D.C. Schools May Specialize

All five schools also would continue to offer classes in the core academic subjects.

Janey said he will propose later that other high school campuses, yet to be identified, be converted to programs centered around the hospitality industry, world languages and the education profession.

"High school should be the crowning experience for young people," Janey said. " We want to identify high schools with particular brands."

To reduce the number of students who leave the public school system after elementary school, Janey is proposing to beef up offerings in the middle grades. His plan calls for more technology, counseling and after-school enrichment activities -- including chess, drama and sports -- in middle schools.

For the schools covering pre-kindergarten through grade 8, he said he would entertain proposals for single-gender classes or single-gender campuses.

He also would establish language immersion programs at Kelly Miller Middle School in Northeast, Hardy Middle School in Northwest and Alice Deal Junior High in Northwest to prepare students for an expansion of the International Baccalaureate program in high schools.

All high schools would offer at least four Advanced Placement courses, instead of the current minimum of two, and high school students would be required to take more units in math and science.

To better prepare children for school and to increase the pool of students entering the system, Janey proposes expanding enrollment in pre-kindergarten and preschool by 400 pupils over the next two years. Currently, the school system enrolls about 1,790 children in that age group.

"If we're educating more babies prior to kindergarten, we'll have the home-court advantage," Janey said. "It will be up to us to win it or lose it."

Another set of changes involves the school system's central office. Michelle J. Walker, the system's chief of strategic planning and policy, said senior managers would be required to sign performance contracts to increase their accountability.