Emma Brown in Washington Post -- Limiting Charter Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Not so. Charters are successful largely because they are freed from the dysfunctional central office mayhem of dcps. They can spend budget how they like, hire and fire who they like, limit class sizes, set whatever curriculum it school hours that work for their students and on and on. They can make decisions and implement quickly without interference. Makes them flexible and responsive to their students needs. There is a real difference in structure not just students

[Anonymous]

I think we need a moratorium on charter schools in Ward 1. The charter board should come up with an analysis of what's needed where (e.g., middle schools in ward 5) and since the majority of children are in Wards 7&8, that should be what the board is focused on finding - operators focused on serving the city's most needy in those wards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Not so. Charters are successful largely because they are freed from the dysfunctional central office mayhem of dcps. They can spend budget how they like, hire and fire who they like, limit class sizes, set whatever curriculum it school hours that work for their students and on and on. They can make decisions and implement quickly without interference. Makes them flexible and responsive to their students needs. There is a real difference in structure not just students

True. But if DCPS failed to exist who would work with the lost, the hopeless, the drug addicted, the slow learners, the unmotivated, etc. They would also have to end up on Charters too, eventually they would be as dysfunctional as DCPS. When you have to educate everyone together it is a lost cause, there is only so much differentiation a classroom teacher can do. With "No Child Left Behind", schools are assessed on the schools total test scores, thus the school is constantly in flux trying new methods imposed from central office, rehiring and hiring teachers/principals, and the constant rotation of students from other DCPS schools. When schools are allowed to dismiss a student and send them to another school, they have to take one of their dysfunctional students back. You can't have 100% success with all of the students all of the the times. To hold DCPS to this standard is helping no one.

[Anonymous]

The drug addicted and slow learner groups you mention could probably use a charter school focused in their particular needs with experts in the field. WhAt makes you think DCPS should try and work with them at a neighborhood school while trying to do everything else well at the same time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has there ever been an accurate measure of demand? Realistically, how many seats will be available if every charter maxed out the capacity projected in their applications?

Does anyone actually know the following

a) The overlap of waitlists in DCPS and charters. Consider just Spanish programs: Oyster, Bancroft, Reed, Powell, Cleveland, Bruce Monroe, Tyler, Mundo Verde, DC Bilingual, LAMB, Stokes, BASIS (so they say), DCI (if it starts). For example, take one kid applying to all the PK programs at these schools. Each of 11 schools could claim that 1 child as proof of demand for their school to justify growth. In reality, many parents are only really interested in two or maybe three of the 11. Let alone the English only schools they could apply to.

b) The extent of musical chairs. How many students are moved around from charter to DCPS, within DCPS via OOB, among charters, leave after K, October switches-post count day, etc

c) How many multi-system families are out there? One in charter, other in DCPS, early grades DCPS in bounds, flee to charter for higher grades, etc.

d) What's the tipping point for performance? Tier 1 only for charters? 70%+ proficiency for DCPS? What would it take to get you to switch

It's starting to look like tragedy of the commons for funding and facilities.

Somebody has to have visibility over the education resources citywide. OSSE? (Heaven forbid)

My understanding is the Boston, NYC and elsewhere the public school superintendents have chartering authority for the purpose of avoiding over/under used spaces.

Would it work in DC?

No. It wouldn't work and it is a terrible idea. Part of why charters are so successful here is that they're not under the thumb of the Chancellor. (We don't have a Superintendent, Chancellor is the closest we've got ever since the School Board was dissolved.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we need a moratorium on charter schools in Ward 1. The charter board should come up with an analysis of what's needed where (e.g., middle schools in ward 5) and since the majority of children are in Wards 7&8, that should be what the board is focused on finding - operators focused on serving the city's most needy in those wards.

Not as long as there's still demand, no we don't. Now, there is so little available property appropriate in Ward 1, that newer schools are looking at Wards 4 & 5 (e.g., Sela and Mundo Verde's new location) trying to locate as close to the geographic center, or to a metro stop as possible.

In any case, Wards 7 & 8 already have the most charters, and will surely get more. Still, more are needed for all the middle and higher SES families who live EotP and won't enroll in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Sorry, not true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Sorry, not true.

Is too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we need a moratorium on charter schools in Ward 1. The charter board should come up with an analysis of what's needed where (e.g., middle schools in ward 5) and since the majority of children are in Wards 7&8, that should be what the board is focused on finding - operators focused on serving the city's most needy in those wards.

Not as long as there's still demand, no we don't. Now, there is so little available property appropriate in Ward 1, that newer schools are looking at Wards 4 & 5 (e.g., Sela and Mundo Verde's new location) trying to locate as close to the geographic center, or to a metro stop as possible.

In any case, Wards 7 & 8 already have the most charters, and will surely get more. Still, more are needed for all the middle and higher SES families who live EotP and won't enroll in DCPS.

Wards 7 and 8 have the most kids - thus they should have the most charters, and you are proving the point - new schools are capable of locating in wards 4 and 5 - areas the IFF report determined there was the most need. These parents saved Garrison - so plenty of them would support their local DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Not so. Charters are successful largely because they are freed from the dysfunctional central office mayhem of dcps. They can spend budget how they like, hire and fire who they like, limit class sizes, set whatever curriculum it school hours that work for their students and on and on. They can make decisions and implement quickly without interference. Makes them flexible and responsive to their students needs. There is a real difference in structure not just students

You forgot to add that charters are successful because they can kick out the rowdy, disruptive, unmotivated students. Well, they can kick them out after the head count.

Signed,

A Charter Parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Not so. Charters are successful largely because they are freed from the dysfunctional central office mayhem of dcps. They can spend budget how they like, hire and fire who they like, limit class sizes, set whatever curriculum it school hours that work for their students and on and on. They can make decisions and implement quickly without interference. Makes them flexible and responsive to their students needs. There is a real difference in structure not just students

You forgot to add that charters are successful because they can kick out the rowdy, disruptive, unmotivated students. Well, they can kick them out after the head count.

Signed,

A Charter Parent.

What does DCPS do with its rowdy, disruptive, unmotivated students?

[Anonymous]

DCPS didn't meet the needs of the high achievers, the G&T, the motivated, et cetera. So now that's a set of needs they no longer need to think about, because most of their schools don't have to deal with it, as they've lost those students to the charters. Instead, they could narrow down and focus on the bad behavior and other issues in DCPS. But, they aren't. Frankly, I don't think DCPS really focuses at all on what's going on in their student body, or what kinds of needs they really need to be focusing on, i.e. the drug problems, the unmotivated, the behavior problems, the special needs. Their focus, by default, keeps getting narrower and narrower as various groups of students are stripped away, yet DCPS can't even seem to manage to meet the needs of that ever-narrowing group, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You do realize that if everyone went to charters they'd be as bad as DCPS; because Charters don't take everyone they are able to work with the motivated, well-behaved, high achievers, and hard workers. Without DCPS you wouldn't have successful Charters!!!!

Not so. Charters are successful largely because they are freed from the dysfunctional central office mayhem of dcps. They can spend budget how they like, hire and fire who they like, limit class sizes, set whatever curriculum it school hours that work for their students and on and on. They can make decisions and implement quickly without interference. Makes them flexible and responsive to their students needs. There is a real difference in structure not just students

You forgot to add that charters are successful because they can kick out the rowdy, disruptive, unmotivated students. Well, they can kick them out after the head count.

Signed,

A Charter Parent.

Wrong. It's actually very difficult to "kick out" a student, especially for the reasons you mention. Even if a school was able to get rid of one, they could never get rid of a cohort of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The drug addicted and slow learner groups you mention could probably use a charter school focused in their particular needs with experts in the field. WhAt makes you think DCPS should try and work with them at a neighborhood school while trying to do everything else well at the same time?

It's called Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The drug addicted and slow learner groups you mention could probably use a charter school focused in their particular needs with experts in the field. WhAt makes you think DCPS should try and work with them at a neighborhood school while trying to do everything else well at the same time?

Anonymous wrote:It's called Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1974.

How is placing children in schools specially designed to meet their needs not compliant? People are suing the District to get their kids into Lab School and other similar placements. It's not as if the children would be warehoused at rock bottom prices.