The Washington Post - 21.10.2019

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 , 2019. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ M2 B3

er retention rate over the past 10 years. And he said nearly 84 percent of teachers who were assessed as “effective” and “highly effective” returned to their schools this academic year. “I have heard teachers say they support IMPACT, that they think it’s a necessary tool,” said Zachary Parker, the Ward 5 representative on the D.C. State Board of Education. “But what I have often heard is that it is sometimes felt that it is a tool to punish teachers instead of to develop and support them.” [email protected]

performance of the teaching workforce.” Other national studies have shown that teacher evaluation systems have done little to improve teacher quality or student learning. Critics of the evaluation system have tied it to the District’s teacher attrition rate, which the D.C. State Board of Education determined in 2018 is higher than those of other urban school districts on average. But Ferebee pointed to an improvement in the trend in recent years. He said the city has experienced an increase of 8 percentage points in the teach-

to evaluate teachers. That’s a decline from 43 in 2015. The National Bureau of Eco- nomic Research, a nonprofit or- ganization, published a study in 2013 that found teachers who received low scores on their evaluations were more likely to leave their jobs than high-scor- ing teachers who were close to earning a substantial merit raise. The study — written by the University of Virginia’s James H. Wyckoff and Stanford Univer- sity’s Thomas S. Dee — suggests that incentives of the variety that the District used “can sub- stantially improve the measured

in contract negotiations, al- though the measure has not moved forward. Davis said she would still advocate for including IMPACT in contract negotiations, but Fer- ebee suggested he would not consider it. “It hasn’t been that way for 10 years, and I do not see why would go down that path,” Fere- bee said. A report released this month from the National Council on Teacher Quality — a think tank focused on teacher evaluations and training — found that 33 states and the District use stu- dents’ standardized test scores

plementation of IMPACT led to
the firing of hundreds of teach-
ers and produced heightened
tensions between the school sys-
tem and union that persist today.
IMPACT has spurred similar
evaluations in other school sys-
tems.
When Ferebee started leading
the city’s schools in January, he
said he sensed from teachers and
principals that a culture of fear
existed on campuses, where one
misstep could lead to their fir-
ings.
IMPACT came under fire dur-
ing the city’s 2018 graduation
scandal, when a city-commis-
sioned investigation determined
that 1 in 3 graduates in 2017
received their diplomas despite
missing too many classes or
improperly taking makeup class-
es. Teachers said they feared
their jobs might be at risk if they
did not meet lofty graduation
goals.
Elizabeth A. Davis, president
of the Washington Teachers’
Union, said she believes IMPACT
relies on too many factors out of
the control of educators. Stu-
dents’ standardized test scores,
for example, are included in
teacher evaluations.
Davis said she will participate
in the analysis.
“It’s a first step, a long overdue
step,” Davis said. “I have no idea
what is going to result from
reviewing IMPACT, but I do
know that whatever happens
that it needs to include teachers’
[voices] in the final analysis, and
that has not happened in the
past.”
The union has been pushing
to give the teachers union sub-
stantial input in the system’s
design during collective bargain-
ing. The D.C. Council introduced
legislation in June that would
give the union a say on IMPACT

IMPACT FROM B1

mowed down, I thought. But they never were, even when the grass and weeds around them were trimmed. A few years ago, the sliver of land between the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the Red Line tracks started getting used as a public works depot, a place for old streetlight poles, piles of asphalt, construction equipment

... No way these trees will last, I
thought.
But they did. They must have
been 20 feet tall.
Over the summer, I looked out
the train window and they were
gone. A new development —
Eckington Park — is going up
there now, built on what I
learned is called the NoMa Green
site. I’ll miss my little trees, but
I’m happy to hear that the
development will include a park.
I hope the trees purposefully
planted there will bring as much
joy as my accidental friends.
[email protected]
Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/john-kelly.

the sun? Or is it the sun’s reflection being bounced from building to building like a billiard ball made of photons?

Branch operations I’m mourning the loss of two trees that have been my acquaintances for at least 20 years. They weren’t special trees, not like the massive 140-year-old ginkgo tree mistakenly cut down in Farragut Square in 2013. They weren’t famous trees, not like the Tidal Basin cherry trees that beavers once gnawed on. They weren’t even planted on purpose. They grew in a vacant lot in Eckington. I first spotted them from the Metro train between the Rhode Island Avenue and NoMa stations, when they were about four feet high: two trash trees growing side by side from seeds that had found purchase in a patch of dirt. I never knew what kind of trees they were, but I looked for them every time I rode the Metro. They were fighters, survivors. Surely they’ll be

Ida’s Idea boutique — glowed a pale but insistent green. It was also being spotlit by 1441 L St. I stood in the iridescent shaft and delighted in the shadow I cast. (I apologize if you’re reading this column on a black-and-white page in the newspaper and looking at a black-and-white photo.) Two hours later, I walked back through the intersection. The colors were gone. I don’t know how often these prismatic reflections manifest themselves. Maybe they appear every morning. Or maybe they’re like Yosemite’s Horsetail Fall, which, for a scant few days each February, glows like a stream of fire just before sunset and only when the sun is at the right angle. As I walked back to the Metro, other glass buildings on L Street cast less-colorful reflections, their searing white light reminding me of signal mirrors blinking across a valley. When you’re walking downtown, you can’t trust your own shadow. Is it being cast by

Each change ripples across the streetscape in different ways. What I didn’t expect was a rainbow straight to the optic nerve. A four-story swath of the Architect Hotel was glowing pink. It was sunlight reflected from a building across the street — 1441 L St. NW — which, not long ago, got a new facade. That facade features slim vertical panels of tinted glass that apparently reflect and color the sunlight. I’d happened upon the scene just as it was bathing the corner of the hotel in fuchsia. Now, I’m not sure how I would feel if I was a guest staying in one of those hotel rooms. Would it be like when Kramer’s apartment was bedazzled by the Kenny Rogers Roasters sign? Or would it be pleasant to wake up in the morning through literally rose- tinted glass? As I walked farther on, I saw that a building at Vermont and L was also getting the color treatment. The doorway to 1029 Vermont Ave. NW — home to Stan’s Restaurant & Lounge and

The Architect
Hotel at the
southeast corner
of 15th and L
streets NW
already wears an
interesting color
scheme — its
ornate brickwork
painted in browns
and taupes and
blues — but when I came upon
the building on a recent
morning, a chunk of it seemed to
glow like a neon sign.
And, boy, was it beautiful.
It was Saturday around 8:30
a.m., and I was walking east on L
Street from Farragut North. It
was chilly, the streets quiet, the
office buildings empty of their
besuited worker drones. This
was my old work neighborhood,
and in the four years since The
Washington Post moved from
15th and L to 13th and K, it has
undergone the customary
alterations. Restaurants have
turned over, office blocks have
been renovated, buildings — like
The Post’s — have been torn
down and replaced by new ones.

Results from Oct. 20

DISTRICT Mid-Day Lucky Numbers: 6-2-7 Mid-Day DC-4: 2-1-0-1 Mid-Day DC-5: 4-7-9-2-5 Lucky Numbers (Sat.): 5-7-4 Lucky Numbers (Sun.): 9-5-2 DC-4 (Sat.): 2-6-2-8 DC-4 (Sun.): 3-9-2-9 DC-5 (Sat.): 4-0-3-8-6 DC-5 (Sun.): 7-3-4-6-4

MARYLAND Mid-Day Pick 3: 8-2-4 Mid-Day Pick 4: 9-3-0-0 Night/Pick 3 (Sat.): 0-6-9 Pick 3 (Sun.): 8-7-0 Pick 4 (Sat.): 9-3-9-2 Pick 4 (Sun.): 7-5-5-5 Match 5 (Sat.): 11-14-29-30-39 *35 Match 5 (Sun.): 11-25-26-35-38 *37 5 Card Cash: 2H-3H-4D-9C-AD

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For late drawings and other results, check washingtonpost.com/local/lottery

LOTTERIES

THE DISTRICT

Boy, woman injured in apparent shooting

A woman and a boy were wounded Sunday in an apparent shooting in Southeast Washington and went to a firehouse for help, officials said. The two arrived by car about 7:45 p.m. at the Engine 15 firehouse in the 2100 block of 14th Street SE, said D.C. fire spokesman Doug Buchanan. They were taken to a hospital in serious condition, he said. Officer Hugh Carew, a D.C. police spokesman, said police were trying to determine the circumstances of the shooting and were focusing their attention near the 1600 block of W Street SE. That is about four blocks from the firehouse. The boy was possibly as young as 4, said one person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. — Martin Weil

MARYLAND

Man found slain in Langley Park

A man was found slain Saturday in Prince George’s County, police said. Police said the man was found in the 1300 block of Merrimack Drive in the Langley Park area after officers were called about 2:15 p.m. for a welfare check. He was suffering from what police described as trauma to the upper body. No name was released. — Martin Weil

LOCAL DIGEST

Reflections of an L Street building bathe the neighborhood in color

John
Kelly's
Washington

Schools chief will reevaluate District’s teacher evaluation system

BY MARTIN WEIL

The priest of a Northern Vir-
ginia church has admitted to sex-
ual contact with a minor at a dif-
ferent church and has resigned
from his post, according to the
Arlington Diocese.
In a letter released by the dio-
cese Saturday, Bishop Michael F.
Burbidge disclosed that the Rev.
Christopher Mould was no longer
be pastor of St. Andrew the Apos-
tle Church in Clifton.
Mould admitted Tuesday that
he “had sexual contact with a mi-
nor on one occasion” while paro-
chial vicar at St. Thomas à Becket
Church in Reston from 1992 to
1995, according to the bishop’s let-
ter, which was posted on the dio-
cese’s website.
After hearing Mould’s admis-
sion, Burbidge said, he reported it
to Fairfax County police. Bur-
bidge’s letter said Mould “holds no
ecclesiastical office” after resign-

ing. Fairfax County police said Sunday that there is an active investigation into the case and that anyone with information should call detectives at 703-246-7800. Mould did not immediately re- spond to a message left on his cellphone or a text. In the letter, the bishop said the diocese is “fully committed to a zero-tolerance policy related to sexual abuse of minors.” Any such abuse, the letter said, “is a grave sin and a profound betrayal of trust.” He expressed “heartfelt regret” to the individual who was harmed by Mould’s actions. In the letter, Burbidge empha- sized that before the recent “admission of guilt,” the Arlington Diocese had never received a com- plaint of sexual abuse or miscon- duct against Mould. The letter said Mould has “expressed deep contrition” and ac- cepts that the consequences will

be “serious and severe.” According to the letter, the bishop, acting in accordance with church policy, arranged for Mould to leave the rectory of St. Andrew the day of the admission. He was to reside at a place where he would not have contact with “any minor near a church or school property.” The bishop wrote that he un- derstood the information about Mould was “difficult” for parishio- ners to receive. He said the actions taken were made necessary by “justice and a commitment to the protection of children and young people.” He also said he was sad about the effect they would have on the St. Andrew community. Burbidge said he would provide in a timely manner for pastoral leadership of the Clifton parish. [email protected]

Paul Schwartzman contributed to this report.

VIRGINIA

Arlington Diocese: Priest resigns,

admits to sexually abusing minor

JAHI CHIKWENDIU/THE WASHINGTON POST “We want teachers to be confident in their performance management system,” D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee said.

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