What concretely do the WOTP DCPSs do better than EOTP DCPSs, other than recruiting wealthier kids?

[Anonymous]

Teachers have a different job in a school with more lower income students.

If you can guarantee most or all of your students come to school with a full belly, a good nights sleep, less outside emotional distractions, and parent enforced discipline and respect standards- its makes educating them a whole lot easier.

If you have happy well behaved kids, you can spend so much more time on teaching them, and not on discipline issues that arise when the basics aren't there.

It's just easier to teach richer kids.

[Anonymous]

My sister-in-law taught at an EOTP elementary school for years, one that was highly rated by DCPS standards, reliably in the top 10% by whatever measure was in vogue then. When I told her I have volunteered to be a room parent at our WOTP elementary school, her response was "what's a room parent?" Not sarcastically. She had never heard the term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A stunningly attractive, new, spacious, state-of-the-art-for-DCPS building.

My child spent 4th and 5th grade in a trailer. Got to Deal and spent 7th grade in a trailer. Just saying.

[Anonymous]

Peer effect, there are a lot smart kids EOTP but they have not had advantages that create strong peers. The elementary schools need to boost this cohort.

We live in Brookland but I would not use local schools because it was obvious then that all focus was on the bottom cohort because of NCLB and that would narrow the scope of what would be taught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A stunningly attractive, new, spacious, state-of-the-art-for-DCPS building.

My child spent 4th and 5th grade in a trailer. Got to Deal and spent 7th grade in a trailer. Just saying.

Exactly. If this were true - a new building makes it better - then HD Cooke would have been the EOTP school that became well known for having achieved success in recruiting AND KEEPING wealthier neighborhood families. The school is gorgeous, and I was a part of the first group of higher income parents that went into the school with all intentions of making it work. But once you get a call from a HRCS or WOTP school with high test scores, that group of parents is all gone. Disruptive kids in the classroom, test scores that never really improved, after care that was chaotic, a heavy TV reliance - all those things add up. Here's hoping the new administration will turn things around. A beautiful building only sells so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The schools / teachers at WOTP schools are able to focus.

The teachers do not need to think about getting enough chaparones for a field trip b/c the class parent is taking care of it.

The teachers do not need to think about reaching out to parent's for birthday celebrations b/c the class party coordinator has taken care of it.

The teachers do not have children who come to school inconsistently because of transportation problems because in case the car is in the shop, the family has a loaner.

The teachers do not need to deal with soaking wet children who took the bus to school and walked 1/4 of a mile from the nearest bus stop b/c that will not happen.

The teachers do not need to deal with the 30 million word gap because most of the children in WOTP schools are not low income (study of the total # of words spoken to a child by age 4 in low income vs high income household)

When the teacher is not dealing with any of the above, they have time to focus on teaching.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What others have said plus it is the only IB middle school in DC. Not only IB public school but even private schools don't offer an IB middle years program. That alone shows the dedication and commitment to educating students.

WIS offers an IB middle years program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What others have said plus it is the only IB middle school in DC. Not only IB public school but even private schools don't offer an IB middle years program. That alone shows the dedication and commitment to educating students.

WIS offers an IB middle years program.

So does DCI, no?

[Anonymous]

Deal has built up a critical mass/cohort of high SES/white kids which in turn attracts more high ses/white kids. and before you know it, boom, the school is the best middle school in DCPS. You could put all those "special" etc at some middle school east of the river and the high ses/white parents are not going to send their kids there. You could even put in the holy grail of test in gifted and talented east of the river and white parents are not sending their kids there. Is this an ugly truth. yes, but DCPS needs to understand this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deal has built up a critical mass/cohort of high SES/white kids which in turn attracts more high ses/white kids. and before you know it, boom, the school is the best middle school in DCPS. You could put all those "special" etc at some middle school east of the river and the high ses/white parents are not going to send their kids there. You could even put in the holy grail of test in gifted and talented east of the river and white parents are not sending their kids there. Is this an ugly truth. yes, but DCPS needs to understand this.

Did you read the full question, "Other than recruiting wealthier kids"?

The question is specifically: other than the Lemmings effect of "high SES/white" narrative that we read over and over again, what are the tangible differences in philosophy, programs, amenities, approaches?

The answers coming in so far are :

- More money to the PTA from wealthier parents so more enrichment programs, and
- Less distractions from students' poverty for teachers because wealthier students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Deal has built up a critical mass/cohort of high SES/white kids which in turn attracts more high ses/white kids. and before you know it, boom, the school is the best middle school in DCPS. You could put all those "special" etc at some middle school east of the river and the high ses/white parents are not going to send their kids there. You could even put in the holy grail of test in gifted and talented east of the river and white parents are not sending their kids there. Is this an ugly truth. yes, but DCPS needs to understand this.

Did you read the full question, "Other than recruiting wealthier kids"?

The question is specifically: other than the Lemmings effect of "high SES/white" narrative that we read over and over again, what are the tangible differences in philosophy, programs, amenities, approaches?

The answers coming in so far are :

- More money to the PTA from wealthier parents so more enrichment programs, and
- Less distractions from students' poverty for teachers because wealthier students.

To try and sort of answer your question, OP, there are a variety of things. Montessori and Reggio. Robust language programs. Better instrumental music and art. More different sports. BUT, those things all flow from the demographics. It's not like there's some special thing that EOTP schools could just ask for and get, that would really be a game-changer. For example, you have Bruce-Monroe which is an immersion school, and immersion is a nice program and costly to offer, but demographically the school is still unappealing, so... (No disrespect to Bruce-Monroe, I actually have it on my lottery list!)

[Anonymous]

honestly, more respect for quirkiness/ what I call "creative disrespect." At a WOTP school, it's more ok for a kid to write a poem instead of the assigned essay, wear bright colored socks, make a suggestion to the teacher. EOTP schools are more about maintaining order and teaching kids to follow rules. Which makes some sense, given that many students don't have very orderly home lives and following directions is a good life skill, but can also make school less fun and lead kids to be less engaged and creative.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/do-rich-and-poor-parenting-styles-matter/2012/11/29/cc78e020-39e7-11e2-b01f-5f55b193f58f_blog.html is sort of what I'm getting at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A stunningly attractive, new, spacious, state-of-the-art-for-DCPS building.

My child spent 4th and 5th grade in a trailer. Got to Deal and spent 7th grade in a trailer. Just saying.

Exactly. If this were true - a new building makes it better - then HD Cooke would have been the EOTP school that became well known for having achieved success in recruiting AND KEEPING wealthier neighborhood families. The school is gorgeous, and I was a part of the first group of higher income parents that went into the school with all intentions of making it work. But once you get a call from a HRCS or WOTP school with high test scores, that group of parents is all gone. Disruptive kids in the classroom, test scores that never really improved, after care that was chaotic, a heavy TV reliance - all those things add up. Here's hoping the new administration will turn things around. A beautiful building only sells so much.

You left Cooke too soon. It is a completely different school this year under new leadership, staff, and teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A stunningly attractive, new, spacious, state-of-the-art-for-DCPS building.

Our wotp kids are in trailers.

I think the biggest difference is the lack of disruptive kids in wotp classrooms. Not sure how much is a difference in the population of kids vs the administrations way of handling disruptive kids.

The op asked about Deal. Read the op. Are your Deal kids in trailers ?

[Anonymous]

Op, the quick (and sad) answer to your question is nothing. All the advantages that WTOP park seem to have come from SES.

- schools have more financial resources bc parents can afford to give
- parents can participate more either bc one can afford to SAH (and thus have the time) or they have jobs that allows for flexibility so they can volunteer
- kids are not as disruptive bc they do not have to deal with crap at home
- parents have the means and the will to "fix" those kids who are disruptive

I could go on but you get the point.