Board names new executive director of D.C. charter schools

There’s a new sheriff in town, if D.C.’s public charter schools were a Wild West town. But since they’re not, we’ll go with the announcement of a new executive director: Scott Pearson, who most recently oversaw charter school programs at the U.S. Department of Education.

Pearson’s appointment comes seven months after local legend Josephine Baker stepped down to take a “long, restful break,” in her own words.

Charters enroll 40 percent of the District’s public school children, the second-highest rate in the nation behind New Orleans. It’s a busy job.

Pearson said Friday that he left the Dept. of Education to take a “once-in-a-lifetime trip” with his wife and school-aged children. They attend Washington International School, a private school in Cleveland Park.

In an interview with the Examiner, Pearson said the decision wasn’t a reflection of the charter schools in the city. Rather, he said, it was a matter of finding a bilingual school with open spaces for his children, now in grades six and eight, when he and his wife moved to D.C. in January of 2009, mid-school year.

“When we looked at what schools offered [bilingual education], and what schools had room available, WIS was the best option,” he said. He also explored options in DCPS, but couldn’t find available space mid-year.

Pearson returned to the Education Department, “but ultimately decided it was time for me to look for new opportunities,” about a month and a half ago.

As executive director, he says his focus will be “quality, autonomy, and fidelity.”

The charter school board’s initial search turned up a candidate who then turned down the position. Board Chairman Brian Jones says his colleagues “rolled up their sleeves” and continued “unabated” until the position could be filled, now seven months after Baker’s retirement.

Prior to his role with the feds, Pearson co-founded a charter management group that served low-income high school students around San Francisco.

Leadership Public Schools comprises four high-school campuses in the Bay Area. About 69 percent of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch, an indicator of poverty, and 66 percent of students are Latino.

Ninety-seven percent of Leadership graduates across the network are accepted to college Eighty-five percent of them will be first-generation college students.

According to the website, Leadership’s curriculum is tailored around admission standards to the University of California and California State University. In fact, students must apply to a two- or four-year university in order to graduate.

Unsurprisingly, Leadership emphasizes leadership, including a retreat focused on the skill for all new freshmen.

The District’s own leaders say Pearson is credentialed for the job.

“By selecting a leader with an array of management experiences and a long history of promoting high-quality educational opportunities at the local and federal level, the [charter school] board has shown its commitment to seeing the reform efforts continue,” said De’Shawn Wright, deputy mayor for education, in a statement.

City Council Chairman called Pearson “a seasoned, well-respected leader in the national charter school community,” adding that he “brings sound expertise to the position.”

Since coming into the District in the ’90s, the charter school network has generally outpaced D.C. Public Schools in enrollment and test scores. It’s also expanded rapidly, currently with 53 charter schools on 98 campuses.

The board has been aggressive about closing new schools, whether for financial or academic failings, and a handful of new experiments open each year.