Washington, DC - DC activists raise concerns that DCPS isn't doing enough to raise DCPS teacher retention rates.

“Two years ago an American University study found the DCPS teacher evaluation system to be racially biased, yet two years later it remains virtually unchanged,” Goldstein told the AFRO. “From an evaluation system that creates fear instead of growth to an excessive amount of standardized testing and far too little teacher professional authority, we still aren’t doing what we need to do to retain educators.” - Scott Goldstein, founder and executive director of EmpowerEd, an organization that seeks to create an equitable education system in D.C.

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The Washington Post interviewed teachers and DCPS regarding crucial repairs raising safety issues and disrupting the teaching and learning process. To read the full story, click here.

WTU President Pogue Lyons spoke with Channel 9 News reporters re: DCPS' failure to return to the bargaining table. She was asked if the WTU intended to strike. Click the image or here to learn more.

The Washington Informer interviewed WTU's President Pogue Lyons on the soon-to-expire WTU contract, 17 school safety recommendations submitted to DCPS, and the WTU survey of 750 teachers on school violence. 

She told The Informer that DCPS' lack of response to the 17 safety recommendations underscored their lack of urgency about key issues affecting teachers.

She emphasized the importance of carefully reading the survey results which showed that 45% of teachers have considered leaving the profession. For her, solidifying the 2023-2027 contract has become "a matter of retaining a solid educator workforce in underserved communities." Read the full story here.

Educators report being threatened and attacked by students and, in some cases, their parents. Elsewhere, they worry about censorship.

The Washington Post's Education Reporter Lauren Lumpkin interviewed a number of WTU teachers and WTU president Jacqueline Pogue Lyons before writing this article.

The Washington Informer published an editorial titled "Teaching and Learning Today in D.C. Public Schools," written by WTU President Pogue Lyons on school violence. Please take a moment to read it here.

Given the number of school violence, traumatic events and ongoing challenges facing our students, DCPS should be doubling down on investing in school safety and helping educators and families alike. But instead, they’re stalling like always, making a business out of making DC teachers beg for what their kids need. There’s no sense of urgency and no policy for dealing with these problems. Teachers are scared for their kids and for themselves.

In WTU's survey of nearly 800 teachers, for example, nearly half of teachers (49.1 percent) said they’ve seen knives, guns or other dangerous weapons brought to school. More than 90 percent of teachers said they’ve witnessed student-on-student violence including assaults, objects thrown, slaps or punches, verbal or physical threats. Nearly three-quarters, or 74 percent, of teachers said workplace violence has made them feel anxious, fearful or increasingly vigilant, 49 percent said it has made them feel sad and depressed, and 45 percent said they have considered leaving the profession because of the violence.

WHUR interviewed WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons on violence in schools. Check out the radio interview here!