By Erich Martel Retired DCPS Social Studies Teacher

At the July 31st meeting of the DC State Board of Education, Ward 8 Member, Mr. Trayon White, said that he had attended the 2013 graduation of Thurgood Marshall Charter HS and wondered why there were so few graduates when four years earlier, as a 9th grade, the class was much larger. No one replied. It’s time that our public officials conducted an independent investigation of this scandal.

Quick Facts about Thurgood Marshall Public Charter School

Between 2007 and 2013, only 45% of starting 9th graders graduated four years later. Between 2007 and 2011, only 32% of the tested 10th graders are African-American males.

Over the past seven years, 2007-2013, Thurgood Marshall graduated 394 of the original 872 9th grade students enrolled. That’s a completion rate of 45.2%.

What happened to the other 478 starting 9th graders counted by OSSE? 336 or 38.5% were transferred before the 10th grade DC CAS testing roster was set. 142 or 16.3% were transferred after the 10th grade test, but before graduation.

Thurgood Marshall has trouble keeping African-American male students. According to gender data reported on OSSE’s DC CAS website, of the 462 10th graders tested in the 5 years from 2007 to 2011: – 314 or 67.97% were female. – 148 or 32.03% were male. In no year, did the % of male students exceed 33%.

Of the 88 Thurgood Marshall students tested in 2011, 62 (70.5%) were female, only 26 (29.5%) were male.

At each of Councilmember Catania’s recent ward education “conversations” and at most of the Council’s Education Committee hearings, Councilmember Catania and/or Councilmember Grosso contrasted Thurgood Marshall as an example of charter school success against DCPS failure. According to the numbers, Thurgood Marshall does not live up to that distinction.

Mayor Gray chose Thurgood Marshall Charter HS as the symbolic site to announce his proposed legislation to give the chancellor chartering authority.

The public has a right to know – and the Mayor, Council and State Board of Education Members should demand to know:

The reasons why these students were transferred; Their receiving schools; Their practice scores (DC BAS) were before transfer; Their official DC CAS scores after transfer; Whether they graduated with their class or cohort; Whether any of them dropped out;

And many other questions that public officials holding positions of public trust should feel obligated to answer and not cover up as they make public education policy.