The Current
Board urged to revise graduation standards By DEIRDRE BANNON Current Staff Writer
Public testimony last week at the D.C. State Board of Education meeting on proposed changes to high school graduation requirements showed an overwhelming interest in increasing sexual health education, making the thesis requirement optional, and reinstating U.S. government as a required course. The board has been working on possible revisions to the graduation requirements for the past 14 months, with a goal of providing schools with more flexibility while also creating standards that better prepare students for college or high-skilled careers. The board’s latest proposal, released in December, recommended requiring more art and music education, adding a physical activity requirement, and allowing some units to be fulfilled by demonstrating proficiency rather than by completing a course. It also proposed increasing the total number of units needed to graduate from 24 to 26. Geetha Ananthakrishnan, a public policy coordinator with local nonprofit Metro TeenAIDS, was one of several witnesses at the Jan. 23 meeting who gave examples to illustrate what seems to be a dire need for more sexual health education. She testified that her organization worked with one young man who said he and his girlfriend thought they could prevent pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections by having sex near a microwave while it was running, and would do so rather than use condoms or other birth control
Commercial sign approved for row house By ELIZABETH WIENER Current Staff Writer
The 1700 block of Q Street boasts a distinctive series of brick and brownstone Romanesque row houses, uniformly lining both sides of what is known as Schneider Row. Soon it will get a new distinction: its first approved commercial sign. The Historic Preservation Review Board last week OKed a proposal for a modest “non-illuminated, oval-shaped flat metal sign,â€? tucked inside a Romanesque arch. It will identify the Century 21 real estate office that occupies the corner row house at 1701 Q St. Century 21 had previously sought more conspicuous signage, including an illuminated sign it wanted to affix to the masonry façade of the 1890 building. But the preservation board turned that down, for fear of damaging the masonry and commercializing what has been a strictly residential block. “We’re trying to run a business, and it wasn’t apparent coming in that signage would be such an issue,â€? said Nicholas Pasquini of Century 21. “The building is truly a gem, and we do respect the residential block. But across the intersection [on 17th Street], there are lots of signs.â€? Staff reviewer Steve Callcott said the latest proposal could pass muster. The sign’s background color would blend with the brownstone, its size is “diminutive,â€? and it would be attached to wood rather than masonry so there would be no perSee Sign/Page 16
methods. “We meet youth who are unaware of their own anatomy on a regular basis,� said Ananthakrishnan. She and others from Metro TeenAIDS urged the board to increase its health education requirement from 0.5 units to 2.0 or higher, which they said would better align with national standards and meet the goals of the D.C. Healthy Schools Act. Other witnesses — including physicians, nonprofit directors, educators and current high school students — provided other examples demonstrating a lack of knowledge of basic reproduction facts as well as other health education subjects including nutrition, exercise and disease prevention. For the thesis requirement — which was put into place in 2007 but later suspended — many witnesses said it should become optional, and a new diploma of distinction could be awarded to the students who complete one. “Students doing well should have a chance to demonstrate their abilities in a topic of their choice,� said Sade Brown, a 12th-grader at Dunbar who has an interest in nursing and said she would like to complete a thesis, if she knew how. “Requiring all students to complete this without the proper support will create additional obstacles for people to graduate.� The thesis requirement is not currently part of a specific class, but an independent project that juniors and seniors take on. Many stakeholders, including Cathy See Graduation/Page 19
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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
The week ahead Wednesday, Jan. 30
The D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will hold a workshop on new D.C. corporation laws. The workshop will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in Room 4302 at 1100 4th St. SW. To register, call 202-442-8170.
Thursday, Jan. 31
Hearst Elementary will hold an open house for prospective parents at 9:30 a.m. The school is located at 3950 37th St. NW. For details, call 202-282-0106.
Tuesday, Feb. 5
Mayor Vincent Gray will deliver the 2013 State of the District Address at 7 p.m. at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. ■The Palisades Citizens Association will hold its monthly meeting, which will feature presentations by the D.C. Department of the Environment on the “Sustainable Future� initiative and by the D.C. Sustainable Energy Utility on its programs. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Palisades Recreation Center, Sherier and Dana places NW.
Wednesday, Feb. 6
The Citizens Association of Georgetown will host a community meeting to discuss proposals for a “residential customized zone� in Georgetown as part of the process of updating the District’s zoning regulations. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3240 O St. NW.
Thursday, Feb. 7
The education group DC Voice will hold a community meeting to discuss its High School Student Testing Project, which assesses the impact of standardized tests on students, and the Ready Kids Project, which looks at the readiness of children for kindergarten through interviews with teachers and school counselors. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW.
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