What’s going on at DCI?

[Anonymous]

Delano Hall is an amazing building on a huge amount of land. I don’t know if there would have been a better option at the price point anywhere else in the city for housing 6-12. While a car commute from cap hill is opposite direction of traffic in the morning, via metro red line NoMa or Union Station Metro to Takoma Metro, with a six minute bus ride to DCI.

It’s not an impossible commute. Now from east of the river... that’s a tough one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't get it - DCI admins care more about inclusion and racial and socioeconomic diversity than rigor! The small number of parents who want more rigor supplement a lot. Admins don't seem to be experts on ib curriculum. THe pproblem is the vision thing pps have pointed out.

Here's the thing - we could do with a world where more people/institutions care about inclusion and racial and socioeconomic diversity. And, here's the other thing you can care about that and rigor - and that is what DCI is pursuing.

It sounds like you want/need a 'perfect' solution yesterday - DCI hasn't yet graduated a class - it is in the growing phase - let it grow. It is doing a fine job of educating my kid academically and socioemotionally; there are some small bumps, sure, but the vision is right.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Delano Hall is an amazing building on a huge amount of land. I don’t know if there would have been a better option at the price point anywhere else in the city for housing 6-12. While a car commute from cap hill is opposite direction of traffic in the morning, via metro red line NoMa or Union Station Metro to Takoma Metro, with a six minute bus ride to DCI.

It’s not an impossible commute. Now from east of the river... that’s a tough one.

You can criticize us on the Hill for complaining about the commute if it makes you feel good. The reality is that the we're jamming the DCI feeders but not flocking to the school because of the location. The arrangement is hurting the school. If the vision were in line with the reality of what it would take to build a strong program efficiently, a location further south would have been chosen.

[Anonymous]

The only charter with a truly central location - commutable relatively easily from anywhere in the city is - BASIS. It is on multiple bus lines and near Red, Green, Yellow and Blue line stops. Except, of course, the building is awful.

DCI chose the building that could house its whole program and they could afford to buy (not rent for 20 years from DC).

You choose a charter for the programming not convenience. If you want convenience, you go to your IB school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The only charter with a truly central location - commutable relatively easily from anywhere in the city is - BASIS. It is on multiple bus lines and near Red, Green, Yellow and Blue line stops. Except, of course, the building is awful.

DCI chose the building that could house its whole program and they could afford to buy (not rent for 20 years from DC).

You choose a charter for the programming not convenience. If you want convenience, you go to your IB school.

But that’s the point. People are NOT choosing DCI.

[Anonymous]

The parents of most of the strongest students at our DCI feeder live in and our Capitol Hill. Few of these families are choosing DCI, or our in-boundary middle school school. I fail to see how the exodus helps DCI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The parents of most of the strongest students at our DCI feeder live in and our Capitol Hill. Few of these families are choosing DCI, or our in-boundary middle school school. I fail to see how the exodus helps DCI.

It helps DCI because the PCSB wants it to have at least some space for people who apply by lottery for grades 6-9. Each incoming grade is 200+ students at this point and having some slots to keep the oversight entity happy is not big deal to them.

Capitol Hill is not the center of the universe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The parents of most of the strongest students at our DCI feeder live in and our Capitol Hill. Few of these families are choosing DCI, or our in-boundary middle school school. I fail to see how the exodus helps DCI.

From those to whom much has been given, much is expected.

Get your kids on public transit. It will expand their world and give them perspective. And it is free.

[Anonymous]

We have a fifth grader in a DCI feeder and have spent 7 years dealing with the growing pains of a new school. I get that DCI has a lot of work left to do given it hasn't even graduated a class yet. But knowing it will be great in 10 years isn't a lot of consolation when you're already exhausted from dealing with "bumps in the road" and your kids need a school today.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the impression that charter schools have a ton of choices when it comes to location/buildings. I realize DCI is not convenient for some, but cut them some slack. I think there many variables that go into choosing a location that we on this board are not even aware of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parents of most of the strongest students at our DCI feeder live in and our Capitol Hill. Few of these families are choosing DCI, or our in-boundary middle school school. I fail to see how the exodus helps DCI.

It helps DCI because the PCSB wants it to have at least some space for people who apply by lottery for grades 6-9. Each incoming grade is 200+ students at this point and having some slots to keep the oversight entity happy is not big deal to them.

Capitol Hill is not the center of the universe.

+1. Sorry, but the claim that "the strongest students at our DCI feeder live on the Hill" is just hilarious. How could one parent possibly know that? LOL.

Also, Hill people, to me, YOU GUYS live out of the way. There are very few locations in the city that are convenient to Capitol Hill other than...Capitol Hill. Something tells me you would complain no matter where DCI was located---unless it were located on the Hill.

[Anonymous]

Citing inconvenience of DCI is usually a polite way of saying you are reticent about the high percentage at-risk and economically disadvantaged students at DCI (compared to your feeder).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody seems to be arguing otherwise.

One issue with DCI that nobody's mentioned is that most of the feeders are jammed with Capitol Hill "East" and "North" kids whose parents aren't happy with their in-boundary schools. If DCI were close, or a better option, more of these parents would make the jump from a feeder to DCI, or make the jump and stick with DCI through HS.

Unfortunately, a long commute (30-40 minutes one way) and a so-so school don't do it for a bunch of Cap Hill feeder parents.

As one of those Capitol Hill feeder parents, I can say that you are completely right. So many people I know are so-so on DCI because it’s in such a ridiculous location. Why would you not make it more centrally locates and accessible, given its feeders?

+100. YY led the charter for DCI to be created. Their admins never gave a darn about the Cap Hill commute, and couldn't come up with a better give-away building even if they did. Maybe we should blame DCPS for not freeing up more of their empty or mostly empty buildings.

Oh yeah, lets blame the Chinese instead the corrupt DC politicians for this.

It's China and its Russia AND It's If Course Vietnam....

Yes WHY does nobody care that DCPS is ridiculous and negligent when it comes to charter school property??!!! It's THEIR responsibility. Charters education fully one half of DC children, and DCPS does NOTHING for them? So they're left to find a "deal" up in this inconvenient location (not just for Hill but also much of Ward 5 and all of EOTR) because they have no other choice? DC is so screwed up. On the one hand they are hiring people who love school choice and market force based education, on the other hand they are hoarding buildings and not assisting charters in one of the toughest real estate markets in the entire country. You cannot have it both ways. It's hurting all students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only charter with a truly central location - commutable relatively easily from anywhere in the city is - BASIS. It is on multiple bus lines and near Red, Green, Yellow and Blue line stops. Except, of course, the building is awful.

DCI chose the building that could house its whole program and they could afford to buy (not rent for 20 years from DC).

You choose a charter for the programming not convenience. If you want convenience, you go to your IB school.

But that’s the point. People are NOT choosing DCI.

Oh well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody seems to be arguing otherwise.

One issue with DCI that nobody's mentioned is that most of the feeders are jammed with Capitol Hill "East" and "North" kids whose parents aren't happy with their in-boundary schools. If DCI were close, or a better option, more of these parents would make the jump from a feeder to DCI, or make the jump and stick with DCI through HS.

Unfortunately, a long commute (30-40 minutes one way) and a so-so school don't do it for a bunch of Cap Hill feeder parents.

As one of those Capitol Hill feeder parents, I can say that you are completely right. So many people I know are so-so on DCI because it’s in such a ridiculous location. Why would you not make it more centrally locates and accessible, given its feeders?

+100. YY led the charter for DCI to be created. Their admins never gave a darn about the Cap Hill commute, and couldn't come up with a better give-away building even if they did. Maybe we should blame DCPS for not freeing up more of their empty or mostly empty buildings.

Oh yeah, lets blame the Chinese instead the corrupt DC politicians for this.

It's China and its Russia AND It's If Course Vietnam....

Yes WHY does nobody care that DCPS is ridiculous and negligent when it comes to charter school property??!!! It's THEIR responsibility. Charters education fully one half of DC children, and DCPS does NOTHING for them? So they're left to find a "deal" up in this inconvenient location (not just for Hill but also much of Ward 5 and all of EOTR) because they have no other choice? DC is so screwed up. On the one hand they are hiring people who love school choice and market force based education, on the other hand they are hoarding buildings and not assisting charters in one of the toughest real estate markets in the entire country. You cannot have it both ways. It's hurting all students.

You really think any of this is a well thought out plan, if it was we wouldn't have charters popping up here there and everywhere right next to DCPS schools trying to establish themselves/turnaround. Except for Pre-K/Early elem everyone else is competing against each other there are not a magical amount of middle and high school students desperate to move to DC so so called CHOICE is not having a positive impact it is pitting schools against each other. Some schools half empty, others overcrowded, and others shutting down or should have a long time ago except for being propped up by TenSquare/DC Charter Board (for a fee). Follow the money baby ...