New Report on Racial and Economic Diversity in DC public and charter schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a different tack when we talk about limited school capacity west of the Park - does anyone talk about new charters west of Rock Creek Park? Does PCSB have any known positive or negative views about this?

There are charters west of the park. They are called Burke, Sidwell, GDS, etc....

anyhoo.


What about a neighborhood based elementary model, with all-city middle and high schools? Make all the upper schools lottery/application based, but keep neighborhood elementary schools. That would eliminate the "feeder" problem and insure diversity at the MS/HS level which seems to be the issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicago has test-in and magnet schools at all grades, and they give weight to SES in the application process.

This explains how it works. https://chalkbeat.org/posts/chicago/2018/10/25/chicago-school-application-tier-system-explained/

Excerpt:

"The tier labels factor mostly into admissions to prekindergarten and kindergarten and again for entrance into competitive seventh-grade academic centers and high schools. They are not a factor in attending open enrollment, or neighborhood, schools.

Using public schools data, a group of civic technologists this week updated an application that lets families look up their tier by address. Every household gets assigned a tier of 1, 2, 3, or 4, with a “1” generally being a low-income neighborhood and a “4” being the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

Besides median income of the households within the census tracts, other factors that influence tier assignments are the percentages of single-parent homes, homes where English is not the first language, and homeownership. Also factors are the education levels of adults who reside in the tract and achievement results of neighborhood schools.

When families apply for popular schools — those requiring tests or lotteries — the school system sets aside a percentage of seats for students from each tier. According to preliminary research results from the first year of the district’s universal enrollment system GoCPS, students in tier 4 neighborhoods are more likely to apply to the district’s most popular programs. And so, when it comes to test-in schools, they tend to have to post higher scores to gain admission.

Put another way, a student from a Tier 1 neighborhood often can gain admission into a selective enrollment school with a lower cutoff score than a Tier 4 one, said Sawin."

FWIW for high school, the selection process includes:

7th grade GPA
a test for each school
score on the statewide test (which has been PARCC) Private schools with students who intend to apply for a selective enrollment exam administer the state public school tests too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chicago sounds like a real pain in the tuchas for families with school-age children. San Francisco, too. And Manhattan. It's really tough to be a highly-educated person who loves an urban environment but also wants to raise well-educated kids. On the bright side: the availability of self-determined options in D.C. is a lot better than what's available in some other cities.

spare me. you don't get to "love an urban environment" and not have to, you know, actually LIVE with your neighbors side by side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a different tack when we talk about limited school capacity west of the Park - does anyone talk about new charters west of Rock Creek Park? Does PCSB have any known positive or negative views about this?

I think the odds are higher than most people here will anticipate. I was in a recent meeting with Bowser where she talked about the possibility of another WoTP high school. She insisted that such a decision would driven by the population growth (i.e. over-crowding at Wilson).

However, based on her other comments that night, I would extrapolate that any new WOTP high school will likely be open to all of DC. Bowser is big on this, keeping the pathways to WOTP schools open to motivated families throughout the District. I could, potentially, see a magnet charter HS opening WOTP. Ideally, it would combine by-right and application set-asides. For example, promise that 50% of seats are set aside for Hardy students and 50% held for District-wide applications. That would balance diversity, equity, and proximity goals. Any Hardy kids not making the cut-off would still retain rights to Wilson.

Again, DCPS and Bowser needs to lead with carrots, not sticks.

This would only work if District-wide spots were awarded competitively, magnet style, to those applicants with the best academic records, so that students are well-prepared and highly motivated. Otherwise, Upper Northwest parents would never buy it. Those who send their kids to Hardy stomach it, knowing that while it is not on par with Deal at least their kids go on to Wilson. But if a new WOTP becomes just a bigger and badder version of Hardy, with students whose preparation is more spotty and attitude is less attuned to learning, then this will be a worse outcome for Northwest students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a different tack when we talk about limited school capacity west of the Park - does anyone talk about new charters west of Rock Creek Park? Does PCSB have any known positive or negative views about this?

I think the odds are higher than most people here will anticipate. I was in a recent meeting with Bowser where she talked about the possibility of another WoTP high school. She insisted that such a decision would driven by the population growth (i.e. over-crowding at Wilson).

However, based on her other comments that night, I would extrapolate that any new WOTP high school will likely be open to all of DC. Bowser is big on this, keeping the pathways to WOTP schools open to motivated families throughout the District. I could, potentially, see a magnet charter HS opening WOTP. Ideally, it would combine by-right and application set-asides. For example, promise that 50% of seats are set aside for Hardy students and 50% held for District-wide applications. That would balance diversity, equity, and proximity goals. Any Hardy kids not making the cut-off would still retain rights to Wilson.

Again, DCPS and Bowser needs to lead with carrots, not sticks.

This would only work if District-wide spots were awarded competitively, magnet style, to those applicants with the best academic records, so that students are well-prepared and highly motivated. Otherwise, Upper Northwest parents would never buy it. Those who send their kids to Hardy stomach it, knowing that while it is not on par with Deal at least their kids go on to Wilson. But if a new WOTP becomes just a bigger and badder version of Hardy, with students whose preparation is more spotty and attitude is less attuned to learning, then this will be a worse outcome for Northwest students.

Seems particularly unjust to say that if you live in the neighborhood, you get to go to the school no matter what your academic record is, but if you live anywhere else in the city, you have to test in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On a different tack when we talk about limited school capacity west of the Park - does anyone talk about new charters west of Rock Creek Park? Does PCSB have any known positive or negative views about this?

It's pretty expensive real estate west of the Park, and since charters have to pay for their building as well as for teachers, administrators, equipment, etc., renting the most expensive land in the city doesn't seem like a good first move for your new school.

[Anonymous]

^^ Andy if you want a more integrated school, put it in a central location. WOTP is a PITA for most of the city so you might as just well build the wall to keep the rest of the city out of upper NW.

[Anonymous]

and we come full circle

What this is really about sour grapes from folks who can't afford to live WOTP and are stuck in a mediocre school situation

Most of you would probably be better off in the suburbs instead of trying to force schools to be how you would like them to be

and of course the ultimate irony is if you could convince your neighbors to actually embrace the neighborhood school all these issues go away

Specifically looking at Capitol Hill and Brooklyn folks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and we come full circle

What this is really about sour grapes from folks who can't afford to live WOTP and are stuck in a mediocre school situation

Most of you would probably be better off in the suburbs instead of trying to force schools to be how you would like them to be

and of course the ultimate irony is if you could convince your neighbors to actually embrace the neighborhood school all these issues go away

Specifically looking at Capitol Hill and Brooklyn folks

oops brookland but hey Brooklyn NYC same thing applies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:and we come full circle

What this is really about sour grapes from folks who can't afford to live WOTP and are stuck in a mediocre school situation

Most of you would probably be better off in the suburbs instead of trying to force schools to be how you would like them to be

and of course the ultimate irony is if you could convince your neighbors to actually embrace the neighborhood school all these issues go away

Specifically looking at Capitol Hill and Brooklyn folks

No, actually, this is about racial and economic diversity in DC public and charter schools. I actually CAN afford to move, but I prefer to stay where and I am. And wow, I actually care about other people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On a different tack when we talk about limited school capacity west of the Park - does anyone talk about new charters west of Rock Creek Park? Does PCSB have any known positive or negative views about this?

There are charters west of the park. They are called Burke, Sidwell, GDS, etc....

anyhoo.


What about a neighborhood based elementary model, with all-city middle and high schools? Make all the upper schools lottery/application based, but keep neighborhood elementary schools. That would eliminate the "feeder" problem and insure diversity at the MS/HS level which seems to be the issue.

Do the math. DCPS is only 15% white, and most of those students are in elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago sounds like a real pain in the tuchas for families with school-age children. San Francisco, too. And Manhattan. It's really tough to be a highly-educated person who loves an urban environment but also wants to raise well-educated kids. On the bright side: the availability of self-determined options in D.C. is a lot better than what's available in some other cities.

spare me. you don't get to "love an urban environment" and not have to, you know, actually LIVE with your neighbors side by side.

You're trying to say something else. Obviously, everyone who lives in the city lives next to their neighbors, "side by side." You seem to be really angry that some people who have money can get a good school for their kids AND live in the city; whereas you are stuck with literally the worst performing school system in the United States because you either can't, or refuse, to move into a better public school boundary. If you own your residence, it's still possible to move into a condo in a better school zone, depending on how much you care about your child's education. Clearly, we need more condos to make choices along this line even easier; but you don't seem the type to even consider it. Stew away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:and we come full circle

What this is really about sour grapes from folks who can't afford to live WOTP and are stuck in a mediocre school situation

Most of you would probably be better off in the suburbs instead of trying to force schools to be how you would like them to be

and of course the ultimate irony is if you could convince your neighbors to actually embrace the neighborhood school all these issues go away

Specifically looking at Capitol Hill and Brooklyn folks

No, actually, this is about racial and economic diversity in DC public and charter schools. I actually CAN afford to move, but I prefer to stay where and I am. And wow, I actually care about other people!

how many racial and economic diverse areas exist in DC I'm serious. Columbia Heights that's it. The few other places where this exists are just in various stages of gentrification on the way to becoming higher SES

do you go to your neighborhood school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chicago sounds like a real pain in the tuchas for families with school-age children. San Francisco, too. And Manhattan. It's really tough to be a highly-educated person who loves an urban environment but also wants to raise well-educated kids. On the bright side: the availability of self-determined options in D.C. is a lot better than what's available in some other cities.

spare me. you don't get to "love an urban environment" and not have to, you know, actually LIVE with your neighbors side by side.

You're trying to say something else. Obviously, everyone who lives in the city lives next to their neighbors, "side by side." You seem to be really angry that some people who have money can get a good school for their kids AND live in the city; whereas you are stuck with literally the worst performing school system in the United States because you either can't, or refuse, to move into a better public school boundary. If you own your residence, it's still possible to move into a condo in a better school zone, depending on how much you care about your child's education. Clearly, we need more condos to make choices along this line even easier; but you don't seem the type to even consider it. Stew away.

My kid goes to an excellent and diverse school, so I have no worries at all about the quality of his schooling. What's gross is to say "Oh Muffie, don't you just love the urban environment" whilst clutching pearls at your children having to attend school along with the locals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:and we come full circle

What this is really about sour grapes from folks who can't afford to live WOTP and are stuck in a mediocre school situation

Most of you would probably be better off in the suburbs instead of trying to force schools to be how you would like them to be

and of course the ultimate irony is if you could convince your neighbors to actually embrace the neighborhood school all these issues go away

Specifically looking at Capitol Hill and Brooklyn folks

No, actually, this is about racial and economic diversity in DC public and charter schools. I actually CAN afford to move, but I prefer to stay where and I am. And wow, I actually care about other people!

how many racial and economic diverse areas exist in DC I'm serious. Columbia Heights that's it. The few other places where this exists are just in various stages of gentrification on the way to becoming higher SES

do you go to your neighborhood school?

Dude, that's what the ENTIRE REPORT is about. Read it.