NIDA: COLLEGE AND CAREERS COME TO ANACAOSTIA CHARTER AND PUBLIC-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP REIGNITES LEARNING AND HOPE

By Tom Nida -The Washington Times

Recently, I returned to my alma mater, Anacostia High School in Southeast Washington. As a graduate of the class of 1966, who had not stepped inside the building since, I was invited back by the principal, Ian Roberts, who gave me a personal tour of the facility. As the former chairman of D.C.’s Public Charter School Board, which regulates the city’s public charter schools, I knew about Anacostia’s educational woes. I was familiar with the difficulties in getting the vast majority of Anacostia’s students to grade level in reading and math, or even to guarantee their safety on campus. Mere survival was a sign of success.

But things are changing. Old assumptions that have defined Anacostia’s reputation throughout the city no longer apply.

Located at the heart of a community blighted by poverty and violence, the school faces many challenges. About 95 percent of Anacostia’s students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches owing to their families’ low income. One in five girls are teen moms. Nearly one in 10 students are homeless. And almost one-third of students are classified as having special education needs…

(read more Tuesday, October 25, 2011) http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/oct/25/college-and-careers-come-to-anacostia/