SUPERINTENDENT ACKERMAN PROVIDES HER OWN PROGRESS REPORT

Over the past few weeks, the governance of the D.C. Public Schools has been the subject of much discussion. Recently, there was even talk about declaring the school district in a state of emergency as a justification for a mayoral takeover.

While this important debate ultimately will determine the speed of systemic school reform, those of us charged with the day-to-day operations remain focused on the prize--our 70,000 schoolchildren.

When I came to the D.C. Public Schools as the chief academic officer in September 1997, I found a system in crisis. More than 70 percent of the students were scoring below basic level in reading or math. No content standards or benchmarks clearly stated what students should know and be able to do by graduation. Accountability for students and staff was almost nonexistent. Social promotion was the norm, and 89 percent of 10th-graders could not perform basic math computations.

School facilities were in such disrepair that school opening was delayed for three consecutive years. Per-pupil spending was inconsistent, varying by as much as $4,000 per child. Almost 20 percent of the budget was spent on central office bureaucracy, but the school district could not provide an accurate count of students or staff. The backlog of special education students awaiting initial assessments or hearings numbered more than 3,000.

Twenty-eight months later, I am proud to say that the school district is making progress. Dedicated teachers, principals and staff members are moving this troubled system from crisis to promise. Student achievement is up. Fewer than half of all students now score below basic level in reading or math. Content standards are in place for all subject areas. More than 50,000 students have attended intensive summer, Saturday and after-school tutoring programs to master the skills needed to be successful at the next grade level, while some 6,000 students have remained at the same grade level to receive additional preparation and support.

Each school has performance targets challenging staff members to improve student results each year. Schoolsthat achieve their targets get monetary awards. New principal and teacher contracts offer competitive salaries and include pay-for-performance clauses. An aggressive recruitment effort yielded 1,100 new teachers. More than 40 new principals are in place, and the District now has a shorter time frame in which to remove ineffective teachers--90 days.

Our central office now accounts for only 6 percent of the budget, and student enrollment has been affirmed by an outside auditing firm for the second year in a row.

The new Weighted Student Formula has closed the per-pupil spending gap and given local schools authority over their budgets, including the staffing of teachers and other critical personnel.

The backlog of special education initial assessments and hearings is now fewer than 100 students, and at least one major litigation is under a settlement agreement with the district. The capital improvement program is progressing with at least one maintenance project scheduled for all schools next year. For the the past two years schools have opened on time.

Yes, we in the D.C. Public Schools are making progress, even though I am aware that many tasks lie ahead before we reach exemplary status. The future of our school system, despite recent rhetoric, is showing signs of promise. The successes have come although the governance structure remains cumbersome and uncertainty about the budget and procurement system persist; both these areas, however, lie outside our direct control.

A friend once said to me that when a school system fails, we should not blame the children. The blame lies with the adults charged with the children's well-being. Those of us responsible for implementing school reform remain committed to making the schools in our nation's capital exemplary. What we need now is the collective will of this community to get behind our children.