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DC Public and Public Charter Schools
Parent to parent school choice forum 2/16
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Anonymous
Not everyone agrees on what is "useful" information. If I were new to DC or even new to the discussions of public school choices in DC, I would definitely want to know what schools ranked higher than others and why. None of these points look "arbitrary" to me - they all look like they've got some genuine logic behind them. We don't have to agree on how important that logic is. We don't have to agree about whether or not we want our children at 90% FARMS schools, but when the information is widely known, I surely appreciate someone sharing it with me. |
Anonymous
| What are FARMS schools? |
Anonymous
Free and reduced meals. It's a poverty measure. Anyone know what % of students receiving FARMS = Title One? I think it's around 30 or 40% |
Anonymous
If people are quoting FARMS stats (and perhaps including a summary about why they believe such stats matter), yes, that's helpful. But simply saying that a school is "third-tier" is meaningless, and particularly UNhelpful to folks who are new to DCPS. |
Anonymous
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You can look up all sorts of stats. about individual DCPS schools at: http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/
Each school's profile provides info. about: DC CAS Scores (Standardized Testing): % of students passing reading and math Demographics: Race/ethnicity Percentage of English Language Learners Percentage of Students Receiving Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Percentage of Students Receiving Special Education Services Percentage of In-Boundary Students Facilities (e.g., if there have a gym, computer room, etc.) Destination (Feeder) Schools Wellness and Athletics Academic Enrichment Arts and Culture Community Partnerships |
Anonymous
The sad thing is that many people lie on the FARMS form. There is not an office that "check" the forms to ensure that waht a person reports is correct info. They go on the honor system. |
Anonymous
That is so true. Speaking from an administrative perspective, I am saddened all the time by the families that lie on these forms. They do it out of pride. Very few families want to admit that they need assistance - and it's the reason we go to such great lengths to keep the information confidential. Parents are terrified this will stigmatize their child. From their perspective, there is absolutely no upside to declaring their poverty - and it's why we do everything we can to obscure the differences between the haves and have-nots. Poverty (and even worse - homelessness) are unfortunately terribly under-reported in the DC Public Schools; most egregiously so among the borderline and/or dis-enfranchised families who would most benefit from the assistance. |
Anonymous
| Just a reminder that this forum is coming up on Wednesday. Snacks are appreciated. Thanks. |
Anonymous
| Bancroft doesn't appear to be on the list of schools or this forum. However, if anybody is still on the fence about putting Bancroft on their lottery list, there's a great way to speak with other parents. Just stop by our awesome new playground on the weekend. You're very likely to run into someone who has a kid at the school. |
Anonymous
| Bancroft is a late addition. Just got confirmation today that a parent will speak about the school at the forum. Also, the principal was invited. |
Anonymous
| Thanks to the organizers last night. But now I have to make some choices. |
Anonymous
Yup, unfortunately we can tell you why WE chose the schools, but we can't choose for you. Maybe next year we'll do a "you have no choice" forum 
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Anonymous
| how was it? |