Jefferson Middle School Academy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As one prior poster pointed out, DCPS teachers already have the ability and training to teach advanced classes (Math, English, other subjects too) at Jefferson Academy, DCPS just doesn't want to make it happen.

Who in DCPS said they didn't want these classes to happen? Who did Who did you ask that said no?

[Anonymous]

Brent's ELA scores are better. Most Brent students come from language-rich homes.

If Brent parents were in a position to discuss the issues openly, without risking being slammed for their racist views, some would concede that their qualms about sending their children to JA are rooted as much in social and class concerns as misgivings about academics. A somebody who's worked in SW housing projects, I won't put my child in ms classes where low-income local kids are the majority. Too many behavioral issues in the mix, along with profanity, functionally illiterate parents, broken families, violence and drug abuse. Childhood should be breezy and enjoyable, like Brent.

At the JA open house I attended, I heard a lot about prescribed disciplinary practices, and little about creative projects, student-directed research, field trips, participating in ms competitions (spelling and geography bees, science competitions, math olympiads, chess tournaments etc.), foreign language instruction, robotics, a performing arts program etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent's ELA scores are better. Most Brent students come from language-rich homes.

If Brent parents were in a position to discuss the issues openly, without risking being slammed for their racist views, some would concede that their qualms about sending their children to JA are rooted as much in social and class concerns as misgivings about academics. A somebody who's worked in SW housing projects, I won't put my child in ms classes where low-income local kids are the majority. Too many behavioral issues in the mix, along with profanity, functionally illiterate parents, broken families, violence and drug abuse. Childhood should be breezy and enjoyable, like Brent.

At the JA open house I attended, I heard a lot about prescribed disciplinary practices, and little about creative projects, student-directed research, field trips, participating in ms competitions (spelling and geography bees, science competitions, math olympiads, chess tournaments etc.), foreign language instruction, robotics, a performing arts program etc. etc.

I agree with you about where the reticence comes from, and I think DCPS knows that too. It's why they are reticent to invest in a bunch of advanced classes until people are enrolled because they believe these families will find another reason to go elsewhere (see Eastern HS where they implemented an IB program in response to community requests). But the scores posted above are accurate, and it's important to look at 3rd and 4th before the great migration of IB families begins.

Check the OSSE assessment site for Brent, and drill down by grade. http://results.osse.dc.gov/

[Anonymous]

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent's ELA scores are better. Most Brent students come from language-rich homes.

If Brent parents were in a position to discuss the issues openly, without risking being slammed for their racist views, some would concede that their qualms about sending their children to JA are rooted as much in social and class concerns as misgivings about academics. A somebody who's worked in SW housing projects, I won't put my child in ms classes where low-income local kids are the majority. Too many behavioral issues in the mix, along with profanity, functionally illiterate parents, broken families, violence and drug abuse. Childhood should be breezy and enjoyable, like Brent.

At the JA open house I attended, I heard a lot about prescribed disciplinary practices, and little about creative projects, student-directed research, field trips, participating in ms competitions (spelling and geography bees, science competitions, math olympiads, chess tournaments etc.), foreign language instruction, robotics, a performing arts program etc. etc.

I'm not sure what that would do. So you get to say you are concerned that your child won't get the resources they need to be successful. Ok, how does stating that fact in open help move the ball forward? We do live in Washington DC.

JA will attract more IB student going forward so we will see how this all goes. Those of you who already have kids in MS, congrats. Those of us with younger kids will be left with the choice of literally winning the lottery for Latin, drop $30K for private, moving, or going to JA. We aren't going to be able to count on 1, can't afford 2, don't want to do 3, so I think we'll roll the dice at 4. This could all change over the next couple of years based on the experiences of others. But I think several others are in this same boat.

[Anonymous]

In-boundary Brent families can also try to lottery into the fairly high SES friendly MS programs at Two Rivers, CMI, IT, SH, Hardy and DCI and there are some good independent schools within 10 miles, mostly Catholic, charging tuition is in the teens or low 20s. School commutes would be a hassle and situations not ideal socially, away from Brent friends of many years. But if you really want to stay in the community, these days, you can generally make MS work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent's ELA scores are better. Most Brent students come from language-rich homes.

If Brent parents were in a position to discuss the issues openly, without risking being slammed for their racist views, some would concede that their qualms about sending their children to JA are rooted as much in social and class concerns as misgivings about academics. A somebody who's worked in SW housing projects, I won't put my child in ms classes where low-income local kids are the majority. Too many behavioral issues in the mix, along with profanity, functionally illiterate parents, broken families, violence and drug abuse. Childhood should be breezy and enjoyable, like Brent.

At the JA open house I attended, I heard a lot about prescribed disciplinary practices, and little about creative projects, student-directed research, field trips, participating in ms competitions (spelling and geography bees, science competitions, math olympiads, chess tournaments etc.), foreign language instruction, robotics, a performing arts program etc. etc.

I'm not sure what that would do. So you get to say you are concerned that your child won't get the resources they need to be successful. Ok, how does stating that fact in open help move the ball forward? We do live in Washington DC.

JA will attract more IB student going forward so we will see how this all goes. Those of you who already have kids in MS, congrats. Those of us with younger kids will be left with the choice of literally winning the lottery for Latin, drop $30K for private, moving, or going to JA. We aren't going to be able to count on 1, can't afford 2, don't want to do 3, so I think we'll roll the dice at 4. This could all change over the next couple of years based on the experiences of others. But I think several others are in this same boat.

BASIS is another option, and Latin will likely open a second campus the younger Brent kids might have access to by 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent's ELA scores are better. Most Brent students come from language-rich homes.

If Brent parents were in a position to discuss the issues openly, without risking being slammed for their racist views, some would concede that their qualms about sending their children to JA are rooted as much in social and class concerns as misgivings about academics. A somebody who's worked in SW housing projects, I won't put my child in ms classes where low-income local kids are the majority. Too many behavioral issues in the mix, along with profanity, functionally illiterate parents, broken families, violence and drug abuse. Childhood should be breezy and enjoyable, like Brent.

At the JA open house I attended, I heard a lot about prescribed disciplinary practices, and little about creative projects, student-directed research, field trips, participating in ms competitions (spelling and geography bees, science competitions, math olympiads, chess tournaments etc.), foreign language instruction, robotics, a performing arts program etc. etc.

Hmm... I'm not sure my childhood was appropriately breezy.

[Anonymous]

Or mine, but I've set my sights on a happier outcome for my children.

The SW housing projects are tougher places to grow up than the Brent parents setting their sights on Jefferson Academy seem to understand. If you haven't worked in that community, the harsh realities of childhoods spent there can be something of an abstraction, even from your row house just a mile north.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or mine, but I've set my sights on a happier outcome for my children.

The SW housing projects are tougher places to grow up than the Brent parents setting their sights on Jefferson Academy seem to understand. If you haven't worked in that community, the harsh realities of childhoods spent there can be something of an abstraction, even from your row house just a mile north.

It's not like ALL the kids at JA come from the "housing projects." SW is bigger than that. I know some lovely families living there and planning to attend the public schools (some will be 2nd Generation Jefferson students.) But at the same time, I do agree with one thing that you're saying: it's naive and harmful for wealthy DC to ignore the yawning income gap in DC, then be so "shocked!!" when they find out about it when they have to share public resources with those families. Surprise: poor people get shafted in the US! I don't think denial is really useful and probably leads to a boomerang segregation/racism effect.

[Anonymous]

If DCPS showed competence and leadership and employed top-notch educators and administrators to implement well thought-out programs I would not for a minute hesitate to "share public resources" with families from lower economic brackets.

The problem is that DCPS is inept and untrustworthy and hampered by subterranean political realities. Schools that succeeed in the system do so in spite of base-level dysfunction.

No way am I putting my kids in the way of educational disaster when success relies on working around the abysmal system of the shared public resource rather than that system being equipped to offer success to ALL students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DCPS showed competence and leadership and employed top-notch educators and administrators to implement well thought-out programs I would not for a minute hesitate to "share public resources" with families from lower economic brackets.

The problem is that DCPS is inept and untrustworthy and hampered by subterranean political realities. Schools that succeeed in the system do so in spite of base-level dysfunction.

No way am I putting my kids in the way of educational disaster when success relies on working around the abysmal system of the shared public resource rather than that system being equipped to offer success to ALL students

You are misinformed, ridiculous, and worst of all, probably a fan of President Trump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DCPS showed competence and leadership and employed top-notch educators and administrators to implement well thought-out programs I would not for a minute hesitate to "share public resources" with families from lower economic brackets.

The problem is that DCPS is inept and untrustworthy and hampered by subterranean political realities. Schools that succeeed in the system do so in spite of base-level dysfunction.

No way am I putting my kids in the way of educational disaster when success relies on working around the abysmal system of the shared public resource rather than that system being equipped to offer success to ALL students

+100. However, offering success to ALL students is obviously impossible absent a fix for multigenerational poverty. DCPS can't effect that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If DCPS showed competence and leadership and employed top-notch educators and administrators to implement well thought-out programs I would not for a minute hesitate to "share public resources" with families from lower economic brackets.

The problem is that DCPS is inept and untrustworthy and hampered by subterranean political realities. Schools that succeeed in the system do so in spite of base-level dysfunction.

No way am I putting my kids in the way of educational disaster when success relies on working around the abysmal system of the shared public resource rather than that system being equipped to offer success to ALL students

\

We certainly aren't getting our fair share of the sharing for our tax dollars past elementary school. I'll give you that.

[Anonymous]

JA is an absolute mess and the mess is well hidden by DCPS. Children can't read, teachers have no classroom management, the leadership is well connected to central office in the form of the area superintendent who ruled JA a tyrant and got away with it cause she was personal friends with the former chancellors. The staff turnover is ridiculously high. In seven years, they've had more than 60 teaches and staff leave!! No continuity. They had a doctorate level teacher working as the 8th grade teacher whom N.G. excesses her only for Deal to quickly scoop her up! The current principal is a N.G. blind follower and neither can move overall achievement and growth. The few teachers that remain are young and doing their community service for loan forgiveness and will be leaving as soon as they put their time in as well. The only way this school will succeed is if they stop hiring and rating people H.E. because they are drunken drinking buddies (troll their social media sites for proof) and actually keep good teachers and staff regardless of personal feelings; stop teaching to the test; and hire some veteran old school teachers with proven teaching skills; brighten that dark dreary place up; STOP MAKING M.S. kids walk in a straight line like they are in prison or elementary school; stop the union busting; stop making teachers work until 5pm with an expectation to come in early the next day three out of five days; TEACH THE common core CURRICULM; stop the double blocks (kids brains are fried with 90 straight minutes of math and ELA); offer a TRUE HISTORY AND SCIENCE CURRICULUM (what is a damn humanities block)!!! When these things begin occurring, you may begin to see enrollment from Brent families and Thompson families (who are TOLD JA is a BAD School). Until then, I wouldn't send my enemies' child to JA! Not a Devos fan but she got that one right!!!