good morning. this is "news 4 your sunday. good morning. welcome to "news 4 your sunday." i'm erika gonzalez in for p lawson muse. the school year is already off and running. joining us this morning is d.c. public schoolsinrim chancellor dr. amanda alexander. thank you so much for being here with us th morning. >> thanks for having me. >> this is an exciting time.tu congtions on getting through your first full week of the school year. i'm sure you've beenyo making rounds trying to get to as many campuses as possible. >> i have visited tons of schools this past week. f >> i thi some people you may be a new face but really you are not. d.c. is -- these are your stomping grounds and youte st-- you've risen through the ranks and started as an

elementary schoolteache can you tell our viewers about where you come from and why d.cs so much of your heart? >> yeah, well, i've been here the past 25 yeaif of my actually, my entire adulthood has been spent in washington, d.c. so i beganmy career as kindergarten teacher at walker jones elementary school in 1998. >> the little ones. >> it was a wonderful experience and i learned a lot at that school. i later became an assistant principal, and i actually did that role in new york city. >> okay. >> i was a part of a principleen developrogram known as new leaders for new schools. >> okay. >> and i spent two years inrk n ity as an assistant principal before coming back to d.c. to serve asrincipal at bunkerhill elementary school which is actually my neighborhood school in ward five. shout out to my brooklyn neighbors. >> there yougo. >> and then the chancellor at the time moved me to ross in

dupont circle. >> okay.es >> as at of seeing double digit gains at both schools, both bunkerhill and ross, she asked me to serve as a principal sleader so ived in the role f instructional superintendent which is a principal supervisor. >> recently your name and face came into the spotlight, the mayor tapped to you step in and run dcps after the previous chancellor resigned and kind of the turmoiled that happthere with kind of bypassing the school's lottery system and so forth. then there was an indepen nt audit that showed more than a third of the class of 2017iv re diplomas despite the fact that some were not academically qualified. so there's been a lot going on, and yet, still, you raised your hand and said, yes, i want to take this on. what is it about dcps to where you id, i can this? i want to do this.

i want to step into this role right now. >> i had to say yes because i knew that the things you just described were just a few bumps along the road. i have seen the progress this schoistrict has made over the past 20 years. i have seen h we have transformed our curriculum, our evaluation ofteachers, how we do assessments of students, and even theadimprovements we've in facilities. your team has covered tons of ribbon cuttings in the past few days. >> ab>>lutely. dcps, i knew, was a place that was on the rise. and i wasn't discouraged by the negative news, and ied wao be a part of helping us stay on the trajtory towards success. >> do you feel at all -- you use the word discourage or intimidated or afr td ofis is where dcps or a light was being shined in this way and some people would say you know you

have some ground to make up. did that at all affect your decision making process to come into this role of where you can take the school district? >> it didn't because i believe tremendously in our people in d.c. and i know firsthand the power of our human capital,he people in our central office, the people who serve in our schools, our principals and assistant principals and teachers and custodians. r believe in the power of parents. >> absolutely. >> and so i knew that we could overcome this challenge. >>c lent. speaking about all of this, there's a new policy in place on absenteeism as a result of the findings in the audit. we have a few seconds left int, this segme can you tell us what that looks like? >> i'm proud we have released those policies. we made them public. they're on our website. we've also produced aide for parents, which is like an faq

that allowshem to fully understand. our guide is for everyone, all stakeholders, to be clear on, first, the importance of attending school. >> right. >> and its connection to studenh vement outcomes and what our policies were to ensure that students could this coming spring, spring of 2019, cross the stage having earned a diploma that theyce e. >> dr. alexander, stay with us. we're going to take a quick break and then will ctinue to talk about this new school year and what some of the priorities are for students as they are coroing back into the cla. stay with us.

and we are back with dr. amanda alexander. a new school year, new wriorities, ild presume, for each student, each campus is dif mrent. talk t about some of the new

things you'd like to see incorporated in the schools this year. >> thanks for that question. we will continue with our focus this yearategic plans we want to focus heavily on ensuring equity. we want to empower our people. we want to invest in the people who serve our schools. some of the things we have done with our staff in the past. the other piece i want to highlht during this segment is the parents. there is a need to better connect with families, our students and parents, theirca egivers. >> a lot of different dynamics going on.

weant to help them overcome the challenges that they face. in the past we have at dcps had a chancellor's cabinet which was made up of a group of parents who met with the chancellor on a nthly basis and engaged in conversations about new initiatives that hi were ing about implement ining an an opportunity to share their thoughts and perspectives as parents with us. this year we are engaging more directly with some senior members of my staff. our deput chancellor, for social, emotional and academic development, and a cabinet for ur deputy chancellor for innovation and systems improvement. we'll have a cabinet for our leadho serves our special education students and then a

cabinet for parents to engage with our lead who thinks about how we redesign schools. we brought in the opportunities parents have to engage with senior levels of dcps. >> i have to ask you about this be we talked -- you mentioned human capital. we know you want the best for your students and part that have is who they deal withn a day-to-day basis. a recent i-team report found that 1,000 dcps teachers were unlicensed. that number has improved. talk to me about why that should be a concern to parents and what the school district is doing to try to fix that. >> the vast majority of our 4,000 teachers are licensed. i also want to let the public know that nedcps has of the most rigorous selection

processes t in nation. in addition to your typical paper application process ourdi ctes have to submit video footage of them actually teaching a lesson. it ensures this teacher has the skills to teach at the levels we expect. we work with the state office to make sure teachers get licensed. theorhave provided some additional office hours as well as hotline numbers so teachers can connect with th to fi out exactly what they need to do. >> let me ask you when does your appointment as interim chancellor end? i have to ask you, are you interested in the job permanently? >> i knew you were going to ask me that question. that's the milon dollar question. >> i can see the smile on your

face really from ear to ear. that has to speak volumes. >> yes, it says i want the b. it ends when the mayor selects the permanent chancellor. not a set time line. yes, i am interested the role. iave been a part of so many successes we've had, that we've had at the elementary school. i was a part of and helped outline the plan ones rning elementary schools and i want to leverage those lessons at the el elementary lend apply them to what we do in middle and high school. i am interested in the role. we have a great team. we have great momentumin i don't want to see that stopped. els, i'm interested in the role. >> exnt. excellent. very quickly for the parents

that are watching this, whu do nt them to know about you d wanting this role? their kids are under your care andanyour gu. what do you want the parents to know? >> that it's a responsibility don't take lightly, that i recognize parents in this city have choices and i appreciate the fact that they have chosen dcps. they could have chosen charter, parochial but they chose dcps and i take the responsibility of educating their kids seriously. i want for their child to be known by name. i want someone to know and love their child. i want them to know that. >> dr. amanda alexander, stay with us.e we h much more to talk about, incredible, positive amples of elementary schools kind of blazing new trails. we'll be joined by two principals with dcps when we come back after this.

students in the district of columbia are back in the classroom and ready to ge back in the swing of things. joining this conversation alongside dr. alexander now is the principal of the new all girls excel academy and the principal of t ronrown college preparatory high school. thank you to our guests for being here. we're really excited to have this conversation with you all. this is a different take on the classroom because wre talking about all girl and all boy l sch so let me start with you, dr. williams, because you have been open for two years now. >> that's correct. >> so talk to me about the environmt in the classrooms and why this is different and appropriate, good for some students. maybe not all st maybe this

the fit for some students. >> i think you touched on it isrrectly. thi resource, an additional resource in the district. the district wants to educate all of the young people that are coming into the d.c. public schools. a providing an opportunity to receive an educational experience specific t them >> sure. >> we are trying to provide a cultural experience that is s ycific to theng men of color we serve on a basis.-day our school is not open only to young people of color but those are the people coming into our spa every day. >> sure. >> we look at statistics in d.c. and young men of color havest ggled in the academic setting especially 9-12 grade and so our goal is not only to educat these young men in the classroom but also to educate the whole young person. and to prepare them to be productive citizens once they leave our space to have a general impact on the school community but once they graduate to go back into their ineighborhoods, to go bato the d.c. community and, also, once they move into their college or career toinhave impacthose communities as well.

this has to be something that is educating ane ire young person and the skill set that comes along with it. >> this is going to be a completely new endeavor for you. you have been a principal before, but this is an all girls school. so tell me about maybe some of the challenges but atwhhe same tim makes this so special for particular you ladies? >> what makes it special, i was a young woman of color growupng n d.c. and attended d.c. public schools -- >> you're a product of. >> and what's important with the children we educate we give them all what they needo be successful, and sometimes the traditional education setting is t what children need and so if av're looking at things from an equity lens, you to make sure we give children what they need in order to overcome obstacles or barriers that may impact them from receivg education

>> you attended school in the district for some time. you are home grown. these are your ss.mping grou this is where you grew up, born and raised. what do you think it is about that, about a teacher tha can say i know where you come from, i know how you were raised, i came from this very same neighborhood that allows you to n anect with those students different level. >> students can see you as model. not in the sense where i'm perfect but in the sensean i be whoever i want to be. >> absolutely. and we c defy stereotypes that were created.n as a woi can do what i want to do, be who i want to be and society will not define me. i'm that model for young ladi. >> i think having someone who has grown in the system allows young people to see somebody whd understhe community itself.

again, to be a teacher, to be ao principalbe an educator and a leader of the school district nd the e to unders community where the students come from. >> of course you do, yes. >> responsible education doesn't mean just being able to teach a young person how to read because of their race or ethnicity or gender, it means understanding there's community needs that they experience every day that has to be -- >> it shapes their learning, ight? it shapes the way they come into the classroom every day. >> yes, ma'am. >> i thinkhat ben and i are alike in a lot of ways because we're both mission driven. we know the importance public school played in our lives. that's the service we give to the students every day. >> iove how you mentioned it in the commercial break, it's a mission. you both believe you're on a mission every single day to bee in classrooms and to be there for your students as a prime example ofan what they

accomplish. >> it's the only way you can do this work. a lot of people are interested ly way work but the that you can get up every day and do this work is if you're missiiven. it's hard. it's not easy. it's not pretty. we're determined to make sure il happens for cen in the district of columbia. if it wasn't fore what were created to do, we would not be able to do it. it's very difficult. >> hang with me. we have to go to a quick commercial break and will come back and keep going with our conversation. stay with us "news 4 your sunday" right back after this. ow you knn you're at ross shopping for backpacks... ow ...and mom also gets a back-to-school bag? that's yes for less. ross has the brands you want for back to school. and it feels even better when you find them for less. at ross. yes for less.

...and you suddenly realizes you're really into art? that's yes for less. every trend. every room. on any budget. it feels even better when you find it for less. at ross. yes for less. welcome back to "news 4 your sunday." n are talking about the ret to class for students, parents and teachers in dcps and we've been talking about two very unique schools withe uni classrooms that are single gender. dr. alexander, we were talking about this during the break

about the importance this is maybe not for every studentbut is a unique experience. tell me why. >> it is. i want to l the public know these single gend schools are one of many options we have and that i'm proud we have to offer. we have ib schools, montessori o s, s.t.e.m. focus schools. this single gender type education works for ain type of child. i'll allow them speak more about what they offer, but i'm proud of the investments this mayor has made in public education. when s launched empowerment of color it was a public statement about the value we place in ensuring our young men and women of color receive a high quality education. >> dr. williams, you've been at this for a couple years now.

principle pritchard this will b your first time as principal in this type of g.sett any pearls of wisdom to offer your colleagues? >> only one, patience. we both are educators that demand a lot and we have high expectations. if annot beat ourselves up we don't meet the expectation we think we should have in year one. even year fo we m not meet the expectations because we know the urgency of the work and we ight have too many -- the expectation might be too high. long as there's growth every year we're doing the appropriate work. >> we have about a minute left. complete this sentence, i would consider the y2018-'ar successful if principal pritchard? >> if all students feel loved

and supported at that school. >> the attendance rate go above 85%. if i can get 300 students to show up i think we're doing a good job. >> dr. alexander? >> i would love to see our youngest learners in our ading on y schools r grade level and our seniors walking across the stage in june. >> know that iswhere your heart is with the little, little ones. of course i know it extends to all of the students in dcps. we wish you all a fantastic thank you to our guests for joining us. dr. amanda alexander and principal pritchard and williams, i wish you a ccessful year for our students and thank you for joining us on this ws 4 your sunday." see you next time. there's more to life than the climb.

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