April 28, 2006: Norton's Criticism of DCPS Exceeded Only by Cross Examination of ED Department

Norton’s Criticism of DCPS Exceeded Only by Stinging
Cross Examination of Department of Education Officials
April 28, 2006

Washington, DC-- In a House hearing on the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) today, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton vigorously cross-examined Department of Education officials (DOE), on its “high-risk” designation of the city’s schools announced last week. The treatment of the city as a state without a full and independent state education oversight mechanism with the usual staff and resources appears to be at the root of the difficulty, according to testimony the Congresswoman elicited from Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Henry Johnson and Senior Counsel to the Secretary Hudson La Force. Only U.S. territories and the District, none of which are parts of states, have been designated high risk. Norton, a graduate of the District of Columbia Public Schools, said she would never be an apologist for the schools, but said basic questions of fairness and much needed collaboration and technical assistance were raised when the DOE went to the most serious designation without any intermediate steps: by the failure of DOE to collaborate with two objective officials, with the school’s Chief Financial Officer whose testimony contradicted some of the Department’s most serious allegations, and with the independent Inspector General, whose oversight of DCPS has been systematic and critical, but collaborative; and above all, by dealings with DCPS that cited its obvious flaws but did not sufficiently focus on the structural state education issues that pervaded the Department’s criticism.

The Congresswoman criticized the Department for not offering in-depth assistance, “before pinning a label on the District.” She said that DCPS was justifiably the object of strong criticism and has received this criticism, first and foremost from D.C. residents, and that the D.C. government is fully engaged with the schools as the city’s first priority problem and concern. Nevertheless, Norton said it was highly unusual and unwarranted to give the most serious designation this year, the first full school year Superintendent Clifford Janey has been on the job. She said that unlike most new city school systems superintendents, who come in and concentrate on curriculum reform, Mr. Janey had to do a Master Education Plan, a Facilities Master Plan, and fix the accounting system all at the same time. His job, she said, was “to pick up the pieces of a shattered school system… recreating DCPS from the ground up.” Norton said that the DOE criticism of DCPS was justified and this criticism itself showed that what was missing in the absence of a state structure was detailed technical and structural assistance that the Department has not yet given. Norton said that she was pleased that the Department officials who testified said they would offer this needed assistance.