DC AALEADers Discuss Education

By Shobana Modur, DC Middle and High School Program Coordinator

Photos courtesy of Surjeet Ahluwalia, Executive Director

This past Wednesday, Ward 1 DC State Board of Education member, Laura Wilson Phelan, visited the DC AALEAD youth in Columbia Heights.  Since being sworn into office, Ms. Wilson Phelan has launched a 100-day listening tour to be informed about educational issues in the Ward 1 district.

A few weeks into her listening tour, Ms. Wilson Phelan was curious to hear what our AALEAD youth had to say about their schools and education.  They definitely didn’t hold back about their own issues with school.  Discussions ranged from the quality of teachers to PARCC exams.  Youth voiced their opinions over foreign language requirements, absence policies, and their school environments.

Toward the end of her visit, Ms. Wilson Phelan posed several challenging questions that piqued the youth’s interest in their education even further.  These questions included: should schools jettison general requirements? How old should the average student be when determining what they want to learn?  Additionally, Ms. Wilson Phelan gauged their opinions on the whole concept of classroom learning–are they in favor of taking away classroom learning and replacing it with self-learning?  There were mixed views on all of the questions asked, but overall, it was an engaging and enlightening discussion!

Thank you, Ms. Wilson Phelan, for taking the time to listen to our youth about their issues with education.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative experience!