Students Tell Officials How to Improve Education

At an education summit yesterday, Chinese-speaking students Oscar Xu, 13, left, and Zhi Chao Lin, 12, spoke to Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee through interpreter Jonathan S. Jou about what can be done to improve schools.

Nearly 200 D.C. public school students sounded off yesterday to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee about such issues as school violence, crumbling facilities and unqualified teachers and brainstormed ideas for addressing those problems.

"We want to get feedback as we make tough decisions and changes," Fenty told the students. "We know some of the best feedback will come from students in the system."

For 2 1/2 hours, the students sat at about 20 round tables discussing conditions at their schools. Someone from each table wrote down the students' complaints and suggestions, which will be reviewed by Fenty and Rhee and posted on the Internet. The Washington Post