Kaya Leaving; John Davis in as interim

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

Last year's PARCC were really low in MD and every other state too. It's going to take a few years to get the students adjusted to this new style. Have you seen the test? Try taking the sample test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

Last year's PARCC were really low in MD and every other state too. It's going to take a few years to get the students adjusted to this new style. Have you seen the test? Try taking the sample test.

The problem isn't the test and students needn't 'adjust.' The test is written based on the standards that DC adopted for all schools, charter and DCPS, several years ago. That's where the adjustment needed to happen and there's been plenty of time for that.

If every student at every school had bombed PARCC -- I'd agree with you. But that isn't what happened (see DC Prep, KIPP, BASIS, Deal, Hardy, Janney, Brent, YY etc etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree Abigail Smith would be a good choice. I think she understands the scope of the problems facing DCPS and would listen to parents and teachers. She really does care and doesn't seem arrogant.

If you recall, several years ago, she wanted to do away with elementary school boundaries in favor of a system like Boston's, where parents are only guaranteed a spot at one of several schools in a local cluster. Our local cluster would have included a school with a DC-CAS proficiency pass rate of 80% and two in the 30s. Parents buying million dollar houses so their children could attend school #1 were really shaken up. She was the architect of the madness. Parents rose up in protest all over the city, and not just in upscale neighborhoods like Upper NW and Cap Hill. She squandered far too much political capital in the process to make an effective chancellor. The woman clearly lacks common sense in a big way. No thanks.

To be equally as fair in presentation, most of those community meetings used DC CAS scores as coded race discussions. I'm not a charter fan and agree that was the wrong approach, but let's keep in mind that at some point DC will have to address its growing classist and re-segregating schools.

Personally I feel it needs to be an outside candidate, hopefully with Fortune 500 experience. I want a buisness woman, not an DC politico.

Yes, I agree that the opposition to clusters was a race issue. I was against the idea at first, but now I totally get how it is a good solution to the problem of gentrified neighborhoods that exist within the drastic income inequality in this city. The idea should be revisited although the concerns of parents who feel their $1 mil house entitled them to a particular school will need to be addressed in a politically smart way. If we don't start thinking along these lines the Hill will never integrate the jr highs and high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bye, Kaya!

But why wait until October? Why not leave now? Transition Davis in this summer and let the District begin the new school year with the new interim Chancellor instead of another (avoidable) post-school start exit and transition--especially one that's so huge.

The only reason to wait until October would be to give Bowser the time to conduct her national search and find a new replacement. Otherwise, you're just creating more turmoil.

Leave now.

No one will miss you.

Maybe their fiscal year starts Oct. 1 live the fed gov? In any event, I'm sure he's shadowing her now.

Agreed. But there are fiscal year concerns vs. the best interests of students, families and the teachers who work in the school system. If the transition in October goes seamlessliy, great. But it is DC(PS) and virtually nothing goes smoothly there. Everything ends up being a huge clusterfluck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

I saw the writing on the wall when Bowser started making the calls during the snowstorm. If Kaya had it her way, schools would not have closed. Not one single day. But Bowser took over and started calling the shots before the first flake hit the ground instead of allowing Kaya to do her "Wait and see then I'll make a decision at the last minute" approach.

It seemed to me she didn't completely trust Kaya or care for her way of doing things. And that Kaya didn't like having her authority usurped. I knew it was just a matter of time and told everyone who would listen that I didn't see Kaya remaining in the role too much longer or making it to her 2017 deadline.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

I saw the writing on the wall when Bowser started making the calls during the snowstorm. If Kaya had it her way, schools would not have closed. Not one single day. But Bowser took over and started calling the shots before the first flake hit the ground instead of allowing Kaya to do her "Wait and see then I'll make a decision at the last minute" approach.

It seemed to me she didn't completely trust Kaya or care for her way of doing things. And that Kaya didn't like having her authority usurped. I knew it was just a matter of time and told everyone who would listen that I didn't see Kaya remaining in the role too much longer or making it to her 2017 deadline.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't the Chancellor used to be a direct report to the Mayor until Bower changed it so that the Chancellor reported to the DME?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

I saw the writing on the wall when Bowser started making the calls during the snowstorm. If Kaya had it her way, schools would not have closed. Not one single day. But Bowser took over and started calling the shots before the first flake hit the ground instead of allowing Kaya to do her "Wait and see then I'll make a decision at the last minute" approach.

It seemed to me she didn't completely trust Kaya or care for her way of doing things. And that Kaya didn't like having her authority usurped. I knew it was just a matter of time and told everyone who would listen that I didn't see Kaya remaining in the role too much longer or making it to her 2017 deadline.

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't the Chancellor used to be a direct report to the Mayor until Bower changed it so that the Chancellor reported to the DME?

Yes, and I always felt that would be the greatest source of tension. That DME layer between chancellor and mayor also means a major charter advocate has equal to greater influence with Mayor's office, and Catherine Bradley calls ALL of the shots there. That can't possibly help chancellor in negotiating with teachers union, which has become an increasingly sore subject among DCPS teachers and indirectly impacts charters.

[Anonymous]

Any chance Kaya is caught up in the contractor scandal? She was soliciting donations from a contractor who defrauded the District. I'm sure there's plenty more cases we have not heard about yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree Abigail Smith would be a good choice. I think she understands the scope of the problems facing DCPS and would listen to parents and teachers. She really does care and doesn't seem arrogant.

If you recall, several years ago, she wanted to do away with elementary school boundaries in favor of a system like Boston's, where parents are only guaranteed a spot at one of several schools in a local cluster. Our local cluster would have included a school with a DC-CAS proficiency pass rate of 80% and two in the 30s. Parents buying million dollar houses so their children could attend school #1 were really shaken up. She was the architect of the madness. Parents rose up in protest all over the city, and not just in upscale neighborhoods like Upper NW and Cap Hill. She squandered far too much political capital in the process to make an effective chancellor. The woman clearly lacks common sense in a big way. No thanks.

To be equally as fair in presentation, most of those community meetings used DC CAS scores as coded race discussions. I'm not a charter fan and agree that was the wrong approach, but let's keep in mind that at some point DC will have to address its growing classist and re-segregating schools.

Personally I feel it needs to be an outside candidate, hopefully with Fortune 500 experience. I want a buisness woman, not an DC politico.

Yes, I agree that the opposition to clusters was a race issue. I was against the idea at first, but now I totally get how it is a good solution to the problem of gentrified neighborhoods that exist within the drastic income inequality in this city. The idea should be revisited although the concerns of parents who feel their $1 mil house entitled them to a particular school will need to be addressed in a politically smart way. If we don't start thinking along these lines the Hill will never integrate the jr highs and high schools.

Total BS. There is no politically smart way to yank away the opportunity to send your kids to a strong neighborhood school for which you just bought a $1 million house. The Hill will never integrate the middle schools and high schools as long as DCPS refuses to allow the strongest cohorts of elementary schools students (from Maury, Brent, SWS and Watkins, maybe Ludlow in five years) feed to one middle school where a full menu of at-grade level and above-grade level classes are offered. And that's the name of that tune.

[Anonymous]

Michelle Rhee screwed the Hill by placing OOB and IB feeder rights on equal footing in 2009, making it impossible for a critical mass of strong students to build at any one of the Ward 6 middle schools. Henderson wouldn't fit it. The next chancellor won't either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

I saw the writing on the wall when Bowser started making the calls during the snowstorm. If Kaya had it her way, schools would not have closed. Not one single day. But Bowser took over and started calling the shots before the first flake hit the ground instead of allowing Kaya to do her "Wait and see then I'll make a decision at the last minute" approach.

It seemed to me she didn't completely trust Kaya or care for her way of doing things. And that Kaya didn't like having her authority usurped. I knew it was just a matter of time and told everyone who would listen that I didn't see Kaya remaining in the role too much longer or making it to her 2017 deadline.

Bingo. They were never BFFs, like Gray and Henderson. They had to be convinced to play nice. Bowser was always clueless about education to begin with. When she demoted Henderson, the 2017 countdown sped up.

The question is not just who would want the job, but what really is the job moving forward? I'd take stability, equity, and continuity. For example, teacher contract, Cornerstones and foreign travel opportunities for all, and retention of top principals with the three-year contracts who can build attractive feeders plans together.

This is not a sexy, high-profile, White House frequent guest type of role. BTDT

My ideal, as a black parent EOTP, would be someone with Catania's smarts, tenacity, and front-line exposure to all kinds of schools in all wards. Obviously not Catania himself. Ideally someone with knowledge of the boundary and lottery issues. But there's no need to go back to that until we get the neighborhood schools in some type of stable model.

Could Davis be that Unicorn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree Abigail Smith would be a good choice. I think she understands the scope of the problems facing DCPS and would listen to parents and teachers. She really does care and doesn't seem arrogant.

If you recall, several years ago, she wanted to do away with elementary school boundaries in favor of a system like Boston's, where parents are only guaranteed a spot at one of several schools in a local cluster. Our local cluster would have included a school with a DC-CAS proficiency pass rate of 80% and two in the 30s. Parents buying million dollar houses so their children could attend school #1 were really shaken up. She was the architect of the madness. Parents rose up in protest all over the city, and not just in upscale neighborhoods like Upper NW and Cap Hill. She squandered far too much political capital in the process to make an effective chancellor. The woman clearly lacks common sense in a big way. No thanks.

To be equally as fair in presentation, most of those community meetings used DC CAS scores as coded race discussions. I'm not a charter fan and agree that was the wrong approach, but let's keep in mind that at some point DC will have to address its growing classist and re-segregating schools.

Personally I feel it needs to be an outside candidate, hopefully with Fortune 500 experience. I want a buisness woman, not an DC politico.

Yes, I agree that the opposition to clusters was a race issue. I was against the idea at first, but now I totally get how it is a good solution to the problem of gentrified neighborhoods that exist within the drastic income inequality in this city. The idea should be revisited although the concerns of parents who feel their $1 mil house entitled them to a particular school will need to be addressed in a politically smart way. If we don't start thinking along these lines the Hill will never integrate the jr highs and high schools.

Total BS. There is no politically smart way to yank away the opportunity to send your kids to a strong neighborhood school for which you just bought a $1 million house. The Hill will never integrate the middle schools and high schools as long as DCPS refuses to allow the strongest cohorts of elementary schools students (from Maury, Brent, SWS and Watkins, maybe Ludlow in five years) feed to one middle school where a full menu of at-grade level and above-grade level classes are offered. And that's the name of that tune.

Sure there is a way to do it. There are limited seats already for PK spots - start out by creating an incentive for parents "shut out" of Brent to enroll at Tyler and go from there. There are enough families now zoned for Payne, Tyler, and Miner who would like to attend that I don't think it would be that difficult. But yeah I understand that people somehow believe they are purchasing a right to a public service when they buy those houses.

[Anonymous]

Maybe.

I have a simple question for Davis that Catania couldn't or wouldn't answer for me at a meet and greet when he was on the stump. Why could my math gifted kid take algebra as early as 5th grade at BASIS (with a teacher, vs. software) if we crack the lottery, but would have to wait until 8th grade to take it at any one of the three DCPS Ward 6 middle schools? For that matter, why could he take advanced Chinese, Spanish or French during the school day at Deal, but only introductory Spanish after school at one of the DCPS middle schools? Because we don't have any Ward 6 students who can handle challenging middle school work (or the high school work that would build on it)? Which study shows this? Answer, please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

I saw the writing on the wall when Bowser started making the calls during the snowstorm. If Kaya had it her way, schools would not have closed. Not one single day. But Bowser took over and started calling the shots before the first flake hit the ground instead of allowing Kaya to do her "Wait and see then I'll make a decision at the last minute" approach.

It seemed to me she didn't completely trust Kaya or care for her way of doing things. And that Kaya didn't like having her authority usurped. I knew it was just a matter of time and told everyone who would listen that I didn't see Kaya remaining in the role too much longer or making it to her 2017 deadline.

Bingo. They were never BFFs, like Gray and Henderson. They had to be convinced to play nice. Bowser was always clueless about education to begin with. When she demoted Henderson, the 2017 countdown sped up.

The question is not just who would want the job, but what really is the job moving forward? I'd take stability, equity, and continuity. For example, teacher contract, Cornerstones and foreign travel opportunities for all, and retention of top principals with the three-year contracts who can build attractive feeders plans together.

This is not a sexy, high-profile, White House frequent guest type of role. BTDT

My ideal, as a black parent EOTP, would be someone with Catania's smarts, tenacity, and front-line exposure to all kinds of schools in all wards. Obviously not Catania himself. Ideally someone with knowledge of the boundary and lottery issues. But there's no need to go back to that until we get the neighborhood schools in some type of stable model.

Could Davis be that Unicorn?

Whoever it is, they should have the experience and credentials of an education leader. Someone with more than 2 years in the classroom, experience as a school leader, etc. And it definitely needs to be someone who ends the "Teacher Blame Game" that places all of the focus on "fixing" teachers and none on students. It needs to be someone who ends the malicious and political nature of DCPS, someone with INTEGRITY-not simply someone interested in looking good by manipulating data and skewing the facts. For goodness sakes, it needs to be someone who actually likes teachers. How in the world can you lead a school system and not like teachers? That's like leading a classroom but not liking students! Kaya played nicely and said all of the right things that suggested she liked and respected teachers, but her actions said differently most of the time.

For goodness sakes, the person needs to end Impact, revamp how teachers are evaluated, remove test scores as part of the teachers eval and make DCPS a place that doesn't see a mass exodus of teachers all year long. Someone who addresses the behavioral issues and violence in the classrooms, unties administrators' hands and allow them to 'deal' with these issues so that actual teaching and learning can take place.

It's the antisocial, disruptive, violent behaviors that go unchecked in the lowest performing schools that keep them from improving. Instead of coddling and accommodating the behavior, they need to address it head on. Create environments that are actually conducive to learning. That's one of the biggest things Kaya got wrong, as it remains one of the biggest challenges to teaching in those schools.

On the other hand, she is to be commended for providing libraries and art in the schools, textbooks and a curriculum. The pay that she likes to tout is nice, but it's not enough to keep teachers around through the school violence and behavioral issues and horrible school "leaders". And of course improving the quality of courses and making advanced classes accessible to all kids was great. I also love that DC students are able to travel abroad.

But INTEGRITY, INTEGRITY, INTEGRITY is what DCPS schools need in its leaders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree Abigail Smith would be a good choice. I think she understands the scope of the problems facing DCPS and would listen to parents and teachers. She really does care and doesn't seem arrogant.

If you recall, several years ago, she wanted to do away with elementary school boundaries in favor of a system like Boston's, where parents are only guaranteed a spot at one of several schools in a local cluster. Our local cluster would have included a school with a DC-CAS proficiency pass rate of 80% and two in the 30s. Parents buying million dollar houses so their children could attend school #1 were really shaken up. She was the architect of the madness. Parents rose up in protest all over the city, and not just in upscale neighborhoods like Upper NW and Cap Hill. She squandered far too much political capital in the process to make an effective chancellor. The woman clearly lacks common sense in a big way. No thanks.

To be equally as fair in presentation, most of those community meetings used DC CAS scores as coded race discussions. I'm not a charter fan and agree that was the wrong approach, but let's keep in mind that at some point DC will have to address its growing classist and re-segregating schools.

Personally I feel it needs to be an outside candidate, hopefully with Fortune 500 experience. I want a buisness woman, not an DC politico.

Yes, I agree that the opposition to clusters was a race issue. I was against the idea at first, but now I totally get how it is a good solution to the problem of gentrified neighborhoods that exist within the drastic income inequality in this city. The idea should be revisited although the concerns of parents who feel their $1 mil house entitled them to a particular school will need to be addressed in a politically smart way. If we don't start thinking along these lines the Hill will never integrate the jr highs and high schools.

Total BS. There is no politically smart way to yank away the opportunity to send your kids to a strong neighborhood school for which you just bought a $1 million house. The Hill will never integrate the middle schools and high schools as long as DCPS refuses to allow the strongest cohorts of elementary schools students (from Maury, Brent, SWS and Watkins, maybe Ludlow in five years) feed to one middle school where a full menu of at-grade level and above-grade level classes are offered. And that's the name of that tune.

Sure there is a way to do it. There are limited seats already for PK spots - start out by creating an incentive for parents "shut out" of Brent to enroll at Tyler and go from there. There are enough families now zoned for Payne, Tyler, and Miner who would like to attend that I don't think it would be that difficult. But yeah I understand that people somehow believe they are purchasing a right to a public service when they buy those houses.

Wrong. A good many high SES Hill families already use Tyler Traditional (and Payne, Miner and Amidon) for ECE. But very few stay for K or the elementary grades, mainly because the structures aren't in place for them to have faith in the program, namely the staff needed to provide strong support to both academic stragglers and advanced learners, along with disruptive kids. They leave it to PTAs to fundraise to pay for classroom aides past K, along with behavioral technicians. It's a rotten system all around. Parents can't be blamed. New chancellor take note.