Region’s schools show wide racial disparities in suspensions…Women and the recession…Apply by December 30 to work at WRAG! [News, 12.29.12]

EDUCATION
- A new report by the Post shows that in school districts across the Washington region, black students are suspended and expelled at a much higher rate than their white peers, a national trend that is not fully understood. (WaPo, 12/28)

- After holding a series of listening sessions since he started in his post last summer, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr has found that the issues of highest concern in the community are special education services and the achievement gap between white and black students in the county. (Examiner, 12/28)

Related: This fall, funders met with Dr. Starr to hear about his priorities during his transition. (WG Daily, 10/12)

- A teacher at a Prince George’s County high school connects with students through Twitter. This article is worth reading just for the students’ Twitter names. (WaPo, 12/28)

WORKFORCE
- On the Washington Area Women’s Foundation blog, Mariah Craven writes about the economic impact of the recession on women, and the need for women to pursue education and career opportunities in STEM fields. (WAWF, 12/21)

- Nationally, more women than men are returning to school to improve their job prospects rather than take low-paying jobs during the current economic downturn. Economists predict that in the long-term, women may have significant employment advantages over their male peers. (NY Times, 12/29)

- Opinion: D.C. residents must get serious about recidivism (Examiner, 12/28) The op-ed cites a recent report from the Council for Court Excellence, “Unlocking Employment Opportunity for Previously Incarcerated Persons in the District of Columbia,” which was supported by the Herb Block Foundation,  Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, and the Meyer Foundation.

ARTS | The American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage is relocating to Emerson College in Boston. (WaPo, 12/28)

PHILANTHROPY | Just what you’ve been waiting for… the top 10 buzzwords of the philanthropic and nonprofit sector for 2011.  (Chronicle for Philanthropy, 12/27)

NONPROFITS | The Georgetown Barnes and Noble is closing on December 31, and it has a store full of bookshelves, furniture, and office supplies to donate to local nonprofits. More information is available here.

WE’RE HIRING! | WRAG is looking for a creative and talented individual to serve as our new Manager of Membership and Development. The ideal candidate will be a quick thinker and a team player who will lead the organization’s efforts in member recruitment, retention, and involvement, as well as fundraising and grants management activities. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, don’t wait – the application deadline is tomorrow. [Full job description.]

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If you’re looking for a non-New Year’s Eve related activity this weekend, one Daily reader highly recommends checking out the fascinating “RACE: Are We So Different?” exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History before it closes on January 8.

The Daily will be back on Tuesday, January 3. Happy New Year everyone!

- Rebekah

Ending homelessness among vets…Plan to improve graduation rates in Alexandria meets resistance…WRAG member Carlyn Madden talks the future of the nonprofit sector [News, 12.27.12]

VETERANS | The VA believes it is on track to reach its goal of ending homelessness among veterans by 2015, thanks to a voucher program that provides permanent, supportive housing for homeless vets. With a huge uptick in service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the need for these vouchers is growing — according to the article, the number of homeless veterans seeking treatment at the VA Medical Center in D.C. has grown from 900 to 2,000 per year over the last three years. (WaPo, 12/27)

EDUCATION
-  The Alexandria superintendent of schools’ new plan to create a flexible program to help struggling students graduate is meeting resistance from those who think it will negatively impact the city’s GED and adult ed programs. (WaPo, 12/27)

- Here’s a look at one of the highest performing and one of the lowest performing charter schools in D.C. (WaPo, 12/22)

- Wilson High School in D.C. is among area schools that are “going green” by adding classes about the environment, stewardship, and sustainability, in response to the new federal green ribbon schools program that encourages schools to create greener, healthier school environments. (ABC 7, 12/20)

- Outside firm will check for cheating on District’s standardized test (WaPo, 12/24)

AGING | Editorial: Fairness for Home Care Aides (NY Times, 12/25)

FOOD | Here’s a cool video that looks at D.C. Central Kitchen’s Healthy Corners program, which provides fresh produce to corner stores in the city’s food deserts. (DCentric, 12/23)

TRANSIT 
- Montgomery County has applied for $1 million in funding to bring the Capital Bikeshare system to Friendship Heights, Bethesda, Takoma Park, and Silver Spring. (WAMU, 12/25) Which is good news for commuters in MoCo because…

- As of January 1, pre-tax transit benefits will drop from a maximum of $230 per month to $125. (Examiner, 12/22)

NONPROFITS | A few weeks back, Carlyn Madden, of  D.C.’s Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities), appeared on the Kojo Nnamdi Show to talk about the “next generation of non-profits.” (WAMU, 12/13)

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One of the perks of not decorating your house for the holidays is you don’t have to take anything down. Packing up these pretty awesome displays cannot possibly be a good time. 

The Daily is off tomorrow, but will be back on Thursday.

- Rebekah

D.C. sees big population jump [News, 12.22.11]

DEMOGRAPHICS | Since last spring, the District has added 16,000 residents, bringing the city’s population to 618,000 and making it the fastest growing area in the country. Not surprisingly, three out of four D.C. newbies are between the ages of 18 and 34. (WaPo, 12/21)

EDUCATION
- The D.C. Public Charter School Board may soon close two charter schools due to low academic achievement. (Examiner, 12/22)

- New elementary, high schools planned for Prince George’s (Examiner, 12/22) County Executive Rushern Baker draws the connection between school renovations and his efforts to promote economic growth in the county.

Related: Baker talked with WRAG members about how improved public education in Prince George’s County is key to economic growth back in June. (WG Daily, 7/7)

WORKFORCE
- The D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute takes a look at how the District could tap the federal food stamp program for funds for job training programs. (DCFPI, 12/21)

- Yesterday Mayor Gray signed into law a bill that enables the District Department of Employment Services to better enforce the First Source law, which requires projects funded by the city to hire District residents for 51 percent of any new jobs that are created. (DCist, 12/21)

HIV/AIDS | Region Forward explains why HIV/AIDS is a critical issue for the entire region. (Region Forward, 12/21)

COMMUNITY | On the Washington Area Women’s Foundation blog, Nicky Goren writes about how her grandmother inspired her philanthropy. (Women’s Foundation, 12/20)

GIVING | A new study shows that donor-advised funds in the U.S. have grew by 12 percent between 2009 and 2010, holding $30 billion in assets as of last year, while the rate of funds dispersed grew by 1.3 percent. (Chronicle of Philanthropy, 12/20)

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Someday you might find yourself  with no iPod, CD player, or internet access, and a serious need to listen to Hall & Oates. This is extremely unlikely. But if it does – just call 719-26-OATES.

The Daily is off tomorrow and Monday. Have a great weekend, everyone.

-Rebekah

Ethics reform for the D.C. council…New smart growth initiatives for D.C. and MD…Unemployment down in the region [News, 12.21.12]

ETHICS | The D.C. Council passed a (much needed) ethics bill yesterday that, among other provisions, will prevent felons from serving on the council, empower the council to impeach its own members, and allow the D.C. attorney general to prosecute elected officials. However, other amendments that would require candidates to disclose contributions from contractors and limit how constituent service accounts are spent failed to pass. (WaPo, 12/21)

AGING | Virginia Committee Seeks Changes To Assisted Living Laws (WAMU, 12/21) The changes would clarify how older adults receiving state benefits can augment their incomes without losing their benefits.

ARTS | The city-owned and struggling Lincoln Theatre will be showing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo starting today. (WAMU, 12/21) Weekend plans: check.

SMART GROWTH
- D.C. is launching a “live near your work” program at Gallaudet and American universities. The schools will both receive $60,000 to help employees purchase homes within a few miles of campus, and the universities will match the funds. (WAMU, 12/20)

- Maryland governor Martin O’Malley has issued an executive order to launch PlayMaryland, a new strategy to curb urban sprawl. The plan would require the state to preferentially fund smart growth projects. (WAMU, 12/21)

EMPLOYMENT | Regional jobless rates fall in November (WaPo, 12/20) The increase in employment is credited to private sector growth in the region, which has made up for the loss of government positions.

Related: The Post has a great photo slideshow of people from around the region, and the country, who have been affected by the recession.

Also related: We’re hiring! WRAG is looking for a creative and talented individual to serve as our new Manager of Membership and Development. The ideal candidate will be a quick thinker and a team player who will lead the organization’s efforts in member recruitment, retention, and involvement, as well as fundraising and grants management activities. [Full job description.]

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With visitors in town this weekend, I will likely end up checking out the monuments for the hundredth time, which this video almost makes seem appealing.
-Rebekah

Exploring longer school days…Rubenstein donates $4.5 million to National Zoo…Catania on poverty in the District [News, 12.20.11]

EDUCATION | Greater Greater Washington looks at the track record of improved student performance due to longer school days and says that DCPS and the D.C. Council need to take leadership in calling for extended hours. (GGW, 12/20)

GIVING | Local philanthropist David Rubenstein has donated $4.5 million to the National Zoo to support its giant panda reproduction program. Among his many philanthropic investments, Rubenstein funds The Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teachers and the Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Leaders, both of which are awarded at the annual Standing Ovation for DC Teachers event. (WaPo, 12/20)

Related: According to the National Zoo’s website, female pandas can only conceive for a period of 2-3 days per year.

POVERTY | Opinion: D.C. councilmember David Catania writes about the city’s struggle with poverty (HuffPo, 12/16):

Chronic unemployment and exclusion from economic security are problems that the District has grappled with for generations. The solution, however, is not likely to fall upon us at random nor is it simply a matter of implementing one perfect policy. The solution does not lie in begrudging those with education and jobs and it certainly does not lie in the oversimplification and victimization of those who have neither.

The real solution is to constantly and creatively implement public policies and programs that chip away at the walls that poverty has created in our communities.

RANKINGS | Here’s something to be proud of – an annual global survey of 152 countries says that Americans donate more than the residents of any other country. Last year, the United States ranked only fifth. (Chronicle, 12/20)

STING (SAFETY) | A year-long undercover operation by District police and the ATF has pulled 160 guns – and a rocket launcher – and $7 million worth of drugs off the streets. (WAMU, 12/20) Obviously this has a ripple effect that makes the whole region safer. Nice work, officers and agents!

ETHICS | This doesn’t seem right. Jack Johnson will collect nearly $50,000 a year from his county executive pension while he is in prison. It will total around $350,000 by the time his sentence is served. (WTOP, 12/20)

TRANSIT | The new 11th Street bridge span that crosses the Anacostia has been designated, somewhat unexpectedly, I-695. The whole thing is confusing and you can try to figure it out here. (HuffPo, 12/20)

WE’RE HIRING | WRAG is looking for a creative and talented individual to serve as our new Manager of Membership and Development. The ideal candidate will be a quick thinker and a team player who will lead the organization’s efforts in member recruitment, retention, and involvement, as well as fundraising and grants management activities. [Full job description.]

DAILY SCHEDULE | I’ll be away through the first week of January, so Rebekah will be filling for me on the Daily. We’ll be on a slightly abbreviated schedule – 4 posts this week, 2 next week, and 4 the following week.

HOLIDAYS | I visited the brand new White House Christmas Tree last night. It isn’t quite as impressive as the old one (yet). Lining the perimeter are smaller trees from each state, decorated by specially selected school classes. Here’s a look – with less-than-stellar lighting – at the trees from our region.

If you’re around, the National Menorah will be lit on the Ellipse tonight to celebrate the start of Hanukkah.

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If you’re looking for an entertainment option over the holidays, I can’t speak highly enough about the experience of seeing Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in IMAX. Yes, the tickets are overpriced, but the movie is truly spectacular and improved tenfold by the crystal clear, enormous IMAX screen with more than 12,000 watts of booming sound. And before you write-off the movie as popcorn entertainment, consider that it is one of the best-reviewed films of the year!

Happy holidays, folks. See you all in the new year!

Margaret O’Bryon to step down as Consumer Health Foundation president and CEO [News, 12.19.11]

Late last week, the Consumer Health Foundation announced that Margaret O’Bryon, who has led the foundation since it started its work in 1998 and was recently awarded Grantmakers in Health’s Terrance Keenan Award in Health Philanthropy, will be stepping down as president and CEO next September. She will remain involved with the foundation part-time as a senior strategist.

WRAG’s President, Tamara Copeland, says:

Margaret is an integral member of our region’s philanthropic community. In particular, her leadership within the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers – as both a co-founder of the Health Working Group and a member of the WRAG Board – has been genuinely transformative.

We wish her the very best of luck as she prepares for the next stage of her career.

PHILANTHROPY | The Washington Post has a fascinating, three-part series that looks at the results of a long-term philanthropic project. In 1988, two local businessmen – Abe Pollin and Melvin Cohen – told a class of 59 fifth graders at Seat Pleasant Elementary in Prince George’s County that their college education would be paid for. The ensuing questions – “Would they graduate from high school?  Would they make it to college? What would they make of their gift?” – are answered in the series. (WaPo, 12/18)

- Part I: The Promise
– Part II: The Reality
– Part III: The Legacy

EDUCATION | The Harlem Children Zone’s Geoffrey Canada talks about how early lessons in management and leadership have helped guide him. When asked what qualities one needs in his line of work, he says, “[P]eople need a pretty decent sense of humor to work here.” (NYTimes, 12/18) That should be a requirement in every job!

JUVENILE JUSTICE | Assaults, crowding plague Prince George’s youth detention facility (Examiner, 12/19)

TRANSIT/EQUITY | The D.C. Department of Transportation is partnering with the District Government Employees Federal Credit Union for the “Bank on DC” program. The program uses Capital Bikeshare memberships (awesome) as an incentive for “unbanked” residents to sign up for bank accounts. (DC.gov, 12/19)

BUDGETS | Virginia’s McDonnell unveils $85 billion spending plan (Examiner, 12/19) It’s a “spending plan that boosts funds for education and transportation without any tax increases but cuts nearly $900 million from programs, services and aid.”

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Not to start the week on a gloomy note, but I wanted to quickly pay my respects to Christopher Hitchens. His ability to comprehensively observe and critique the world is a tremendously rare quality these days. I didn’t agree with everything he believed – and I can imagine his dedication to atheism being tested in death – but the world was a much better place for the ways in which he engaged it.

I was always amused when his opponents tried to label him – everything from neo-conservative to radical leftist – because the labels were never close to being correct. It was incredibly refreshing to have his aggressive, articulate voice bringing a unique perspective to conversations that were otherwise dominated by narrowly-focused talking heads.

Here’s a touching memorial from Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. Rest in peace, Hitch.

Maryland wins Race to the Top funding for early childhood education [News, 12.16.11]

EDUCATION | Maryland is among nine states to share $500 million in Race to the Top funding from the Department of Education to improve early childhood education. (WaPo, 12/16)

WORKFORCE | Opinion: To address the high unemployment rate of young adults in the District, a Brookings fellow writes that D.C. ought to commit to the goal of seeing 90 percent of District youth earn a post-secondary credential and find full-time employment by 2022. This would “require partners in the public, private, and social sectors to re-think and re-orient their standard operating procedures.” (WAMU, 12/16)

REGION | A new study shows that 60 percent of Prince George’s County residents work outside of the county. With a significant number of residents employed by the federal government, county officials hope to attract a federal tenant to the county to create jobs inside county lines. (Examiner, 12/16) This stat is also an impressive reminder of how interconnected various jurisdictions really are in our region.

GIVING
- The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington  has released its 2011 giving guide featuring 70 small nonprofit organizations from around the region. (City Paper, 12/15)

- A consumer research firm ranked D.C. fourth in a top 10 ranking of U.S. cities’ charitable giving. By their estimates, 62 percent of adult households in the District donated to a charitable organization in the last year. (Huffington Post, 12/13)

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The American Dialect Society is taking nominations for the 2011 “word of the year.” My vote would definitely go to “occupy.” As in, “I wanted to occupy WMATA after waiting 30 minutes for the red line last night.”
-Rebekah

Can the private sector hold up our region’s economy?…Poverty map of the District…Older adults give more generously [News, 12.15.11]

ECONOMY | Our region has typically had a healthier-than-average economy thanks to the huge workforce demands of the federal government. Since the government doesn’t have any money and is slashing budgets, economists say that our region will now have to rely heavily on the private sector. But can the private sector pick up the slack? (WaPo, 12/15)

Related: The Post’s annual list of the region’s 200 largest businesses (WaPo, 12/15)

Poverty map of D.C. (The Atlantic)

POVERTY | The Atlantic has created a map of the District that shows the poverty level by neighborhood based on Census data. The map reveals shockingly high rates of poverty (40 percent and higher) in some areas, especially east of the river. (Atlantic, 12/15)

HOMELESSNESS | Despite opposition from residents and local businesses, the Arlington County Board has voted unanimously to purchase a building near Courthouse that would be used as a homeless shelter. (Examiner, 12/15)

GIVING | A new survey finds that older adults – age 55 and up – give more generously than younger individuals. (Wire, 12/15)

WINTER | D.C. has unveiled its new snow response strategy, which includes a fleet of new plows. (WAMU, 12/15) Hopefully they have also realized that plowing when there is just a dusting of snow only leads to gigantic potholes and tons of noise.

Related: Speaking of snow, meteorologists predict that we are not going to get any for Christmas, which is not what I want to hear! (WTOP, 12/15) Sing it, Bing.

GOVERNMENT | If I had a nickle for every time I wrote “the government might shutdown this week,” then…I would have a lot of nickles, which don’t really add up to much in this day and age. (WTOP, 12/15)

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Today is apparently National Cupcake Day, according to the internet. My girlfriend lives up the street from Georgetown Cupcake, and the line is always half-a-block long. I like to walk up to the end of the line and ask people if they are in line to cross the street. Their confused reactions are pretty funny – especially the brief moments of panic when they consider that they might not be in the right line for a cupcake.

In more exciting culinary news, a New Orleans-style po boy shop is opening in Dupont Circle. If they have boudin balls, I will be one happy camper!

D.C. looks to expand some schools to include health clinics and adult-ed classes…J.W. Marriott Jr. announces retirement…Giving teens a place in our community [News, 12.14.11]

EDUCATION/HEALTH | The D.C. Council is introducing legislation that would provide funding to transform at least five at-risk public schools into “community schools.” In addition to regular school operations, these locations would offer adult-education classes and health clinics in the evenings and on weekends. (Examiner, 12/14)

HOMELESSNESS | Little known about D.C.’s young homeless, except that numbers are growing (WaPo, 12/14) “The number of young homeless rose in Virginia and Maryland as well.”

GIVING | The Foundation Center has published a new study on foundation funding for Hispanics and Latinos over the last decade. (Foundation Center, 12/14)

PEOPLE | After 39 years, Marriott CEO J.W. Marriott Jr. has announced his retirement. In addition to building a hotel brand that employs 15,000 locally and is regarded as being “critical to seeding the region’s strength in hospitality,” Marriott and his family donate millions annually to philanthropic causes. He currently serves on the board of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. (WaPo, 12/14)

YOUTH | Judith Sandalow, executive director at the Children’s Law Center, writes about Giving Teens a Place in Our Community. (HuffPo, 12/14)

LOCAL | Microsoft is considering opening a research and development center at the District’s St. Elizabeth’s Hospital campus. (Examiner, 12/14)

BUDGETS | Montgomery County Budget Outlook Mixed (WAMU, 12/14) The headline is misleading – “mixed” is actually a good thing, considering how things have been in the past few years.

FACTOID | Today marks the last Philanthropy Factoid Wednesday! We started the series to celebrate the 100th anniversary of organized philanthropy in America, and we are rounding the year out with a compilation of all of our factoids. (WG Daily, 12/14)

BONE TO PICK | The Post has a feature about Showtime’s David Nevins and how he works to “get his native D.C. right” on his shows, like the currently airing (and really entertaining) Homeland. Except in a recent episode of that show, a key scene unfolded at “Farragut Square” – and it looked like an office park in Herndon, not at all like a spot in the District, let alone the real place! (WaPo, 12/14)

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I have a second bone to pick! It has been at least, uh, 24 hours since I last complained about Metro. Here is a screenshot of Metro’s NextBus application. After waiting ten minutes for the 8:34am (rush hour!) bus which never came, I decided to check and see what the deal was. The next bus wasn’t for 19 more minutes, followed by 20 and 23 minutes. All three arrived at the same time and played hop-scotch along the exact same route.

Six months of philanthropy factoids!

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To celebrate the 100th anniversary of institutional philanthropy, Tamara Copeland asked, What is Philanthropy? She affirmed that it is more than just the awarding of grants to worthy causes. Rather, she pointed out what the Ford Foundation’s Paul Ylvisaker observed- that philanthropy ”is the spark that leads to change on a level that is…transformational for society.”

Over the course of the last six months, we have shared Philanthropy Factoids each week that we thought exemplified this idea. We found the factoids in many places, including Joel Fleishman’s The Foundation: A Great American Secret, Olivier Zunz’s Philanthropy in America: A History, the Foundation Center, and other colleague organizations. To wind down the series, we have compiled all the factoids. You can download them here. We hope you learned something new – we certainly did!