Washington City Paper: Contents for Feb. 2

Learning the Hard Way
Four years ago, local educators pledged that if things went right, charter schools would revive District education. They didn't mention what would happen if things went wrong.

Cover Story

Courtney Kelly may not be Michelle Jackson's biological mother, but as her foster parent, she hasn't let any of her motherly duties fall through the cracks. She's been helping to raise Michelle, a cousin's daughter, since the 11-year-old was little more than a toddler. Last spring, she took Michelle in for good. She's now in the process of adopting Michelle. Kelly, in other words, is not what you'd call an uninvolved parent.

So when she realized that Michelle wasn't doing well at her neighborhood public school in Northeast D.C., Merritt Elementary, Kelly looked into sending her daughter to one of the city's charter schools. It wasn't a decision she took lightly. She carefully examined the pamphlets and materials she found on each of the schools, researching some on the Internet. When she heard about the World Public Charter School of Washington, she was immediately interested in its bilingual program, but she wanted to find out more.

Last summer, she made an appointment with then-Principal Olga Mancuso and spent two hours touring the school, at the time located in a Catholic church at 3rd and F Streets NW. Mancuso said that administrators planned to move the school to more suitable space at the Capital Children's Museum by September. She also touted World's curriculum, explaining that the school provided small classes and a language-immersion program that offered instruction in Italian and Chinese. Kelly liked what she heard.

"I was really excited. Michelle was really excited, as well," says Kelly.... Continued

Issue of Feb. 2 - 8, 2001

News and Features

Learning the Hard Way
Four years ago, local educators pledged that if things went right, charter schools would revive District education. They didn't mention what would happen if things went wrong.
Cover Story By Laura Lang
Got Milk Protesters?
Forget fur shoppers. PETA activists have discovered an even greater threat: milk-guzzling school kids.
The City By Laura Lang
Paper Chase
On inauguration weekend, scores of newspaper vending boxes found a new home—under the 11th Street Bridge.
The City By Eric Hoover
Outside the Box
Planet Aid insists that it's helping the needy. Critics insist that the group is helping itself.
The City By Dave Mann
Green, Green Grass of Home Rule
The Mail By Steve Donkin
Closer to Home
The Mail By Marion Edey
Your Money or Your Life
The Mail By Timothy Cooper
Storytelling 101
The Mail By Kim Myrick
Classical Gas
The Mail By David Cheng

Columns

He's Out Back
Cheap Seats By Dave McKenna
Have Mercy
Loose Lips By Jonetta Rose Barras
Are You Being Served?
City Desk By Jonetta Rose Barras
The Burden of Proof
City Desk By Annys Shin

Eats

Movies

Tropicalia
Film Review By Mark Jenkins
Blond Ambition
Film Review By Joel E. Siegel
The Run-On Man
Talking Pictures By Mark Jenkins
Sugar & Spice
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski
The Wedding Planner
Film Review By Tricia Olszewski

Music

Jazz for Club Kids
Music Review By Christopher Porter

Theater

Feeding Frenzy
Theater Review By Trey Graham
Ya Gotta Have a Gimmick
Theater Review By Bob Mondello

Arts and Events

Congressional Hearing
Tony Haywood divides his time between the Man and the music.
Arts By Dan Gilgoff
Water Pressure
Artifacts By Louis Jacobson
Hiphop and the City
Artifacts By Maori Karmael Holmes