NSA reviewing official’s part-time private work

By WTOP Staff
October 17, 2014 | 5:40 PM

KEN DILANIAN
AP Intelligence Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Security Agency says it is reviewing its decision to allow a top official to work part time for a cybersecurity firm that is pitching its services to the financial sector.

NSA’s Chief Technical Officer, Patrick Dowd, was given permission to work up to 20 hours a week at IronNet Cybersecurity, a private firm. The company was founded by Keith Alexander, a retired Army general who used to run the NSA and the U.S. Cyber Command.

The arrangement raises a host of questions, because the NSA has access to classified information about cyberthreats. IronNet expects to make “a lot” charging companies to protect them from such threats, Alexander has said.

NSA said in a statement Friday that it is reviewing the matter.

DC students made small gains on last year’s standardized tests, but still below prepandemic levels in math, data shows

By Scott Gelman
August 20, 2026 | 5:10 PM

D.C. students made small gains in reading last year, but math results haven't yet reached prepandemic levels, according to new citywide standardized test data released Thursday. At a news briefing, District education officials shared results from the D.C. CAPE standardized test. The assessment is given to third through 12th grade students in English, language arts and mathematics in the spring. It assigns students a level between one and five. Students scoring Level 1 didn't yet meet expectations, and Level 5 is defined as exceeding expectations. Scores of Level 4 or 5 are considered proficient and on grade level. Across the city, there was a 2% increase in ELA proficiency and a 2.1% bump in math proficiency, compared with the 2025 results. About 39.6% of students were considered on grade level in reading in the spring, the highest proficiency the city has reported since 2015. About 28.5% were proficient in math. Officials attribute several years of improving scores to investments in high-impact tutoring programs, teacher training materials and a focus on students adjusting during their first year of middle or high school. But while the city has surpassed its reading scores from before the pandemic, it hasn't yet reached that level in math.

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