Lottery Issue + Language Immersion Format + Homeschool/Co-Op Inquiry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Telling people the odds is misleading. A lot can change from year to year and there is a certain element of randomness as well. It would not be reliable information and would only confuse people. The most I would do is flag schools that have gone several years without admitting any nonsiblings to preschool.

Even that could be misleading. Deal did not take OOB students for years, and then made 20+ offers from their waitlist for 17-18. What if someone had been dissuaded from listing it and got a great master number?

I had no clue that expansions could be granted post-lottery. Thanks for your specific example of what can happen, rather than just insulting my ignorance.

Offers can be made anytime, and while historical data is a solid reference point, suprising things do happen all the time. I would not have expected overcrowded Deal to pull from their waitlist. It is a balancing act for schools. Charters, too. A little low on 5th grade enrollment? You can still hit your enrollment target (and thus your budget) by accepting more PK3 students from your waitlist.

I want to caution this example - PK3 and PK4 have caps in class size. You can not make up shortfalls in total school enrollment with a strategy of pulling in 3 and 4 YOs without expanding a complete class.

This is not true for charters: https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/20987453/different-regulations-govern-dcs-publicly-funded-prek-programs

There's nothing keeping a charter from having a 25-kid PK3 class.

the public charter school board approves the cap on children per grade for each school. Also - Public Charter Schools are governed by OSSE. They can not make up ratios they feel are appropriate for children. The article had poor reporting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's effed up is pretending that immersion language instruction works well without a sizeable cohort of native speakers. It doesn't. If you want immersion, you're better off not complaining that native speakers crowd out neighborhood families who aren't native speakers.

Signed
Native Speaker of Mandarin who recently volunteered at DCI and was shocked by how poorly their "advanced" Chinese track students speak Chinese after up to 10 years of immersion and partial immersion study in DCPC. YuYing's student body is roughly 2% native speakers, while DCI's is about 0%.

Are YY's teachers native Chinese speakers?

Yes

One or two teachers and 25 kids, only 1 or 2 kids who speak Chinese at home. Hardly any Chinese in the school hallways, at recess, in the cafeteria, in after-care, or on play dates. No immersion summer camp run by the school, or encouraged by the school (e.g. Concordia, public immersion programs in other US jurisdiction raise scholarship money for students to attend). Not nearly enough language inputs for most of the kids to speak decently, even after a decade of full, 50% and partial MS immersion.

[Anonymous]

Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

[Anonymous]

Let me guess your dual language school is in a gentrified area of town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

It’s almost like it was a bunch of hype to attract UMC parents.

[Anonymous]

OJH wrote:Hello to all!
Longtime lurker, first time writer, and first time player of the insane school lottery here in DC.
I have one point, and three questions:

1. My School DC website and customer service reps are committing fraud by regurgitating "Put your choices in order of which you want the most". There is no disclosure whatsoever, if a school has ZERO or less than 1% of slots available to those without sibling and/or boundary and/or other legal preference. The data does not lie, and it's absolutely unconscionable. There should be ONE list for where you would want to go if every program was immediately scalable (enabling schools to justify increased resources) and one for reality, where child's future is at stake. Lottery system for public education is in of itself unconstitutional, and I would happily join a class action lawsuit seeking policy change and NO resources diverted from education.

2. Other than Washington Yu Ying, which PK3/PK4/K immersion programs are taught entirely in the target language?

3. How many PK/K hours per day or week is Mandarin taught at Thomson? How many at Creative Minds? Do ANY other schools offer Mandarin on a regular basis? Are there any new Mandarin programs on the horizon?

4. I speak French fluently, and would love to network with homeschool parents creating alternative learning culture. Please PM me if you are connected to these quiet folks.

Full disclosure: I've sacrificed a HECK OF A LOT for "DS" to get multiple language immersion early in life. We moved to DC for a family emergency, and my mission is building on that foundation.

I’m sorry, OP, I’m struggling with your first point? How is the school lottery system unconstitutional?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

Which school is this?

[Anonymous]

OJH wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, welcome to DC. I don't think you're going to find happiness here.

I grew up in the DMV. The city has potential, and universal pk3/pk4 is game changer we shouldn't be satisfied with until it's fair, or at least honest. Would love to know how your children's experience has been here... This forum is scarier than the streets.

Growing up in the DMV (read, not DC) doesn't give you any more insight on how the PK lottery should be. It's quite fair and honest. It just doesn't line up with your snowflake ideals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

Which school is this?

Tyler.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

Which school is this?

I dont believe it either. Other an tyler spanish track, all the DCPS dual spanish schools are waaaay more than 10%, probably closer to 50% or higher at most schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

Which school is this?

I dont believe it either. Other an tyler spanish track, all the DCPS dual spanish schools are waaaay more than 10%, probably closer to 50% or higher at most schools.

I believe it. DCPS immersion schools are not great, to put it mildly.

[Anonymous]

But they have long wait lists anyway where student populations aren't majority FARMs. Other than Spanish, teaching immersion languages dissuades most poor families from entering the lotteries. Works like a charm for the gentrifiers, and a little language exposure is nice, too. The system wouldn't fly in states with a lot of high performing schools, particularly Cal and NY, but it's widely considered good enough for DC.

[Anonymous]

But they have long wait lists anyway where student populations aren't majority FARMs. Other than Spanish, teaching immersion languages dissuades most poor families from entering the lotteries. Works like a charm for the gentrifiers, and a little language exposure is nice, too. The system wouldn't fly in states with a lot of high performing schools, particularly Cal and NY, but it's widely considered good enough for DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But they have long wait lists anyway where student populations aren't majority FARMs. Other than Spanish, teaching immersion languages dissuades most poor families from entering the lotteries. Works like a charm for the gentrifiers, and a little language exposure is nice, too. The system wouldn't fly in states with a lot of high performing schools, particularly Cal and NY, but it's widely considered good enough for DC.

Why don't poor families like immersion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things aren't all that different at our Spanish immersion DCPS. It' maybe 10% native speakers and the kids hardly use Spanish outside class. We're thinking of pulling out.

Which school is this?

I dont believe it either. Other an tyler spanish track, all the DCPS dual spanish schools are waaaay more than 10%, probably closer to 50% or higher at most schools.

I believe it. DCPS immersion schools are not great, to put it mildly.

Actually, the one my kid attended was pretty great.