New Jackson-Reed HS (Wilson HS) School Principal - Sah Brown from Eastern High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far this is what is apparent with DCUM and high schools:

- Black Male from a school with challenges is taking over "my" somewhat affluent school is awful for "me." If he can lead a school with enormous challenges, maybe he can do good things at a school with fewer challenges. Not part of the thought process.

- Walls now sucks because the test has been eliminated. I really don't have have evidence but it has to be, right?

-Banneker's SAT and IB scores suck so it's not good enough. Why doesn't it do more to attract "me?"

-We're going private..Why is so expensive and so competitive...We didn't get in anywhere..We're out, moving to the suburbs..This sucks too-same problems we left..


SMH

+1000

This is the perfect summary. Meanwhile none of these posters have set foot in any of these schools during the school day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know Sah Brown from his Hardy days. He will be fine at Wilson. One thing I don't see mentioned here is that he will be good with the teens and young adults that attend Wilson - he is good with that age group.

Will he be a huge change agent? Probably not. Will he fix all of Wilson's problems? Probably not.

But I expect that under his watch, Wilson will continue to be a school where good smart kids can attend, enjoy, thrive, and have success in college and beyond.

Thank you—this is very helpful and basically what I would have guessed. We aren’t going to get perfect, so I’ll take someone who likes teenagers and understands the system he’s working within. And with Martin in the instructional superintendent role and Bargeman staying on as AP, there’s a lot of historical knowledge of JR, as well. All things considered, I’m cautiously optimistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mediocre beats bad.

The DCPS mission statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So far this is what is apparent with DCUM and high schools:

- Black Male from a school with challenges is taking over "my" somewhat affluent school is awful for "me." If he can lead a school with enormous challenges, maybe he can do good things at a school with fewer challenges. Not part of the thought process.

- Walls now sucks because the test has been eliminated. I really don't have have evidence but it has to be, right?

-Banneker's SAT and IB scores suck so it's not good enough. Why doesn't it do more to attract "me?"

-We're going private..Why is so expensive and so competitive...We didn't get in anywhere..We're out, moving to the suburbs..This sucks too-same problems we left..


SMH

+1000

This is the perfect summary. Meanwhile none of these posters have set foot in any of these schools during the school day.

. How do you know that none of these posters have set foot in these schools during the school day? I used to volunteer at Eastern, a Ward 7 and 8 transplant in Ward 6. I talked to Brown many times. He’s OK, but not terribly astute.

[Anonymous]

As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

As a current JR parent, I’ll simply say that I find your certainty about what’s going on at JR based on zero personal experience pretty breathtaking. My high-achieving kids are very well-served by JR, because of both the breadth of advanced course work offered and the school’s commitment to removing barriers to those offerings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

I think this is a great question. And I think you are 100 percent correct. The change back from the (horrible) 4x4 schedule--which, by the way, served nobody well--was led by parents (though it was strongly supported by teachers and the administration too). DCPS was really the problem. I think principals are often in a touch spot where they need to walk a fine line and need to be careful about which fights to pick with downtown. Parents will have to remain actively involved. I think the best way to do this is to not treat everything like a zero sum game. Maintaining advanced courses is NOT hurtful to equity initiatives...for example, J-R is (I believe) going to offer African American History AP for the first time. This will hopefully increase the number of African American students taking AP courses. There are lots of ways for all courses to be elevated in ways that allows for differentiation (by emphasizing project-based learning, writing, and research for example).

I think the best way to approach the new leadership is with the good-faith assumption that he wants what is best for all of the students at J-R and will work with parents as partners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


I’m very surprised that a parent wouldn’t expect the principal of a schools to focus on the students AT THE SCHOOL rather than trying to replace those students with different ones. What a bizarre expectation.


A principal should do both! If the IB students avoid the school, then the system—DCPS in this case—is not serving those students well. Same for all the schools that the OOB come from. It’s great that the system lets people lottery for different schools, but IB should be the default, or else the system has given up trying to make it’s schools not suck.

THIS. DCPS could put the effort in to create a high performing gen ed MS/HS in Capitol Hill but it hasn't. And it is always DCPS circular logic: Why should DCPS care about what IB families want when it's not the IB families at the school. Well, the IB families aren't at the school because the school doesn't care about what IB families want . . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

As a current JR parent, I’ll simply say that I find your certainty about what’s going on at JR based on zero personal experience pretty breathtaking. My high-achieving kids are very well-served by JR, because of both the breadth of advanced course work offered and the school’s commitment to removing barriers to those offerings.

What were the barriers to the offerings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

I think this is a great question. And I think you are 100 percent correct. The change back from the (horrible) 4x4 schedule--which, by the way, served nobody well--was led by parents (though it was strongly supported by teachers and the administration too). DCPS was really the problem. I think principals are often in a touch spot where they need to walk a fine line and need to be careful about which fights to pick with downtown. Parents will have to remain actively involved. I think the best way to do this is to not treat everything like a zero sum game. Maintaining advanced courses is NOT hurtful to equity initiatives...for example, J-R is (I believe) going to offer African American History AP for the first time. This will hopefully increase the number of African American students taking AP courses. There are lots of ways for all courses to be elevated in ways that allows for differentiation (by emphasizing project-based learning, writing, and research for example).

I think the best way to approach the new leadership is with the good-faith assumption that he wants what is best for all of the students at J-R and will work with parents as partners.

I found this very helpful. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

OP, just relax. As a parent of two high-SES kids at Wilson, I can assure you that Wilson serves them just fine.

[Anonymous]

One more thought/perspective: it’s tough to find a great school principal. To become a principal, you have to subject yourself to a lot of joyless crap and be willing to play endless political games. So I’m very suspicious of change-agent types, since they have to keep DCPS happy to keep their jobs; any change they are seeking to implement is going to align with the system’s priorities, not those of teachers, students, and families.

To my mind, the best-case scenario for a high school principal at a decently performing and functioning school like JR is someone who isn’t a showboat or control freak, and who protects the school from lots of central-office interference. Here’s hoping that’s Mr. Brown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

OP, just relax. As a parent of two high-SES kids at Wilson, I can assure you that Wilson serves them just fine.

Doesn’t work for everyone though. My high performing kid hated the chaos and low expectations at JR. Hated the fact that you had to load up on AP classes as all the other classes were too easy. Hated how 9th grade seemed easier than 8th grade at Deal. Had two terrible English teachers in a row.
Thankfully landed at a good college and is so happy to be with kids who enjoy learning. We were disappointed with Wilson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


I’m very surprised that a parent wouldn’t expect the principal of a schools to focus on the students AT THE SCHOOL rather than trying to replace those students with different ones. What a bizarre expectation.


A principal should do both! If the IB students avoid the school, then the system—DCPS in this case—is not serving those students well. Same for all the schools that the OOB come from. It’s great that the system lets people lottery for different schools, but IB should be the default, or else the system has given up trying to make it’s schools not suck.

THIS. DCPS could put the effort in to create a high performing gen ed MS/HS in Capitol Hill but it hasn't. And it is always DCPS circular logic: Why should DCPS care about what IB families want when it's not the IB families at the school. Well, the IB families aren't at the school because the school doesn't care about what IB families want . . . .

I wish NPR or the NYT would do a series about this catch-22 and be able to source actual data and experiences and results. I mean, I guess it is possible that it is just this easy, but, hmmmmmmmmmm.

Oh wait. Never mind. Nice White Parents. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/podcasts/nice-white-parents-serial.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a probable future Wilson/JR parent, I'd like to flip the question. It is clear that DCPS's priority is not making sure that high-SES kids achieve to their potential. And this might be a cynical view, but I think we have seen some evidence, both at Wilson and DCPS-wide, that one way that can be used to close the achievement gap is to make advanced course work harder to access, either because the classes are not offered or because they are filled with students who aren't capable and distract from others' ability to learn. Schools like Wilson have depended on their leadership, not DCPS central, to continue to offer courses that serve the diverse in-bound community (ie, students from the full range of interests and abilities), not just the students who are struggling. I think that any time there is a change in personnel there is valid worry of what the future will bring for the kids who are on a path toward college.

So, I'm wondering if current or past Wilson parents can weigh in and advise on how parents can engage the new leadership to protect the advanced offerings that Wilson/JR currently offers and make sure that they are accessible to our kids? It does seem like pressure will need to come from the community, not central office. And for Wilson, it is less a question of attracting IB parents (like it might have been at Eastern, or Hardy in the past), but more a question of how to continue to serve them. (or serve them better, if I can be an optimist!)

OP, just relax. As a parent of two high-SES kids at Wilson, I can assure you that Wilson serves them just fine.

Doesn’t work for everyone though. My high performing kid hated the chaos and low expectations at JR. Hated the fact that you had to load up on AP classes as all the other classes were too easy. Hated how 9th grade seemed easier than 8th grade at Deal. Had two terrible English teachers in a row.
Thankfully landed at a good college and is so happy to be with kids who enjoy learning. We were disappointed with Wilson

NP. Yes, and???!!!