(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – This week, District of Columbia public schools celebrated its 4th Annual Growing Healthy Schools Week, an initiative aimed at engaging public school st

Washington, DC --The District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is accepting nominations for the 2015 District of Columbia Teacher of the Year award through October 3, 2014. This annual award recognizes public school teachers for their outstanding teaching in the District of Columbia and professional leadership within and beyond the classroom. The winner will compete for the National Teacher of the Year.

As D.C. Public Schools resumed classes, one thing students found is the best special education system that the District has seen in many, many years. Since the moment I took office in January of 2011, my administration has worked tirelessly to improve education outcomes for children with disabilities.

“We are aware of DCPS’s desire to remove the use of test scores from next year’s IMPACT evaluations.  As we move forward with our implementation of the PARCC assessments, and as part of our current process around potential amendments to our Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver, we will continue to engage our stakeholders and local education agencies (LEAs) in dialogue to ensure that teacher evaluation systems in DC are in line with our mission to raise the quality of education for all residents.  We will also ensure that we are in compliance with all of our federal