News

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post
Thursday, July 22, 2010

The D.C. State Board of Education on Wednesday adopted new national standards for English and math, joining Maryland and more than two dozen states in a groundbreaking effort to establish common expectations for what students should learn every year from kindergarten through high school.

The board's vote of 6 to 1 will set in motion changes to testing, curriculum and teacher training as Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and charter school operators seek to improve public-school performance.

Board member William Lockridge opposed the measure, citing cost concerns. Member Laura Slover abstained, citing her work for an organization involved in standards advocacy. Member Sekou Biddle was absent.

Board member Dotti Love Wade said she backed the standards, because they are "a beginning point for us all to be on the same page in education."

In November 2008, The Washington Post endorsed Laura McGiffert Slover for DC State Board of Education, Ward 3.

In the endorsement (which you can read here), the Post says of Laura and other returning board members, "They bring valuable experience to education reform, and their return bodes well for the board."

Laura Slover and the other members of the DC State Board of Education held a public hearing concerning proposed regulations governing teacher certification on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The proposed regulations are available on the website of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (www.osse.dc.gov).

The hearing reviewed proposed revisions of teacher certification requirements, which would include effectiveness as a component of an advanced certification.

According to Slover, beginning a dialogue regarding teacher effectiveness is especially important for area public and charter schools, adding that “effective teachers are the single most important element of a successful education system.”

In a July 23, 2008 editorial (pdf) of The Northwest Current, Laura Slover is quoted regarding the greater than expected rise in results by District of Columbia students on the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System.

"Laura McGiffert Slover, a mayoral appointee to the State Board of Education, noted that many school systems see “a third-year bump” after introducing a new exam. But she said the District’s scores seem to have outpaced the expected rise."

The Northwest Current in a June 18, 2008 editorial (pdf) praised Laura Slover regarding hiring policy for principals in D.C. Public Schools.

Qualified candidates for principal have been turned down because they haven't met the narrow guidelines of the current policy.

The Current writes: "Board member Laura McGiffert Slover is right that loosening the requirements will allow a broader pool of applicants - and the opportunity to be far
more selective."

This letter by DC State Board of Education members Laura Slover, Sekou Biddle, Mary Lord, Lisa Raymond, and Ted Trabue appeared in the May 28, 2008 edition (pdf) of the Northwest Current.

Almost a year has passed since Mayor Adrian Fenty took control of D.C. Public Schools — turning the Board of Education into the D.C. State Board of Education. That’s right — the “state board.” The District may lack voting rights, but when it comes to education, we have the same functions and responsibilities as California or any other full-fledged state. Now we have a state superintendent and a state board leading this work.