| I read that they are offering them for the first time, which I am shocked as I think this is a no-brainer and the right thing to do. The question is how many slots are they each setting aside, will they get filled and how will that reflect on the results for the non-equity lottery players? Any guesses, or inside info? Very curious to see the results tomorrow. |
| I don't know about Basis, but I think this will be the second or third time Latin has offered them so you can check the historical data to see the numbers. I think it was 20 seats per campus last year (but I haven't looked in about a year and could be misremembering). |
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It is the second time.
They offered 20 seats at the original Latin campus and 22 seats at Cooper last year. Latin I had 15 the year before and 12 at Cooper. First year for BASIS, so with 150 seats, I would expect at least 20, if not more, spaces. |
| It looks like Latin 2nd St. filled all the 5th grade EA seats in both the 22-23 school year and the 23-24 school year, but that Cooper campus did not fill all the EA seats in either year (3 out of 12 seats in 22-23 SY and 14 out of 22 seats in 23-24 SY). |
| the number of kids in the lottery claiming "at risk" status is pretty incredible. more than half now they say are "at risk" and eligible for these "equity spots" |
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| ??? i assume they audit it. yes about half of the students in the system qualify as at-risk due to low income. first year for basis. |
Poverty has fallen significantly in DC over the past couple years thanks to very low unemployment, a big increase in wages at the bottom and a torrent of covid related assistance. There's no way half of the kids in DC are at risk. I think people are gaming the rules. |
Most kids in the US are eligible for WIC and Medicaid. In DC, a significant percentage of kids qualify for these and/or SNAP, TANF, or other ways to get the EA preferences. You might not encounter those kids in your neighborhood or at your school, but there are parts of DC where just about everyone qualifies. |
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It's not income, it's:
Students experiencing homelessness Students in the Districts foster care system Students who qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) High school students that are one year older, or more, than the expected age for the grade in which the students are enrolled |
| BASIS classes are going to be even smaller. No way at-risk kids make it through that system. |
| TANF and SNAP are based on family income. Most “at-risk” students fall under that prong. |
| I doubt Basis offered all that many EA seats. I think they felt some political pressure (Basis has also been looking to open an elementary school). |
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The DCPS lottery will automatically skew toward lower income because high income families will either do private (including being able to afford private preschool), can afford to live in an area where they don't need to do the lottery as their in-bound school is sufficient, etc.
DCPS lottery absolutely does not represent all DC kids |
| Yes and no. The OP specifically asked about Basis and Latin which are fully lottery schools that historically do not enroll very many at-risk students. |