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Francis-Stevens Education Campus Open House, Thursday, May 7, 6 pm
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Anonymous
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Thursday, May 7, 6 pm
Francis-Stevens Education Campus Neighbors and everyone interested in learning more about the Francis-Stevens Education Campus are encouraged to attend the upcoming open house at the school on Thursday May 7th. Join Principal Maurice Kennard, Chancellor Michelle Rhee, teachers, other parents, administrators and staff to discuss the educational programs and exciting activities the school has to offer children in grades Pre-K through 8th. Doors open at 6 p.m. at the school, which is located at 2425 N Street, N.W. For additional information please call the school at 202-724-4841. |
Anonymous
| Did anyone attend this?? If so, what do you think?? |
Anonymous
| I attended and had a much better impression of the school after seeing it. The principal is new and is open to new ideas. They really want neighborhood kids to attend. Rhee thinks Francis is the next school to turn it around. If the school can get Dupont parents to send their kids there, I think she's right. |
Anonymous
| Too bad Rhee has so little credibility. In her short history in DCPS she's developed a track record of big promises to "turn-around" schools which she subsequently failed to follow through on. |
Anonymous
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PP could you please be more specific in your criticism? What school(s) did she promise to turn around this past year and fail at and what are her other failings? I am not attempting to start an argument, I am interested in specifics so I can have a better understanding. Thank you.
FWIW, I had a few dealings with the Chancellor's office in connection with the lottery this spring and I found the staff to be very responsive and helpful. I realize that is not the same as having astudent in the school system, but I was pleasantly surprised given other dealings I have had with DC administrative offices over the years. |
Anonymous
| Fair question, PP. My specific gripe is in regard to the Chancellor promising the IB program to several schools and then backing off on the funding. IB was promised to Thomson ES, Deal MS, Shepherd ES, and HD Cooke ES. It is a wonderful program, a multi-disciplinary integrated program that lays the foundation for a student to complete an International Baccalaureate degree at the high school level. Rhee has the opportunity to help several "up and coming" schools become genuinely bright stars in the constellation of DCPS and is turning away from the commitment she made to those schools, those parents, and those students. Of the four schools, Thomson and perhaps Deal may be able to pull it off but they will struggle, unsupported, to do so. Shepherd and especially Cooke probably will not. There are very few IB schools in the area, and the ones that exist genuinely stand out. I am extremely disappointed in the Chancellor's refusal to commit to excellence in the turn-around schools. |
Anonymous
| PP, do you know why Rhee backed off on the IB funding? Was there a reason given? |
Anonymous
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I don't know, PP. In the scope of DCPS spending this wasn't a big budget item. It is however, a multi-year commitment. It take 3-4 years of intensive work to get certified from the IB organization as a "World School." Maybe she's not planning to be in DC that long. For whatever reason, she saw the appeal and committed to it and then backed away. I just don't know. I do know that it would really show her commitment to launching schools like Thomson (and Francis-Stevens) into another level of academic performance and reputation.
The IB certification is not only academically rigorous and prestigious, it is particularly appropriate in a city like Washington and especially in downtown schools where children grow up in the shadows of embassies and world organizations. The IB was originally designed as a curriculum for the children of diplomats who were moved from school to school in country to country as their parents' assignments changed. It was created as a well-rounded multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual (there is a language component and requirement) curriculum that would educate students and have them well-prepared to perform and compete at the highest academic levels when they reached the world universities of their choice. A city like Washington should be proud to pursue this designation in its schools and having this program in place would do A LOT to "prove" to incoming middle-class parents that DCPS is serious about educating their children. |
Anonymous
I just moved to get out of sending DD to school there; the middle schoolers are very poorly behaved in the neighborhood and the scores are terrible! |
Anonymous
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Question for the poster with the scoop on IB in DCPS. Do you think it has something to do with Rhee needing to "take the credit" for any and all successes? IB was started under Janney I think?
And I just have to know, are you a DCPS parent? I'm a parent at one of the schools you mentioned and we're really worried as to how we're going to pay for the IB. Has the Chancellor said anything? Is there a specific reason why she's turned her back on the IB program? It's such a shame. IB is a great program for all children and it also attracts parents who otherwise would go private or move to the suburbs. I wish she and the mayor could see that... |
Anonymous
I'm a parent at a charter which is also pursuing IB certification. I have a big soft spot for Thomson which was our DCPS first choice (though we did not get in OOB). I am concerned that once our school achieves our goal we'll be on Rhee's radar for a take-over. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for explaining and thanks for your kind words about Thomson. It's so hard right now, it feels like we're being punished for actually showing some drive and initiative in regard to offering arts, language and the IB to the students of DCPS. It is incredibly comforting to know that at least one person outside the Thomson family has noticed the good things that are happening. |
Anonymous
| Thank you for the explation (I am the pp that asked for it). Years down the road my two children will be Deal students unless we decide we have to leave the city for MD or VA because we are not comfotable with the middle school and high school options. Having an IB curriculum would definitely be a factor in favor of staying and hearing this background on what happened in helpful in my following of what is going on with DC schools. I have been reading about reforming DC schools since I moved to the area 14 years ago, I try to remain optimistic yet realistic but it gets tough sometimes. |
Anonymous
You should also consider Washington Latin public charter (no my DC is still in primary and does not go there, but everything I've heard about the schools is highly impressive). The Director is the former head of school from NCS and is building a very tight ship with outstanding academics. It's based on a classical curriculum model and they're clearly very serious about a rigorous education. |
Anonymous
BUMP! (And can we move the OT, i.e. not specific to Francis, IB debate, Washington Latin boostering to some other thread, puh-leeeez?) Back to subject: thoughts on Francis, particularly for younger grades and how they are managing this relative to older kids? Were there any tough questions asked about discipline? Anyone else now considering attending? (Obamas were in boundary for Stevens :wink  The preschool program was well-regarded at Stevens. Have they been able to maintain that? Given limited number of public and charters in the immediate area, worth considering for preschool?
TIA |