Getting the GDS mojo back

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work.

p
GDS HS parent here. I believe this statement is correct, and that GDS admin was stunned that there could be racism when there is so much focus on diversity. I've been a GDS parent for many years, and I always felt that their approach to diversity was focused on AA and LGBTQ at the expense of understanding it in broader terms of basic humanity, empathy for anyone facing challenges. My kid tells me it's important to focus on structural injustice because it is the worst. But I believe injustice starts at a more basic level with unkindness, and grows from there.
There is far less bitchiness and bullying at the HS than there are at most schools (or at least at my high school) and that may be why the admin was caught off guard by how racism could be a problem. But I also think the reaction of the school (to the discovery that some students experienced bias and worse at school) was immediate and soul-searching and my high-schooler learned a hell of a lot about society during that week of school-wide focus on the problem (though the academic setback that week took a toll.)

Another GDS HS parent with a slightly different perspective. Judging from DC's experience and my own, there seemed to be lots of soul-searching among the kids. But the Adm's immediate response was denial and damage control. (No clear sense of where the teachers were in all this -- distraught and blind-sided were certainly in the mix.). Under pressure, the Adm was pushed to address what had happened, but still seems surprisingly incurious about why. For a school that stresses the institutional nature of racism, there's very little interest or will in thinking structurally about what happened. The default move is blame Trump (aka the outside world) and re-educate the parents.

FWIW, I'm somewhere in the middle on the institutional vs. personal aspects of injustice. It's both. I sometimes think GDS focuses more on identity than either.

[Anonymous]

For GDS to move forward, it needs to focus

Resolve the real estate issue in the next six months
Restore institutional leadership on social issues by September. School can not start as it ended.
Focus on schools current needs rather than a reputational competition with other schools

[Anonymous]

Sounds reasonable!

[Anonymous]

Though it probably precludes some development strategies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Though it probably precludes some development strategies.

So it does. GDS needs to re-focus on being Georgetown Day School and give up being the facilitator for the Greedy Developer Scheme.

[Anonymous]

The Washington Post first reported the GDS real estate purchase on June 5, 2014.

At the time, GDS said that it would take five to seven years to plan and construct the project. I'm not sure they have fallen behind schedule based on that time frame.

"Getting city and neighborhood buy-in for changes to the corridor now falls to Georgetown Day officials, who said they will solicit input from parents and alumni as well as the broader Tenleytown community as they formulate plans. They estimate that it will take five to seven years to plan for and develop the properties.

“It’s part of the culture of GDS to be inclusive and work through things in a collaborative manner,” said Michael Gottdenker, president of the school’s board of trustees. “In this case I think that will serve us quite well. We fully intend to engage with our neighbors and the GDS community itself.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work.

p
GDS HS parent here. I believe this statement is correct, and that GDS admin was stunned that there could be racism when there is so much focus on diversity. I've been a GDS parent for many years, and I always felt that their approach to diversity was focused on AA and LGBTQ at the expense of understanding it in broader terms of basic humanity, empathy for anyone facing challenges. My kid tells me it's important to focus on structural injustice because it is the worst. But I believe injustice starts at a more basic level with unkindness, and grows from there.
There is far less bitchiness and bullying at the HS than there are at most schools (or at least at my high school) and that may be why the admin was caught off guard by how racism could be a problem. But I also think the reaction of the school (to the discovery that some students experienced bias and worse at school) was immediate and soul-searching and my high-schooler learned a hell of a lot about society during that week of school-wide focus on the problem (though the academic setback that week took a toll.)

GDS parent. You are not a minority. That was not the experience of URM at GDS. They complained to deaf ears for years and then were badly shaken by the events of this spring. This spring was not healing, good or a growth experience for many URM students. It was PAINFUL and it is unfortunate .that you and the admin do not recognize the children's pain.

[Anonymous]

GDS needs a change. The first thing they should do is persuade the crony developers to step out of school governance. The verdict is still open on the head of school.

[Anonymous]

I live very close to GDS HS. I get annoyed when GDS says they are a good neighbor and always give back to the community.
We have lived 3 blocks away for 10 yrs and have never seen them do one thing for the community.
They never let the public schools use their facilities. AU on the other hand often let's Janney use their fields.
They have events that they invite the community to. GDS is like a fortress, it may as well be gated and locked as the neighborhood is allowed zero interaction with the school. Not sure why I should go out of my way to support their expansion plan as I'm sure it will bring us more traffic and zero benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think GDS is learning that talk is cheap. You can talk all you want about diversity and inclusion -- both the worthiest of goals -- but making it happen requires more than talk. It is hard work.

p
GDS HS parent here. I believe this statement is correct, and that GDS admin was stunned that there could be racism when there is so much focus on diversity. I've been a GDS parent for many years, and I always felt that their approach to diversity was focused on AA and LGBTQ at the expense of understanding it in broader terms of basic humanity, empathy for anyone facing challenges. My kid tells me it's important to focus on structural injustice because it is the worst. But I believe injustice starts at a more basic level with unkindness, and grows from there.
There is far less bitchiness and bullying at the HS than there are at most schools (or at least at my high school) and that may be why the admin was caught off guard by how racism could be a problem. But I also think the reaction of the school (to the discovery that some students experienced bias and worse at school) was immediate and soul-searching and my high-schooler learned a hell of a lot about society during that week of school-wide focus on the problem (though the academic setback that week took a toll.)

GDS parent. You are not a minority. That was not the experience of URM at GDS. They complained to deaf ears for years and then were badly shaken by the events of this spring. This spring was not healing, good or a growth experience for many URM students. It was PAINFUL and it is unfortunate .that you and the admin do not recognize the children's pain.

Point well taken. What do you think needs to happen to get GDS back on track?

[Anonymous]

GDS needs to do actual self examination and stop treating all students and parents badly when issues are raised. Complaints are routinely dismissed or swept under the carpet. The place is run by a cabal where the admin and staff have blind faith in one another and the mission. No one exams issues prior to them becoming a crisis so issues fester and erupt. Those who complain are punished or considered difficult and undesirable. GDS could get back on track if it had tolerance and understanding for individuals not part of the GDS Cabal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For GDS to move forward, it needs to focus

Resolve the real estate issue in the next six months
Restore institutional leadership on social issues by September. School can not start as it ended.
Focus on schools current needs rather than a reputational competition with other schools

=1. GDS needs to get rid of the real estate albatross ASAP. It's not their core competency, and they need to concentrate on addressing the school issues. Seeing the head of school and his leadership team pitching the PUD in public forums reminds me of the people who buy "The Art of the Deal" and attend a Trump University seminar and then try to act like big time real estate players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For GDS to move forward, it needs to focus

Resolve the real estate issue in the next six months
Restore institutional leadership on social issues by September. School can not start as it ended.
Focus on schools current needs rather than a reputational competition with other schools

=1. GDS needs to get rid of the real estate albatross ASAP. It's not their core competency, and they need to concentrate on addressing the school issues. Seeing the head of school and his leadership team pitching the PUD in public forums reminds me of the people who buy "The Art of the Deal" and attend a Trump University seminar and then try to act like big time real estate players.

Agree with this somewhat. I agree that GDS needs to focus on its core competency--providing an exemplary education to children with a strong social justice mission. I think the idea of going into commercial real estate, even if to fuel scholarships, is one step too far removed from its core mission. I don't think that GDS needs to abandon its property--or its leadership--but it does need to think about a way of using that real estate in a way that ties in *directly* to its core constituency--students, faculty, staff, parents, and alum. I think that makes the most sense to its stakeholders to abandon the idea of becoming commercial real estate developers, and to think about how to use this valuable land to make GDS a better facility.

[Anonymous]

Who knows whether any of the self-described GDS parents are actually GDS parents, so I won't claim to be one. But if I was a GDS parent, all I would care is the quality of the education my child was receiving. From all the evidence I see and where GDS grads go to college, there is nothing wrong with the quality of education for the high achievers. Maybe it is not a great place for those that aren't really academically or intellectually oriented. And I would be thrilled that the school was looking ahead to improve its campus and develop alternative income sources to help keep down tuition growth. Strikes me as far-sighted thinking.

[Anonymous]

If you are a GDS parent it's pretty easy to recognize which posters are GDS parents (vs. neighbors who are aggrieved about the development project or smart growthers or trolls or DCUM posters whose kids go to school elsewhere -- all present on this thread).

As a GDS parent, my primary concern is the quality of the education the school provides. But the metric for that isn't college admissions. And, actually, the parents I know who are most upset about the state of the school have kids who are very academically-oriented and -successful.

Re alternative income sources. There's far-sighted and there's delusional. The revenue from a land lease on a building with 250 apartments isn't going to lower/contain the tuition costs for 1200 students plus provide additional financial aid revenue.