43% of DC students considered chronically absent last year - DC News Now
“DC has some of the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the country. And while chronic absenteeism has decreased, it’s still unacceptably high,” said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of Education Reform Now DC.
“DC has some of the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the country. And while chronic absenteeism has decreased, it’s still unacceptably high,” said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of Education Reform Now DC.
Giles said this loss of learning can have severe impacts on students in the long term.
“When students attend school consistently, they’re more likely to perform on grade level, they’re more likely to graduate, get and hold great jobs. So, this has a direct connection to our student’s future,” she said.
OSSE said reducing chronic absenteeism is a top priority. The agency is taking several steps to address the issue, including, “expanding trainings and supports provided to schools on how to design and implement systems that promote mental health and wellness for students and staff,” the agency said in an email.
Giles said other measures, including “nudge notifications” can be effective.
“Letting families know that your child has this number of days so students can make sure they’re coming to school consistently,” she explained.
She also said strengthening safe passages, making sure there is a clinician in every school and home visits are equally important.
DC's Quiet Crisis in College Access & Completion - DC News Now
Jessica Giles joined DC News Now to discuss the District's crisis in college access & completion and the FAFSA High School Graduation Requirement Act of 2023.
Chronic Absenteeism Remains Stubbornly High In D.C. Schools - DCist
D.C. has some of the highest absenteeism rates in the country when measured against most states. Its pre-pandemic chronic absenteeism rate in 2018-2019 was the second-highest in the country, according to a report by Education Reform Now.
D.C. has some of the highest absenteeism rates in the country when measured against most states. Its pre-pandemic chronic absenteeism rate in 2018-2019 was the second-highest in the country, according to a report by Education Reform Now.
Earlier this month, Jessica Giles, the executive director of Education Reform Now D.C., told DCist/WAMU that challenges vary from family to family but that in some communities, public safety is a “big concern.” Living in Ward 7, Giles said she’s observed an “unease” about getting children to and from school safely.
Giles said investing in more mental health resources and better transportation for students would help boost attendance as well. Schools can also build stronger relationships with parents to encourage students to come to the classroom.
Ultimately, Giles said boosting attendance must be a District-wide effort.
“This isn’t just something schools can address,” Giles said. “My biggest push is that there is a full government urgency around this issue.”
Will top schools continue ‘legacy’ admission preferences? Many say yes. - Washington Post
“Colleges are just hoping that nobody’s going to notice they haven’t done much of anything to actually remove barriers to access in admissions,” said James Murphy, an opponent of legacy preferences with the group Education Reform Now.
Some universities have postponed the issue by appointing task forces to study admissions procedures. “Colleges are just hoping that nobody’s going to notice they haven’t done much of anything to actually remove barriers to access in admissions,” said James Murphy, an opponent of legacy preferences with the group Education Reform Now.
A drive to end legacy admissions - Axios DC
A student-led petition urging Georgetown University to ban legacy admissions has gained more than 800 signatures in several weeks.
A student-led petition urging Georgetown University to ban legacy admissions has gained more than 800 signatures in several weeks.
Why it matters: In the wake of the Supreme Court banning race-based admissions, students and faculty worried about the future of diversity at Georgetown want the end of legacy advantages.
The big picture: About one in 10 Georgetown students had legacy status in the Class of 2021, meaning they were applicants who received an advantage in admissions for being a descendant of faculty, staff, or alumni, the Hoya reported in 2020.
A Georgetown report from this year suggested that "eliminating admissions preferences for legacy students" is one way for selective colleges to maintain diverse student populations.
News from Washington - September 2023
“We are challenging state and college leaders to eliminate structurally racist and systemically inequitable admission policies, such as legacy preference and binding early decision, which make college admissions less fair and erode public trust in higher education,” Jessica Giles, Executive Director of Democrats for Educational Reform in DC, told Hispanic Outlook
Education reform activists across the spectrum are demanding that if affirmative action preferences for ethnic minorities have to go, so should preferential admission for legacy applicants.
“We are challenging state and college leaders to eliminate structurally racist and systemically inequitable admission policies, such as legacy preference and binding early decision, which make college admissions less fair and erode public trust in higher education,” Jessica Giles, Executive Director of Democrats for Educational Reform in DC, told Hispanic Outlook in a long interview on August 19. While her national organization adamantly opposes the ending of affirmative action, they are among a number of groups across the political spectrum that support the ending of legacy admissions. Early in 2023, the DFER lobbied members of Congress to re-introduce the “Fair College Admissions for Students Act” (S3559). It was introduced in the Senate by Jeff Merkley (D-OR). An identical bill (HR6559) was introduced in the House by Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). The Act would “prohibit an institution of higher education that participates in federal student-aid programs from giving preferential treatment in the admissions process to applicants based on their relationships to donors or alumni of the IHE.” The bills are expected to be reviewed this fall by the Senate HELP Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee with strong endorsements from many educational activist organizations including Education Reform Now, the Education Trust, the National Education Association (NEA), the National College Attainment Network (NCAN), the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), The Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
“A better way to ensure that under-represented students are considered for admission in elite schools equally with all others is to ensure that secondary education funding, curriculum and programs provide equity for all students,” Giles said. Among the projects DFER is involved in is advocating for new brain science discoveries to aid literacy and math proficiencies in secondary schools. DFER also supports national and local partnership projects to expand the number of college admissions overall through dual secondary school/college degree programs.
Students, Faculty Petition to End GU Legacy Admissions - Georgetowner
“That’s not good enough. It favors White and therefore is racist,” according to student justice activist organizations such as Employee Resource Networks (ERN)
“That’s not good enough. It favors White and therefore is racist,” according to student justice activist organizations such as Employee Resource Networks (ERN).
“We are challenging state and college leaders to eliminate structurally racist and systemically inequitable admission policies, such as legacy preference and binding early decision, which make college admissions less fair and erode public trust in higher education,” said Jessica Giles, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform DC, in a Aug. 19 interview in Georgetown.
A petition has been circulating on campus and among students and faculty to “demand the abolition of legacy admissions at Georgetown.” It was said over the summer that more than 500 students and faculty at Georgetown University had signed the petition (the actual number was reported by the student newspaper, The Hoya, in September to be about 300). ERN demanded that the D.C. Council end legacy admission at George Washington, American, Georgetown, Howard and Catholic universities…
Legacy admissions under fire: Carleton abandons, Georgetown students petition, Pa. senator proposes ban - Higher Ed Dive
Students, faculty and alumni of Georgetown University, a highly selective Washington, D.C. institution, have revived a petition against its use of legacy admissions.
Students, faculty and alumni of Georgetown University, a highly selective Washington, D.C. institution, have revived a petition against its use of legacy admissions.
A similar effort emerged in 2020 but was unsuccessful.
The authors of the new petition, which attracted over 340 signatures as of Friday morning, wrote they’re “deeply concerned with the inevitable impact on diversity and inclusion in admissions and on campus” following the Supreme Court decision against race-conscious admissions.
Georgetown President John DeGioia issued a statement in June expressing disappointment in the ruling and said the university will continue to recruit, enroll and support students from varying backgrounds.
However, a report produced this year by Georgetown’s own Center on Education and the Workforce said selective institutions should abandon legacy preferences to achieve more ethnic and racial diversity.
That same report stated alumni “can be counted on” to oppose ditching legacy preferences and could threaten to withhold donations “because they regard their alma maters’ preferences for even the most lackluster legacy applicants as a well-deserved reward for families’ institutional loyalty.”
At least one institution that nixed legacy policies, Johns Hopkins University, didn’t see any changes in alumni donor activity, an institution official told NPR in 2020. And some research shows legacy preferences don’t translate into significantly higher alumni donations.
A Georgetown spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
Congressional Democrats reintroduce bill to ban legacy admissions - Higher Ed Dive
“We commend Sen. Merkley and Rep. Bowman’s leadership in introducing federal legislation that would halt the unfair practice of preferential treatment to children of wealthy white alumni in the college admissions process,” Jessica Giles, executive director of Education Reform Now D.C., said in a statement.
“We commend Sen. Merkley and Rep. Bowman’s leadership in introducing federal legislation that would halt the unfair practice of preferential treatment to children of wealthy white alumni in the college admissions process,” Jessica Giles, executive director of Education Reform Now D.C., said in a statement. ”Legacy preference is profoundly inequitable and rooted in racism that must end.”
‘A Punch To The Gut:’ What SCOTUS’ Student Loan Decision Means To D.C.-Area Borrowers - WAMU
When Cesar Toledo learned that most of his student loan debt might be forgiven last year, he “felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders.”
When Cesar Toledo learned that most of his student loan debt might be forgiven last year, he “felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders.”
Toledo had $25,000 in student loan debts. Under President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, he would have had $20,000 of those debts forgiven. He and his partner began talking about buying a home and adopting children.
But those plans were upended when the Supreme Court struck down the program in late June. Now, he and millions of other borrowers will need to start repaying those loans in October, and student loan interest will resume Sept. 1.
“It feels like a punch to the gut,” Toledo told DCist/WAMU. “My partner and I now have to push back some major life decisions because of this crippling debt that we both are strapped to.”
Toledo, who is in his early 30s, is uncertain of how exactly to move forward. He estimates that it would take about 10 years to pay off his debt if he stays in the region.
Cesar Toledo and his partner started planning to buy a home and adopt children after Biden announced his student loan forgiveness program last year.Cesar Toledo
Toledo is especially attuned to education policy issues; he is the Deputy Director of Democrats for Education Reform D.C. His organization wants to see local government step up and expand programs to help lower student debt, and they hope the D.C. Council and mayor will take action.
The D.C. area has some of the highest student debt burdens in the country. Many residents are recent college graduates, and borrowers are further hampered by the area’s steep cost of living.
For some residents, Biden’s student loan forgiveness program left them more or less debt free. The program canceled up to $20,000 of federal student loans.
Many, like Toledo, were suddenly in the position to consider homeownership sooner. One resident told DCist/WAMU last year that he bought his first car because of the news.
DC Public Schools Will Teach LGBTQ History in Social Studies Classes - Metro Weekly
“We should not only be preparing our students to understand who they are within our own contexts, but also how to understand people who behave differently and experience the world differently,”Chang told Metro Weekly.
The new standards will also stress the importance of learning about the histories of heretofore underrepresented minority groups, such as Asian Americans and indigenous people, and their impact on national and D.C. history.
“We should not only be preparing our students to understand who they are within our own contexts, but also how to understand people who behave differently and experience the world differently,”Chang told Metro Weekly.
The new social studies standards have been endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies and “professors from various institutions, including Howard University, the University of Maryland, and New York University,” according to DCist.
“We’re getting a lot of positive reinforcement around changes that are more reflective of who our communities are actually made of and the responsibility of our systems to make sure that we’re preparing all students to learn how to navigate both diversity locally and internationally,” Chang said.
He gave the example of a 10th grade social studies teacher coming to a forum and “giving very, very specific feedback on a very, very specific line of how she thinks [the standards] should be in different ways so that she can incorporate it better for her classroom.”
DC updates social studies standards to include LGBTQ+ history - LGBTQ Nation
Ward 6 Representative Brandon Best agreed, saying he is “proud” of the update because “by acknowledging our past we can actively work towards building a better future.”
“We’re right now putting forward something that makes the statement that we want our students here in D.C. to be informed, to be critical thinkers, to be good citizens,” said Eric Goulet, Ward 3 Representative.
Ward 6 Representative Brandon Best agreed, saying he is “proud” of the update because “by acknowledging our past we can actively work towards building a better future.”
Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action, Student Loan Forgiveness - The Washington Informer
By gutting equitable access to higher education, the Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream, said Jessica Giles, executive director of DFER DC.
By gutting equitable access to higher education, the Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream, said Jessica Giles, executive director of DFER DC.
“This ruling erases decades of progress — a particularly concerning reality given our higher-education system continues to uphold systemic, racist barriers to entry that keep doors of opportunity closed on Black and Brown students,” Giles said.
“Now more than ever, we must upend the college admission process to ensure it is optimized for racial equity, starting by abolishing legacy preference — a textbook example of systemic racism. In the absence of race-conscious admissions policies, we strongly urge D.C. elected officials to pass policies that ensure our Black and Brown students complete postsecondary education and can obtain economic prosperity.”
Giles also condemned the conservative justices for what she perceived as their alignment with Republican political interests.
The executive director of DFER DC argued that the decision has not only disrupted the lives of over 40 million student loan borrowers but has also dealt a particularly devastating blow to Black Americans.
She asserted that the ruling will exacerbate the racial wealth gap, push numerous borrowers into financial hardship, and erode public trust in the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Student Loan Forgiveness Plan -The Washington Informer
Jessica Giles, executive director of DFER DC, condemned the conservative justices for what she perceived as their alignment with Republican political interests.
Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC), an organization dedicated to improving education policies, issued a statement expressing disappointment in the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Jessica Giles, executive director of DFER DC, condemned the conservative justices for what she perceived as their alignment with Republican political interests.
Giles argued that the decision has not only disrupted the lives of over 40 million student loan borrowers but has also dealt a particularly devastating blow to Black Americans.
She asserts that the ruling will exacerbate the racial wealth gap, push numerous borrowers into financial hardship, and erode public trust in the Supreme Court.
In response to this setback, DFER DC urged Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council to take proactive measures to expand existing programs aimed at reducing student loan debt and fixing the flaws within the higher education system.
The organization said it believes that local initiatives can help mitigate the negative impact of the Supreme Court’s decision and provide much-needed support to borrowers in the absence of federal relief.
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in Education In Landmark Ruling - BET
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the use of affirmative action in admissions policies, Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC) released the following statement:
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the use of affirmative action in admissions policies, Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC) released the following statement:
“By gutting equitable access to our country’s higher education system, today's majority conservative Supreme Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream,” said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of DFER DC. “This ruling erases decades of progress – a particularly concerning reality given our higher-education system continues to uphold systemic, racist barriers to entry that keep doors of opportunity closed on Black and Brown students.”
Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action in College Admissions - The Washington Informer
By gutting equitable access to higher education, the Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream, said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of DFER DC.
By gutting equitable access to higher education, the Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream, said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of DFER DC.
“This ruling erases decades of progress – a particularly concerning reality given our higher-education system continues to uphold systemic, racist barriers to entry that keep doors of opportunity closed on Black and Brown students,” Giles stated.
“Now more than ever, we must upend the college admission process to ensure it is optimized for racial equity, starting by abolishing legacy preference – a textbook example of systemic racism. In the absence of race-conscious admissions policies, we strongly urge D.C. elected officials to pass policies that ensure our Black and Brown students complete postsecondary education and can obtain economic prosperity.”
Supreme Court Strikes Down Affirmative Action - Black Press USA
“By gutting equitable access to our country’s higher education system, today’s majority conservative Supreme Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream,” said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of DFER DC.
The conservative-led justices ruled 6-3 against the admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, a decision that will have widespread and lasting implications.
“By gutting equitable access to our country’s higher education system, today’s majority conservative Supreme Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream,” said Jessica Giles, Executive Director of DFER DC.
“This ruling erases decades of progress – a particularly concerning reality given our higher-education system continues to uphold systemic, racist barriers to entry that keep doors of opportunity closed on Black and Brown students.”
“Now more than ever, we must upend the college admission process to ensure it is optimized for racial equity, starting by abolishing legacy preference – a textbook example of systemic racism.
“In the absence of race conscious admissions policies, we strongly urge D.C. elected officials to pass policies that ensure our Black and Brown students complete postsecondary education and can obtain economic prosperity.”
Elected officials, community leaders and education advocates weigh in on Supreme Court decision to nix affirmative action - AFRO News
Jessica Giles, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC) was disappointed by the majority opinion of the court.
Jessica Giles, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC) was disappointed by the majority opinion of the court.
“By gutting equitable access to our country’s higher education system, today’s majority conservative Supreme Court ruled against Black and Brown students’ access to the American Dream,” said Jessica Giles, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER DC), in a statement.. “This ruling erases decades of progress – a particularly concerning reality given our higher-education system continues to uphold systemic, racist barriers to entry that keep doors of opportunity closed on Black and Brown students.”
“Now more than ever, we must upend the college admission process to ensure it is optimized for racial equity, starting by abolishing legacy preference – a textbook example of systemic racism,” Giles continued. “In the absence of race conscious admissions policies, we strongly urge D.C. elected officials to pass policies that ensure our Black and Brown students complete postsecondary education and can obtain economic prosperity.”
What will happen without affirmative action in colleges? University leaders fear a lapse in diversity efforts. - 19th News
“Race-neutral policies won’t fix issues that have plagued the country based on race,” said Jessica Giles, executive director of the Washington, D.C., chapter of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER).
“Race-neutral policies won’t fix issues that have plagued the country based on race,” said Jessica Giles, executive director of the Washington, D.C., chapter of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). “We’re still feeling the impact of slavery, of Jim Crow, and we’re seeing it in just about every outcome that there is, so we need affirmative action.”
Perceptions of affirmative action — both in the courts and in the public — have evolved since the government established the practice during the civil rights struggle. But supporters say the policy has served one focus in higher education: diversify institutions that have traditionally excluded women, people of color and other groups.
‘A Punch To The Gut:’ What SCOTUS’ Student Loan Decision Means To D.C.-Area Borrowers - DCist
“It feels like a punch to the gut,” Toledo told DCist/WAMU. “My partner and I now have to push back some major life decisions because of this crippling debt that we both are strapped to.
When Cesar Toledo learned that most of his student loan debt might be forgiven last year, he “felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders.”
Toledo had $25,000 in student loan debts. Under President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, he would have had $20,000 of those debts forgiven. He and his partner began talking about buying a home and adopting children.
But those plans were upended when the Supreme Court struck down the program in late June. Now, he and millions of other borrowers will need to start repaying those loans in October, and student loan interest will resume Sept. 1.
“It feels like a punch to the gut,” Toledo told DCist/WAMU. “My partner and I now have to push back some major life decisions because of this crippling debt that we both are strapped to.”
Toledo, who is in his early 30s, is uncertain of how exactly to move forward. He estimates that it would take about 10 years to pay off his debt if he stays in the region.
Cesar Toledo and his partner started planning to buy a home and adopt children after Biden announced his student loan forgiveness program last year.Cesar Toledo
Toledo is especially attuned to education policy issues; he is the Deputy Director of Democrats for Education Reform D.C. His organization wants to see local government step up and expand programs to help lower student debt, and they hope the D.C. Council and mayor will take action.
The D.C. area has some of the highest student debt burdens in the country. Many residents are recent college graduates, and borrowers are further hampered by the area’s steep cost of living.
For some residents, Biden’s student loan forgiveness program left them more or less debt free. The program canceled up to $20,000 of federal student loans.
Many, like Toledo, were suddenly in the position to consider homeownership sooner. One resident told DCist/WAMU last year that he bought his first car because of the news.