For those of us who follow the debate over school reform/school closings in the District of Columbia, the story of River Terrace Elementary School is not unfamiliar.  In December of 2010, Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson proposed that the school be closed due to under-enrollment.  In January, a meeting was held at River Terrace Elementary  to discuss the concerns of the community.  Residents were angry about the decision to close the school and the lack of input from the community during the decision-making process.  As you can see from the video below, many legitimate questions were raised; none of them have been answered.

River Terrace Elementary School is just one of the many Washington, DC public schools closed or threatened with closure since the reign of Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Despite overwhelming community support, River Terrace was shut down. But the tide is turning. Although Rhee and her policies were in favor during the Administration of Mayor Adrian Fenty, the lack of improvement in test scores and the disruption to communities is causing many to think twice about reforming schools by closing them down.