Some students might be strong in math and weak in reading. Once testing has pinpointed these strengths and weaknesses, teachers and principals are in a much better position to target support where it's needed. Putting our house in order We can't expect students to learn at high levels unless they're in good facilities and have quality books and other instructional materials. Though we still have a long way to go in this area, we have made important progress in the past year. Improved facilities More than 60 schools have new roofs, numerous boilers and chillers have been replaced, and dozens of schools have been renovated.
Much more work is planned.
We are committed to having our students in safe, sound and comfortable classrooms and schools. As part of the District's new focus on customer service, administrative offices have extended their hours to better serve schools, while schools are taking steps to be more welcoming to families and students. Improved information New, more accurate systems are in place for monitoring student enrollment, staff employment, school budgets and security incidents. A top priority for 1998-99 is to get better and more timely budget and student performance information into the hands of principals, so they can better manage their schools. More money to schools To make more money available for schools, central office staff was reduced from 15 percent of the total DCPS workforce to 11 percent this year.