WAMU 88.5 : Morning Edition

Filed Under:

D.C. Schools Enrollment Highest In A Decade

By: Kavitha Cardoza // October 26, 2012
Play associated audio
comments

The number of students in D.C. Public Schools, both traditional and charter, is now its highest in a decade at 81,000  students, according to the latest estimates from District officials. But those numbers aren't the final word on enrollment.

The enrollment count is 5 percent higher than last year, school officials say. But they are comparing audited numbers from last year with unverified or unaudited numbers from this year. 

Last year the final audited numbers showed almost 1,500 fewer students than initially reported — with D.C.'s traditional public schools coming in at 1,000 fewer students than initially reported. 

This year, however, the school system anticipates little, if any, change between the two sets of numbers, says Marc Caposino, spokesperson for the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE). 

The OSSE has implemented more rigorous training for the hundreds of staff involved in the count and is now starting to train them earlier than in the past, he says.

Since 2009, total audited enrollment has been steadily increasing after losing students for decades, Caposino says. The official audit is expected early next year.

Arts & Culture

NPR

A Read Down Memory Lane: Lessons From Your Former Self

Writings from childhood — cards, stories and other notes — can hide for decades, like time capsules tucked away in boxes, old bedrooms, attics and journals. Writer Jim Sollisch talks about how old thank you notes from his youth foreshadowed his adult life.

Food

NPR

Inside A Tart Cherry Revival: 'Somebody Needs To Do This!'

The revival is partly based on the humble sour fruit's growing reputation as a superfood. And in Michigan, a scientist is on a quest to introduce a whole new world of hardier, tastier tart cherries by breeding American trees with ancestral varieties from Eastern Europe.

Politics

NPR

Srinivasan's Confirmation First For D.C. Circuit In 7 Years

The partisan war over judicial nominees has accelerated in recent years. It took nearly a year to win Senate confirmation for Sri Srinivasan to the important federal appeals court for the District of Columbia, though he had no formal opposition.

Technology

NPR

3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway

A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.