Cardozo: XQ is it Working?

[Anonymous]

The problem is that by high school, too many DCPS kids are so far behind academically that high school is nothing more than free meals and a way to kill time between 8:30am and 3:30 pm. I have seen the interns our office get through the DC summer youth employment and all were functionally illiterate. They barely read or write on an elementary school level. If we can’t teach them academics in high schoo, then at least teach them out dress and act professionally, be articulate, manners etc.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher at Cardozo, the principal Mola only prioritizes what’s going to get him headlines.

XQ is that tool. He really believes that it will save all of the kids from poverty, illiteracy, crime, a rough upbringing, etc.

There are no cures for these things, especially in a one-size catch all net.

Our kids could learn to read and write better and they are far from stupid, but they and us are being used for this colossal waste of money and time.

William Blake is literally the biggest drain on all of our resources. He does nothing but collect his $180K salary.

Meanwhile, we’ve had at least three students shot this year, many of the kids are trying to fight off the allure of joining a gang, and he’s trying to stick us in trainings with the kids lecturing us on how to teach better. It’s insulting.

Sorry, I’m not as nice as the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher at Cardozo, the principal Mola only prioritizes what’s going to get him headlines.

XQ is that tool. He really believes that it will save all of the kids from poverty, illiteracy, crime, a rough upbringing, etc.

There are no cures for these things, especially in a one-size catch all net.

Our kids could learn to read and write better and they are far from stupid, but they and us are being used for this colossal waste of money and time.

William Blake is literally the biggest drain on all of our resources. He does nothing but collect his $180K salary.

Meanwhile, we’ve had at least three students shot this year, many of the kids are trying to fight off the allure of joining a gang, and he’s trying to stick us in trainings with the kids lecturing us on how to teach better. It’s insulting.

Sorry, I’m not as nice as the OP.

Thanks teacher. I absolutely agree that the kids could learn better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher at Cardozo, the principal Mola only prioritizes what’s going to get him headlines.

XQ is that tool. He really believes that it will save all of the kids from poverty, illiteracy, crime, a rough upbringing, etc.

There are no cures for these things, especially in a one-size catch all net.

Our kids could learn to read and write better and they are far from stupid, but they and us are being used for this colossal waste of money and time.

William Blake is literally the biggest drain on all of our resources. He does nothing but collect his $180K salary.

Meanwhile, we’ve had at least three students shot this year, many of the kids are trying to fight off the allure of joining a gang, and he’s trying to stick us in trainings with the kids lecturing us on how to teach better. It’s insulting.

Sorry, I’m not as nice as the OP.

Thanks teacher. I absolutely agree that the kids could learn better.

Sarcasm aside, the teachers on this post have a point. They’re asking to not having to waste their time with nonsense like this XQ thing. Instead the program seems to be doing the exact opposite.

[Anonymous]

All the XQ programs are going to fail, and it seems obvious to me. When you have high schools filled with students who can’t read, are performing several years below grade level, have food insecurity, experience violence in their community, live with family members who are abusive, etc, there is no gimmick that will help them. High school is TOO LATE. DC needs to realize they have a societal and community problem, not a school problem. The schools alone will never be able to fix this, and having XQ programs like afrofuturism are certainly not going to suddenly make teenagers literate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher at Cardozo, the principal Mola only prioritizes what’s going to get him headlines.

XQ is that tool. He really believes that it will save all of the kids from poverty, illiteracy, crime, a rough upbringing, etc.

There are no cures for these things, especially in a one-size catch all net.

Our kids could learn to read and write better and they are far from stupid, but they and us are being used for this colossal waste of money and time.

William Blake is literally the biggest drain on all of our resources. He does nothing but collect his $180K salary.

Meanwhile, we’ve had at least three students shot this year, many of the kids are trying to fight off the allure of joining a gang, and he’s trying to stick us in trainings with the kids lecturing us on how to teach better. It’s insulting.

Sorry, I’m not as nice as the OP.

Thanks teacher. I absolutely agree that the kids could learn better.

Sarcasm aside, the teachers on this post have a point. They’re asking to not having to waste their time with nonsense like this XQ thing. Instead the program seems to be doing the exact opposite.

PP. I wasn’t being sarcastic! I absolutely believe DCPS kids could learn better and teachers could teach better if the schools focused on academics in an evidence based way - throw away all the stupid trends and coach the teachers how to deliver instruction that works. HS kids at Cardozo probably also need small group literacy instruction if they can’t read adequately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the XQ programs are going to fail, and it seems obvious to me. When you have high schools filled with students who can’t read, are performing several years below grade level, have food insecurity, experience violence in their community, live with family members who are abusive, etc, there is no gimmick that will help them. High school is TOO LATE. DC needs to realize they have a societal and community problem, not a school problem. The schools alone will never be able to fix this, and having XQ programs like afrofuturism are certainly not going to suddenly make teenagers literate.

DP. It’s not too late. But the school would have to accept that the instruction needed to at least ensure the kids can read & do basic math isn’t going to look flashy and “project based” with kids making model particle accelerators out of cardboard or whatever. It is going to look boring and disciplined.

[Anonymous]

This program has to be really frustrating for the teachers.

And it's like right out of the Cultural Revolution, having the teens reeducate the teachers. Look how well that turned out...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All the XQ programs are going to fail, and it seems obvious to me. When you have high schools filled with students who can’t read, are performing several years below grade level, have food insecurity, experience violence in their community, live with family members who are abusive, etc, there is no gimmick that will help them. High school is TOO LATE. DC needs to realize they have a societal and community problem, not a school problem. The schools alone will never be able to fix this, and having XQ programs like afrofuturism are certainly not going to suddenly make teenagers literate.

XQ is daycare in high school.

William Blake (because we all refuse to call him “Dr.”) is a snake oil salesman and a con artist.

Yeah, I teach at Cardozo too. Most useless figurehead wasting the kids’ time and taxpayers’ money.

Dude should be in prison for fraud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is not one way to do education, however at Cardozo, we have decided that as a way to let students help assist us in letting them know how and what ways they like to learn. Our principal, Arthur Mola, and his XQ Design Leader, William Blake, have decided that we will create 4-5 separate cohorts where students will tell teachers, aides, librarians, and other dedicated staff how to teach and we meet Fridays for 3 hours, but still, there is no palpable results that demonstrate the effectiveness of this learning program.

What does this mean exactly? I get that students can tell you the ways they like to learn and teachers can use that information to structure lessons that incorporate various learning styles and interests. Is that what you mean when you say that cohorts of students are going to tell teachers "how" to teach? Has XQ provided examples of schools doing this well that can be visited or further researched?

[Anonymous]

Parents of students at Cardozo need to complain to the Chancellor if they want to make a difference--let him know they don't want their students to be "experimented" on with this sort of program.

[Anonymous]

People make the students at Cardozo sound like 3/4 of the way down the school to prison pipeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People make the students at Cardozo sound like 3/4 of the way down the school to prison pipeline.

Interesting you say that poster, because our Principal constantly talks about not sending our kids down that route but doesn’t enforce any rules or guidelines that we set forth.

He constantly undercuts our deans and throws them under the bus by blocking punishments and letting the kids smoke weed in the bathrooms.

It’s no wonder our attendance numbers and reading and math data are in the dumps.

Add all that on top of trying to sell us on a program where we’re behind on every metric.

He needs to go.

The kids are fantastic and if we could do our jobs without his interference, we’d be able to help them reach their potential.

Instead, we have meetings with them, while they’re high, if they show up, to tell us how to teach.

Arthur Mola needs to move on.

William Blake needs to be fired.

XQ needs to be cancelled.

Teachers need to get back to REAL teaching and kids need boundaries, discipline, and the chance at success not be used as pawns to pad the numbers of an over-bloated public education system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is not one way to do education, however at Cardozo, we have decided that as a way to let students help assist us in letting them know how and what ways they like to learn. Our principal, Arthur Mola, and his XQ Design Leader, William Blake, have decided that we will create 4-5 separate cohorts where students will tell teachers, aides, librarians, and other dedicated staff how to teach and we meet Fridays for 3 hours, but still, there is no palpable results that demonstrate the effectiveness of this learning program.

What does this mean exactly? I get that students can tell you the ways they like to learn and teachers can use that information to structure lessons that incorporate various learning styles and interests. Is that what you mean when you say that cohorts of students are going to tell teachers "how" to teach? Has XQ provided examples of schools doing this well that can be visited or further researched?

XQ has been a failure from the start.

https://exceptionaldelaware.wordpress.com/2019/06/05/exclusive-the-truth-behind-the-closure-of-design-thinking-academy/

It’s one thing to have the kids provide input and their voice, but it’s another to tell us how to do our jobs. You’re not going to ask the person on the operating table if the surgeon is using the right tools. That’s what it feels like to us as educators. It’s condescending at best and invasively insulting at worst.

[Anonymous]

Man Impact first cycle must have been rough at Cardozo this year. Venting on a private message board isn’t going to help get you effective either. Good luck finding a job next year.