education

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DC Public Schools system has one of the  worst performance records in  the country for proficiency in Math, Reading, and Science.  For years the DC students have been subjected to poor education standards.  According to Niche. com, only 30% of DC high school students are proficient in Reading and only 35% are proficient in Math. Individual schools east of the Anacostia show a much grimmer picture;  some schools show only 1% of students are proficient in Math, and only 17% of students are proficient in Reading. The District's answer to the public education disparity has been Charter Schools, where historically children had to compete in a lottery system for the opportunity to potentially have a chance at the best education available in the District.  Those children who are not admitted to Charter Schools are relegated back to our broken school system.  WE HAVE TO FIX OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM! PERIOD!  Dr. Mic will work to re-brand charter schools as magnet schools, which will offer a specialized curriculum for  special fields of study so that a student may be able to complete globally with their peers within those fields. .  Magnets schools would be an additional solution, not a substitution for the education received in our public school system.  All students, in all sections of the city, should have access to the same level of quality education! Both public school education and magnet school systems of study would have a "stellar pillar of excellence" mandate!

Dr. Mic would work to enact laws and policies that hold school chancellors, superintendents, principals and lead teachers accountable for lifting our public schools' education out of ruin.  The ability of these school leaders and professionals to obtain and maintain a standard of educational excellence would be directly tied to their performance evaluations and subsequent tenure. 

Dr. Mic believes that we have a school board that we should be utilizing.  He will work to make sure the District is giving  the School Board more of a definitive role in  providing proper oversight to our School System and becomes the direct report for our School Chancellor!  MAYORAL CONTROL OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM MUST END!

The key to success in improving the academic achievement of our students  is to ensure the continued educational development of our staff and teachers.  Dr. Mic will work to enact laws  and policies to  mandate resources be made available to  our teachers  and staff for continued development.

Washington, DC has many  organizations that are underutilized that would be willing to partner with the School system to provide mentoring and tutoring.  Dr. Mic would sponsor bills that would call for increased participation and partnerships to provide these services to deserving students. 

Dr. Mic would  work to enact laws and build policies whereby mandatory study sessions are built into  extra-curricular activity schedules, and that mandate students to maintain a certain grade point average to be  eligible to participate in those activities.

Child truancy continues to be a big problem in DCPS.  Dr. Mich will sponsor bills and work to enact laws that provide truant officers and other resources that cut down on a child's truancy.  

Dr. Mic would sponsor bills and work to enact laws that allowed for more special resource officers to be present in schools to maintain order when necessary and to assist in the normal flow of the school day, providing assistance to both students and teachers alike.  

Dr. Mic would sponsor bills and work to enact laws to ensure that all students and teachers are able to teach and learn in a supportive safe atmosphere.  With this initiative, Dr. Mic believes we must renew and continue gun (and other weapons) detection devices in our schools,  and mandate a policy that no recreational drug use or influence be allowed on school premises at any time.  

Every number of years, the DCPS system is re-zoned, meaning that mandates are put in place that require students living in a certain neighborhood to attend certain schools. Dr. Mic will advocate for no-rezoning of schools to take place until all DCPS have been brought up to the level of educational excellence that our students deserve and our parents require for their students. 

Students should be able to attend schools with which their communities have had a relationship, even if the community has been re-zoned for a different set of schools.  Dr. Mic advocates for communities where students have always attended a certain elementary, middle, and/or high school to still be able to send those students to those schools because of the long-standing relationship that exists between the community and the school(s). 

Ensuring the education excellence and life skills advancement for our student population that has special needs will be a primary focus for Dr. Mic as he works to increase the prowess of academic excellence in our public school system. Dr. Mic recognizes the need  to enhance programs so that our special education students  may not only be given the greatest basic education, but also be able to receive life skills that will help them to thrive and to succeed in life. Dr. Mic's older brother has been a product of Special Eduation all of his life, so for Dr. Mic, this is also personal.