Public trust in the District of Columbia Public Schools is in tatters. To shore up the system once widely lauded as a model of urban school reform, Mayor Muriel Bowser must replace the liabilities to its integrity that caused back-to-back scandals. February’s scandal stemmed from Chancellor Antwon Wilson bypassing school lottery systems for his daughter and resulted in the resignation of Wilson and Deputy Mayor for Education Jenny Niles. In contrast, no resignations followed January’s far more important scandal that revealed widespread graduation policy violations, because no individuals were clearly to blame. However, if Bowser is to rebuild a foundation for trust in DCPS, she has yet to replace the greatest liability to its integrity. That liability is not an individual, but a number: the deceptive 73 percent graduation rate.
Bowser rightfully replaced two of D.C.’s highest education officials, Wilson and Niles, after it came to light that Wilson’s daughter was granted a “discretionary transfer” into Woodrow Wilson High School, not only bypassing the city’s school lottery system and the line of 600 wait-listed students, but also violating a ban on such transfers Wilson himself had instituted back in June. Bowser forced Niles to resign immediately after the news broke. A week later, after most of the D.C. Council called for his resignation, Bowser removed Wilson.
