HD Cooke

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a significant staff turnover this year which isnto be expected under any regime change. However to even remotely suggest that the previous principal left under pressure is not accurate. She had just had a small baby and was looking for something new. Additionally, if you really look at what's happening in the building now those who say that there is a focus on discipline and more rules must not spend any time outside of early childhood. Visit the upper grades where children are running the building, being contained in a back room and assulting the adults. While things are different, few if any of us would say things are better.

The new principal has a target group of parents to please which the previous principal refused to do. Cooke will look different after the principal gets rid of all of the children and staff of color. Just watch the majority of her new hires this year.

I am the PP who said that there's a focus on discipline. I agree that there are still behavioral issues. A focus on discipline doesn't always equate with universal discipline. I don't know what your affiliation is with the school, but I think saying that a principal is getting rid of all the children and staff of color is a pretty extreme and impossible thing. What you're describing is alarming and if it's true, you should be reporting it, not posting anonymously on a gossip board.

[Anonymous]

Right, PP, at a school where there are 97% students of color, the principal is kicking them all out. You are delusional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right, PP, at a school where there are 97% students of color, the principal is kicking them all out. You are delusional.

You should do some more fact checking before you start to call names. Ask how many students of color got letters asking them not to return and attend thier boundary school instead and of those students ask how many had the majority of their academic careers at Cooke. When you do that, then ask the Principal what was the outcome of her mandated weekly meetings with the Latino parents because they accused her of racism and unfair policies. Finally, ask how many staff members of color were written out of the budget, what was the ethnicity of the teachers who quit mid-year and then see how many staff members of color are hired as replacements. After you do that, then you can call me crazy.


The school year is over and IMPACT can no longer be held against me. I've moved on to better places but have first hand knowledge that are lived experiences and not made up fantasies based on what happens in a wing on the other side of the building and what a few middle class parents would have you to believe as fact. As for your recommendation to report the challenges that are happening there. We already have. But as usual not much will be done. That's good old DCPS for you.

[Anonymous]

Garrison has had a similar decline in teachers of color under the current principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, PP, at a school where there are 97% students of color, the principal is kicking them all out. You are delusional.

You should do some more fact checking before you start to call names. Ask how many students of color got letters asking them not to return and attend thier boundary school instead and of those students ask how many had the majority of their academic careers at Cooke. When you do that, then ask the Principal what was the outcome of her mandated weekly meetings with the Latino parents because they accused her of racism and unfair policies. Finally, ask how many staff members of color were written out of the budget, what was the ethnicity of the teachers who quit mid-year and then see how many staff members of color are hired as replacements. After you do that, then you can call me crazy.


The school year is over and IMPACT can no longer be held against me. I've moved on to better places but have first hand knowledge that are lived experiences and not made up fantasies based on what happens in a wing on the other side of the building and what a few middle class parents would have you to believe as fact. As for your recommendation to report the challenges that are happening there. We already have. But as usual not much will be done. That's good old DCPS for you.

Ah, a bitter former employee who was able to do whatever he or she wanted under the former principal and didn't like that the new principal is working to improve the school by putting in place a behavioral intervention system (pbis) and meeting with teachers to ensure that they are teaching what he kids don't know.

Got it.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe not someone who was bitter and just willing to speak up. For whats its worth, the former pricipal had planning meetings twice weekly much to the chagrin of the teachers which is how they were authorized for IB and she left the collaborative planning schedule for the new principal to implement. Additionally, PBIS has to have postivie interventions and clear consequences that change behavior in order to wrok. I'd hardly say that coralling all of the students with challenges in a back room on the third floor daily, letting students run the building each day and allowing students to damage windows, doors and furniture consistently would hardly mean that PBIS is working. Despite how much you try and weave a story, the building was much more in control under the previous principal.

The rub was parents didn't like the previous principal because she didn't' pander to the white middle class parents like they thought she should. They were treated like all of the other parents which they didn't like. As a result they now have a new principal who does engage the middle class parents in a much different way than she did. So now shes being lauded as "making improvements and changing behavior." Reality is the balance of attention and priorities for Cooke is shifting from all students despite where they come form and come with to only the students whose middle class parents live in the building of the current principal and who can schedule an email appointment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, PP, at a school where there are 97% students of color, the principal is kicking them all out. You are delusional.

You should do some more fact checking before you start to call names. Ask how many students of color got letters asking them not to return and attend thier boundary school instead and of those students ask how many had the majority of their academic careers at Cooke. When you do that, then ask the Principal what was the outcome of her mandated weekly meetings with the Latino parents because they accused her of racism and unfair policies. Finally, ask how many staff members of color were written out of the budget, what was the ethnicity of the teachers who quit mid-year and then see how many staff members of color are hired as replacements. After you do that, then you can call me crazy.


The school year is over and IMPACT can no longer be held against me. I've moved on to better places but have first hand knowledge that are lived experiences and not made up fantasies based on what happens in a wing on the other side of the building and what a few middle class parents would have you to believe as fact. As for your recommendation to report the challenges that are happening there. We already have. But as usual not much will be done. That's good old DCPS for you.

Ah, a bitter former employee who was able to do whatever he or she wanted under the former principal and didn't like that the new principal is working to improve the school by putting in place a behavioral intervention system (pbis) and meeting with teachers to ensure that they are teaching what he kids don't know.

Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe not someone who was bitter and just willing to speak up. For whats its worth, the former pricipal had planning meetings twice weekly much to the chagrin of the teachers which is how they were authorized for IB and she left the collaborative planning schedule for the new principal to implement. Additionally, PBIS has to have postivie interventions and clear consequences that change behavior in order to wrok. I'd hardly say that coralling all of the students with challenges in a back room on the third floor daily, letting students run the building each day and allowing students to damage windows, doors and furniture consistently would hardly mean that PBIS is working. Despite how much you try and weave a story, the building was much more in control under the previous principal.

The rub was parents didn't like the previous principal because she didn't' pander to the white middle class parents like they thought she should. They were treated like all of the other parents which they didn't like. As a result they now have a new principal who does engage the middle class parents in a much different way than she did. So now shes being lauded as "making improvements and changing behavior." Reality is the balance of attention and priorities for Cooke is shifting from all students despite where they come form and come with to only the students whose middle class parents live in the building of the current principal and who can schedule an email appointment.

PP, you clearly have information that others do not have. I am one of the middle class parents who you probably think that the principal caters to, though I'm not one of her neighbors. I would love to hear what you think the parents who you believe she DOES care about can do to improve things for the people who are being ignored.

I would love for this to be a productive conversation about how to improve a school with a lot of potential, rather than a pity party about how wonderful things were under the previous principal and how terrible they are now.

[Anonymous]

NP.

I have read this thread and I'm glad to see that there is a willingness to see what can be done to improve a neighborhood school. I think that this can be done without all of the negativity expressed regarding the former principal or the current one. I didn't see it as a pity party rather than a number of response to combat what has largely been on this board as public opinion sans the 97% of families that Cooke serves. One or two families, even five shouldn't be able to color the opinion of a school without engaging the rest of the stakeholder base. That's part of the challenge of these threads about schools. Clearly on this thread its been noted that only a small group of families participate. That's problematic in and of itself.

That's one way to start to make changes. Engage the folks who are also at the schools in a equal and unbiased way. Open a conversation where folks listen and recognize that children have little control over their circumstance but we can impact what happens in any school as a collective.

The fact remains that all of the children in DCPS deserve a quality neighborhood school in which they are all equally valued. I'm not sure that is a shared sentiment on this board but that's what I believe will help to start to change the schools in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe not someone who was bitter and just willing to speak up. For whats its worth, the former pricipal had planning meetings twice weekly much to the chagrin of the teachers which is how they were authorized for IB and she left the collaborative planning schedule for the new principal to implement. Additionally, PBIS has to have postivie interventions and clear consequences that change behavior in order to wrok. I'd hardly say that coralling all of the students with challenges in a back room on the third floor daily, letting students run the building each day and allowing students to damage windows, doors and furniture consistently would hardly mean that PBIS is working. Despite how much you try and weave a story, the building was much more in control under the previous principal.

The rub was parents didn't like the previous principal because she didn't' pander to the white middle class parents like they thought she should. They were treated like all of the other parents which they didn't like. As a result they now have a new principal who does engage the middle class parents in a much different way than she did. So now shes being lauded as "making improvements and changing behavior." Reality is the balance of attention and priorities for Cooke is shifting from all students despite where they come form and come with to only the students whose middle class parents live in the building of the current principal and who can schedule an email appointment.

PP, you clearly have information that others do not have. I am one of the middle class parents who you probably think that the principal caters to, though I'm not one of her neighbors. I would love to hear what you think the parents who you believe she DOES care about can do to improve things for the people who are being ignored.

I would love for this to be a productive conversation about how to improve a school with a lot of potential, rather than a pity party about how wonderful things were under the previous principal and how terrible they are now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP.

I have read this thread and I'm glad to see that there is a willingness to see what can be done to improve a neighborhood school. I think that this can be done without all of the negativity expressed regarding the former principal or the current one. I didn't see it as a pity party rather than a number of response to combat what has largely been on this board as public opinion sans the 97% of families that Cooke serves. One or two families, even five shouldn't be able to color the opinion of a school without engaging the rest of the stakeholder base. That's part of the challenge of these threads about schools. Clearly on this thread its been noted that only a small group of families participate. That's problematic in and of itself.

That's one way to start to make changes. Engage the folks who are also at the schools in a equal and unbiased way. Open a conversation where folks listen and recognize that children have little control over their circumstance but we can impact what happens in any school as a collective.

The fact remains that all of the children in DCPS deserve a quality neighborhood school in which they are all equally valued. I'm not sure that is a shared sentiment on this board but that's what I believe will help to start to change the schools in DC.

I am one of the 3% of Cooke parents who posts on this board. Here is what I know.

1. At the beginning of the school year, I was specifically told by several parents of older children that they were glad the old principal was gone because they didn't feel that she took their children's safety seriously, particularly during aftercare. They also believed that she did not enforce discipline consistently.

2. We had a great year. We have no intention of leaving the school. We do not plan to enter the lottery ever again and are thrilled with that decision.

3. I have spent time in the school. I haven't seen children being contained in a classroom, on the 3rd floor or anywhere else. I have also not seen students assaulting staff members, and I don't want this board to think that such things are the norm at the school. I think that even the disgruntled PP would say that such things are the norm or totally representative of the school as a whole.

4. I have found the principal to be generally responsive to parent concerns, but I understand that there is some tension because she wants people to schedule meetings, rather than just stop by. I understand that that is different from the way the previous principal did things, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that parents with serious concerns schedule time to talk about those concerns at a time when the principal is available, rather than stopping her in the hallway and expecting her to miss a meeting. I think it is also possible that she started the year with grand ambitions, and then when the reality of managing a school like Cooke set in, she was a little overwhelmed, which is totally understandable.

5. The letters that were sent home were sent to OOB students who weren't complying with the attendance policy. It's not an attempt to oust students of color from the school. As the PP said, given the demographics of the school, that would be next to impossible.

6. I don't know what teachers are for sure not coming back. I know at least one kindergarten teacher is. I know that some positions were not in the budget this year. I know that there are people who are really mad about some of those and I'm not totally thrilled about them either. I don't think that they're retaliatory or racist, as the PP is implying. I think they demonstrate shifting priorities for DCPS and cannot be blamed on this specific principal.

7. Most importantly, I think there is a tendency on this board to think that this board is the be-all and end-all of engagement with schools. I asked the PP how we could fix the problems that that PP cited because it seems like s/he feels that a certain group of parents has the ear of the admin while the rest are left out in the cold. I would like to be part of the solution, but if the only way that these problems get talked about are in anonymous disgruntled whispers, that does not give me much to work with. I don't want this board to get the impression that there is no parent engagement at our school, or that the "middle class" "gentrifier" families are not engaged with the rest of the school. I have seen a lot of parent engagement, but the reality is that for many years, parents found it difficult to engage with the school and as a result, there is little centralization of that engagement. People's classroom teachers rely on parents for assistance with various things. I know that I've done a lot for my kid's classroom teacher this year, but I have also done stuff for teachers at other grade levels when they've asked. People have a perception of our school that it's full of extremely poor kids with awful behavior, who don't learn anything. Our test scores are not great, but I truly believe that they are improving.

[Anonymous]

Always two sides to every story... here's another side. The staff turnover rate can not be attributed to anything else but the leader. Implying that they were loyal to the previous principal or are lazy in some way is untrue. The new principal even applauded the entire staff for the students making significant gains during the year. The staffs loyalty is to the students..period. There is a room on the third floor. Lets not call it a "holding" room. Its a room where students that are being disruptive are sent...Long story short...it doesn't work. Anyone who is there everyday sees the broken windows, the chairs being thrown, the constant fights, and the students running the halls. And if you really do work at Cooke in Pre-k you don't have to look far for the disruptive students..because they run through your hallways. Everyday. Be clear about the priority of the safety of the students that the principal has. When you look at the new hires at Cooke..pay attention. The school will be full of new, first year teachers. When given the opportunity to retain proven teachers that the students are familiar with the principal chose unknown, teachers that only have student teacher experience. You cant count on two hands the number of teachers that are returning. That's a fact. The plan for Cooke? You'd have to ask the principal because she doesn't share that with anyone but her "favorites". When your staff doesn't feel appreciated...and they are a GOOD staff...they leave and find a principal who will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Always two sides to every story... here's another side. The staff turnover rate can not be attributed to anything else but the leader. Implying that they were loyal to the previous principal or are lazy in some way is untrue. The new principal even applauded the entire staff for the students making significant gains during the year. The staffs loyalty is to the students..period. There is a room on the third floor. Lets not call it a "holding" room. Its a room where students that are being disruptive are sent...Long story short...it doesn't work. Anyone who is there everyday sees the broken windows, the chairs being thrown, the constant fights, and the students running the halls. And if you really do work at Cooke in Pre-k you don't have to look far for the disruptive students..because they run through your hallways. Everyday. Be clear about the priority of the safety of the students that the principal has. When you look at the new hires at Cooke..pay attention. The school will be full of new, first year teachers. When given the opportunity to retain proven teachers that the students are familiar with the principal chose unknown, teachers that only have student teacher experience. You cant count on two hands the number of teachers that are returning. That's a fact. The plan for Cooke? You'd have to ask the principal because she doesn't share that with anyone but her "favorites". When your staff doesn't feel appreciated...and they are a GOOD staff...they leave and find a principal who will.

It sounds like the school will be better without you, and you will be better without the school. Looks like a win-win to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Always two sides to every story... here's another side. The staff turnover rate can not be attributed to anything else but the leader. Implying that they were loyal to the previous principal or are lazy in some way is untrue. The new principal even applauded the entire staff for the students making significant gains during the year. The staffs loyalty is to the students..period. There is a room on the third floor. Lets not call it a "holding" room. Its a room where students that are being disruptive are sent...Long story short...it doesn't work. Anyone who is there everyday sees the broken windows, the chairs being thrown, the constant fights, and the students running the halls. And if you really do work at Cooke in Pre-k you don't have to look far for the disruptive students..because they run through your hallways. Everyday. Be clear about the priority of the safety of the students that the principal has. When you look at the new hires at Cooke..pay attention. The school will be full of new, first year teachers. When given the opportunity to retain proven teachers that the students are familiar with the principal chose unknown, teachers that only have student teacher experience. You cant count on two hands the number of teachers that are returning. That's a fact. The plan for Cooke? You'd have to ask the principal because she doesn't share that with anyone but her "favorites". When your staff doesn't feel appreciated...and they are a GOOD staff...they leave and find a principal who will.

Is this room like in school suspension or something to that effect?

[Anonymous]

NP,
I'd like to speak to this thought that only a small percent of the parents post on DCUM..
Please be aware that Cooke IS a title I school...the students that attend come from low income families and newsflash they dont have email or computers.
So, dont expect them to state their opinions in this type of forum. If you want to know what their thoughts are you'd have to ask them in person.

[Anonymous]

However, what will happen with the students who are the recipients of all of this change? Do we ever consider the impact on them?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Always two sides to every story... here's another side. The staff turnover rate can not be attributed to anything else but the leader. Implying that they were loyal to the previous principal or are lazy in some way is untrue. The new principal even applauded the entire staff for the students making significant gains during the year. The staffs loyalty is to the students..period. There is a room on the third floor. Lets not call it a "holding" room. Its a room where students that are being disruptive are sent...Long story short...it doesn't work. Anyone who is there everyday sees the broken windows, the chairs being thrown, the constant fights, and the students running the halls. And if you really do work at Cooke in Pre-k you don't have to look far for the disruptive students..because they run through your hallways. Everyday. Be clear about the priority of the safety of the students that the principal has. When you look at the new hires at Cooke..pay attention. The school will be full of new, first year teachers. When given the opportunity to retain proven teachers that the students are familiar with the principal chose unknown, teachers that only have student teacher experience. You cant count on two hands the number of teachers that are returning. That's a fact. The plan for Cooke? You'd have to ask the principal because she doesn't share that with anyone but her "favorites". When your staff doesn't feel appreciated...and they are a GOOD staff...they leave and find a principal who will.

It sounds like the school will be better without you, and you will be better without the school. Looks like a win-win to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Always two sides to every story... here's another side. The staff turnover rate can not be attributed to anything else but the leader. Implying that they were loyal to the previous principal or are lazy in some way is untrue. The new principal even applauded the entire staff for the students making significant gains during the year. The staffs loyalty is to the students..period. There is a room on the third floor. Lets not call it a "holding" room. Its a room where students that are being disruptive are sent...Long story short...it doesn't work. Anyone who is there everyday sees the broken windows, the chairs being thrown, the constant fights, and the students running the halls. And if you really do work at Cooke in Pre-k you don't have to look far for the disruptive students..because they run through your hallways. Everyday. Be clear about the priority of the safety of the students that the principal has. When you look at the new hires at Cooke..pay attention. The school will be full of new, first year teachers. When given the opportunity to retain proven teachers that the students are familiar with the principal chose unknown, teachers that only have student teacher experience. You cant count on two hands the number of teachers that are returning. That's a fact. The plan for Cooke? You'd have to ask the principal because she doesn't share that with anyone but her "favorites". When your staff doesn't feel appreciated...and they are a GOOD staff...they leave and find a principal who will.

See, again with the lack of productive suggestions. What's your recommendation, PP? Everyone who sends their kids to Cooke now should pull them and send them somewhere else? What about people who are in bounds and don't have other easy options? Are you saying that people who are having a good experience should bail because their experience might not be good next year?

How do we fix it? You bailed. You are clearly angry. I believe that you have seen and experienced things that are troubling. I would find them troubling myself. But it really sounds like you are saying that anyone whose experience differs from you is naive, being deluded by a manipulative racist principal who doesn't care about the students or some other nefariousness.

What is your suggestion for people like me and the other PP(s) whose children attend the school, who are already enrolled for next year? I'm asking seriously because I actually care.