What would happen if families in dc all had their kids attend their In Boundary school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The core flaw in this whole way of thinking is that it's based on the assumption that DCPS will deliver an adequate school if enough high-income people demand it. That's just not how it works. DCPS doesn't really care what people want, and often isn't capable of delivering it even if it wanted to. It's not a vending machine where you put in 200 high income kids and a good principal and talented teachers and a superintendent who isn't a sadistic lunatic pops out the bottom. It takes years and years of effort and for many people, the payoff isn't going to happen in time for their kid or even younger siblings to benefit from it. And attending a badly functioning school for many many years is a high price to pay for principle or social altruism.


+yup. Anyone can care about schools but it matters most when you have skin in the game and your children are school age. Childhood is fleeting. With kids who are close to graduation I can say from experience that I spent tons of energy and time on school issues when it mattered for me. Now that my kids are almost done, my attention is shifting. Parents will never, ever chance their child's education on a crappy or even iffy solution if they have other options. Talk to more parents who have tried to make a go of it at their struggling title 1 school. Often your efforts and middle class mindset aren't even welcome.

That's it in a nutshell. The DCPS bureaucracy LIKES having a school system that is predominantly lower-income, as that means less accountability. High income, highly educated parents are demanding; they want accountability; they want non-responsive bureaucrats (like the guy who couldn't get the Giant donation form correct as described by a PP above) fired. That's why DCPS gave "autonomous" status to most WOTP elementaries years ago---sort of a "we'll leave you alone if you leave us alone" bargain. The whole theory behind charters 20 years ago was that charters enabled more school choice for niche programs: expeditionary learning, montessori, dual language, classics---and that charters would also cause regular DCPS to up its game. DCPS' only response was to throw millions and millions at renovating high schools EOTP without doing anything else.

Very interesting.

So is it white privilege a la Nice White Parents? Should they then not do anything etc? Or is it good to use your white privelege in this way? This discussion finally getting interesting.

I like hearing from folks who actually have real school examples, if you’re willing to name them. We avoided our IB and only looked at one or two other nearby DCPS. In NE. Sometimes feel like we should’ve invested more, other times honestly so glad we never had to deal.

Read this thread. What you are looking for is covered there.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/630/961391.page

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. Unknowingly you’ve hit upon an issue.

Wilson is so beyond capacity because if they made students stay in boundary they’d lose many high performing white and black students to privates or the parents would move to Md./Va.

[Anonymous]

I care so little for “losing high performers” as a reason to keep this terrible system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I care so little for “losing high performers” as a reason to keep this terrible system.

Why are you more important? “High performers” pay taxes too...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I care so little for “losing high performers” as a reason to keep this terrible system.

Why are you more important? “High performers” pay taxes too...

Also, from a budget point of view, the school system does better if it's got kids that don't require extra services.

But sure, ignore reality in the name of...idk....uh...hating DCUM?

[Anonymous]

They’re important because of the achievement gap in DC schools. Many AA students already leave for privates and charters.

[Anonymous]

If DCPS is open five days a week with teachers in the classrooms, and charters are not, we will surely see some movement to IB, especially with younger kids. I’ve never preferred my IB but am considering enrolling if it’s open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They’re important because of the achievement gap in DC schools. Many AA students already leave for privates and charters.

Many charters have a gap too.

[Anonymous]

Oof I’m struggling with this too and I think the accountability pp and the white parent who suddenly got the attention of the city are spot on. I genuinely don’t know, as the school choice model we have is actually increasing segregation, increasing investment in affluent areas, and allows many to ignore the geographical segregation because of some imported diversity. Have to agree the dcps leadership is filled with true morons, so maybe it’s never really going to change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The core flaw in this whole way of thinking is that it's based on the assumption that DCPS will deliver an adequate school if enough high-income people demand it. That's just not how it works. DCPS doesn't really care what people want, and often isn't capable of delivering it even if it wanted to. It's not a vending machine where you put in 200 high income kids and a good principal and talented teachers and a superintendent who isn't a sadistic lunatic pops out the bottom. It takes years and years of effort and for many people, the payoff isn't going to happen in time for their kid or even younger siblings to benefit from it. And attending a badly functioning school for many many years is a high price to pay for principle or social altruism.


+yup. Anyone can care about schools but it matters most when you have skin in the game and your children are school age. Childhood is fleeting. With kids who are close to graduation I can say from experience that I spent tons of energy and time on school issues when it mattered for me. Now that my kids are almost done, my attention is shifting. Parents will never, ever chance their child's education on a crappy or even iffy solution if they have other options. Talk to more parents who have tried to make a go of it at their struggling title 1 school. Often your efforts and middle class mindset aren't even welcome.

That's it in a nutshell. The DCPS bureaucracy LIKES having a school system that is predominantly lower-income, as that means less accountability. High income, highly educated parents are demanding; they want accountability; they want non-responsive bureaucrats (like the guy who couldn't get the Giant donation form correct as described by a PP above) fired. That's why DCPS gave "autonomous" status to most WOTP elementaries years ago---sort of a "we'll leave you alone if you leave us alone" bargain. The whole theory behind charters 20 years ago was that charters enabled more school choice for niche programs: expeditionary learning, montessori, dual language, classics---and that charters would also cause regular DCPS to up its game. DCPS' only response was to throw millions and millions at renovating high schools EOTP without doing anything else.

Very interesting.

So is it white privilege a la Nice White Parents? Should they then not do anything etc? Or is it good to use your white privelege in this way? This discussion finally getting interesting.

I like hearing from folks who actually have real school examples, if you’re willing to name them. We avoided our IB and only looked at one or two other nearby DCPS. In NE. Sometimes feel like we should’ve invested more, other times honestly so glad we never had to deal.

Read this thread. What you are looking for is covered there.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/630/961391.page

Yeah I read that. It hardly goes in depth on any one school and is mostly a pissing match. The interesting part to me was the idea that low income parents don’t hold schools accountable as well as high income parents do, whether by not know how or simply lack of power or perceived power.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re important because of the achievement gap in DC schools. Many AA students already leave for privates and charters.

Many charters have a gap too.

Sure all schools do but the competitive charters have a higher performing peer group with many more kids on or above grade level. There is a gpa but the overwhelming majority isn’t at the bottom. It’s easier for teachers to provide more challenging work if you actually have a critical mass of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the dude who wrote the race/class intersectionality thing before, I'd say that my family back home in the rural west is part of that "intergenerational poverty" and it's definitely a mindset or culture or something that is hard to break through and I am not surprised that people want to stay away from it.

But I want to be sympathetic too; my dad was the guy who was not like the rest despite his community and turned out totally different. So I feel this affinity on a class basis, I guess, and want to support these kids. It feels a little lonely to think like this - feels rare around here.

Can you tell us a little more about that mindset?

I'm thinking - I want to identify with the poor families here and not sort away from them whenever possible, for either myself or my kids. I also think about some stuff I read about how having neighbors who could share their social capital - how common is this in a segregated city? While I can think of the old guy who hired my dad and his brother to build his house, at his direction, when they were 15. These were two boys who showed no promise at the time. And the other people who helped him along the way. Is there some way I can share my social capital with the underdogs in my neighborhood? Not just a little cash here and there, but like actually be part of the community here in a mixed neighborhood where I live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DCPS is open five days a week with teachers in the classrooms, and charters are not, we will surely see some movement to IB, especially with younger kids. I’ve never preferred my IB but am considering enrolling if it’s open.

If DCPS is open 5 days, so will all charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the dude who wrote the race/class intersectionality thing before, I'd say that my family back home in the rural west is part of that "intergenerational poverty" and it's definitely a mindset or culture or something that is hard to break through and I am not surprised that people want to stay away from it.

But I want to be sympathetic too; my dad was the guy who was not like the rest despite his community and turned out totally different. So I feel this affinity on a class basis, I guess, and want to support these kids. It feels a little lonely to think like this - feels rare around here.

Can you tell us a little more about that mindset?

I'm thinking - I want to identify with the poor families here and not sort away from them whenever possible, for either myself or my kids. I also think about some stuff I read about how having neighbors who could share their social capital - how common is this in a segregated city? While I can think of the old guy who hired my dad and his brother to build his house, at his direction, when they were 15. These were two boys who showed no promise at the time. And the other people who helped him along the way. Is there some way I can share my social capital with the underdogs in my neighborhood? Not just a little cash here and there, but like actually be part of the community here in a mixed neighborhood where I live?

Volunteer! Volunteer w a group that trains you to some degree to tutor math or English. Teach immigrants to read.

This is how you engage w “the other” w out being offensive (the training).

When you befriend those you are helping and they tell you what’s going on listen like you would anyone else.

One of my former tutees is now finishing law school at a very reputable law school. Her specialty is what my firm needs. She’s interviewing and chatting w folks off cycle. We are going to benefit from her if not more. I just get to say I knew her when as now I need her expertise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our EOTP school, a small group of parents have joined with teachers to keep schools closed indefinitely. Anyone who advocates to reopen— just giving families the choice— is labelled racist. As a result, we will change schools via the lottery. Ending 7 years of our kids attending this school.

Sad. What school?

Yeah, you really need to out this school. And I blame the Chancellor for abdicating his duty to individual principals.

Cleveland -- but now they have no choice but to reopen. Thanks, DCPS!