Category: Washington D.C. News

For the third straight year, secondary students in the District of Columbia Public Schools system have demonstrated significant achievement on their state-mandated tests. Following three years of reform under schools chief Michelle Rhee, students in grades seven, eight and 10 scored unparalleled progress in both math and reading, according to preliminary results of the recently […]

Members of a grass roots organization determined to make affordable housing more accessible to District resident are taking Mayor Adrian Fenty to task. They say two years ago he promised to build some 94 units from $7.8 million of city funding. According to Rosemary Ndubuizu, a coordinator for the tent city set up this past […]

In the spirit of the Freedom Riders, 22 District-area African-American and Jewish high school students recently embarked on a journey to retrace the steps their ancestors took in their shared trek toward equality, justice and racial harmony. The students, participants in Operation Understanding, D.C.’s initiative to create new social justice leaders, will this month visit […]

WASHINGTON – Gerome Samuel knew that he should have gotten an examination for colon cancer after he turned 50, but he didn’t. “I just kept putting it off, and putting it off and putting it off,” said Samuel, 58, a retired Washington-area construction worker, husband and father of two. Four weeks ago, at the insistence […]

An investigation into actions taken last fall by District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee has found no wrongdoing on her part. The investigation was launched in response to a complaint filed in June about how the teacher contract was handled. In a letter released this week, D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles said the […]

Now that the filing deadline has passed for candidates to toss their hats into the 2010 mayoral race, an intense campaign is shaping up . The two major contenders – incumbent Mayor Adrian Fenty and City Council Chairman Vincent Gray – have already locked horns over a variety of issues that have long plagued the […]

Students involved in the District of Columbia’s Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition have garnered high acclaim by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who wrote recently about their achievements on his official blog. According to LaHood, who also praised members of his […]

Carey M. Wright, Ph. D., has been appointed chief academic officer for the District of Columbia Public Schools system. The former teacher, principal and assistant superintendent comes to DCPS with more than 30 years experience in Maryland. In her new capacity, she will serve on the schools’ management team, overseeing the offices of Teaching and […]

A hodgepodge of candles and teddy bears covered the ground where Joshua Hopkins, 19, spent his final moments grasping for life. Mourners gathered at the 6100 block of Banks Place N.E. on July 6 for a vigil honoring Hopkins’ once-promising future and memory – an all too common scene on the city’s streets this summer. […]

Falling in line with a federal mandate that calls for drastic improvement, the District of Columbia Public Schools system has begun restructuring six of its 129 schools and positioning another to operate with the assistance of an external partner. The restructuring processes, which come as the result of a five-year failure in meeting Adequate Yearly […]

The mercury level in the District has been so high the past few days that temperatures have easily exceeded 100 degrees, causing the Department of Parks and Recreation to extend its outdoor swimming pool hours. “Because of the high temperatures we wanted to give District residents an opportunity to beat the heat,” DPR spokesman John […]

Baltimore native Donte’ Greene usually stars as the high-flying forward for the Sacramento Kings. On Friday, Greene moonlighted as the high-flying, backboard-slapping star attraction at Washington, D.C.’s George Goodman Summer League. In Greene’s second appearance at the famed street ball league, the 6-foot-11-inch swingman showed off his athleticism while mixing in some long-range shooting and […]