D.C. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson told the D.C. Council that Ballou High School, whose students are predominantly black and low-income, is being unfairly maligned for absenteeism. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson acknowledged Friday that the school system graduates a high number of chronically absent students, a practice that “doesn’t align” with city policy. But Wilson, appearing before the D.C. Council, also sought to defend the system, saying that students who graduate have earned their diplomas — even amid attendance concerns. “I believe that our students earned their diplomas by reaching a level of mastery deemed appropriate by our teachers,” Wilson testified. The chancellor, who took over the D.C. school system in February, said chronic absenteeism is more pervasive in D.C. public schools than in other urban systems where he has worked.

Source: Washington Post December 16, 2017 00:11 UTC