DC Needs School Librarians, Literacy Conference, DCSBOE Public Meeting, & School Budgets?

Dear Neighbor,

School librarians are at risk of getting their budget cut (yet again) & DC students need your help. What I wrote in the DC Line last year remains true: school librarians are essential.

Our school librarians aren't just stocking paper books, they're fostering a love of reading, mentoring students, managing supplies of digital tools and teaching digital literacy, and so much more. Ms. Juriga of Ross Elementary has been teaching a class on digital citizenship, using edited images of pop stars to demonstrate how information may be manipulated to achieve targeted outcomes.

Please help me advocate for school librarians by signing this petition to support the "Right to Read Amendment Act of 2021."

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I'd also like to invite you to a literacy panel I'm facilitating on October 26 at 2:30.

I'll be discussing literacy investments in DC with OSSE Superintendent Dr. Christina Grant, WTU President Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, DC Charter Alliance Executive Director Ariel Johnson, and Federal City Council Director of Education Initiatives Abraham Clayman. The conference is co-hosted by Decoding Dyslexia DC and Education Reform Now DC. Register here.

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Tomorrow evening (Wednesday the 19th) is the DC State Board of Education's (DCSBOE) monthly public meeting. Join us the third Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at 441 4th St. NW or on YouTube.

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It's been great to see many students, parents, and educators in person over the last month. One consistent theme I've been hearing is a frustration with the lack of transparency and dynamism around school budgets. I'm looking to host a panel or Q&A with a budget expert on this topic. Would you please let me know if you're interested in attending?

Thank you,

Allister Chang