Upper elementary at a Title 1 school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

Drive them where though? They’re not going to Bethesda or Ward 3, they’re going to a charter that also has issues and possibly even lower test scores. Plenty of families at JKLM schools can handle DCPS, and not all EOTP schools are dysfunctional. Why would someone choose Cap City over Whittier? Or Lee over West? Or MV over Bruce Monroe? You’re trading one set of issues for another, not avoiding issues by opting into some significantly better option. So why do people choose those schools then, if not for the demographics? Honest question because I truly don’t understand what these “best choices for my family” decisions are based on.

For some of those the answer is the middle school/high school path.

I chose a charter school for my kid 10 years ago. Our local ES has changed overwhelmingly for the better in those 10 years. Our local middle and high schools, not so much.

This. And for the programming. But try reviewing the thread and you'll see there are many reasons listed. Such as avoiding the dysfunctionality of DCPS central office.

Last year, many a DC parent would have taken the "dysfunctionality of DCPS central office" that came with an open elementary school, at least for hybrid, over their closed charter. We have friends in DCPS with kids without special needs who went back full-time from November. Meanwhile, many charters didn't reopen for one day even for the youngest kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

Drive them where though? They’re not going to Bethesda or Ward 3, they’re going to a charter that also has issues and possibly even lower test scores. Plenty of families at JKLM schools can handle DCPS, and not all EOTP schools are dysfunctional. Why would someone choose Cap City over Whittier? Or Lee over West? Or MV over Bruce Monroe? You’re trading one set of issues for another, not avoiding issues by opting into some significantly better option. So why do people choose those schools then, if not for the demographics? Honest question because I truly don’t understand what these “best choices for my family” decisions are based on.

For some of those the answer is the middle school/high school path.

I chose a charter school for my kid 10 years ago. Our local ES has changed overwhelmingly for the better in those 10 years. Our local middle and high schools, not so much.

This. And for the programming. But try reviewing the thread and you'll see there are many reasons listed. Such as avoiding the dysfunctionality of DCPS central office.

Last year, many a DC parent would have taken the "dysfunctionality of DCPS central office" that came with an open elementary school, at least for hybrid, over their closed charter. We have friends in DCPS with kids without special needs who went back full-time from November. Meanwhile, many charters didn't reopen for one day even for the youngest kids.

Sure. I felt the same, this year. But that doesn't make up for decades of DCPS being a screwed up, incompetent, vindictive, corrupt mess. Honestly one of the reasons we left our DCPS is because I did so much PTA stuff that I got a view into what goes on with downtown, and it was horrifying. Took away the hope that I had for our school.

[Anonymous]

One of the ironies of using white as a proxy for high SES is that there are some white people in DC who are not high SES.

As one of those families (HHI under 100k before this year, now slightly over), it’s tricky because while we obviously want our kid to get a good education, we are somewhat wary of schools where most of the white and Asian kids, plus many of the black kids, have what we consider to be wealthy parents. We love involved families, but are wary of a parent community that is going to make a lot of assumptions about what individual families can or should be able to afford/contribute. We run into this in DC a lot— fellow parents who assume everyone has the same ability to pay for food, activities, etc.

We are at a Title 1 now and really like it. It has a very involved parent community, lots of loyal families who stick with the school all the way through with multiple kids. One thing I really appreciate about it is that it feels like there are lots of families in our income bracket— middle class families in a budget who want what is best for their kids but do not belong to a financial category where stuff like tutors, tons of supplementing, etc. will be assumed. There are also some high SES families in the early grades, but they mostly leave by 2nd grade or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the ironies of using white as a proxy for high SES is that there are some white people in DC who are not high SES.

As one of those families (HHI under 100k before this year, now slightly over), it’s tricky because while we obviously want our kid to get a good education, we are somewhat wary of schools where most of the white and Asian kids, plus many of the black kids, have what we consider to be wealthy parents. We love involved families, but are wary of a parent community that is going to make a lot of assumptions about what individual families can or should be able to afford/contribute. We run into this in DC a lot— fellow parents who assume everyone has the same ability to pay for food, activities, etc.

We are at a Title 1 now and really like it. It has a very involved parent community, lots of loyal families who stick with the school all the way through with multiple kids. One thing I really appreciate about it is that it feels like there are lots of families in our income bracket— middle class families in a budget who want what is best for their kids but do not belong to a financial category where stuff like tutors, tons of supplementing, etc. will be assumed. There are also some high SES families in the early grades, but they mostly leave by 2nd grade or so.

You must be one of a handful of white people. I'm glad you've found your place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

Drive them where though? They’re not going to Bethesda or Ward 3, they’re going to a charter that also has issues and possibly even lower test scores. Plenty of families at JKLM schools can handle DCPS, and not all EOTP schools are dysfunctional. Why would someone choose Cap City over Whittier? Or Lee over West? Or MV over Bruce Monroe? You’re trading one set of issues for another, not avoiding issues by opting into some significantly better option. So why do people choose those schools then, if not for the demographics? Honest question because I truly don’t understand what these “best choices for my family” decisions are based on.

For some of those the answer is the middle school/high school path.

I chose a charter school for my kid 10 years ago. Our local ES has changed overwhelmingly for the better in those 10 years. Our local middle and high schools, not so much.

This. And for the programming. But try reviewing the thread and you'll see there are many reasons listed. Such as avoiding the dysfunctionality of DCPS central office.

Last year, many a DC parent would have taken the "dysfunctionality of DCPS central office" that came with an open elementary school, at least for hybrid, over their closed charter. We have friends in DCPS with kids without special needs who went back full-time from November. Meanwhile, many charters didn't reopen for one day even for the youngest kids.

Yes but this was not true of Title 1 schools. Our Title 1 offered fewer than 100 kids in person of any kind last year. Our friends at charters got more in person school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

Drive them where though? They’re not going to Bethesda or Ward 3, they’re going to a charter that also has issues and possibly even lower test scores. Plenty of families at JKLM schools can handle DCPS, and not all EOTP schools are dysfunctional. Why would someone choose Cap City over Whittier? Or Lee over West? Or MV over Bruce Monroe? You’re trading one set of issues for another, not avoiding issues by opting into some significantly better option. So why do people choose those schools then, if not for the demographics? Honest question because I truly don’t understand what these “best choices for my family” decisions are based on.

You’ve taken a deep dive into some anti-charter talking points—they are loud and they have an agenda that is not about your child. As a pp suggested, why don’t you listen carefully, with an open mind and no pre-formed assumptions. You are getting answers, they just don’t fit your narrative.

Many anti-charter talking points are valid. Most of the city’s charters don’t serve students any better than their neighborhood DCPS schools, and most of the ones that do have sizeable populations of UMC families. My kids attend a Title 1 DCPS and while I’m not a fan, at all, of Central Office, we love our school’s admin and are happy to support traditional public schools over semi-privatized education initiatives.

Hence why some (not all!) UMC families may reasonably prefer such charters, all things being equal. We should of course be willing to call out that charters don’t serve lower-SES kids any better than DCPS, but that’s not of practical concern to an UMC family (of any race) when deciding between comparable charters vs DCPS schools. At any rate, white (which is a crude proxy for UMC in DC) kids test about the same at all schools in DC, according to GreatSchools. Of course, some schools don’t have enough white kids to report disaggregated scores for white kids. In fact, many schools where most of the black kids are far below grade level, will have almost all white kids at grade level, and sizable chunks above grade level. So, once again, all things being (somewhat) equal, what is so objectionable about opting for a school with a critical mass of likely academic peers (which may only be 15-20% in some cases, so we aren’t necessarily talking about predominately high SES schools).

I think the assumption that UMC whites are academically and behaviorally better is what is wrong. I see them filling charters -- and the charters doing worse than DCPS in many cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

My point is that the OP who, after 6 whole weeks of Kindergarten thinks the only reason people avoid DCPS is racism, needs to get a clue.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

Drive them where though? They’re not going to Bethesda or Ward 3, they’re going to a charter that also has issues and possibly even lower test scores. Plenty of families at JKLM schools can handle DCPS, and not all EOTP schools are dysfunctional. Why would someone choose Cap City over Whittier? Or Lee over West? Or MV over Bruce Monroe? You’re trading one set of issues for another, not avoiding issues by opting into some significantly better option. So why do people choose those schools then, if not for the demographics? Honest question because I truly don’t understand what these “best choices for my family” decisions are based on.

You’ve taken a deep dive into some anti-charter talking points—they are loud and they have an agenda that is not about your child. As a pp suggested, why don’t you listen carefully, with an open mind and no pre-formed assumptions. You are getting answers, they just don’t fit your narrative.

Many anti-charter talking points are valid. Most of the city’s charters don’t serve students any better than their neighborhood DCPS schools, and most of the ones that do have sizeable populations of UMC families. My kids attend a Title 1 DCPS and while I’m not a fan, at all, of Central Office, we love our school’s admin and are happy to support traditional public schools over semi-privatized education initiatives.

Hence why some (not all!) UMC families may reasonably prefer such charters, all things being equal. We should of course be willing to call out that charters don’t serve lower-SES kids any better than DCPS, but that’s not of practical concern to an UMC family (of any race) when deciding between comparable charters vs DCPS schools. At any rate, white (which is a crude proxy for UMC in DC) kids test about the same at all schools in DC, according to GreatSchools. Of course, some schools don’t have enough white kids to report disaggregated scores for white kids. In fact, many schools where most of the black kids are far below grade level, will have almost all white kids at grade level, and sizable chunks above grade level. So, once again, all things being (somewhat) equal, what is so objectionable about opting for a school with a critical mass of likely academic peers (which may only be 15-20% in some cases, so we aren’t necessarily talking about predominately high SES schools).

I think the assumption that UMC whites are academically and behaviorally better is what is wrong. I see them filling charters -- and the charters doing worse than DCPS in many cases. [/quote]

I think it's wrong to assume anything about any particular individual, but it's just a fact that white kids as a group test better than black kids as a group, whether we're talking about charter or DCPS. This is one reason why some UMC black families are wary of schools that don't have a critical mass of UMC (or more likely just MC) black kids, lest their kids get viewed as part of "the group" toward which the school (and maybe even other kids/families) will have low expectations. White kids/families don't have to put up with that crap.

Of course, outside of a few no-excuses type charter schools, public schools themselves seem to have little impact on test scores -- much of that differential is already baked into the cake BEFORE kids even enter the school doors and then is exacerbated by the summer slide that impacts some populations, while other populations actually make academic GAINS during the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the ironies of using white as a proxy for high SES is that there are some white people in DC who are not high SES.

As one of those families (HHI under 100k before this year, now slightly over), it’s tricky because while we obviously want our kid to get a good education, we are somewhat wary of schools where most of the white and Asian kids, plus many of the black kids, have what we consider to be wealthy parents. We love involved families, but are wary of a parent community that is going to make a lot of assumptions about what individual families can or should be able to afford/contribute. We run into this in DC a lot— fellow parents who assume everyone has the same ability to pay for food, activities, etc.

We are at a Title 1 now and really like it. It has a very involved parent community, lots of loyal families who stick with the school all the way through with multiple kids. One thing I really appreciate about it is that it feels like there are lots of families in our income bracket— middle class families in a budget who want what is best for their kids but do not belong to a financial category where stuff like tutors, tons of supplementing, etc. will be assumed. There are also some high SES families in the early grades, but they mostly leave by 2nd grade or so.

Of course, there are some white families in DC that are not high-SES (by regional standards as least). But as a general matter, which is all that matters here, white folks in DC are among the most well-educated and well-off in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

My point is that the OP who, after 6 whole weeks of Kindergarten thinks the only reason people avoid DCPS is racism, needs to get a clue.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

OP here. That's not what I think at all. I think at OUR particular school and some others in our neighborhood, I think "demographics", i.e., racism, are a big reason why neighborhood families don't even consider their neighborhood schools. Not the only reason (e.g., middle school is a very reasonable concern, especially in upper elementary) and not the case for all Title 1 schools (I wouldn't send my child to a DCPS that was seriously underperforming either, particularly when there are other options through the lottery). And I'm not even speculating, I hear it from parents explicitly when they ask what school we're at, then immediately volunteer that "we couldn't stay at our DCPS because Larla would be the ONLY white child in her class after pre-K." Which of course assumes that even if true, all of the non-white kids are lower SES and/or not doing as well as Larla would be.

Anyways, this conversation has been interesting and I'm glad it's shifted back to a more respectful tone over the last few pages. I've worked a lot with DCPS and OSSE over the last few years, so central office is a known quantity for me. I'm not sure it's much better in MCPS or some charters, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions for what's deal-breaking intolerable or not. It's also interesting to compare the talk on threads about Ward 3 or 6 schools with the talk on this thread. Nobody is deal-breaking concerned about central office and values the walkability and neighborhood schools on those threads. As others have said, maybe we'll be singing a different tune by third grade, but judging by the number of kindergarten kids with siblings in upper grades, I'm not assuming that's going to be the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

My point is that the OP who, after 6 whole weeks of Kindergarten thinks the only reason people avoid DCPS is racism, needs to get a clue.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

OP here. That's not what I think at all. I think at OUR particular school and some others in our neighborhood, I think "demographics", i.e., racism, are a big reason why neighborhood families don't even consider their neighborhood schools. Not the only reason (e.g., middle school is a very reasonable concern, especially in upper elementary) and not the case for all Title 1 schools (I wouldn't send my child to a DCPS that was seriously underperforming either, particularly when there are other options through the lottery). And I'm not even speculating, I hear it from parents explicitly when they ask what school we're at, then immediately volunteer that "we couldn't stay at our DCPS because Larla would be the ONLY white child in her class after pre-K." Which of course assumes that even if true, all of the non-white kids are lower SES and/or not doing as well as Larla would be.

Anyways, this conversation has been interesting and I'm glad it's shifted back to a more respectful tone over the last few pages. I've worked a lot with DCPS and OSSE over the last few years, so central office is a known quantity for me. I'm not sure it's much better in MCPS or some charters, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions for what's deal-breaking intolerable or not. It's also interesting to compare the talk on threads about Ward 3 or 6 schools with the talk on this thread. Nobody is deal-breaking concerned about central office and values the walkability and neighborhood schools on those threads. As others have said, maybe we'll be singing a different tune by third grade, but judging by the number of kindergarten kids with siblings in upper grades, I'm not assuming that's going to be the case.

Ok, OP. But please understand, Ward 3 is basically allowed to run itself. Downtown treats it differently than it treats the rest of the schools. More respect, more autonomy, much less top-down. You can't look at that as an example of how downtown is going to treat your Title I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

My point is that the OP who, after 6 whole weeks of Kindergarten thinks the only reason people avoid DCPS is racism, needs to get a clue.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

OP here. That's not what I think at all. I think at OUR particular school and some others in our neighborhood, I think "demographics", i.e., racism, are a big reason why neighborhood families don't even consider their neighborhood schools. Not the only reason (e.g., middle school is a very reasonable concern, especially in upper elementary) and not the case for all Title 1 schools (I wouldn't send my child to a DCPS that was seriously underperforming either, particularly when there are other options through the lottery). And I'm not even speculating, I hear it from parents explicitly when they ask what school we're at, then immediately volunteer that "we couldn't stay at our DCPS because Larla would be the ONLY white child in her class after pre-K." Which of course assumes that even if true, all of the non-white kids are lower SES and/or not doing as well as Larla would be.

Anyways, this conversation has been interesting and I'm glad it's shifted back to a more respectful tone over the last few pages. I've worked a lot with DCPS and OSSE over the last few years, so central office is a known quantity for me. I'm not sure it's much better in MCPS or some charters, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions for what's deal-breaking intolerable or not. It's also interesting to compare the talk on threads about Ward 3 or 6 schools with the talk on this thread. Nobody is deal-breaking concerned about central office and values the walkability and neighborhood schools on those threads. As others have said, maybe we'll be singing a different tune by third grade, but judging by the number of kindergarten kids with siblings in upper grades, I'm not assuming that's going to be the case.

I would really love to know which school OP is at.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

My point is that the OP who, after 6 whole weeks of Kindergarten thinks the only reason people avoid DCPS is racism, needs to get a clue.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

OP here. That's not what I think at all. I think at OUR particular school and some others in our neighborhood, I think "demographics", i.e., racism, are a big reason why neighborhood families don't even consider their neighborhood schools. Not the only reason (e.g., middle school is a very reasonable concern, especially in upper elementary) and not the case for all Title 1 schools (I wouldn't send my child to a DCPS that was seriously underperforming either, particularly when there are other options through the lottery). And I'm not even speculating, I hear it from parents explicitly when they ask what school we're at, then immediately volunteer that "we couldn't stay at our DCPS because Larla would be the ONLY white child in her class after pre-K." Which of course assumes that even if true, all of the non-white kids are lower SES and/or not doing as well as Larla would be.

Anyways, this conversation has been interesting and I'm glad it's shifted back to a more respectful tone over the last few pages. I've worked a lot with DCPS and OSSE over the last few years, so central office is a known quantity for me. I'm not sure it's much better in MCPS or some charters, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions for what's deal-breaking intolerable or not. It's also interesting to compare the talk on threads about Ward 3 or 6 schools with the talk on this thread. Nobody is deal-breaking concerned about central office and values the walkability and neighborhood schools on those threads. As others have said, maybe we'll be singing a different tune by third grade, but judging by the number of kindergarten kids with siblings in upper grades, I'm not assuming that's going to be the case.

I would really love to know which school OP is at.

Me too. OP, please name a school, any school in DCPS, that is solid yet white people are ignoring it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more people try to say it’s racist and racism as the overwhelming reason why families leave poorly performing title 1 schools instead of acknowledging that there are many issues at these schools and the dysfunctional system that is DCPS, the more you will drive away all families.

Minority who grew up poor and been there.

What history shows is that if we ignore racism, or just don't talk about it then people will be less racist.

/sarcasm

Talk about it all you like. But DCPS's shortcomings are real too.

My point is that the OP who, after 6 whole weeks of Kindergarten thinks the only reason people avoid DCPS is racism, needs to get a clue.

Proponents of DCPS also seem like the loudest critics of it. What's your point? Both can be true.

OP here. That's not what I think at all. I think at OUR particular school and some others in our neighborhood, I think "demographics", i.e., racism, are a big reason why neighborhood families don't even consider their neighborhood schools. Not the only reason (e.g., middle school is a very reasonable concern, especially in upper elementary) and not the case for all Title 1 schools (I wouldn't send my child to a DCPS that was seriously underperforming either, particularly when there are other options through the lottery). And I'm not even speculating, I hear it from parents explicitly when they ask what school we're at, then immediately volunteer that "we couldn't stay at our DCPS because Larla would be the ONLY white child in her class after pre-K." Which of course assumes that even if true, all of the non-white kids are lower SES and/or not doing as well as Larla would be.

Anyways, this conversation has been interesting and I'm glad it's shifted back to a more respectful tone over the last few pages. I've worked a lot with DCPS and OSSE over the last few years, so central office is a known quantity for me. I'm not sure it's much better in MCPS or some charters, but everyone's entitled to their own opinions for what's deal-breaking intolerable or not. It's also interesting to compare the talk on threads about Ward 3 or 6 schools with the talk on this thread. Nobody is deal-breaking concerned about central office and values the walkability and neighborhood schools on those threads. As others have said, maybe we'll be singing a different tune by third grade, but judging by the number of kindergarten kids with siblings in upper grades, I'm not assuming that's going to be the case.

I would really love to know which school OP is at.

Me too. OP, please name a school, any school in DCPS, that is solid yet white people are ignoring it.

Or at least, any DCPS school WOTR.

Look, OP, when I first got involved in our Title I back in 2015, it was a hot mess. Horrible test scores, major operational problems, principal changed annually, building issues, couldn't retain staff. And yet even then there were white people in some of the grade levels. And every year people would give it a try, but giving it a try didn't make them want to stay. And you have to ask, why is that? If it really is a good school, giving it a try should make people *more* likely to stay, right?