Join the DC Declaration of Learning Program - Engage and Inspire Students
Encourage critical and creative thinking and bring the subjects you teach to life through the DC Declaration of Learning program. The year-long program will begin with a one-week workshop from July 20-24, 2020. The program is free and educators will receive a stipend for their work. Educators selected to participate will benefit by:
Uncovering stories of our rich cultural heritage, history, diplomacy, and civic action through objects, art, and primary sources from national and local collections;
Participating in object-based training by museum leaders and unparalleled digital access to their collections and sites for you and your students;
Taking learning outside the classroom through student-led, teacher-directed civic engagement projects;
Receiving one-on-one mentoring by experienced mentors who are former program participants; and
Opportunities to represent your school and district in press articles and at DC Declaration of Learning events.
Third through grade 12 teachers of English language arts, social studies, art, school librarians, ESL / ELL, GT, and SPED are encouraged to apply. Applications are due on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, 11:59 p.m. To apply and view additional program requirements for the program, please visit the White House Historical Association website. To learn more about the program, please contact Education@whha.com.
Mentoring and Induction Program Development Professional Learning Community: Now Accepting Applications
OSSE’s new Mentoring and Induction Program Development Professional Learning Community (PLC) will convene a small group of LEA leaders working to build organizational capacity for supporting new teachers via coaching, mentoring, and induction opportunities. The PLC will:
Provide planning and problem-solving opportunities for ongoing strategic development of mentoring, induction, and/or coaching programs for new teachers in your LEA;
Build a supportive community of LEA peers focused on providing development supports to new teachers;
Apply continuous improvement practices to program development efforts in your specific context; and
Share resources, best practices, and tools to support program development.
The PLC will take place over five six-hour sessions from March 2020 to October 2021. The series is free to participants. It is intended for LEA staff who lead and/or manage supports for new teachers. Recommended roles include Mentoring and Induction Program Lead, Instructional Coach, Principal or Assistant/Vice Principal. For additional details, please review the programs information sheet. To sign up, please complete the application form by Friday, Feb 7, 2020. For questions, please contact Rose Goff at Rose.Goff@dc.gov.
Support Early Childhood Educator Wellness in DC
Georgetown University’s Early Childhood Innovation Network’s Preschool Development Grant Team is calling on all Washington, DC infant, toddler and preschool teachers and classroom staff to share your experience and engage in an effort to understand yourexperiences in the District and gain information to share with policymakers and programming officials.
Please complete the survey by Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. The results will be used to inform health and wellness programs and policies in DC schools and facilities. For questions, please contact Acd126@georgetown.edu.
New Resources: School Safety Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018
The School Safety Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 (SSOAA) requires schools to take steps to prevent and address student sexual abuse by school staff and student-on-student acts of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and dating violence. These steps include implementing policies and providing training. OSSE has created resources to support schools and LEAs with meeting these requirements. Visit OSSE's website for additional information and resources, including the following:
Model policy to prevent and address student sexual abuse by school staff;
Model policy to prevent and address student-on-student acts of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and dating violence; and
Curricula guide for meeting DC Health Education Standards and SSOAA requirements.
Notice of Proposed FFY 2019 IDEA Part B Annual Performance Report APR Indicators (reminder)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires all states to have a special education state performance plan (SPP). On an annual basis, states are required to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) on the progress of their SPP. The US Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has approved a one-year extension to federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013-2018 IDEA Part B APR package.
OSEP requires all states to set FFY 2019 (2019-20 school year) targets for each APR results indicator. States are required to conduct stakeholder engagement when setting new targets for results indicators. The FFY 2019 APR targets must be submitted to OSEP by Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.
The proposed targets for the District of Columbia are posted on OSSE's website for general feedback. Feedback and comments will be accepted until Friday, Jan. 24, 2020.For general questions, feedback, and comments, please contact Megan Williams at Megan.Williams@dc.gov.
School Health Profiles Launch (reminder)
During the 2019-20 school year, schools within the District will be asked to complete the Healthy Schools Act (HSA) School Health Profiles. Under Section 602 of the Healthy Schools Act of 2010, each public and public charter school in the District is required to complete and submit the School Health Profile to OSSE each year. Only public and public charter schools that complete and submit their HSA School Health Profiles will be eligible to receive HSA grants for the 2020-21 school year.
The School Health Profile data collection will run through Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. All profiles are completed through QuickBase and users will receive an email directly from QuickBase indicating they have been added as a user for the 2019-20 data collection once the application is launched. In addition, instructions on how to complete the HSA profile and other resources can be found on OSSE's website.
For more information or questions, please contact (202) 719-6500 between 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. or email OSSE.Callcenter@dc.gov.
Facilities Financing Available for Public Charter Schools (reminder)
The Office of Public Charter School Financing and Support (OPCSFS) has funding available for the construction, renovation, expansion, and acquisition of public charter schools. Eligible projects can obtain up to a $2 million direct loan for a maximum five-year term. For the 2020 calendar year, direct loans will be available at an interest rate of 2.75 percent for the term of the direct loan. Credit enhancements in the form of debt guarantees or lease guarantees are available up to $1 million.
For guidance on eligibility, process, and submission requirements for a direct loan or credit enhancement financing, please contact Ronda Lasko at Ronda.Lasko@dc.gov.
OSSE's Division of Teaching and Learning is pleased to announce its new 2020 Professional Development Catalog where educators can preview course offerings for January to April 2020. To access registration links for all upcoming training opportunities, please visit OSSE's events calendar.
2020 Multilingual Education Fair of DC
In partnership with the key education institutions of the District and the region, the fourth edition of the 2020 Multilingual Education Fair of DC features 150 exhibitors and a full program covering 18 languages to allow language learners of all ages to explore and deepen linguistic and cultural skills, and learn about careers where languages are crucial. The demand for multilingual education and the need for multilingual employees is skyrocketing nationwide, and DC wants to help.
Join families, educators, young professionals and learners of all ages, from all ethnic and linguistic backgrounds across the DC area on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Theodore Roosevelt High School, 4301 13th St. NW. Public transportation is accessible via the Georgia Ave.-Petworth Metro Station (green/yellow line). The Metro Station and event space are ADA accessible. Interpretation is available in spoken and sign languages - download the Jeenie app for free interpretation during the fair.
Register - the fair is free to all participants. For more information, please visit mefdc.org/program.
Human Trafficking Awareness Training
OSSE’s Division of Systems and Supports, K-12, in collaboration with the DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG), invite DC educators and school staff who interact with DC students to attend OSSE’s first school-focused human trafficking awareness training on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Intended audience: K-12 teachers and school staff.
The training will provide information on:
Risk factors that make students susceptible to exploitation
Recognizing signs of human trafficking
How to respond and report to trafficking cases
Promising practices and resources for LEAs
The training will be held on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at OSSE, First Floor, Eleanor Holmes Norton III, Room 110. [Register] For more information or questions, please contact OSSE's Special Programs Unit at OSSE.SPU@dc.gov.
Help Spread the Word About Partnership Opportunities for New Special Education Grant (reminder)
OSSE is soliciting grant applications for the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Special Education Enhancement Fund (SEEF) Competitive Grant. Eligible lead applicants include third-party nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education. All applicants must partner with targeted school(s) at one or more LEAs. Applicants must secure partnerships with the partner school(s) and parent LEA(s) with which they intend to work and will be required to verify these partnerships by uploading, as part of the grant application, a signed Partnership Agreement that details the parameters of the partnership and demonstrates each partner’s role in the planning and implementation of programs and services. Applications are due Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, at 3 p.m. and must be submitted through OSSE’s Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS).
For more information about this grant, please contact Brianna Griffin at Brianna.Griffin@dc.gov.
OSSE will continue to update and redistribute these resources quarterly. If you have a question not addressed in these resources, please contact OSSE Communications at OSSE.Communications@dc.gov.
Subscribe to LEA Look Forward
To subscribe to OSSE's LEA Look Forward, please contact OSSE Communications at OSSE.Communications@dc.gov and provide your first name, last name, and email address.
