Autonomy considered as way to improve struggling Dunbar High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some other interesting data - the new Dunbar building has a capacity, I believe, of 1,100 students. There are about 500 enrolled (as of 2012-13 school year). Of the 500 enrolled, fewer than half (46%) are in-boundary.

As it stands right now, there's room for a sort of 50/50 solution. Word in the neighborhood is that the new Dunbar is Gray's pet project, so I'll be interested to see how the autonomy discussion develops.

So lovely to know they spent 122 million on a school that is less than 50% capacity.... with 17% at or above grade level for high school. What a joke...

[Anonymous]

The same plan that's going to renovate Roosevelt for 120 million for less than 500 students. Gotta love DCPS---meanwhile NO charter can be test-in or exclude anyone. Utter bullshit.

[Anonymous]

Too bad they can't just give Dunbar to DCI.

[Anonymous]

10:58: You hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Time for Henderson to be shown the door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:58: You hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Time for Henderson to be shown the door.

So leave Dunbar "as is"?!?... b/c they're doing such an outstanding job currently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:58: You hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Time for Henderson to be shown the door.

So leave Dunbar "as is"?!?... b/c they're doing such an outstanding job currently.

Sadly, Dunbar's current student population is pretty much what's left over after every motivated family has self-selected out. Short of miracles, I'm not sure there's much that the teachers can do at this point. It is the downside of school choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:58: You hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Time for Henderson to be shown the door.

So leave Dunbar "as is"?!?... b/c they're doing such an outstanding job currently.

Teachers and administrators are in an impossible situation, if they don't improve test scores "have students score proficient" on the DC CAS, they are closed down anyway or have to at least dismiss the principal and staff and have an outside agency takes over. There is NO acknowledgement by DCPS nor the Obama administration, that it is not a level-playing field. Those of us who work at the least proficient and most troubled high schools are working ourselves into the ground with no support, only blame that it is "the teachers fault." Teachers west of the park get financial rewards and have little incentive to move to the troubled schools because they know that they would not be deemed a "highly-effective" teacher dealing with the myriad of problems these children bring to school everyday. As others have said, you need to acknowledge that children come to school with different needs and "track" accordingly; stop punishing teachers and administrators that work in the most difficult schools. Someone has to work with this population; most of the successful teachers choose to do so and do it well and they deserve our support and encouragement not derision.

[Anonymous]

Epic failure of DCPS. Fail to educate children in elementary school. These kids then go to very sub-par middle schools and now let's exclude those kids from attending most of the public high schools in DC.

And then we can blame the bureaucracy that we put in place.

When will someone stand up for the children of DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Epic failure of DCPS. Fail to educate children in elementary school. These kids then go to very sub-par middle schools and now let's exclude those kids from attending most of the public high schools in DC.

And then we can blame the bureaucracy that we put in place.

When will someone stand up for the children of DC?

That's the only way we can improve test scores, because Rhee/Henderson/TFA/Charter Schools et al said it is ALL the teachers fault. Before you get voted out of DC you have to show some results.

Get those fresh out of "the best and the brightest" universities and give them 5 weeks training and a teaching certificate and test scores will rise!!!! When that doesn't work manipulate the test scores, open a multitude of charter schools to drain all the top talent, threaten the teachers and stress them out and fire the bottom x percent every year (Rhee documented tactic), control the media (Washington Post). Well all else fails bring in an outside agency to turn around your school with NO oversight (Friends of Bedford). Still failing, make your school an application school and fool all those around you by blowing lots of smoke and surround yourself with mirrors. When you read most of the posts on DCUM about failing or title I schools, their tactics apparently appear to be working well!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well then, what about a test-in academy at Dunbar? No neighborhood kids excluded from the school, some will test in to the academy and be joined by strong students from around the city. And perhaps with autonomy, an experienced administrator could hire excellent teachers and find success in all areas of the school.

If the school still has lots of behavioral problems, then a test-in academy within the school will have a hard time attracting students. I know I would never send my kid that has a lot of severe behavioral issues even with a test-in academy.

It seems to work for Blair, and that school have multiple NMS every year. PP, private school is what you seek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Epic failure of DCPS. Fail to educate children in elementary school. These kids then go to very sub-par middle schools and now let's exclude those kids from attending most of the public high schools in DC.

And then we can blame the bureaucracy that we put in place.

When will someone stand up for the children of DC?

That's the only way we can improve test scores, because Rhee/Henderson/TFA/Charter Schools et al said it is ALL the teachers fault. Before you get voted out of DC you have to show some results.

Get those fresh out of "the best and the brightest" universities and give them 5 weeks training and a teaching certificate and test scores will rise!!!! When that doesn't work manipulate the test scores, open a multitude of charter schools to drain all the top talent, threaten the teachers and stress them out and fire the bottom x percent every year (Rhee documented tactic), control the media (Washington Post). Well all else fails bring in an outside agency to turn around your school with NO oversight (Friends of Bedford). Still failing, make your school an application school and fool all those around you by blowing lots of smoke and surround yourself with mirrors. When you read most of the posts on DCUM about failing or title I schools, their tactics apparently appear to be working well!!!

And your solution to improve the schools is.....?

*crickets chirping*

Look, WTU/DCPS apologist, we already tried it your way for 20 years prior. Doing it your way is what got us schools as screwed up as they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well then, what about a test-in academy at Dunbar? No neighborhood kids excluded from the school, some will test in to the academy and be joined by strong students from around the city. And perhaps with autonomy, an experienced administrator could hire excellent teachers and find success in all areas of the school.

If the school still has lots of behavioral problems, then a test-in academy within the school will have a hard time attracting students. I know I would never send my kid that has a lot of severe behavioral issues even with a test-in academy.

It seems to work for Blair, and that school have multiple NMS every year. PP, private school is what you seek.

I really don't think Blair is really comparable. Even w/o the magnet kids it's a solid school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:58: You hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Time for Henderson to be shown the door.

So leave Dunbar "as is"?!?... b/c they're doing such an outstanding job currently.

Sadly, Dunbar's current student population is pretty much what's left over after every motivated family has self-selected out. Short of miracles, I'm not sure there's much that the teachers can do at this point. It is the downside of school choice.

You do realize that if those motivated families didn't have a choice within DC, large numbers would get out of DC altogether, right? It's not as if Dunbar would be A ok if only there was no school choice. DC had that scenario already and it was not ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some other interesting data - the new Dunbar building has a capacity, I believe, of 1,100 students. There are about 500 enrolled (as of 2012-13 school year). Of the 500 enrolled, fewer than half (46%) are in-boundary.

As it stands right now, there's room for a sort of 50/50 solution. Word in the neighborhood is that the new Dunbar is Gray's pet project, so I'll be interested to see how the autonomy discussion develops.

So lovely to know they spent 122 million on a school that is less than 50% capacity.... with 17% at or above grade level for high school. What a joke...

+1000. Resignations are in order. Was there no better use for $122 million of public money? You can fund over 200 full-time teachers for five years with that money!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:58: You hit the nail squarely on the head!!!! Time for Henderson to be shown the door.

So leave Dunbar "as is"?!?... b/c they're doing such an outstanding job currently.

Sadly, Dunbar's current student population is pretty much what's left over after every motivated family has self-selected out. Short of miracles, I'm not sure there's much that the teachers can do at this point. It is the downside of school choice.

You do realize that if those motivated families didn't have a choice within DC, large numbers would get out of DC altogether, right? It's not as if Dunbar would be A ok if only there was no school choice. DC had that scenario already and it was not ok

I do know that but the situation is exacerbated by the OOB lottery and intra-district school choice. It is a lot more difficult to physically pick up your life and move to a different district than it is to reassign your child to another school, particularly for families with limited means. Dunbar hasn't been serving the cream of the crop for neigh on 40 years now but school choice has undoubtedly hastened the departure of whatever quality students the school did have.

Policy decisions have consequences. These policy decisions may be rational and may even help improve the overall state of education in the district but every time you change the paradigm you create a new set of winners and losers. Dunbar is a loser in today's world of school choice.