DC is so far ahead of pretty much every other city in their school reform efforts, their results bear watching. Here is an early indication of how they are doing:
D.C. public school students continue to improve their reading and math skills, and the achievement gap between African American and white students has narrowed, according to preliminary test results released yesterday. […]
Perhaps most striking was the change in what many education experts regard as the most alarming of all testing statistics — the gap between scores of white and African American students in public schools. Rhee reported yesterday that last year’s narrowing of the achievement gap continued in 2009 across all grade levels and subject areas. The gulf between secondary math students closed by 20 points, from 70 to 50 percent.
Individual school results will come out soon, and more in-depth analysis will dig into the numbers, but this is clearly positive news.
Ooms With A View 