WCP article on Watkins

[Anonymous]

But it's really about class. It just happens to correlate to race in DC. Go to WV and its a different story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But it's really about class. It just happens to correlate to race in DC. Go to WV and its a different story.

no. is this WV urban moms? no. we are in DC and talking about Watkins. it is absolutely about race, although race intersects with class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they sound all the same. Perhaps it is not just the principal that is at fault. Nor teachers, as there has been 100% turn over since 2014. Administration ..... I could name a few. Or just the fact that it serves so many Title 1 kids, w/o Title 1 supports? Like trauma awareness for the homeless kids, kids who have family members going to jail, who have family who have been murdered? If it were a school across the river, that would be normal. Here there is so much of a dichotomy of needs and expectations.

There has not been 100% turnover since 2014. Watkins is losing Title 1 status next year, so it has not operated without title 1 supports.

Watkins didn't have Title I this year. Has it ever?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, if you've got some explanation for DC's achievement gap other than generational poverty, I'm all ears. Maybe you have some insight that others don't have. Make a list for us.

Obviously generational poverty (caused by racism btw) is part of the achievement gap. But not all poor black kids have awful families, and many of them do well and care about their kids and school. My objection is to the screed by the OP basically declaring all black families and kids in her child's school as ignorant and abusive and uneducable alongside her own child.

Don't overlook the fact that Watkins is only 1/3 FARM. That's not insignificant but it's far lower than elsewhere in the system, certainly lower than Payne and Miner and it doesn't have the benefit of affluent gentrifiers using ECE seats to drive down overall percentage of FARM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, if you've got some explanation for DC's achievement gap other than generational poverty, I'm all ears. Maybe you have some insight that others don't have. Make a list for us.

Obviously generational poverty (caused by racism btw) is part of the achievement gap. But not all poor black kids have awful families, and many of them do well and care about their kids and school. My objection is to the screed by the OP basically declaring all black families and kids in her child's school as ignorant and abusive and uneducable alongside her own child.

Don't overlook the fact that Watkins is only 1/3 FARM. That's not insignificant but it's far lower than elsewhere in the system, certainly lower than Payne and Miner and it doesn't have the benefit of affluent gentrifiers using ECE seats to drive down overall percentage of FARM.

^^ and I'll add that FARM % about he same % as IB and both are higher than the percentage of white students. Even if you make the broad speculative assumption that no white students are FARM that's 2/3 of the school not being FARM or white. PPs pointing out racial disparities in outcomes are right to wonder why POC are not getting the same outcomes as their white peers.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:There has to be huge stress on a Principal when the "achievement gap" is front-and-center within the school itself. In contrast, most of the time, the "gap" exists between schools, which allows critics to say that one school's services are better than the other; but that can't happen here when the same school is supporting dramatically opposite results, within the same classes. In a word, Watkins represents a cauldron where the problem -- "the achievement gap" -- is on clear display.

In my opinion, the Watkins example shows that the lower-performing kids need support, starting very early in their lives, that no public elementary school has the resources to provide. I'm no expert, so I don't know exactly what wrap-around services these kids need, but part of it is probably tutoring and creative support at the nursery school level. In short, the "achievement gap" is a problem that cannot be solved by any principal. Ms. Bell would be in a real tough spot even if her management skills were the best in the world.

the problem is the parents, they are the ones who need massive support. Starting with basics on parenting-like read to your child every single night, even when they are babies. Don't scream or curse at your kids, do not hit them or curse at them. Don't get them soda or juice before school. Don't let them have any violet video games or watch or listen to violent music. I am appalled at what I see at my Title 1 school EoTP. All the parents "love" PK but we don;t have blinders on for K and higher. The poor kids. And the poor teachers who will never have the time or resources to undo the damage the parents are doing every single day. And thats the fucking truth that DCPS won't face. So they can keep on building shiny new buildings but that makes no difference.

wow. so all black parents have no understanding of literacy, scream at their kids, and HEAVEN FORFEND feed them JUICE before school? You are also terrible.

Denying the realities of generational poverty isn't going to help anyone.

Forgive me if I don't think the average white, gentrifier DCUM poster obsessed with the success of their advanced learner snowflake in school is an expert in the "realities of generational poverty" based on a minute of experience at an urban school.

I see racist anti-gentrifier troll has found this thread.

I see the person who bizarrely thinks that talking about racism is racist is still here.

PP, you brought up race in the first place. I'm not the PPP, but I personally know reverse racism and racism is racism no matter how you cut it, reverse or straight-on. Go get a mirror and do some self-reflection.

How is it reverse racism to say that privileged white DC parents might not be in the best position to make judgments about black DC parents and "generational poverty"? are you one of those people who thinks that talking about racism at all is racist?

PP, GET. A MIRROR. THANK. YOU.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, they sound all the same. Perhaps it is not just the principal that is at fault. Nor teachers, as there has been 100% turn over since 2014. Administration ..... I could name a few. Or just the fact that it serves so many Title 1 kids, w/o Title 1 supports? Like trauma awareness for the homeless kids, kids who have family members going to jail, who have family who have been murdered? If it were a school across the river, that would be normal. Here there is so much of a dichotomy of needs and expectations.

There has not been 100% turnover since 2014. Watkins is losing Title 1 status next year, so it has not operated without title 1 supports.

Watkins didn't have Title I this year. Has it ever?

Here is the Watkins FY17 Budget, showing 65k in T1 funding: http://www.dcpsdatacenter.com/assets/docs/pdfs/fy17initialallocation_Watkins%20ES.pdf

It got 80k in FY15, 75k FY16.

It will lose the T1 funding in FY18: http://www.dcpsdatacenter.com/assets/docs/pdfs/fy18initialallocation_Watkins%20ES.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There has to be huge stress on a Principal when the "achievement gap" is front-and-center within the school itself. In contrast, most of the time, the "gap" exists between schools, which allows critics to say that one school's services are better than the other; but that can't happen here when the same school is supporting dramatically opposite results, within the same classes. In a word, Watkins represents a cauldron where the problem -- "the achievement gap" -- is on clear display.

In my opinion, the Watkins example shows that the lower-performing kids need support, starting very early in their lives, that no public elementary school has the resources to provide. I'm no expert, so I don't know exactly what wrap-around services these kids need, but part of it is probably tutoring and creative support at the nursery school level. In short, the "achievement gap" is a problem that cannot be solved by any principal. Ms. Bell would be in a real tough spot even if her management skills were the best in the world.

the problem is the parents, they are the ones who need massive support. Starting with basics on parenting-like read to your child every single night, even when they are babies. Don't scream or curse at your kids, do not hit them or curse at them. Don't get them soda or juice before school. Don't let them have any violet video games or watch or listen to violent music. I am appalled at what I see at my Title 1 school EoTP. All the parents "love" PK but we don;t have blinders on for K and higher. The poor kids. And the poor teachers who will never have the time or resources to undo the damage the parents are doing every single day. And thats the fucking truth that DCPS won't face. So they can keep on building shiny new buildings but that makes no difference.

wow. so all black parents have no understanding of literacy, scream at their kids, and HEAVEN FORFEND feed them JUICE before school? You are also terrible.

Denying the realities of generational poverty isn't going to help anyone.

Forgive me if I don't think the average white, gentrifier DCUM poster obsessed with the success of their advanced learner snowflake in school is an expert in the "realities of generational poverty" based on a minute of experience at an urban school.

I see racist anti-gentrifier troll has found this thread.

I see the person who bizarrely thinks that talking about racism is racist is still here.

PP, you brought up race in the first place. I'm not the PPP, but I personally know reverse racism and racism is racism no matter how you cut it, reverse or straight-on. Go get a mirror and do some self-reflection.

How is it reverse racism to say that privileged white DC parents might not be in the best position to make judgments about black DC parents and "generational poverty"? are you one of those people who thinks that talking about racism at all is racist?

PP, GET. A MIRROR. THANK. YOU.

Can you answer the question please?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Watkins parent, the biggest issue with the article is that none of what the "activist" parents have discussed with DCPS involves or even relates to the achievement gap work. These were the issues raised by them, as I understand them: breakdown in school's communications with parents (at one point this year, the parents went almost three months without any communication from the principal), 50% of highly effective and effective teachers departed last June/July (all 4th grade and 5th grade, plus ALL specials teachers - most of them ended up at Stuart-Hobson or other DCPS schools), discipline re: bullying issues that go unaddressed, safety issues (like two students and a chaperone left behind on a field trip and no one at the school realized they were missing), and several academic programs that were once emphasized (like STEM and First in Math) are not currently celebrated. There is even a question as to whether any significant STEM work has taken place this year. None of this relates to the achievement gap. It's about failure to properly manage the school's day-to-day operations and maintain the school's academic programs, which were already in place. The principal has gone out of her way to distract everyone (other parents, DCPS, DC Council) and attack these parents by raising the achievement gap as the main issue, but it's a red herring.

Thank you for the one post worth reading in this otherwise useless thread. This is what concerns me as well. The attention on the achievement gap somehow has meant no attention to all the things that were working well at Watkins. Why can't the school both continue those programs and focus on the achievement gap? Instead, it's like 100% of the focus is going to raise the students who need raising and the high-achieving students are mainly just completing worksheets and then playing with fidget spinners for the rest of period. I grew up attending a gifted program, and while my parents certainly supplemented outside of school, I can tell you that the school (and my peers) is what pushed me to excel. No surprise, as I spent 8 hours a day there (more if you count afterschool sports, etc). If those days consisted of a lot of fidget spinning, and I needed to count on my parents supplementing me for my real education, that would have been a massive waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Not sure what you guys are bickering about. Am certain that Watkins is endlessly troubled in the staffing arena.

Really too bad that DCPS doesn't collect and publish demographic data by grade. Looks to me like at least half the white/high SES/in-boundary families at Watkins currently bail somewhere between 1st and 5th. This certainly shouldn't be happening, mainly because the exodus doesn't help the poor minority kids in the school community. Why doesn't DCPS get a handle on the attrition? Where the exit interview for departing parents? What are they looking for that they aren't getting? How about a principal accustomed to dealing with a big cohort of high SES families, like Norah Lyknell, moving from Janney to Brent (via Brookland MS)?

Find out where the problem lies, DCPS, and try to staunch the flow already. Why should trying to close the achievement be more important that striving to prevent neighborhood families from voting with their feet? Do both well and it's a win-win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what you guys are bickering about. Am certain that Watkins is endlessly troubled in the staffing arena.

Really too bad that DCPS doesn't collect and publish demographic data by grade. Looks to me like at least half the white/high SES/in-boundary families at Watkins currently bail somewhere between 1st and 5th. This certainly shouldn't be happening, mainly because the exodus doesn't help the poor minority kids in the school community. Why doesn't DCPS get a handle on the attrition? Where the exit interview for departing parents? What are they looking for that they aren't getting? How about a principal accustomed to dealing with a big cohort of high SES families, like Norah Lyknell, moving from Janney to Brent (via Brookland MS)?

Find out where the problem lies, DCPS, and try to staunch the flow already. Why should trying to close the achievement be more important that striving to prevent neighborhood families from voting with their feet? Do both well and it's a win-win.

^^This is an absurd comment. How could they possibly bail in 1st unless they leave midyear? The school only has grades 1-5.

I won't give you a pass on suggesting Norah Lyknell's tenure as Brookland was anything remotely resembling a success.

[Anonymous]

We know two families that bailed on Watkins in the middle of first grade this past school year. One got off a charter WL, the other off a WL at a private school.

Right, right, absurd, collecting attrition data to help DCPS, admins and parents figure out why so many parents bail. Waste of time, I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what you guys are bickering about. Am certain that Watkins is endlessly troubled in the staffing arena.

Really too bad that DCPS doesn't collect and publish demographic data by grade. Looks to me like at least half the white/high SES/in-boundary families at Watkins currently bail somewhere between 1st and 5th. This certainly shouldn't be happening, mainly because the exodus doesn't help the poor minority kids in the school community. Why doesn't DCPS get a handle on the attrition? Where the exit interview for departing parents? What are they looking for that they aren't getting? How about a principal accustomed to dealing with a big cohort of high SES families, like Norah Lyknell, moving from Janney to Brent (via Brookland MS)?

Find out where the problem lies, DCPS, and try to staunch the flow already. Why should trying to close the achievement be more important that striving to prevent neighborhood families from voting with their feet? Do both well and it's a win-win.

^^This is an absurd comment. How could they possibly bail in 1st unless they leave midyear? The school only has grades 1-5.

I won't give you a pass on suggesting Norah Lyknell's tenure as Brookland was anything remotely resembling a success.

I don't get the comment about Lyknell (who's asking you for a pass?). She went from an established school with nearly 800 high SES kids, to a new school with a handful, to a school with almost 400 high SES kids. A principal like her would find many high SES/in-boundary families to work with at Watkins. Such an admin might have a good idea how to attract many more, and keep the ones she has.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure what you guys are bickering about. Am certain that Watkins is endlessly troubled in the staffing arena.

Really too bad that DCPS doesn't collect and publish demographic data by grade. Looks to me like at least half the white/high SES/in-boundary families at Watkins currently bail somewhere between 1st and 5th. This certainly shouldn't be happening, mainly because the exodus doesn't help the poor minority kids in the school community. Why doesn't DCPS get a handle on the attrition? Where the exit interview for departing parents? What are they looking for that they aren't getting? How about a principal accustomed to dealing with a big cohort of high SES families, like Norah Lyknell, moving from Janney to Brent (via Brookland MS)?

Find out where the problem lies, DCPS, and try to staunch the flow already. Why should trying to close the achievement be more important that striving to prevent neighborhood families from voting with their feet? Do both well and it's a win-win.

^^This is an absurd comment. How could they possibly bail in 1st unless they leave midyear? The school only has grades 1-5.

I won't give you a pass on suggesting Norah Lyknell's tenure as Brookland was anything remotely resembling a success.

I don't get the comment about Lyknell (who's asking you for a pass?). She went from an established school with nearly 800 high SES kids, to a new school with a handful, to a school with almost 400 high SES kids. A principal like her would find many high SES/in-boundary families to work with at Watkins. Such an admin might have a good idea how to attract many more, and keep the ones she has.

Not universally loved at Janney either

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know two families that bailed on Watkins in the middle of first grade this past school year. One got off a charter WL, the other off a WL at a private school.

Right, right, absurd, collecting attrition data to help DCPS, admins and parents figure out why so many parents bail. Waste of time, I agree.

so Watkins was a backup plan all along. That's not exactly pulling out your kid to home school. Waitlist back filling is simply a reality in DC