Why isn't there another academic charter middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:but isn't the question, why aren't there enough EXCLUSIVE or TRACKED academically oriented middle school programs?

Meaning, "how can I get my child away from poor performers, because having them in class with my child is a problem or at least I assume it is because this is America and race, class, and achievement in America have never not be commingled and confounded?"

You do realize that the mixing of all social classes in schools/ classrooms does not happen anywhere else in the world, right?

It's American to hand-wring about race, class and achievement.

Everywhere else the middle and upper classes just pay for private, or else the public schools direct kids of differing abilities ( often tied to family resources, yes ) into different programs in late elementary school.

This doesn't go better anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because parents don't believe that a school with lottery admissions can actually deliver that.

This. And if it did attempt to deliver that, it's retention would be abysmal until it actually began to attract students from families seeking out acceleration

[Anonymous]

Maybe it's just me but I see the problem as middle and high schools only geared toward the top tier or the bottom tier but there isn't much to offer for kids in between (those who are doing decent academically but not getting straight As).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With it being increasingly difficult to get into Latin or BASIS, and with increased demand as more UMC families hit middle school, and with all the uncertainty around selective high school admissions, it seems like there would be a lot of interest in a new charter middle and/or high school whose value prop was differentiation/advanced classes. I know there's Latin Cooper. But are there not more attempts at this because they wouldn't get approved, or because it's very difficult to get the real estate, or something else? Thank you.

The answer is Latin Cooper. A whole bunch of 4th graders from our DCPS on Capitol Hill who didn't get into BASIS or the original Latin wound up there for 5th grade, although this is Latin Cooper's first year. The Latin Cooper 2022 waiting list was short, almost everybody willing to give it a try for 5th grade got it. This fall, there will be lots more spots for 5th and 6th grade, and new spots for 7th. The current building in warehouse isn't too hot, but the school will move to the Kirov Ballet site in two years.

This is totally untrue. My kids are at a Capitol Hill DCPS and there are multiple kids in our 5th grade who were shut out of Latins x 2/BASIS. Many of them are hoping to get into Cooper for 6th when the class expands and I think there is a good chance that *that* WL will be short b/c so many kids found other paths. But the 2 bites at the Cooper apple is a 1 year solution.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you have to look at how the landscape will be when Latin Cooper is at its full size, when Banneker's larger enrollment is reached, when MacArthur is at its full size, and other things could change too-- like Stuart-Hobson could continue to slowly improve (not saying it will, but it could). When you look at how things will be 5 years from now, it's far from clear that there's enough interest to support an additional school at the scale needed for the school to operate as intended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's just me but I see the problem as middle and high schools only geared toward the top tier or the bottom tier but there isn't much to offer for kids in between (those who are doing decent academically but not getting straight As).

Very accurate statement...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe it's just me but I see the problem as middle and high schools only geared toward the top tier or the bottom tier but there isn't much to offer for kids in between (those who are doing decent academically but not getting straight As).

I'm not sure grades are really the indicator I'd look at here. But there are lots of kids at grade level or slightly below it at Latin and BASIS. BASIS you might think is too academically intense for kids who are not precociously well-organized and motivated, but I don't think Latin is.

[Anonymous]

Why is Sojourner Truth not on this list? Curious why DCUM ignores it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is Sojourner Truth not on this list? Curious why DCUM ignores it.

Because it isn't especially geared towards academic high achievers.

[Anonymous]

Because the city won't allow selective admissions charters. So schools have to serve whoever they get in the lottery, with all special needs and whatever level of preparedness the kids are at. To have a reputation for academic differentiation and challenge, a school would have to do that work *in addition* to the regular work. And without having 2x as many teachers, it's a puzzle how that would be accomplished.

[Anonymous]

As someone who was shut out of the MS lottery and moved because of it, I agree that there should be more spots where parents can comfortably send college-bound kids. But let’s be clear that basis is the only charter that caters to high performers. The only reason there is any differentiation at Latin is because parents pushed hard for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think you have to look at how the landscape will be when Latin Cooper is at its full size, when Banneker's larger enrollment is reached, when MacArthur is at its full size, and other things could change too-- like Stuart-Hobson could continue to slowly improve (not saying it will, but it could). When you look at how things will be 5 years from now, it's far from clear that there's enough interest to support an additional school at the scale needed for the school to operate as intended.

This is a good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who was shut out of the MS lottery and moved because of it, I agree that there should be more spots where parents can comfortably send college-bound kids. But let’s be clear that basis is the only charter that caters to high performers. The only reason there is any differentiation at Latin is because parents pushed hard for it.

But would you have wanted a newly started school, given your understanding of the constraints that charter schools have to operate under?

It's far from clear to me that BASIS would be granted a charter if it wasn't already here and applied today. The PCSB is pushing the equity stuff much harder and might not be willing to tolerate the fail-out model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think you have to look at how the landscape will be when Latin Cooper is at its full size, when Banneker's larger enrollment is reached, when MacArthur is at its full size, and other things could change too-- like Stuart-Hobson could continue to slowly improve (not saying it will, but it could). When you look at how things will be 5 years from now, it's far from clear that there's enough interest to support an additional school at the scale needed for the school to operate as intended.

This is a good point.

How do Banneker and MacArthur (high schools) address the middle school issue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is Sojourner Truth not on this list? Curious why DCUM ignores it.

+1

If people really knew what it offered in terms of personalized learning, they would see how great it is for their advanced students.