WaPo magazine article on the lottery

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love this line:
"Because My School DC’s software places students, the system levels the playing field for families who lack political connections or the time and resources to stand in lines, lobby school principals and complete scores of applications."

The implication being that families who don't lack political connections don't have to deal with this nonsense.

Not sure I read it the same way.

Pre-Common lottery, when every single school ran its own enrollment process and/or lottery, if you knew (or were) a politically connected person or the principal or registrar at a school, you could enroll, regardless of being IB or OOB or what your number was.

If you weren’t connected and you had time, you would sleep out to submit your apps for school-level lottery because you got a preference based on when you turned your app in. There was a one block line of tents outside Oyster one year.

+1

You can debate the advantages and disadvantages of the current school-choice system overall, but the common lottery is a vast improvement over what came before in terms of accessibility, transparency, and equality. It was simply nuts before.

[Anonymous]

Agree. I think the common lottery removes the chaos from the process.

But I'm not sure anyone expected, or should have expected, it or school choice to desegregate schools.

That would require a much more intentional process with preferences and probably ward quotas for more city-wide schools to be built into the school system and lottery process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love this line:
"Because My School DC’s software places students, the system levels the playing field for families who lack political connections or the time and resources to stand in lines, lobby school principals and complete scores of applications."

The implication being that families who don't lack political connections don't have to deal with this nonsense.

The implication is the exact opposite but at least you tried.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

And yet, that's where we have invested, as a city. Shiny and a zillion bells and whistles probably isn't needed, but fixing dilapidated buildings is.

We do need better options, and that starts with investing in DC adults who need supports and skills and safe neighborhoods and good paying jobs to enter and stay in the workforce. Without that, the underperforming schools are fighting an uphill battle that they will not win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

And yet, that's where we have invested, as a city. Shiny and a zillion bells and whistles probably isn't needed, but fixing dilapidated buildings is.

We do need better options, and that starts with investing in DC adults who need supports and skills and safe neighborhoods and good paying jobs to enter and stay in the workforce. Without that, the underperforming schools are fighting an uphill battle that they will not win.

Not quite. We've invested a lot recently because we refused to invest a little for a very long time. Had the schools been kept up over the decades, the billion dollar capital improvement funds wouldn't have been needed. Kids don't need bells and whistles, but they do need solid walls, functioning heat and a/c as well as a rat-free classroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

And yet, that's where we have invested, as a city. Shiny and a zillion bells and whistles probably isn't needed, but fixing dilapidated buildings is.

We do need better options, and that starts with investing in DC adults who need supports and skills and safe neighborhoods and good paying jobs to enter and stay in the workforce. Without that, the underperforming schools are fighting an uphill battle that they will not win.

Not quite. We've invested a lot recently because we refused to invest a little for a very long time. Had the schools been kept up over the decades, the billion dollar capital improvement funds wouldn't have been needed. Kids don't need bells and whistles, but they do need solid walls, functioning heat and a/c as well as a rat-free classroom.

This. I very much do care about having an acceptable building that meets minimum standards and has adequate classroom and activity space. No, that will not bring people into an otherwise failing school, but it is definitely a factor that I consider when comparing schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

This! My IB is newly renovated and looks amazing. Still underperforming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

And yet, that's where we have invested, as a city. Shiny and a zillion bells and whistles probably isn't needed, but fixing dilapidated buildings is.

We do need better options, and that starts with investing in DC adults who need supports and skills and safe neighborhoods and good paying jobs to enter and stay in the workforce. Without that, the underperforming schools are fighting an uphill battle that they will not win.

Not quite. We've invested a lot recently because we refused to invest a little for a very long time. Had the schools been kept up over the decades, the billion dollar capital improvement funds wouldn't have been needed. Kids don't need bells and whistles, but they do need solid walls, functioning heat and a/c as well as a rat-free classroom.

+1

Even the high-performing schools had serious physical plant issues. And reading stories this winter about Baltimore City schools that lacked heat reminded me that kids might not care about the bells and whistles, but they do notice when their schools regularly lack working heat or running water or are infested with vermin. And the message that sent to kids about how much the city values them and their education was pretty clear. Modernizing schools isn't the solution, but it is an important part of providing a good education.

And I think it's a mistake to say that DCPS has only invested in new buildings. For example, the commitment to quality ECE education in DC is impressive. Even otherwise poorly performing schools have good ECE programs. The problem is that, again, while providing good preschool and kindergarten programs can help kids succeed, it's not enough to overcome the problems that kids face at home and in their neighborhoods, and those problems become more and more salient as kids get older. So, yes, if we are serious about improving education in DC, we need to be investing, not only in services for kids, but for their families, including housing, employment, food, and medical care, so that every kid can show up to school ready to learn. But that's not something DCPS can do, that's something that the people of DC have to demand from their government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Only 27% are enrolled in their IB school."

So despite hundreds of millions in renovations, expansion of Pk3, students returning to DCPS for HS ... the percentage of students attending their IB has only increased 2% since the last boundary review.

For the last time, parent don’t choose schools based on renovations!! If it’s underperforming, lacks rigor etc, no one cares how shiny and new it is.

And yet, that's where we have invested, as a city. Shiny and a zillion bells and whistles probably isn't needed, but fixing dilapidated buildings is.

We do need better options, and that starts with investing in DC adults who need supports and skills and safe neighborhoods and good paying jobs to enter and stay in the workforce. Without that, the underperforming schools are fighting an uphill battle that they will not win.

Not quite. We've invested a lot recently because we refused to invest a little for a very long time. Had the schools been kept up over the decades, the billion dollar capital improvement funds wouldn't have been needed. Kids don't need bells and whistles, but they do need solid walls, functioning heat and a/c as well as a rat-free classroom.

+1

Even the high-performing schools had serious physical plant issues. And reading stories this winter about Baltimore City schools that lacked heat reminded me that kids might not care about the bells and whistles, but they do notice when their schools regularly lack working heat or running water or are infested with vermin. And the message that sent to kids about how much the city values them and their education was pretty clear. Modernizing schools isn't the solution, but it is an important part of providing a good education.

And I think it's a mistake to say that DCPS has only invested in new buildings. For example, the commitment to quality ECE education in DC is impressive. Even otherwise poorly performing schools have good ECE programs. The problem is that, again, while providing good preschool and kindergarten programs can help kids succeed, it's not enough to overcome the problems that kids face at home and in their neighborhoods, and those problems become more and more salient as kids get older. So, yes, if we are serious about improving education in DC, we need to be investing, not only in services for kids, but for their families, including housing, employment, food, and medical care, so that every kid can show up to school ready to learn. But that's not something DCPS can do, that's something that the people of DC have to demand from their government.

AMEN! Not only do we need to do this, but we also need to stop expecing schools to solve these problems at the same time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: So, yes, if we are serious about improving education in DC, we need to be investing, not only in services for kids, but for their families, including housing, employment, food, and medical care, so that every kid can show up to school ready to learn. But that's not something DCPS can do, that's something that the people of DC have to demand from their government.

AMEN! Not only do we need to do this, but we also need to stop expecing schools to solve these problems at the same time.

Agreed- the problem is that it's not just about making the investments in terms of money (although that is serious and honestly difficult to foresee a majority of voting residents supporting- because it would mean significant tax increases). It's also about creating and maintaining fully functional programs that give the deep assistance needed, and I don't see the existing agencies having the ability to do that, quite honestly.

Have heard generally good things about the Harlem Children's Zone/Promise Neighborhood model, but not too many in-depth critiques or alternatives. It seems like that's the sort of thing that's necessary on a large scale. I can't see how that's done well here unless all of the child/family support work is wrapped together into a new agency or non-profit which has shown the ability to run something like this at scale. But that appears to be what is needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: So, yes, if we are serious about improving education in DC, we need to be investing, not only in services for kids, but for their families, including housing, employment, food, and medical care, so that every kid can show up to school ready to learn. But that's not something DCPS can do, that's something that the people of DC have to demand from their government.

AMEN! Not only do we need to do this, but we also need to stop expecing schools to solve these problems at the same time.

Agreed- the problem is that it's not just about making the investments in terms of money (although that is serious and honestly difficult to foresee a majority of voting residents supporting- because it would mean significant tax increases). It's also about creating and maintaining fully functional programs that give the deep assistance needed, and I don't see the existing agencies having the ability to do that, quite honestly.

Have heard generally good things about the Harlem Children's Zone/Promise Neighborhood model, but not too many in-depth critiques or alternatives. It seems like that's the sort of thing that's necessary on a large scale. I can't see how that's done well here unless all of the child/family support work is wrapped together into a new agency or non-profit which has shown the ability to run something like this at scale. But that appears to be what is needed.

After all, we haven't even shown a willingness to put hundreds of millions or billions into making physical upgrades to housing that would help children immediately. And this is relatively easy to do because there is already an infrastructure of contractors/developers who could do this work if they had the money (and didn't have to deal with the well-meaning but harmful DC hiring rules).

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/housing-complex/article/21060618/as-dc-weighs-how-to-fix-its-public-housing-families-keep-getting-sicker

[Anonymous]

At the elementary level, when the majority of prospective IB students cannot get into their EOTP IB at PK3 and PK4 because 70% of seats are for OOB ELL, they rarely try to enroll when they can by-right.
In other words, at least EOTP, you can't blame those for leaving, when their peer cohort couldn't get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the elementary level, when the majority of prospective IB students cannot get into their EOTP IB at PK3 and PK4 because 70% of seats are for OOB ELL, they rarely try to enroll when they can by-right.
In other words, at least EOTP, you can't blame those for leaving, when their peer cohort couldn't get in.

In what school is this happening?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the elementary level, when the majority of prospective IB students cannot get into their EOTP IB at PK3 and PK4 because 70% of seats are for OOB ELL, they rarely try to enroll when they can by-right.
In other words, at least EOTP, you can't blame those for leaving, when their peer cohort couldn't get in.

what? Is this Bruce-Monroe? Our school is where kids go when they don't get in to Bruce-Monroe and they typically leave us for K.