschool through 5th grade. One great option is to move SWS to the former Van Ness Elementary building as a neighborhood school in the rapidly growing Capitol Riverfront community near the Navy Yard. Let’s open SWS at Van Ness in fall, 2012 -- our kids can’t wait!
If you have a child who could attend SWS at Van Ness next year, note their ages in the comment box.