Revised Boundary Recommendations to be released on or about June 13

[Anonymous]

Deal or No Deal? Let's get Howie Mandel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Proposed feeder pattern changes were made to...support racial/ethnic and socio-economic diversity, where possible."

They're really leaning on that "if possible" with the new Wilson boundary.

Can't say I'm surprised to see SE/SW cut out but I am pissed. Mostly at Tommy Wells, who (unlike Bowser or Graham, say what you will about them) did absolutely nothing to try and keep folks in Wilson. He is totally in the pocket of folks on Capitol Hill who want to see Eastern improved and don't care that there were kids in Ward 6 who actually had a shot at attending a good high school. Wells said at a community meeting that he'd never met any constituents who'd bought in SW because it was inbounds for Wilson. He is a moron.

Wilson was, and will continue to be, one of (if not the most) racially diverse school in DCPS.

Especially because they are retaining Hardy - the most diverse middle school in DC - as a Wilson feeder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Proposed feeder pattern changes were made to...support racial/ethnic and socio-economic diversity, where possible."

They're really leaning on that "if possible" with the new Wilson boundary.

Can't say I'm surprised to see SE/SW cut out but I am pissed. Mostly at Tommy Wells, who (unlike Bowser or Graham, say what you will about them) did absolutely nothing to try and keep folks in Wilson. He is totally in the pocket of folks on Capitol Hill who want to see Eastern improved and don't care that there were kids in Ward 6 who actually had a shot at attending a good high school. Wells said at a community meeting that he'd never met any constituents who'd bought in SW because it was inbounds for Wilson. He is a moron.

Wilson was, and will continue to be, one of (if not the most) racially diverse school in DCPS.

Especially because they are retaining Hardy - the most diverse middle school in DC - as a Wilson feeder.

I am so annoying of hearing diversity as a target or desirable outcome. Get these teachers, principals and kids to work and make them score and perform at grade level and higher regardless of color of skin. Learning should be the target.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, you're right and the revised version of me is wrong.

You're still not getting me though. It's not you that I find unsavory, it's your continual insistence that the only reason I and other oppose OOB feeder rights is because we find you unsavory. Overcrowding is real, and removing the 5-year-old OOB feeder rights is the best way to address that. Your inability to understand this motive is unsavory, not you.

Well, fair enough. I do understand your concern with crowding. Genuinely, I do. Although I'm not sure why you think OOB families like me who have committed 100% to our school should quietly walk away and not fight to have access to a middle or high school that will provide learning that is on par with what my children have received for the last several years and schools that we were told from the beginning that we could attend. You can certainly advocate all you want to cease feeder rights for OOB, but we'll advocate the opposite just as vigorously because it's meaningful for my children. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, there is a social contract in place. And while you see my family as expendable, the powers that be at DCPS do not. They know this is of their making. We played an officially sanctioned lottery, that they hosted, by the rules. By accepting a spot that was offered to us, we helped our school maximize its budget so that all the school's students--IB and OOB alike--could get the very best and the very most that DCPS could provide. We did our part.

Our family has been at our OOB ES for several years...if you want to really be strategic and reasonable in your argument you need to focus not on OOB generally, but think about ways it could be adjusted. For instance, I personally think it's poor policy to give kids OOB spots in 4th and 5th grade. At that point, I think a big reason they are coming to the new school is to gain access to the desirable MS and HS feeder pattern...NOT because of the ES and what it offers... that's just a bonus. I think a reasonable argument could be made that after say, 3rd grade, no more OOB spots are made available in ES. Because Hardy has not traditionally been a draw for IB kids, many of those families peel off after 3rd or 4th (for private, Latin, Basis, etc.), freeing up lots of spots. Principals understandably need to make their budget and pay for that 4th or 5th grade teacher, so they call up kids on the waitlist. IB families made that happen because in many cases they didn't tell the principal early enough that they weren't returning the next year. So the principal has to assume they'll be back, but when those kids don't materialize, they've got to make up the budget some how.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, you're right and the revised version of me is wrong.

You're still not getting me though. It's not you that I find unsavory, it's your continual insistence that the only reason I and other oppose OOB feeder rights is because we find you unsavory. Overcrowding is real, and removing the 5-year-old OOB feeder rights is the best way to address that. Your inability to understand this motive is unsavory, not you.

Well, fair enough. I do understand your concern with crowding. Genuinely, I do. Although I'm not sure why you think OOB families like me who have committed 100% to our school should quietly walk away and not fight to have access to a middle or high school that will provide learning that is on par with what my children have received for the last several years and schools that we were told from the beginning that we could attend. You can certainly advocate all you want to cease feeder rights for OOB, but we'll advocate the opposite just as vigorously because it's meaningful for my children. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, there is a social contract in place. And while you see my family as expendable, the powers that be at DCPS do not. They know this is of their making. We played an officially sanctioned lottery, that they hosted, by the rules. By accepting a spot that was offered to us, we helped our school maximize its budget so that all the school's students--IB and OOB alike--could get the very best and the very most that DCPS could provide. We did our part.

Our family has been at our OOB ES for several years...if you want to really be strategic and reasonable in your argument you need to focus not on OOB generally, but think about ways it could be adjusted. For instance, I personally think it's poor policy to give kids OOB spots in 4th and 5th grade. At that point, I think a big reason they are coming to the new school is to gain access to the desirable MS and HS feeder pattern...NOT because of the ES and what it offers... that's just a bonus. I think a reasonable argument could be made that after say, 3rd grade, no more OOB spots are made available in ES. Because Hardy has not traditionally been a draw for IB kids, many of those families peel off after 3rd or 4th (for private, Latin, Basis, etc.), freeing up lots of spots. Principals understandably need to make their budget and pay for that 4th or 5th grade teacher, so they call up kids on the waitlist. IB families made that happen because in many cases they didn't tell the principal early enough that they weren't returning the next year. So the principal has to assume they'll be back, but when those kids don't materialize, they've got to make up the budget some how.

I understand (and, frankly, support) you advocating on behalf of your children. I would do it too in your shoes. I simply object to the implication that I'm a racist for wanting to alleviate the trailer parks that our NWNW elementary schools.

I think you're right about ending OOB entries after 3rd grade. You mistakenly say that many students feeding into Hardy arrive in 4th or 5th grade. This isn't true. (It is true that IB students peel off, but they're not replaced with OOB students.) Mann and Key (combined) accepted something like 5 or 6 students for 4th and 5th grades. So, the problem starts much earlier and wouldn't be solved to restricting OOB entries to K-3.

[Anonymous]

Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

While having high-SES families with advanced degrees certainly goes a long way to helping establish a school, I personally believe it's visionary leadership (i.e. the paid experts) who make schools viable...through their hiring, innovation, anticipating needs, being responsive, building programs that attract interest, and knowing when to plow ahead and ask for permission later. yes, yes, rich engaged parents mean a heck of a lot, but please don't overstate your role.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

While having high-SES families with advanced degrees certainly goes a long way to helping establish a school, I personally believe it's visionary leadership (i.e. the paid experts) who make schools viable...through their hiring, innovation, anticipating needs, being responsive, building programs that attract interest, and knowing when to plow ahead and ask for permission later. yes, yes, rich engaged parents mean a heck of a lot, but please don't overstate your role.

Are there any DCPS schools that are strong, yet do not have a high SES group of parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

While having high-SES families with advanced degrees certainly goes a long way to helping establish a school, I personally believe it's visionary leadership (i.e. the paid experts) who make schools viable...through their hiring, innovation, anticipating needs, being responsive, building programs that attract interest, and knowing when to plow ahead and ask for permission later. yes, yes, rich engaged parents mean a heck of a lot, but please don't overstate your role.

Almost the entire experience of successful NWNW schools is a testament against what you presume. (Deal appears to be an exception.) It was not DCPS. It was not visionary leadership. It was parental involvement mainly, but coupled with enough hands-off from DCPS to not impede positive developments. (By the way, the past Lafayette principal was pretty well loathed. I don't think that even her supporters would call her visionary.)

Stop reading WTU press releases for talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

While having high-SES families with advanced degrees certainly goes a long way to helping establish a school, I personally believe it's visionary leadership (i.e. the paid experts) who make schools viable...through their hiring, innovation, anticipating needs, being responsive, building programs that attract interest, and knowing when to plow ahead and ask for permission later. yes, yes, rich engaged parents mean a heck of a lot, but please don't overstate your role.

Almost the entire experience of successful NWNW schools is a testament against what you presume. (Deal appears to be an exception.) It was not DCPS. It was not visionary leadership. It was parental involvement mainly, but coupled with enough hands-off from DCPS to not impede positive developments. (By the way, the past Lafayette principal was pretty well loathed. I don't think that even her supporters would call her visionary.)

Stop reading WTU press releases for talking points.

Please offer some tangible examples....and I don't mean just a school name. Tell me "Janney" and then tell me what exactly parents did to make it the success it is despite unremarkable or incompetent staff. If you have such a fantastic historian's focus on the success of NWNW schools, help us all by writing the manual. And I mean that. I'm not trying to be cute.

[Anonymous]

Can't get the link for all of this discussion. Was it taken off of Hardy's website? I'm assuming it went up prematurely and then they had to remove it? Anyone have access to it and able to share?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't get the link for all of this discussion. Was it taken off of Hardy's website? I'm assuming it went up prematurely and then they had to remove it? Anyone have access to it and able to share?

Bingo. I have them but don't know how to post them here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

+1. It is quite funny the way many talk without realizing that DCPS has invested way more capital and resources in schools outside NW...ignoring the parents and the invested communities would be quite stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I think when we see the DME's proposal we may very well see set-asides, so the OOB and feeder right stuff won't go away and I think it's foolish to continue fighting with abolishing the practice as a goal...that is UNTIL DCPS creates some genuinely viable options for people who don't live in Ward 3. And don't ask me to roll up my sleeves and build it. I will pay my taxes (I'll even pay a tax increase), I will volunteer (as I have my entire life)...but I will not play "education expert." I expect the experts that my tax dollars fund to develop a stellar plan (with my input! happy to provide input!) and figure out a way to create middle and high schools that higher SES families might actually consider.

So you think it was DCPS that created the viable schools in Ward 3? Oh, that's a good one.

+1. It is quite funny the way many talk without realizing that DCPS has invested way more capital and resources in schools outside NW...ignoring the parents and the invested communities would be quite stupid.

Quite. Yawn.