The best way to get into JKLMM as an out of bounds student...
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Anonymous
There's already talk of a lawsuit over schools that are being removed from Deal, so it's no wonder that they don't want to go through that again. And the DME who pushed it through was shown the door. |
Anonymous
It's fine to talk in theory about mandating a quota of "at-risk children", but the reality is that few parents honestly want a group of them in their kid's classroom. At best there will be a drag on the at-grade level kids as teacher resources are stretched thin; at worst there could be some serious behavioral problems to contend with. And that aside, the whole initiative seems unmanageable. |
Anonymous
What if the child, surrounded by children who are succeeding, actually improve? You are so quick to sign off on children as failures. Sad. At risk children are not the only children with behavioral problems. I have been in NWDC long enough to see plenty of children who are terrible and ban them from my house. |
Anonymous
Hey, if the numbers continue to grow maybe it will go back to the way it was 20 (or even fewer ) years ago when no one in those neighborhoods thought DCPS was good enough for their kids so they all went private. Which meant the schools were never full. Which meant there were lots of spaces for all of those sub-standard OOB people from Foggy Bottom and Capitol Hill, which meant the schools weren't closed. But then all those schools full of OOB kids started getting better and the economy tanked and suddenly the people who never set foot inside Deal said "hey now we've decided his school is good enough for us so you all need to go!" And not even a thank you to the OOB folks for holding their spot until they decided the schools were okay after all! |
Anonymous
+1 remember, schools don't accept OOB children out of the goodness of their heart, they do it to maximize their budgets and to meet enrollment targets set by the chancellor's office. So OOB children and their families do their part to help their schools, and my experience has been that most OOB families are more active and engage more readily than many IB families because they feel how fortunate they are to be there. Discarding those families who have become a part of that school community and those children who have become part of a cohort of student friends who are heading off to Deal together is just wrong. And also remember that OOB gained prominence because IB eschewed their own schools and could dependably be relied on to enroll. At schools like Hardy they still can't be relied on. IB families will say they're coming but will then enroll at Basis or Latin. So don't be hating on committed OOB families for picking up the slack and then expecting for DCPS to fulfill its end of the bargain by ensuring the MS and HS feeder paths. |
Anonymous
| I meant IB could NOT be dependably relied upon to enroll. |
Anonymous
The biggest potential problem with the set-asides isn't behavior. More likely, it'll be truancy. There is no proposed transportation mechanism/infrastructure to get these kids -- who, in order to qualify, may be homeless or in foster care -- up to Far Northwest from DC General and thereabouts. It's not like they'll be arriving in the family minivan. Instead, their seats will probably be empty more often than not. (Which may be an unintended, hidden benefit for NWDC folks concerned about mushrooming class sizes. If a quarter of the seats in your kid's class are "filled" with absent at-risk kids who can't make the commute work, then the locals (1) can forget whatever concerns they have about at-risk classmates and (2) profit from an effectively smaller class size.) |
Anonymous
You are assuming a lot about "at risk" kids in DC. Most are SNAP/TANF, not foster or homeless. Many live close to a metro station or good bus line, because that's where a lot of apartment buildings are. FYI about half of DC-originated foster placements are in MD. People on DCUM think there's this huge difference between FARM and at-risk, like at risk automatically means a dysfunctional kid. It doesn't. It's just a question of degree. There is an income continuum, and at risk is poorer than (and included in) FARM. |
Anonymous
Doesn't at risk also include children more than a year behind grade level? There are thousands at-risk kids throughout the city, and even a 10% set-aside at successful schools won't be enough to help all of them. But DCPS has to do something to try and help these kids succeed. |
Anonymous
Only if they are in high school. |
Anonymous
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Some people need to take a powder here. The at-risk set-asides are not going to displace the kids of IB families. See http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/COMMUNITY/Advisory%20Committee%20Draft%20web.pdf .
Starting with the SY2015-16 lottery, PK3/4 DCPS lottery priorities, in order, shall be: • In-boundary with sibling • In-boundary • Out-of-boundary with sibling • Out-of-boundary at-risk (at qualifying schools for qualifying students)** • Out-of-boundary with proximity (for qualifying students)** (** denotes new policies) Starting with the SY2015-16 lottery, K-12 DCPS lottery priorities, in order, shall be: • Out-of-boundary with sibling • Out-of-boundary at-risk (at qualifying schools for qualifying students)** • Out-of-boundary with proximity (for qualifying students)** (** denotes new policies) See also http://dme.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20Proposed%20FY15%20UPSFF%20with%20appendices.pdf Q: What is the definition of “at risk”? A: The at-risk weight applies to students who are homeless, in the District’s foster care system, qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or high school students that are one year older, or more, than the expected age for the grade in which the students are enrolled. The at-risk weight is cumulative to all other weights, with the exception of the adult and alternative weights. At-risk dollars are unrestricted in their use. This definition is consistent with the “Fair Student Funding and School-Based Budgeting Amendment Act of 2013”. The definition of at-risk weight in the proposed FY15 Budget Support Act is broader than what was recommended in the Adequacy Study. For more information on how the at-risk weight will be implemented, see below. |
Anonymous
BASIS and Latin are indeed possibilities for the lucky who, in the case of the former, don't mind having middle schoolers virtually locked in a joyless building without outdoor space, a gym, a stage, a library, wide hallways, much decor on the walls or bright colors, or even cafeterias with windows. The BASIS kids hardly ever leave the building (even to walk to a nearby Smithsonian museum) and "recess," often on the Navy Memorial circle, and PE end at 6th grade. PE takes places in a space with padded walls around the size of your living room where kids play chaotic dodge ball - they don't offer them real sports, even volleyball. BASIS may or may not buy a better building for the younger kids at some stage. With the first crop of School Within a School 4th graders coming on-line to enter the BASIS lottery this coming school year, and bigger 4th grade classes at Maury and Brent coming on-line with every passing year, demand will grow steadily at BASIS. Latin won't track or stream in MS, so kids who lack basic skills take math and English with those capable of advanced work. They don't have a gym either, because Bowser won't free of the funding. Moreover, they're admitting around 20% who put their names in the hat. As long as SH, Jefferson and Eliot-Hine won't offer test-in MS programs, everybody who pays attention knows where "they'll be" by the time OP's kid is ready for MS: just a little bit better than they are now (and not for lack of strong leadership; all have strong principals). OP won't be the last poster looking ahead to shoot for Deal from Ward 6. |
Anonymous
| BASIS kids can take PE as an elective from 7th grade up, but chosing robotics, drama, legal studies etc. instead of PE/chaotic dodge ball in the padded cell means no fresh air or sunlight all day long. |
Anonymous
I don't think that anyone believes at-risk kids will displace IB kids. But for middle class families without siblings in OOB slots already - that path toward a better school and feeder path is likely to become even more difficult. |
Anonymous
+1 If you are trying to get into "more desirable" schools with OOBs slots and are not at-risk, you are going to have a very difficult time. Also, and I hope this won't be the case, but I'm skeptical, many schools will have two stark groups -- high SES families (however defined, I don't want to start up that thread again) and at-risk families. Many of these schools are going to have to work hard to bridge that divide not only academically, but socially. We go to a pretty diverse school and I find it sad how quickly the kids divide themselves up. |