How would this controlled choice nonsense actually work on Capitol Hill?

[Anonymous]

Watkins has been a middle class school with relatively low farms percentages for many, many years.

[Anonymous]

OP again. I saw 41 percent FARMs listed in the DCPS profile. I can only assume that anticipated that Watkins would surpass the 40 percent threshold this year. Thanks for the correction. Nevertheless, Watkins remains 80 percent OOB, which is the one of the principal reasons DCPS continues to claim that there is no room for Brent students at Stuart-Hobson.

[Anonymous]

Forty percent is relatively low?

[Anonymous]

Forty percent = 208 students

[Anonymous]

I don't want Watkins to hijack the thread, but PP must be using different definitions for middle class. Forty percent of Watkins students are at basic proficiency or below. Hardly what I would expect from a school that has been middle class for many, many years. Hope things continue to improve.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. There is something very wrong when there is a persistent acheivement gap of that magnitude and it is not even a high-poverty school. Around 96% of white kids proficient or advanced, around 50% of AA kids and 40% of FARMS students are proficient or advanced ( approximate numbers )

[Anonymous]

I do think some of these schools should close - I would say Watkins is doing something right as I know middle class, high expectations families of 4th graders who are happy there. I think Maury should stay as is because its doing great. Watkins should get really good teaches in the first grade to attract and keep Peabody kids (I've heard of families having terrible 1st grade years, very dependent on the teacher). I think Watkins could absorb Payne. Ludlow and Wilson could combine. Jefferson and Eliot-Hine could combine and have some attractive honors program or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In prior years, a number of students IB for Watkins had the option to attend schools like Maury or Brent through the lottery process. In fact, as of last year, there were about two dozen Watkins kids at Brent. The Brent escape hatch was effectively shutdown around 2009 due to Brent's own IB enrollment. Presumably the principal option available to families IB for Watkins would be to go charter. With the new unified lottery, why would they rank Brent diluted to 50/50 over a highly-regarded charter, or not decamp to Cap Hill Day or St. Peter? I just don't see how diluting the top performing schools on the Hill will recapture families dissatisfied with Watkins. No?

Lots of kids living IB for Watkins attend SWS and have older sibs at Watkins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do think some of these schools should close - I would say Watkins is doing something right as I know middle class, high expectations families of 4th graders who are happy there. I think Maury should stay as is because its doing great. Watkins should get really good teaches in the first grade to attract and keep Peabody kids (I've heard of families having terrible 1st grade years, very dependent on the teacher). I think Watkins could absorb Payne. Ludlow and Wilson could combine. Jefferson and Eliot-Hine could combine and have some attractive honors program or something.

PP here with the closure idea. I chose Watkins as a building to close because the rec center could then keep the field/playground etc while selling off the building. LT and Tyler both have lots of space and have had building renovations more recently.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how the Maryland population fits into this picture. Do people committing fraud normally apply IB's to these schools or OBB's. I live near one of these schools and have a kid at another and find the Maryland population to be quite visible. Not sure how sizable.

[Anonymous]

A straight read of OBB numbers, might give am incomplete picture. For example, I live in a million dollar house two blocks from Peabody, where DC attends, but we are in bounds for LT. We are OBB, but I don't think we are diluting the academic quality of Peabody or making Peabody not be a neighborhood school.

With controlled choice we would probably be forced out of Peabody because it is highly desired by high SES families.

[Anonymous]

With controlled choice, Peabody would probably still be one of your lottery options. Along with LT, JO Wilson, Miner, Payne, and some others. And the SES composition of Peabody would no longer look so dramatically different.

[Anonymous]

PP here, Yes Peabody would be in my zone if I had controlled choice. The difference is that under controlled choice it would actually never be a choice for me. Because of our income we would be compelled to go to LT or Wilson. For us that would probably mean renting out our basement so that we could pay for private or moving to VA. Neither are options that I would be happy about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forty percent is relatively low?

Do you live in DC? Like 80% of all children in the public schools qualify for Free and reduced Meals. So yes, a school with less than half the kids qualifying is relatively low. In fact, anywhere but upper NW a school like that immediately gets a label as the "rich, entitled, gentrifying school that has kicked out the poor kids"

[Anonymous]

Peabody poster, wouldn't your kid be able to stay in their current school?