Greater Greater Washington story on school enrollment growth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where does the Chancellor send his kid(s)? Not sure I remember hearing.

Washington International School - See last sentence of WaPo story posted at 13:01.

We replaced someone who jumped the line to get his daughter into Wilson for someone with 2 kids who opts out of DC schools (charter or public) altogether.

The DME is different from the Chancellor. The DME reports to the Mayor and the Chancellor reports to the DME.

IMHO, I think the Mayor should be able to pick the Chancellor. But then after that, the Chancellor should be completely independent and report only to the City Council. This is similar to how "independent agencies" in the Federal government are structured. I hate that the Mayor can lean on the Chancellor and threaten to fire them if they don't stick to her political goals.

A Chancellor needs to make difficult decisions independent of a Mayor who is just worried about re-election. I'd like to see more independence in the role.

Except the Council doesn't really want that responsibility. They know it is a lose-lose

Sadly, I agree with you. But I think our Council really needs to grow more of a backbone and exercise oversight authority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a lottery only system for high school? Students can apply to a special focus program or one of 4 comprehensive high schools.

High school students can travel independently -- most do already.

Turn Wilson into a middle/elementary school to deal with WOTP crowding.

No, but thanks. The kids that drive Wilson's moderately successful test scores won't stick around hoping to lottery into a decent program. We certainly wouldn't have.

I remember saying this to the former deputy mayor for education, and she seemed really non-plussed by the idea that the parents that DCPS wants actually have choices and won't accept uncertainty. Although I'm sure she must have heard the same thing dozens of times before, she acted like she hadn't.

You are in the minority. 75% of all students in DC are not in their IB school. And the numbers are even higher for high school given the number of application school students.

More importantly, the city frankly doesn't care if a few thousand families IB for Wilson leave any more than they would care if I left my EOTP house due to school choices I didn't like. There are plenty of people who will buy both our homes and the city will make money on the transaction fees.

The metric you are citing just isn't one that matters to the city.

NP, I'm a charter parent right now but I would strongly oppose an all-lottery system. Because of what happened with equity and segregation in San Francisco, and because I like the idea that I know what my worst-case scenario is, and have an option within a reasonable distance from home if at any time I want to leave our charter. Just because someone is a charter school parent does not mean they don't care about their IB school.

Same here. We're leaving our charter in the fall to go to our ok-but-not-great IB DCPS school in the Fall. Already enrolled at our DCPS. We bought in this area knowing we might want to leave our charter, and that the DCPS elementary is good enough and feeds to Deal and Wilson which was our main goal. We decided our HRC isn't worth the commute so we're going to our DCPS. I wouldn't even live in DC if I couldn't control our in boundary schools and commute. Going to an all lottery system would send DC right back to the 80's with UMC flight to the suburbs once kids are school aged. While DCPS progress hasn't been as swift as some may like, there has been some progress, largely due to parents investing in their neighborhood schools. This would just undo it all. I hope I'm not wrong, but I think DCPS wouldn't want to trash the progress they've made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a lottery only system for high school? Students can apply to a special focus program or one of 4 comprehensive high schools.

High school students can travel independently -- most do already.

Turn Wilson into a middle/elementary school to deal with WOTP crowding.

No, but thanks. The kids that drive Wilson's moderately successful test scores won't stick around hoping to lottery into a decent program. We certainly wouldn't have.

I remember saying this to the former deputy mayor for education, and she seemed really non-plussed by the idea that the parents that DCPS wants actually have choices and won't accept uncertainty. Although I'm sure she must have heard the same thing dozens of times before, she acted like she hadn't.

You are in the minority. 75% of all students in DC are not in their IB school. And the numbers are even higher for high school given the number of application school students.

More importantly, the city frankly doesn't care if a few thousand families IB for Wilson leave any more than they would care if I left my EOTP house due to school choices I didn't like. There are plenty of people who will buy both our homes and the city will make money on the transaction fees.

The metric you are citing just isn't one that matters to the city.

NP, I'm a charter parent right now but I would strongly oppose an all-lottery system. Because of what happened with equity and segregation in San Francisco, and because I like the idea that I know what my worst-case scenario is, and have an option within a reasonable distance from home if at any time I want to leave our charter. Just because someone is a charter school parent does not mean they don't care about their IB school.

Same here. We're leaving our charter in the fall to go to our ok-but-not-great IB DCPS school in the Fall. Already enrolled at our DCPS. We bought in this area knowing we might want to leave our charter, and that the DCPS elementary is good enough and feeds to Deal and Wilson which was our main goal. We decided our HRC isn't worth the commute so we're going to our DCPS. I wouldn't even live in DC if I couldn't control our in boundary schools and commute. Going to an all lottery system would send DC right back to the 80's with UMC flight to the suburbs once kids are school aged. While DCPS progress hasn't been as swift as some may like, there has been some progress, largely due to parents investing in their neighborhood schools. This would just undo it all. I hope I'm not wrong, but I think DCPS wouldn't want to trash the progress they've made.

I think quite a people in DCPS see the community investment and think that they need to "spread the love" to other areas. That somehow destroying the cohorts and sense of community in the currently desirable schools will make DCPS more equitable.

Newsflash: it won't. Those communities are built - more than anything - by time commitments. Money helps, but it doesn't replace the time and effort of parents to volunteer at the school, work on the PTA, and be actively engaged with their kids' education on a daily basis. No amount of money can solve those issues.

I'm fine paying more in taxes to make other DC schools better and to get them more resources, smaller classes, more wrap-around services, etc. But if DCPS smoking some strong stuff if they think those engaged parents will remain if you take away their neighborhood school. The entire point of buying my house was so I could walk my son to elementary school everyday and grab a bus to the office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If commuting across the city is fine, then let Wilson kids commute to other schools.

Who says commuting across the city is fine?!

I get that a lot of kids choose to do it, but a lot don’t.

We live where we do to minimize our commutes. I would move out of DC if my kids had to commute across the city.

Same here. There are some very jealous posters on this site who would love to see us lose what they don't have.

[Anonymous]

Going to an all lottery system would also seriously upend the real estate market. People who are paying $1M for these postage stamp houses in prime Wilson feeder areas will all be having heart palpitations as they watch their property values bottom out.

[Anonymous]

I'm a listed member of the Keep Old Hardy Public Campaign. My kids go to DCPS. Just scanning the list, the overwhelming majority of signatories are either in DCPS currently or no longer have school-age kids. Contacts through the DCPS schools is how the coalition formed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going to an all lottery system would also seriously upend the real estate market. People who are paying $1M for these postage stamp houses in prime Wilson feeder areas will all be having heart palpitations as they watch their property values bottom out.

Their property values won’t tank. Property values are high because property inside the Beltway, close to Metro is in demand. But there are plenty of $1M+ postage stamp townhouses all over the city, even where schools suck and there is no expectation of improvement any time soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of GGW's stated goals is to get people out of single-occupancy vehicles in DC. Someone tell me how a citywide lottery could possibly advance that goal? DC isn't about to purchase the fleet of school buses that would be needed, leaving parents in such a scenario to rely upon WMATA -- have fun with that -- or (more likely) their own cars.

It's one of a billion reasons a citywide lottery is a non-starter. Wish GGW would admit that.

Nick here.

The article is my words and doesn't reflect any "official" GGW position. Please read what I wrote. I'm not advocating for an all-lottery system. Far from it. My intent in writing the article was to ring the alarm that if the city doesn't start going in a different direction from where it is currently headed, a neighborhood-based school system may not be sustainable.

Um, but DC already doesn't have a neighborhood-based system. It seems like the quasi-free market we have here with charter schools will solve the issue. Also, you may be underestimating the degree to which parents are willing to pack into schools they consider "good" (eg Lafayette and Deal). It's pretty clear what parents' revealed preferences are: they value whiter, higher SES schools more than they value class size.

If parents *truly* prioritized class size/overcrowding, then they'd be jumping up to fight for re-districting. But we all know why they aren't, and we all know why they aren't.

And yet those same parents are embracing Hardy. But why? It can't be because they are as racist as you say.

Is it really "those same parents" though? I mean, you can't have it both ways: Cassandra about overcrowding, yet claim that there is some reason (other than racism) that people just REFUSE to consider redistricting. Put up or shut up: if you refuse to consider moving your kid to an underenrolled school, then you can't complain about overcrowding. So to the extend that Hardy parents were willing to put their money where their mouths were -- good for them. more people should do the same.

Let's say a kid live in Kent or Palisades. You really think that kid should have to travel to Ward 6 to attend HS? We have to remember that many parts of this city have essentially very limited public transportation, especially in the western half of the city. A kid in the Palisades needs to take a bus to Foggy Bottom and then take two train lines to attend Eastern or Dunbar? That's nuts.

The fact of the matter is that the west side of DC needs another HS. The Mayor won't even entertain it due to racial optics and political pandering, which is a completely irrational policy position. Sending a kid from the west side of DC to fill the empty seats at Ballou, Anacostia, or Woodson is not the solution. It's the pinnacle of insanity.

This. It's disgusting that some segments aren't being served because they're majority white. Also, it's one thing to put your kid on a bus across town to go to the higher performing school. UMC parents won't consider putting them on a bus to go to a low performing school. These families will just leave the city and then there won't be ANY good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Going to an all lottery system would also seriously upend the real estate market. People who are paying $1M for these postage stamp houses in prime Wilson feeder areas will all be having heart palpitations as they watch their property values bottom out.

Their property values won’t tank. Property values are high because property inside the Beltway, close to Metro is in demand. But there are plenty of $1M+ postage stamp townhouses all over the city, even where schools suck and there is no expectation of improvement any time soon.

lol nope why isn't EOTR more expensive

what is happening is gentrification and associated price increases are moving from West to East across the city and yes in some places people are paying in advance when neighborhood schools are still bad. Within 5-10 years the schools start to flip starting at the elementary school level

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of GGW's stated goals is to get people out of single-occupancy vehicles in DC. Someone tell me how a citywide lottery could possibly advance that goal? DC isn't about to purchase the fleet of school buses that would be needed, leaving parents in such a scenario to rely upon WMATA -- have fun with that -- or (more likely) their own cars.

It's one of a billion reasons a citywide lottery is a non-starter. Wish GGW would admit that.

Nick here.

The article is my words and doesn't reflect any "official" GGW position. Please read what I wrote. I'm not advocating for an all-lottery system. Far from it. My intent in writing the article was to ring the alarm that if the city doesn't start going in a different direction from where it is currently headed, a neighborhood-based school system may not be sustainable.

Um, but DC already doesn't have a neighborhood-based system. It seems like the quasi-free market we have here with charter schools will solve the issue. Also, you may be underestimating the degree to which parents are willing to pack into schools they consider "good" (eg Lafayette and Deal). It's pretty clear what parents' revealed preferences are: they value whiter, higher SES schools more than they value class size.

If parents *truly* prioritized class size/overcrowding, then they'd be jumping up to fight for re-districting. But we all know why they aren't, and we all know why they aren't.

And yet those same parents are embracing Hardy. But why? It can't be because they are as racist as you say.

Is it really "those same parents" though? I mean, you can't have it both ways: Cassandra about overcrowding, yet claim that there is some reason (other than racism) that people just REFUSE to consider redistricting. Put up or shut up: if you refuse to consider moving your kid to an underenrolled school, then you can't complain about overcrowding. So to the extend that Hardy parents were willing to put their money where their mouths were -- good for them. more people should do the same.

Let's say a kid live in Kent or Palisades. You really think that kid should have to travel to Ward 6 to attend HS? We have to remember that many parts of this city have essentially very limited public transportation, especially in the western half of the city. A kid in the Palisades needs to take a bus to Foggy Bottom and then take two train lines to attend Eastern or Dunbar? That's nuts.

The fact of the matter is that the west side of DC needs another HS. The Mayor won't even entertain it due to racial optics and political pandering, which is a completely irrational policy position. Sending a kid from the west side of DC to fill the empty seats at Ballou, Anacostia, or Woodson is not the solution. It's the pinnacle of insanity.

This. It's disgusting that some segments aren't being served because they're majority white. Also, it's one thing to put your kid on a bus across town to go to the higher performing school. UMC parents won't consider putting them on a bus to go to a low performing school. These families will just leave the city and then there won't be ANY good schools.

You ARE being served. It is perhaps, in the future, going to be more crowded that you wish. No one cares if you leave or not, BTW. Wilson isn't that good. Banneker, Walls -- which are far better -- will continue to be strong, even without you. And in terms of teh city's school reputation, ES doesn't matter. HS does.

[Anonymous]

Ha. Only on DCUM do you get heads nodding to "in DCPS white people aren't getting served."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about a lottery only system for high school? Students can apply to a special focus program or one of 4 comprehensive high schools.

High school students can travel independently -- most do already.

Turn Wilson into a middle/elementary school to deal with WOTP crowding.

No, but thanks. The kids that drive Wilson's moderately successful test scores won't stick around hoping to lottery into a decent program. We certainly wouldn't have.

I remember saying this to the former deputy mayor for education, and she seemed really non-plussed by the idea that the parents that DCPS wants actually have choices and won't accept uncertainty. Although I'm sure she must have heard the same thing dozens of times before, she acted like she hadn't.

You are in the minority. 75% of all students in DC are not in their IB school. And the numbers are even higher for high school given the number of application school students.

More importantly, the city frankly doesn't care if a few thousand families IB for Wilson leave any more than they would care if I left my EOTP house due to school choices I didn't like. There are plenty of people who will buy both our homes and the city will make money on the transaction fees.

The metric you are citing just isn't one that matters to the city.

NP, I'm a charter parent right now but I would strongly oppose an all-lottery system. Because of what happened with equity and segregation in San Francisco, and because I like the idea that I know what my worst-case scenario is, and have an option within a reasonable distance from home if at any time I want to leave our charter. Just because someone is a charter school parent does not mean they don't care about their IB school.

Same here. We're leaving our charter in the fall to go to our ok-but-not-great IB DCPS school in the Fall. Already enrolled at our DCPS. We bought in this area knowing we might want to leave our charter, and that the DCPS elementary is good enough and feeds to Deal and Wilson which was our main goal. We decided our HRC isn't worth the commute so we're going to our DCPS. I wouldn't even live in DC if I couldn't control our in boundary schools and commute. Going to an all lottery system would send DC right back to the 80's with UMC flight to the suburbs once kids are school aged. While DCPS progress hasn't been as swift as some may like, there has been some progress, largely due to parents investing in their neighborhood schools. This would just undo it all. I hope I'm not wrong, but I think DCPS wouldn't want to trash the progress they've made.

I think quite a people in DCPS see the community investment and think that they need to "spread the love" to other areas. That somehow destroying the cohorts and sense of community in the currently desirable schools will make DCPS more equitable.

Newsflash: it won't. Those communities are built - more than anything - by time commitments. Money helps, but it doesn't replace the time and effort of parents to volunteer at the school, work on the PTA, and be actively engaged with their kids' education on a daily basis. No amount of money can solve those issues.

I'm fine paying more in taxes to make other DC schools better and to get them more resources, smaller classes, more wrap-around services, etc. But if DCPS smoking some strong stuff if they think those engaged parents will remain if you take away their neighborhood school. The entire point of buying my house was so I could walk my son to elementary school everyday and grab a bus to the office.

I completely agree with you.

[Anonymous]

I wish there were easy fixes to the DC schools' issues.
But there aren't any more than there are easy fixes to racism and poverty.

I also wish that the DC City Council was, at this point, closer to rooting out corruption from our city government. And closer to establishing a culture of respect for rule of law themselves.

I wish that they could see improving education for ALL children rather than just focusing on closing the education gap.

I wish that we could demand the kind of magnet programs that would lead parents to WANT to cross the river so that their kids could get an excellent education.

I wish that our leaders could see attracting and keeping privileged FAMILIES in DC as equally important as keeping wealthy single people in DC.

Now I feel like I'm singing Kumbayah. If wishes were horses....

[Anonymous]

It’s rather ironic that GGW seems to be advocating a move away from a neighborhood-based school system. I thougjt they were all about walkable neighborhoods and reducing the role of the automobile. A complete lottery system would undercut these goals.

Or perhaps GGW’s walkable, green rhetoric is just that - just empty talking points to advance their pro-Big Develoment agenda.

[Anonymous]

DC has historically been hostile to application magnet schools because they perceive them as non-egalitarian, disproportionately attracting students who aren’t African-American, etc. They are very hostile to the notion of a Thomas Jefferson HS in the District.