Special Presidential Visit Edition
• Autumn 2006
Honoring Excellence in Education On October 5, 2006, U.S. President
George W. Bush President of the United States
George W. Bush, along with Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, visited Friendship’s Woodridge Elementary
Salutes the Students and Faculty of Friendship Public Charter School Woodridge Elementary and Middle School Campus
and Middle School Campus in recognition of the school’s record of academic excellence. Woodridge was selected for this presidential honor from among 191 public and public charter schools in the District of Columbia. During the Woodridge visit, President
Donald L. Hense, Founder & Chairman
Bush and Secretary Spellings talked
Friendship Chairman Donald Hense, Edison Schools CEO Chris Whittle and President Bush celebrate school excellence.
with students in Mr. Brown’s Math Class and Mr. Brook’s SmartLab™ Class. With broad smiles and school pride, students shared their knowledge of robotics, engineering, science and algebraic concepts. The President
Inside this
concluded his visit with a nationally broadcast education address held in the
issue:
campus gymnasium that highlighted
Honoring Excellence in Education
In the 2005-06 academic year, Wo-
..............................1
one of only four District public charter
Woodridge as a public school making a positive difference.
odridge was the only Ward 5 school and schools to achieve Annual Yearly Prog-
President Bush Tours the Woodridge Smart Lab Technology Center
ress (AYP) as defined by the federal No
..............................2
DC CAS, a more rigorous assessment
Child Left Behind legislation. That same year, the District introduced the test to measure AYP. Not only did Wo-
Photos from the visit
odridge students achieve DC CAS pro-
.......................... 2-4
ficiency standards in math and reading, they exceeded those standards by 11 percent in both subject areas.
“Too many believed that our children could not learn to high standards. And that belief ran through all segments of the community including the educational community. Friendship has always had high performing schools but with NCLB we had to prove it publicly. We used NCLB to bring everyone on board to chart a course for the future of our campuses that was centered around student academic performance first and foremost. We are proud that our hard work is paying off at the Woodridge campus.” –Friendship Chairman Donald L. Hense