What is going on at Cleveland?

[Anonymous]

I keep hearing people mention that there are some issues at Cleveland. Does anyone know what's going on? Is this about getting a new principal? We are on the WL for PK4 and hoping to attend.

[Anonymous]

It's a terrific school that had some growing pains this past achool year. The new principal sounds amazing. She speaks Spanish and is coming from the dual language program at Marie Reed, a school with a similar socioeconomic and race/etniciry profile. We love Cleveland and hope you will join us.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by growing pains?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you mean by growing pains?

Yes, what do you mean by growing pains? It's not a brand new charter school, where growing pains may be a problem. We're talking about a DCPS school that has been around for a while. What possible growing pains could there be?

[Anonymous]

Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

[Anonymous]

who is new principal? Is this a new hire from the end of the 2016-2017 year or new beginning "last" year, i.e., August 2016?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

I get the aftercare thing, but what is the issue with recess?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

I get the aftercare thing, but what is the issue with recess?

Typically, the issue is that high(er) SES parents want/demand more recess (either multiple times per day or longer each time) and/or recess in all weather (days below 40-ish degrees in winter, in particular).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

I get the aftercare thing, but what is the issue with recess?

Not saying this is an issue at Cleveland, but at some schools there is tension over whether students should go out every day, no matter the weather, or stay in when it's wet / too cold. Speaking in general terms, gentrifier parents will say that they should be out no matter what; some parents / teachers disagree. Not all kids have proper outerwear (rain coats / boots, gloves, hats, winter coats) and some parents think kids will get sick if they're out.

There are a lot of cultural differences in parenting. The schools with populations of high poverty and high SES students, get caught in the middle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

I get the aftercare thing, but what is the issue with recess?

Typically, the issue is that high(er) SES parents want/demand more recess (either multiple times per day or longer each time) and/or recess in all weather (days below 40-ish degrees in winter, in particular).

Seriously? Why would more recess be controversial? 40 is not really cold, it is not even 32. Is this about kids not having jackets and mittens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

I get the aftercare thing, but what is the issue with recess?

Typically, the issue is that high(er) SES parents want/demand more recess (either multiple times per day or longer each time) and/or recess in all weather (days below 40-ish degrees in winter, in particular).

Seriously? Why would more recess be controversial? 40 is not really cold, it is not even 32. Is this about kids not having jackets and mittens?

Yes seriously. Some parents think it's too cold for the kids to be outside. And more recess takes away from instructional time, and the schools are under a lot of pressure to get kids to succeed academically.

Again these are the typical friction points at high poverty schools in DC when gentrifiers start attending. May or may not be issues at Cleveland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Cleveland parent. But what that usually means is that the school is experiencing some tensions between the population it always served, and gentrifying families who want to see changes.

It surfaces often over things like recess time, after care fees or programming, what the PTA/PTO should do.

I get the aftercare thing, but what is the issue with recess?

Typically, the issue is that high(er) SES parents want/demand more recess (either multiple times per day or longer each time) and/or recess in all weather (days below 40-ish degrees in winter, in particular).

Seriously? Why would more recess be controversial? 40 is not really cold, it is not even 32. Is this about kids not having jackets and mittens?

Often, yes. Children don't always have adequate clothing to be outside.

[Anonymous]

I thought recess time was fixed, it seems like at least for the preschoolers the day is on a minute by minute schedule.

Can't the gentrifiers bring in some outerwear?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought recess time was fixed, it seems like at least for the preschoolers the day is on a minute by minute schedule.

Can't the gentrifiers bring in some outerwear?

If the school social worker says that's wanted and needed and appropriate -- maybe. But there are only about 10% higher SES families at a school live Cleveland, and most are gone by K or 1st. The population that stays through fifth is kinda over the know it all white women coming in and telling them how to do behave / what to wear / how to live in most parts of the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought recess time was fixed, it seems like at least for the preschoolers the day is on a minute by minute schedule.

Can't the gentrifiers bring in some outerwear?

If the school social worker says that's wanted and needed and appropriate -- maybe. But there are only about 10% higher SES families at a school live Cleveland, and most are gone by K or 1st. The population that stays through fifth is kinda over the know it all white women coming in and telling them how to do behave / what to wear / how to live in most parts of the city.

So then what happens? Serious question, if this is playing out at a lot of schools, what typically happens next?