With the new school year underway, we thought it a good time to check in once again with Baltimore City Public Schools CEO, Dr. Sonja Santelises, who joins Tom today for the hour.
The Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, known as the Kirwan Commission was formed in 2016. Chaired by former University of Maryland Chancellor Britt Kirwan, the commission has developed recommendations in five policy areas that include pre-school education, college preparedness, and elevating the profession of teaching. One of the most controversial parts of the commission’s mandate is to recommend a formula for how state funding should be allocated to schools throughout Maryland. A task force of the commission is expected to announce that formula tomorrow, when its members meet in Annapolis.
We also discuss student performance trends. Although city students lag behind other jurisdictions, the latest standardized test scores show solid gains. For the second year in a row, city students in all grades improved in English, and in most grades, they improved in math.
We livestreamed this conversation with Dr. Santelises on WYPR's Facebook page. Watch the video here.