DCPS closes 15 schools in 2013:
Parents' lawsuit yields >18,000 pages of internal DCPS emails and emails between DCPS managers and foundation donors relating to the closure.
They reveal much more about the relationship between foundation donors and DCPS managers that the public rarely sees.
Erich Martel
Following announcement of the closure of 15 Washington, D.C. Public Schools in 2013 by DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, several parents of children in the affected schools, assisted by Empower DC, filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to halt the closure of the schools: Shannon Marie Smith [parent], et al., plaintiffs v Kaya Henderson [DCPS chancellor], et al., defendants; Case No. 1:13-CV-00420JEB. The suit was ultimately unsuccessful and the schools were closed.
During litigation, the judge ordered DCPS to release email communications relevant to the case. Over 18,000 pages of internal DCPS emails from 2011 through early 2013 were released to the plaintiffs. They reveal the close and largely unreported collaboration of the chancellor and top staff with the DC Public Education Fund (DCPEF), which represents the foundations ("donors") that fund "education reform" programs in DCPS, facilitates their donations to DCPS and organizes private meetings for the chancellor to brief the donors.
The emails are posted in the following searchable pdf files (each number represents a single page):
Disc 1: pages DCPS 000497 to 001095
Disc 2: pages DCPS 001096 to 003207
Disc 3: pages DCPS 003208 to 005044
Disc 4: pages DCPS 005045 to 006753
Disc 5: pages DCPS 006754 to 008392
Disc 6: pages DCPS 008383 to 010003
Disc 7: pages DCPS 010004 to 011330
Disc 8: pages DCPS 011331 to 012664
Disc 9: pages DCPS 012665 to 013999
Disc 10: pages DCPS 014000 to 015501
Disc 11: pages DCPS 015502 to 017001
Disc 12: pages DCPS 017002 to 018358
Disc 13: pages DCPS 018349 to 019695
The files are relatively large and may take some time to download and open.
Citation: Martel, E. (2018). Parents' lawsuit yields >18,000 internal DCPS emails relating to the closure, Nonpartisan Education Review / Resources. Retrieved [date] from http://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Resources/DCPS_2011_13_Discovery_Emails