D.C. schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee spent the morning with first-graders and parents at C.W. Harris Elementary School on Wednesday, where he announced a new initiative to improve literacy.
It鈥檚 called the DCPS Readers Next Door project, and it’s federally funded.
鈥淭he series, which will include more than 100 individual books featuring 10 characters living and going to school in the District, was created based on the science of reading and under the expert guidance of Dr. Julia Lindsey, author of “Reading Above the Fray: Reliable Research-Based Routines for Developing Decoding Skills,’鈥� DCPS said.
鈥淵ou will see in one of our books that we have a feature on Ben鈥檚 Chili Bowl,鈥� Ferebee said.
School starts Monday.
Ferebee noted that the school system has been affected by the teacher shortage, as seen in other parts of the country.
鈥淲e currently have a vacancy count about 150,鈥� he said.
There have been questions about the readiness of schools, especially the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Ferebee seemed confident that they are up to par.
鈥淓verything appears to be operational and functional,鈥� he said.
He also said DCPS is ready to welcome migrant children who arrived on buses from Texas and Arizona.
鈥淲e have about 40 students that are school-aged,鈥� he said.
