"Autonomous status", what is it?

[Anonymous]

A couple years ago I heard reference to some type of status the DCPS schools could apply for, I think it was called autonomous status. I never really heard what the criteria were for acceptance. Seems like I heard that Key and Mann had it. Does anyone know with some degree of accuracy what this status is? how a school gets it? what benefits it gives?

As I recall the benefit was that the school got to decide how to spend the budget, without any further direction from downtown. E.g., if schools wants to double the budget for computers, buy no new library books, have no art teacher, but have additional classroom aides. . .. .. .

Accurate information, please, none of which I claim to have. . .

[Anonymous]

This year only 4 schools have autonomous status - Banneker, Barnard, Noyes, and Key. Schools are invited to apply for it if they meet certain criteria, 75% of the students scored proficient or above in reading and math or there has been a 10% increase in reading and math scores over 3 years. Once a school has decided to apply for autonomy, they have to go through a review process in which they are scored in a number of areas such as Leadership, Professional Development, Teaching and Learning, etc.
The reviewers also interview teachers, students, and parents.

And what does this mean for a school? Not much. Flexibility with professional development (we don't have entire days devoted to IMPACT training), a little flexibility with the budget (according to the budget guidelines, we don't have to have a principal, but do have to have an instructional coach), supposedly flexibility with textbook adoptions, flexibility with curriculum. We have to give DC BAS, DC CAS and DIBELs like every other school, but we don't have to do DIBELS in 4th and 5th grades, and we don't have to do constant progress monitoring.

[Anonymous]

You want the real truth?

This is a sop to the highest performing schools in DCPS to keep them from going charter.

Unsurprisingly, parents at high-performing DCPS schools get annoyed when they realize how much influence parents have at relatively new schools like Haynes or Cap City or Yu Ying or Washington Latin. Why can't Hearst have a program like Cap City? Why can't Deal have a program like Latin? Why can't Mann have a program like Yu Ying? Why can't Hardy have a program like Haynes?

It's annoying. Here we are in the highest performing public school cluster of DCPS and we don't get to even have G&T classes, much less magnet programs.

It used to be that charter schools were serving students whose DCPS school was a complete disaster. Anything was better than what they were currently in. NOW, there are charter schools which offer better programs than you can find in JKLM.

Hello? That BL*WS!

So the very well organized, empowered, and connected parents of Ward 3 need to shake the tree! Michelle Rhee and the entire DCPS system needs to understand that if public (charter) schools in WARD 5 can be responsive to high expectations, then perhaps public schools in WARD 3 should try to do the same?

Otherwise, why would you go to Janney or Deal if you can get into Yu Ying or Latin?

[Anonymous]

New K parent here at JKLMO. Have to say all of this is fascinating, although disheartening...

[Anonymous]

Autonomy for good schools is a great idea in a system that is already too large and focused on the underperforming schools.
The reality is that the autonomous schools in DCPS do not have the autonomy that charter schools have. The biggest difference
is that DCPS must hire teachers from the Washington Teacher's Union, whereas the Charter Schools can void that whole route.

[Anonymous]

There seems to be only a handful of great charters, Haynes, Cap city, Yu Ying, and Latin. So a very limited number of parents can take advantage of these schools. Am I correct? If so, your local DCPS still may be better than the average charter. Not every charter is strong or lasts.

[Anonymous]

"Otherwise, why would you go to Janney or Deal if you can get into Yu Ying or Latin?"

Are you kidding? Why would you go to Yu Ying or Latin if you can get into Janney or Deal would be the better question. With or without autonomy, Janney and Deal have stellar programs that Yu Ying and Latin cannot compete with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Otherwise, why would you go to Janney or Deal if you can get into Yu Ying or Latin?"

Are you kidding? Why would you go to Yu Ying or Latin if you can get into Janney or Deal would be the better question. With or without autonomy, Janney and Deal have stellar programs that Yu Ying and Latin cannot compete with.

If Yu Ying achieves its mission (bilingual and biliterate pupils by 8th grade) NO school in DC can compete with that. Period. Mastering Chinese will open doors that a great, but traditional school cant.

[Anonymous]

Wilson might also be autonomous, no? They have some sort of agreement that gives them freedom to do certain things. And yes they were threatening to go charter!

[Anonymous]

If a neighborhood school went charter - wouldn't they need to open the school up for lottery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: If Yu Ying achieves its mission (bilingual and biliterate pupils by 8th grade).

Isn't this a big IF? I don't understand how Yu Ying is always listed as a "top charter." I don't doubt that it is good, but it is in its third year of existence...has it really earned the top school status already?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Otherwise, why would you go to Janney or Deal if you can get into Yu Ying or Latin?"

Are you kidding? Why would you go to Yu Ying or Latin if you can get into Janney or Deal would be the better question. With or without autonomy, Janney and Deal have stellar programs that Yu Ying and Latin cannot compete with.

this seems like a silly argument. all of these schools are fabulous and i can think of lots of reasons why some families would choose one over the other. i don't get the point of this competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Otherwise, why would you go to Janney or Deal if you can get into Yu Ying or Latin?"

Are you kidding? Why would you go to Yu Ying or Latin if you can get into Janney or Deal would be the better question. With or without autonomy, Janney and Deal have stellar programs that Yu Ying and Latin cannot compete with.

You mean like offering Mandarin and IB or Latin and a classical curriculum? Oh wait...

There used to be the music program at Hardy, but look what Rhee decided to do to that.

A few years ago this arose in a big way at Wilson. Wilson is the flagship comprehensive public school and the administrators got tired of having their requests for maintenance ignored, their budgets hacked to support the central administration, and general meddling and oversight from the DCPS bureaucracy. So they threatened to go charter in order to have the ability to make more of their own decisions and keep more of their money. Like Duke Ellington before them, they succeeded in scaring DCPS into allowing them a lot more control in hiring decisions and budgetary matters. The political hot potato is that some education activists see something inherently unfair in certain schools receiving unequal treatment from those in other, less wealthy, less white parts of the city.

A lot of schools (and a lot of parents) would like more of their decisions to be made at the school level instead of by the Chancellor's office. It's not hard to see the appeal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You want the real truth?

This is a sop to the highest performing schools in DCPS to keep them from going charter.

Unsurprisingly, parents at high-performing DCPS schools get annoyed when they realize how much influence parents have at relatively new schools like Haynes or Cap City or Yu Ying or Washington Latin. Why can't Hearst have a program like Cap City? Why can't Deal have a program like Latin? Why can't Mann have a program like Yu Ying? Why can't Hardy have a program like Haynes?

It's annoying. Here we are in the highest performing public school cluster of DCPS and we don't get to even have G&T classes, much less magnet programs.

It used to be that charter schools were serving students whose DCPS school was a complete disaster. Anything was better than what they were currently in. NOW, there are charter schools which offer better programs than you can find in JKLM.

Hello? That BL*WS!

Are you upset that children who have been denied comparable educations to the JKLM for decades are now able to get some relief?

So the very well organized, empowered, and connected parents of Ward 3 need to shake the tree! Michelle Rhee and the entire DCPS system needs to understand that if public (charter) schools in WARD 5 can be responsive to high expectations, then perhaps public schools in WARD 3 should try to do the same?

Otherwise, why would you go to Janney or Deal if you can get into Yu Ying or Latin?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be only a handful of great charters, Haynes, Cap city, Yu Ying, and Latin. So a very limited number of parents can take advantage of these schools. Am I correct? If so, your local DCPS still may be better than the average charter. Not every charter is strong or lasts.

That is not a true statement. There seems to be only a handul of charters that White parents and perhaps more applicable, parents West of Rock Creek Park are interested in allowing their children to attend. There are other good and great charters, but the JKLMs refuse to venture too far of westfield.