Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Devendra Banhart @ 9:30 Club
Too often, the words "Washington, D.C." and "public schools" are the precursor to another bout of bad press for the District. Not today - for the first time in the contest's history, a teacher from the District of Columbia has been named Teacher of the Year. The lucky winner is Jason Kamras, 31, math teacher at John Phillip Sousa Middle School. Kamras received his Bachelor's Degree from Princeton University and his Master's from Harvard. His desire to teach in an urban school district began during his stint as a volunteer in the Sacramento Unified School District, which "convinced" him that "limited access to well-funded, high quality schools for economically disadvantaged students is the greatest social injustice facing America today."
Kamras takes particular pride working for Sousa Middle School. Citing the 1954 Supreme Court case Bolling v. Sharpe, which began as a segregation fight at Sousa and eventually led to the desegregration of DC's Public Schools, Kamras accords a certain amount of his drive to the school's place in Washington's history: "To honor the school’s unique role in the movement, I feel compelled to guarantee that it serves as an agent of social change, advancing those who have been ignored or constrained."
Kamras has had a palpable impact at Sousa. He's installed innovative programs that have raised math achievement -- according to the Washington Post, Kamras efforts have sliced into the "number of students scoring below basic comprehension from 80 percent to 40 percent." He's got students enrolled in early-bird math classes and algebra prep. He's started a photography program that has brought high-tech opportunity into the classroom along with grant money. One former Sousa colleague says of Kamras: "I can honestly say Sousa would not run effectively without Jason." For his part, Kamras says simply, "I'm incredibly proud to be a DCPS teacher." The feeling, we're sure, is mutual. The National Teacher of the Year Award is adminstered by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The only photo we could find of Kamras online was from this award he received in 2003.
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The article never mentions that Sousa is across the river on Ely Place, in southeast. Over 70% of the students qualify for a free lunch. I'm sure that if someone was shot at the school, the location would have been mentioned.
Um, try clicking on the link for "John Phillip Sousa Middle School." It does indeed yield the address of the school, as well as a healthy rundown of school info.
I think sharonc means the Washington Post article never mentions the location of the school in this positive peace.
Who cares? The article is about the teacher, not the students. Does everything have to be turned into a socioeconomic battle?!
They show the school during the Mercury spill didn't they? I care because DC schools and teachers get beat on (by the establishment press) day in and day out. It just would be nice for the students to see their school in a positive light once in a while.
Sure, they showed the school with the mercury spill. But the mercury spill took place in a heavily gentrified area full of pricey new condos and apartments.
Your argument doesn't hold up there.
Just as a matter of good journalism, the Post should have said the location of the school (and all other schools, etc in all articles. Most of us have no idea the location of schools unless it's in our own neighborhood. I think they forgot the "where" in this story.
The 7 W's?? I didn't realize this was a high school newspaper story....