Education Terms

Education Terms

Arts education is a comprehensive experience inclusive of high-quality arts learning in the classroom, meaningful arts experiences outside the classroom and strategic arts integration in and through the curriculum. (AGC DC Vision and Values)

Arts/ Humanities Disciplines:

Writing/Reading/Journalism

Historic Site Visit

Artifact or Object Exploration

Visual Arts

Digital Media (Film/Photography, Graphic Design)

Dance

Music/ Music Production

Hands-On/Lab/Tactile

Theatre

Performance Art

Spoken Word/Slam Poetry

Arts Integration- Utilizing the arts to instruct other subject areas (outside of the arts classroom). (AGC DC Mapping Survey)

Experiential Learning- Experiential Learning is a process of education through experience, followed by reflection on that experience. Experiential learning is part of the larger category of active learning, because it directly involves students in the process of their own learning. There are four elements involved in experiential learning. First, the learner must be willing to be actively involved in the experience. Second, the learner must be able to reflect on the experience. Third, the learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience. Finally, the learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from the experience. (https://tophat.com/glossary/e/experiential-learning/)

Experiential Education- Challenge and experience followed by reflection leading to learning and growth.

Experiential education is a teaching philosophy that informs many methodologies in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people's capacity to contribute to their communities.

https://www.aee.org/what-is-ee

Social and Emotional Learning- Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities. (CASEL- DCPS refers to CASEL in their SEL work)

Social Emotional Academic Development (SEAD)- Social, emotional, and academic development is the integration of social and emotional development with academic learning in K-12 education. (Aspen Institute)

Contact Hours- How the school system measures instructional time for educator professional development experiences.

Minutes of Instruction- How the school system measures instructional time devoted to student education.

Title 1 Schools- Title I is the largest source of federal funding for education. Schools receive Title I funds as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Title I funds are used solely to help ensure that children, regardless of family income, can acquire an equitable and quality education that will allow students to become academically proficient.

There are two kinds of Title I programs: Schoolwide and Targeted Assistance.

• A DCPS school is eligible to become a Title I Schoolwide Program if 40% or more of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Eligible schools are permitted to use Title I, Part A funds in combination with state and local resources and other federal education program funds to enhance the educational program of the school and raise the academic achievement of all students.

• A DCPS school is eligible to become a Title I Targeted Assistance Program if 35-40% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The term “targeted assistance” means that services are provided to a select group of children, identified as academically failing or most at risk of failing, rather than to all students for overall school improvement.

Schools with fewer than 35% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch are considered Non-Title I.

For school year 2021-2022, DCPS has 89 Title I Schools and 29 Non-Title I Schools. View the school designation list.