When will schools like Janney step up and do their fair share to take at-risk kids??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is going to sound crass, but the reason why parents dig deep to overpay for smallish center-hall Colonials in AU Park is that they want the best DC elementary school for their kids. And Janney has been the best for a couple of decades. They are not going to accept decisions that dilute the resources that their kids get today or dilute Janney’s academic quality. That’s the realty.

What happens when they get to Deal and don’t have the ability to self segregate?

. Janney kids are labeled as the kids from the rich white school at deal. (Per my deal children)

Ah, yes, because definitely the Janney neighborhood is richer and whiter than the Lafayette one.

Don't worry - my kids say the Lafayette kids have the same label.

Which elementary schools that feed to Deal DON'T have that label? Bancroft and Shepherd, OK, but are Hearst and Murch THAT much less rich than the other neighborhoods?

[Anonymous]

I am in my 10th year as a DCPS parent and have had two kids go all the way through JKLM and currently have one at Deal and one at Walls.

My observation is that current parents want a good school for their own kids much more than they have some underlying desire to keep either at risk or more generally disadvantaged kids out. Meaning, they buy in boundary for good schools to ensure that their kids go to good schools, they are moving to these neighborhoods for access, not exclusivity. This means that they are fine with their kids attending school with at risk and disadvantaged kids so long as the in boundary kids continue to get a good education. My kids have had numerous OOB friends and classmates (all bright and successful kids and I only know where families live because of birthday parties and such) and I have never heard a negative comment towards or about such students.

Here is what I think could help (not solve) the problem. More well-resourced elementary schools in boundary for the currently oversubscribed schools and a plan to make set aside seats available to at risk students with appropriate support. That includes transportation and other supports to make getting to these schools feasible so these students can show up rested and ready to learn.

Also, add another middle school that is also well resourced and fed by successful elementary schools. Spread the same students out across more schools where the parents can be assured their kids are going to school with a majority prepared cohort and strong academics where there is also space for all the students coming up through the expanded feeders.

My point is, most of the parents do not require perfect, we live in DC and send our kids to DCPS by choice, we live in a diverse city by choice and want solid schools but we are not Fairfax county families stressing over AAP programs and gunning for TJ.

[Anonymous]

As a Janney parent, I don’t at all see how this would be possible without expanding the school, which I don’t think there is room for, or redoing boundaries. At prek4, all but 5 seats from the lottery went to sibling, inbound preference. The 5 remaining went to inbound. At K, they HAVE to take all remaining inbound as an initial matter. That nearly completely fills up remaining seats. And a fair amount of the non-inbound go to out of bounds IEP children.

I will add though that Janney is horrendously equipped you handle at risk/IEP kids. Any child that deviates from the norm in any way is very disadvantaged at Janney. It would not be in their best interest to go there. Super sad but true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Janney parent, I don’t at all see how this would be possible without expanding the school, which I don’t think there is room for, or redoing boundaries. At prek4, all but 5 seats from the lottery went to sibling, inbound preference. The 5 remaining went to inbound. At K, they HAVE to take all remaining inbound as an initial matter. That nearly completely fills up remaining seats. And a fair amount of the non-inbound go to out of bounds IEP children.

I will add though that Janney is horrendously equipped you handle at risk/IEP kids. Any child that deviates from the norm in any way is very disadvantaged at Janney. It would not be in their best interest to go there. Super sad but true.

I second the last paragraph above. Apparently Janney is notoriously bad in that regard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am in my 10th year as a DCPS parent and have had two kids go all the way through JKLM and currently have one at Deal and one at Walls.

My observation is that current parents want a good school for their own kids much more than they have some underlying desire to keep either at risk or more generally disadvantaged kids out. Meaning, they buy in boundary for good schools to ensure that their kids go to good schools, they are moving to these neighborhoods for access, not exclusivity. This means that they are fine with their kids attending school with at risk and disadvantaged kids so long as the in boundary kids continue to get a good education. My kids have had numerous OOB friends and classmates (all bright and successful kids and I only know where families live because of birthday parties and such) and I have never heard a negative comment towards or about such students.

Here is what I think could help (not solve) the problem. More well-resourced elementary schools in boundary for the currently oversubscribed schools and a plan to make set aside seats available to at risk students with appropriate support. That includes transportation and other supports to make getting to these schools feasible so these students can show up rested and ready to learn.

Also, add another middle school that is also well resourced and fed by successful elementary schools. Spread the same students out across more schools where the parents can be assured their kids are going to school with a majority prepared cohort and strong academics where there is also space for all the students coming up through the expanded feeders.

My point is, most of the parents do not require perfect, we live in DC and send our kids to DCPS by choice, we live in a diverse city by choice and want solid schools but we are not Fairfax county families stressing over AAP programs and gunning for TJ.

The problem is that the city isn’t going to build new schools WOTP. Bad optics.

That’s why people zoned for Lafayette go bananas when someone suggests they feed to Wells and the Coolidge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am in my 10th year as a DCPS parent and have had two kids go all the way through JKLM and currently have one at Deal and one at Walls.

My observation is that current parents want a good school for their own kids much more than they have some underlying desire to keep either at risk or more generally disadvantaged kids out. Meaning, they buy in boundary for good schools to ensure that their kids go to good schools, they are moving to these neighborhoods for access, not exclusivity. This means that they are fine with their kids attending school with at risk and disadvantaged kids so long as the in boundary kids continue to get a good education. My kids have had numerous OOB friends and classmates (all bright and successful kids and I only know where families live because of birthday parties and such) and I have never heard a negative comment towards or about such students.

Here is what I think could help (not solve) the problem. More well-resourced elementary schools in boundary for the currently oversubscribed schools and a plan to make set aside seats available to at risk students with appropriate support. That includes transportation and other supports to make getting to these schools feasible so these students can show up rested and ready to learn.

Also, add another middle school that is also well resourced and fed by successful elementary schools. Spread the same students out across more schools where the parents can be assured their kids are going to school with a majority prepared cohort and strong academics where there is also space for all the students coming up through the expanded feeders.

My point is, most of the parents do not require perfect, we live in DC and send our kids to DCPS by choice, we live in a diverse city by choice and want solid schools but we are not Fairfax county families stressing over AAP programs and gunning for TJ.

well put, especially your thoughts on middle school. I think this s why a lot of people were upset about the lab school sweetheart deal. It would have instantly provided another space, relieving over subscribed schools and opening up OOB seats. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in my 10th year as a DCPS parent and have had two kids go all the way through JKLM and currently have one at Deal and one at Walls.

My observation is that current parents want a good school for their own kids much more than they have some underlying desire to keep either at risk or more generally disadvantaged kids out. Meaning, they buy in boundary for good schools to ensure that their kids go to good schools, they are moving to these neighborhoods for access, not exclusivity. This means that they are fine with their kids attending school with at risk and disadvantaged kids so long as the in boundary kids continue to get a good education. My kids have had numerous OOB friends and classmates (all bright and successful kids and I only know where families live because of birthday parties and such) and I have never heard a negative comment towards or about such students.

Here is what I think could help (not solve) the problem. More well-resourced elementary schools in boundary for the currently oversubscribed schools and a plan to make set aside seats available to at risk students with appropriate support. That includes transportation and other supports to make getting to these schools feasible so these students can show up rested and ready to learn.

Also, add another middle school that is also well resourced and fed by successful elementary schools. Spread the same students out across more schools where the parents can be assured their kids are going to school with a majority prepared cohort and strong academics where there is also space for all the students coming up through the expanded feeders.

My point is, most of the parents do not require perfect, we live in DC and send our kids to DCPS by choice, we live in a diverse city by choice and want solid schools but we are not Fairfax county families stressing over AAP programs and gunning for TJ.

The problem is that the city isn’t going to build new schools WOTP. Bad optics.

That’s why people zoned for Lafayette go bananas when someone suggests they feed to Wells and the Coolidge.

The Mayor and her cronies need to seriously get over this. They have a massive chip on their shoulder about building more schools WoTP, which is richly ironic considering that Bowser never spent one day of her life being educated at a public institutions (she was private K through graduate school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to Janney, and I would happily support increasing class sizes by 10 percent and saving those spots for at-risk students. That’s two kids per class. Does anyone seriously think that would be outrageously disruptive? Your kids can handle having a couple more friends.

If the right supports for such kids were in place in DCPS, right, two at-risk kids won't be a problem, not at all. Problem is, the right supports aren't in place. We're at a highly gentrified DCPS EotP where two at-risk kids who work a couple years behind the grade level of the others can easily eat up around a quarter of a classroom teacher's time and energy. We've seen this happen every year in the school. At-risk kids have a way of dragging down a group of high performers, not because anybody wants this, but because DCPS doesn't have a good system in place to help them. You're WotP, so you don't know how this works. What happens at our school is that high SES parents slyly form advanced tutoring groups on the side to supplement, to help ensure that our children don't fall behind you WotP'ers.

My kids are at Janney now but went for four years to an EOTP charter school. If Janney suddenly started taking on an additional 10 percent of its student population with set-aside spots for at-risk kids, someone -- the PTA or DCPS or the school administration -- would make sure there were more resources in place and would handle it. I really don't think two at-risk kids would drag down a whole classroom of kids from extremely wealthy families taught by experienced, well-paid teachers.

You must be new to Janney. I've had 3 kids there for a total of 20 class years. We've had first year teachers at least 50% of the time. My one child who graduated a year ago had a brand-new (straight out of college) teacher for 5 years straight. Janney is great but it's teaching staff has the normal ebb and flow of any teaching staff.
The new teachers make around $55K. They're usually great and energetic and they last under 5 years until they realize they want to actually buy a house or they get married and then they leave DC and the cycle repeats.
Just wanted to set this record straight. It's not the land of only seasoned teachers. There are some. Yes. But not all by any means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to Janney, and I would happily support increasing class sizes by 10 percent and saving those spots for at-risk students. That’s two kids per class. Does anyone seriously think that would be outrageously disruptive? Your kids can handle having a couple more friends.

If the right supports for such kids were in place in DCPS, right, two at-risk kids won't be a problem, not at all. Problem is, the right supports aren't in place. We're at a highly gentrified DCPS EotP where two at-risk kids who work a couple years behind the grade level of the others can easily eat up around a quarter of a classroom teacher's time and energy. We've seen this happen every year in the school. At-risk kids have a way of dragging down a group of high performers, not because anybody wants this, but because DCPS doesn't have a good system in place to help them. You're WotP, so you don't know how this works. What happens at our school is that high SES parents slyly form advanced tutoring groups on the side to supplement, to help ensure that our children don't fall behind you WotP'ers.

My kids are at Janney now but went for four years to an EOTP charter school. If Janney suddenly started taking on an additional 10 percent of its student population with set-aside spots for at-risk kids, someone -- the PTA or DCPS or the school administration -- would make sure there were more resources in place and would handle it. I really don't think two at-risk kids would drag down a whole classroom of kids from extremely wealthy families taught by experienced, well-paid teachers.

You must be new to Janney. I've had 3 kids there for a total of 20 class years. We've had first year teachers at least 50% of the time. My one child who graduated a year ago had a brand-new (straight out of college) teacher for 5 years straight. Janney is great but it's teaching staff has the normal ebb and flow of any teaching staff.
The new teachers make around $55K. They're usually great and energetic and they last under 5 years until they realize they want to actually buy a house or they get married and then they leave DC and the cycle repeats.
Just wanted to set this record straight. It's not the land of only seasoned teachers. There are some. Yes. But not all by any means.

It's all relative. There is far less turnover at Janney than most DC schools; in this 2018 study Janney lost far fewer teachers after 3 and 6 years. https://sboe.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/sboe/publication/attachments/SBOE%20Teacher%20Turnover%20Report%20-%20FINAL.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to Janney, and I would happily support increasing class sizes by 10 percent and saving those spots for at-risk students. That’s two kids per class. Does anyone seriously think that would be outrageously disruptive? Your kids can handle having a couple more friends.

If the right supports for such kids were in place in DCPS, right, two at-risk kids won't be a problem, not at all. Problem is, the right supports aren't in place. We're at a highly gentrified DCPS EotP where two at-risk kids who work a couple years behind the grade level of the others can easily eat up around a quarter of a classroom teacher's time and energy. We've seen this happen every year in the school. At-risk kids have a way of dragging down a group of high performers, not because anybody wants this, but because DCPS doesn't have a good system in place to help them. You're WotP, so you don't know how this works. What happens at our school is that high SES parents slyly form advanced tutoring groups on the side to supplement, to help ensure that our children don't fall behind you WotP'ers.

My kids are at Janney now but went for four years to an EOTP charter school. If Janney suddenly started taking on an additional 10 percent of its student population with set-aside spots for at-risk kids, someone -- the PTA or DCPS or the school administration -- would make sure there were more resources in place and would handle it. I really don't think two at-risk kids would drag down a whole classroom of kids from extremely wealthy families taught by experienced, well-paid teachers.

You must be new to Janney. I've had 3 kids there for a total of 20 class years. We've had first year teachers at least 50% of the time. My one child who graduated a year ago had a brand-new (straight out of college) teacher for 5 years straight. Janney is great but it's teaching staff has the normal ebb and flow of any teaching staff.
The new teachers make around $55K. They're usually great and energetic and they last under 5 years until they realize they want to actually buy a house or they get married and then they leave DC and the cycle repeats.
Just wanted to set this record straight. It's not the land of only seasoned teachers. There are some. Yes. But not all by any means.

$61K. https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/publication/attachments/ET-15%20FY%2019%20Pay%20Schedule.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to Janney, and I would happily support increasing class sizes by 10 percent and saving those spots for at-risk students. That’s two kids per class. Does anyone seriously think that would be outrageously disruptive? Your kids can handle having a couple more friends.

If the right supports for such kids were in place in DCPS, right, two at-risk kids won't be a problem, not at all. Problem is, the right supports aren't in place. We're at a highly gentrified DCPS EotP where two at-risk kids who work a couple years behind the grade level of the others can easily eat up around a quarter of a classroom teacher's time and energy. We've seen this happen every year in the school. At-risk kids have a way of dragging down a group of high performers, not because anybody wants this, but because DCPS doesn't have a good system in place to help them. You're WotP, so you don't know how this works. What happens at our school is that high SES parents slyly form advanced tutoring groups on the side to supplement, to help ensure that our children don't fall behind you WotP'ers.

My kids are at Janney now but went for four years to an EOTP charter school. If Janney suddenly started taking on an additional 10 percent of its student population with set-aside spots for at-risk kids, someone -- the PTA or DCPS or the school administration -- would make sure there were more resources in place and would handle it. I really don't think two at-risk kids would drag down a whole classroom of kids from extremely wealthy families taught by experienced, well-paid teachers.

You must be new to Janney. I've had 3 kids there for a total of 20 class years. We've had first year teachers at least 50% of the time. My one child who graduated a year ago had a brand-new (straight out of college) teacher for 5 years straight. Janney is great but it's teaching staff has the normal ebb and flow of any teaching staff.
The new teachers make around $55K. They're usually great and energetic and they last under 5 years until they realize they want to actually buy a house or they get married and then they leave DC and the cycle repeats.
Just wanted to set this record straight. It's not the land of only seasoned teachers. There are some. Yes. But not all by any means.

$61K. https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/publication/attachments/ET-15%20FY%2019%20Pay%20Schedule.pdf

No one is super excited about making $55 or $61 in DC.

[Anonymous]

That $55k is a lot more than the teachers made at the Title I charter school my kid used to go to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in my 10th year as a DCPS parent and have had two kids go all the way through JKLM and currently have one at Deal and one at Walls.

My observation is that current parents want a good school for their own kids much more than they have some underlying desire to keep either at risk or more generally disadvantaged kids out. Meaning, they buy in boundary for good schools to ensure that their kids go to good schools, they are moving to these neighborhoods for access, not exclusivity. This means that they are fine with their kids attending school with at risk and disadvantaged kids so long as the in boundary kids continue to get a good education. My kids have had numerous OOB friends and classmates (all bright and successful kids and I only know where families live because of birthday parties and such) and I have never heard a negative comment towards or about such students.

Here is what I think could help (not solve) the problem. More well-resourced elementary schools in boundary for the currently oversubscribed schools and a plan to make set aside seats available to at risk students with appropriate support. That includes transportation and other supports to make getting to these schools feasible so these students can show up rested and ready to learn.

Also, add another middle school that is also well resourced and fed by successful elementary schools. Spread the same students out across more schools where the parents can be assured their kids are going to school with a majority prepared cohort and strong academics where there is also space for all the students coming up through the expanded feeders.

My point is, most of the parents do not require perfect, we live in DC and send our kids to DCPS by choice, we live in a diverse city by choice and want solid schools but we are not Fairfax county families stressing over AAP programs and gunning for TJ.

The problem is that the city isn’t going to build new schools WOTP. Bad optics.

That’s why people zoned for Lafayette go bananas when someone suggests they feed to Wells and the Coolidge.

The Mayor and her cronies need to seriously get over this. They have a massive chip on their shoulder about building more schools WoTP, which is richly ironic considering that Bowser never spent one day of her life being educated at a public institutions (she was private K through graduate school).

It’s doubly ironic because the mayor’s office puts pressure on the chancellor to maximize the number of OOB slots in WOTP schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am in my 10th year as a DCPS parent and have had two kids go all the way through JKLM and currently have one at Deal and one at Walls.

My observation is that current parents want a good school for their own kids much more than they have some underlying desire to keep either at risk or more generally disadvantaged kids out. Meaning, they buy in boundary for good schools to ensure that their kids go to good schools, they are moving to these neighborhoods for access, not exclusivity. This means that they are fine with their kids attending school with at risk and disadvantaged kids so long as the in boundary kids continue to get a good education. My kids have had numerous OOB friends and classmates (all bright and successful kids and I only know where families live because of birthday parties and such) and I have never heard a negative comment towards or about such students.

Here is what I think could help (not solve) the problem. More well-resourced elementary schools in boundary for the currently oversubscribed schools and a plan to make set aside seats available to at risk students with appropriate support. That includes transportation and other supports to make getting to these schools feasible so these students can show up rested and ready to learn.

Also, add another middle school that is also well resourced and fed by successful elementary schools. Spread the same students out across more schools where the parents can be assured their kids are going to school with a majority prepared cohort and strong academics where there is also space for all the students coming up through the expanded feeders.

My point is, most of the parents do not require perfect, we live in DC and send our kids to DCPS by choice, we live in a diverse city by choice and want solid schools but we are not Fairfax county families stressing over AAP programs and gunning for TJ.

The problem is that the city isn’t going to build new schools WOTP. Bad optics.

That’s why people zoned for Lafayette go bananas when someone suggests they feed to Wells and the Coolidge.

DC has a system of neighborhood schools. Students should attend the schools that they are zoned for. It’s nuts to keep building Ward 3 schools bigger and bigger so that they can take more students who have to cross the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Janney parent, I don’t at all see how this would be possible without expanding the school, which I don’t think there is room for, or redoing boundaries. At prek4, all but 5 seats from the lottery went to sibling, inbound preference. The 5 remaining went to inbound. At K, they HAVE to take all remaining inbound as an initial matter. That nearly completely fills up remaining seats. And a fair amount of the non-inbound go to out of bounds IEP children.

I will add though that Janney is horrendously equipped you handle at risk/IEP kids. Any child that deviates from the norm in any way is very disadvantaged at Janney. It would not be in their best interest to go there. Super sad but true.

How do you know this? IEP kids do not have a flag on them. [Note - my child does have an IEP. I see the sign-ups for OT and Speech (using this as a sample for "IEP kids" I typically know the families and they live in the neighborhood.