Commentary by CSDC Board Chair Tom Nida on the resurgence of learning and hope in Southeast Washington.

(Hanover, MD, October 27, 2011) CSDC Board Chair Tom Nida reflects on the decline and resurgence of learning and hope at his alma mater as a result of a unique partnership between a charter school operator and the traditional public school system in the following commentary in the Washington Times:

College and careers come to Anacostia

Charter and public-school partnership reignites learning and hope

Recently, I returned to my alma mater, Anacostia High School in Southeast Washington. As a graduate of the class of 1966, who had not stepped inside the building since, I was invited back by the principal, Ian Roberts, who gave me a personal tour of the facility. As the former chairman of D.C.'s Public Charter School Board, which regulates the city's public charter schools, I knew about Anacostia's educational woes. I was familiar with the difficulties in getting the vast majority of Anacostia's students to grade level in reading and math, or even to guarantee their safety on campus. Mere survival was a sign of success.

Link to complete commentary.