Should DCPS eliminate Application Only Public Selective High schools?

[Anonymous]

Seems like an attempt to create a private school reality in a city that is straining to fix its public schools.

If a student is academically talented, shouldn't they get a shot at their neighborhood school?

Seems like concentrating all of the semi-talented kids at three schools would be a talent suck on the neighborhood high schools.

[Anonymous]

This isn't actually what happens and no DC shouldn't eliminate it.

[Anonymous]

Not unless you want to drive high-earning, high-taxpaying families to private or the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

More than 30% of DCPS high school students attend application schools. Throw in JR (17%) and Ron Brown (citywide lottery) and that’s 50% of DCPS high school students. Plus Coolidge early college.

Support for DCPS application schools is extremely widespread.

[Anonymous]

They do have a shot at their neighborhood school. Which they are choosing not to attend. Maybe it's because they want to be around other students who are on grade level, I dunno.

If you think DC selective schools are a private school experience you have a lot to learn about private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like an attempt to create a private school reality in a city that is straining to fix its public schools.

If a student is academically talented, shouldn't they get a shot at their neighborhood school?

Seems like concentrating all of the semi-talented kids at three schools would be a talent suck on the neighborhood high schools.

They would not be willing to attend neighborhood high schools. They would move or go private. That's how things were in past decades. Open your eyes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seems like an attempt to create a private school reality in a city that is straining to fix its public schools.

If a student is academically talented, shouldn't they get a shot at their neighborhood school?

Seems like concentrating all of the semi-talented kids at three schools would be a talent suck on the neighborhood high schools.

They would not be willing to attend neighborhood high schools. They would move or go private. That's how things were in past decades. Open your eyes.

+1

All it would do is serve to concentrate all semi talented kids in private school or MoCo schools. Because that’s where parents would move (or at least we would if our only option is our in boundary HS).

[Anonymous]

If each public school had an academically talented program, (Think School within a School) couldn't it raise the profile of other neighborhood schools (Roosevelt, Cardozo, Dunbar, Coolidge, Eastern)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If each public school had an academically talented program, (Think School within a School) couldn't it raise the profile of other neighborhood schools (Roosevelt, Cardozo, Dunbar, Coolidge, Eastern)

There aren't enough high-performing kids to have the math work out-- the averages wouldn't go up by much, the programs would be too small to have an appealing offering, and it would be really costly to operate because the programs would be small. And if it did happen, the racial disparities would be so painfully obvious, it just isn't doable.

I think nothing gets better until they make a massive investment into middle school and remediation.

[Anonymous]

Let's make the talented students suffer even more despite the fact that the move would do nothing o solve DCPS's struggles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If each public school had an academically talented program, (Think School within a School) couldn't it raise the profile of other neighborhood schools (Roosevelt, Cardozo, Dunbar, Coolidge, Eastern)

I don't think you could do each school. However, you could probably strategically place 4-5 around the city. You have to start in 3rd-4th grade to make it like other programs. Most of the high performing schools are school within a school anyway.

[Anonymous]

eastern does have a school within a school ib program. it hasnt substantially increased the in-boundary enrollment. the application high schools are not just walls and they help w middle school buy-in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If each public school had an academically talented program, (Think School within a School) couldn't it raise the profile of other neighborhood schools (Roosevelt, Cardozo, Dunbar, Coolidge, Eastern)

There aren't enough high-performing kids to have the math work out-- the averages wouldn't go up by much, the programs would be too small to have an appealing offering, and it would be really costly to operate because the programs would be small. And if it did happen, the racial disparities would be so painfully obvious, it just isn't doable.

I think nothing gets better until they make a massive investment into middle school and remediation.

Dunbar has a Pre-Engineering program and also Eastern has an IB program.

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke?? The application high schools are not very good to begin with compared to our suburban neighbors and now OP wants to dumb down the curriculum even more by eliminating them?

[Anonymous]

All this would do is punish academically advanced (or even on grade level) students who live outside of NW.