School reform ( NOT demographic change) drove achievement

[Anonymous]

Achievement for non-white students in the District of Columbia public schools has been slowly improving—and must continue on pace. This modest growth can be directly tied by causality to school reform efforts of mayoral control and a charter school sector with strong oversight.

Gentrification and a 15% increase in white and higher-income students of all races did not drive this improvement per this new study:

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/did-washington-d-c-s-education-overhaul-help-black-children-this-study-says-yes/2021/08

Opinion in the Post today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/12/how-dc-school-reform-drove-student-achievement/

[Anonymous]

Putting aside the Post's poorly written and glib opinion piece this is a really interesting study and is definitely good news!

[Anonymous]

I read this as huge support of mayoral control.

[Anonymous]

I think it's pretty clear that a public service as vital and complex as schools needs a single point of contact for administration and legal control. An elected school board seems like a HORRIBLE way to oversee schools. The exact opposite of what we need.

Charter schools definitely seem to have proven themselves in DC. But, it does seem undeniable that they hollow out neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

I see the mayor’s comms office has been busy this morning.

[Anonymous]

This study was done by Mathematica. Enough said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's pretty clear that a public service as vital and complex as schools needs a single point of contact for administration and legal control. An elected school board seems like a HORRIBLE way to oversee schools. The exact opposite of what we need.

Charter schools definitely seem to have proven themselves in DC. But, it does seem undeniable that they hollow out neighborhood schools.

Where do you see that pattern? Can you name schools that have been "hollowed out" by charters?

DCPS was a mess long before charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This study was done by Mathematica. Enough said.

Not really. Say more for the ignoramuses in the audience..

[Anonymous]

Mathematica is tied intimately to the Mayor and reform efforts. The Post's opinion section is uniformly in favor of Rhee-style education reform. A slightly broader perspective would give it more credibility.
It is great to see that student achievement is growing, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mathematica is tied intimately to the Mayor and reform efforts. The Post's opinion section is uniformly in favor of Rhee-style education reform. A slightly broader perspective would give it more credibility.
It is great to see that student achievement is growing, though.

Have you read the report and refuting their methods and conclusions, or just suspicious because of the historic working relationship?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's pretty clear that a public service as vital and complex as schools needs a single point of contact for administration and legal control. An elected school board seems like a HORRIBLE way to oversee schools. The exact opposite of what we need.

Charter schools definitely seem to have proven themselves in DC. But, it does seem undeniable that they hollow out neighborhood schools.

I'll deny it right here:

DCPS ( neighborhood schools ) enrollment in SY 2011-12: 45,191

DCPS ( neighborhood schools ) enrollment in SY 2019-20: 51,036

DCPS ( neighborhood schools ) enrollment in pandemic year 2020-21 slightly down: 49,890

It is *undeniable* that both charter and DCPS sectors have grown and improved over the last decade.

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-glance-enrollment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mathematica is tied intimately to the Mayor and reform efforts. The Post's opinion section is uniformly in favor of Rhee-style education reform. A slightly broader perspective would give it more credibility.
It is great to see that student achievement is growing, though.

Have you read the report and refuting their methods and conclusions, or just suspicious because of the historic working relationship?

Look I am not reading the report. But they take a number of minor-significant points, associate them with school reform, cheerlead the Mayor's choices for doing those things and take a victory lap instead of saying "there are a host of results with minor effects that have cumulative benefit, which are hard to assign causation to." That's probably a reasonable alternative interpretation of what they're putting out, and yet we get the propaganda version.

[Anonymous]

Wait — so Michelle Rhee wasn’t crazy after all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mathematica is tied intimately to the Mayor and reform efforts. The Post's opinion section is uniformly in favor of Rhee-style education reform. A slightly broader perspective would give it more credibility.
It is great to see that student achievement is growing, though.

Have you read the report and refuting their methods and conclusions, or just suspicious because of the historic working relationship?

Look I am not reading the report. But they take a number of minor-significant points, associate them with school reform, cheerlead the Mayor's choices for doing those things and take a victory lap instead of saying "there are a host of results with minor effects that have cumulative benefit, which are hard to assign causation to." That's probably a reasonable alternative interpretation of what they're putting out, and yet we get the propaganda version.

The edweek piece suggests they have found causality. But got it--we can all read it and come to our own conclusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait — so Michelle Rhee wasn’t crazy after all?

Well...nobody is saying that, exactly😆