Why Does Van Ness Elementary School Not Have a Boundary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CSX tunnel project is by no means a done deal. The pols are still debating its merits.

Even Kaya Henderson can see that there's no point in re-opening Van Ness as another DCPS school withering on the vine in the face of charter competition. They've got Amidon for that locally.

As long as enough funds to renovate come through, the school culture is dominated by professional parents, good admins and teachers screened by parent hiring panels come in, support for advanced learners is built into the curriculum, and the PTA can afford to pay for inputs the school will need to keep up with others where at least two-thirds of the kids test proficient or advanced (the Waterfront developers will help there), Van Ness will serve the Navy Yard neighborhood well.

Elementary school management isn't rocket science.

The pols don't get to decide too much about what CSX does.

No one wants to replicate Amidon's school performance. But one way to help Amidon is to send some of its most challenging students to Van Ness. And Henderson just might try it. If she doesn't, there's a good chance that Amidon will close eventually anyway and all the kids from there will be sent to Van Ness. Might be better to get half the low-scoring kids now (and raise some of their scores) than get all of them later.

Plus, if you draw a tiny boundary, you will likely end up with either an underpopulated school or (more likely) a school with a high out of boundary population. Families who live in the Amidon boundary or in Anacostia (two places surrounding Van Ness with bad schools) are going to fill any open spaces. And don't assume that low-income families are unwilling to transport their kids a mile or two--look at where the kids who go to Eagle Academy on NJ Ave. come from.

EYA sold all their townhouses and is out of the picture. The current developers in SE are building studios and a few 2brs. They're not too interested in attracting families with good schools...if they were, don't you think they would have spoken out about DME's plan to send the neighborhood to Eastern instead of Wilson? And the Wharf developers aren't going to help with a school that doesn't serve their neighborhood.

Close Amidon, which is near capacity, and send hundreds of IB, mostly low-income AA kids to Van Ness? Are you serious? Seriously?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The CSX tunnel project is by no means a done deal. The pols are still debating its merits.

LOL. You are quite naive if you think this is true. It's all about money. Nothing more, nothing less. People will hold their meetings, politicians will express their concerns, citizens will form their groups, and then CSX will go ahead and build their tunnel, just as they planned to do all along.

Mark my words.

[Anonymous]

Who are these "pols" who are supposedly debating the issue? The DC Council, whose only action has been to pass a resolution urging Comgress to hold a hearing? I think Capitol Quarter residents need to have their water tested for hallucinogens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent parent here - the reality for Van Ness is that if you build a great school, the parents will come. Unlike some other school boundaries, the housing options are plentiful. If DCPS would put in the time and resources (hire a principal NOW and then an Assistant Principal, get a marketing and communications team in place, keep meeting with the already great parent group that is formed) this school will have 400 children in two years.

This is one of the best posts on this topic in this entire thread. The "if you build it, they will come" theory is exactly what could happen. If DCPS announced that Van Ness would have an IB type program with a great principal in place, with a specified border (South Capitol to the west, SE/SW freeway to the north, Anacostia River to the south and east), prospective parents could look at the multitude of housing options in the area and plan to move to the Capitol Riverfront.

Its a great opportunity to organically created a high performing DCPS public school.

Sure it could - exactly like it did at Eastern. That multi-million dollar renovation, and the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Program to make it a city-wide draw... It's inspirational.

What in God's name are you smoking? Is Eastern a nice facility? Undeniably. Does it have a city-wide draw? Hardly. Inspirational? Huh? Get back to me when Ward 3 parents are choosing Eastern over Wilson.

Wow. It's embarrassing how far over your head that went!

Hopefully you don't believe your DC is as "gifted" as you are.

[Anonymous]

WTF?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What measures of progress indicate that Jefferson is close to Deal?

The details under "student progress" on http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/scorecard/Jefferson+Middle+School+Academy and http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/scorecard/Deal+Middle+School

Deal kids come in well-prepared and continue to do well throughout middle school, no doubt about it. But Jefferson is taking some kids who weren't doing very well and is moving them up to proficiency. Both are good schools. They're both doing good things, with very different populations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I call BS on PP. On the other hand, it was not that many years ago that I witnessed IB Brent parents being called racists and worse by some OOB parents. I have to admit that the thought crossed my mind more than once that these parents were impediments to much needed progress and Brent wasn't benefitting from having them around.

Have you meet the VNPG? If you had been to a meeting you would know this was true. Also, for all of the folks who think that DCPS will 'give' them what they want- read her open letter she released today about anniversary of Brown v. Board. No way are they getting a lilly white school. And as for PP who asked where my kids went to school- well I was pulling for Van Ness but cannot stomach that nonsense anymore. We would, mostly likely be IB for Van Ness- but its just gross to me.

Good luck at Amidon.

This is my point, and thanks for being so transparent! You are intentionally trying to keeps 'amidon' low SES black kids out. And hiding behind a south Capitol street boundary. As parent, SW resident, and DCPS employee I plan to personally take those awful 'amidon' kids to enroll in your/my school. You won't get your way and it's going to be funny watching you all squirm!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CSX tunnel project is by no means a done deal. The pols are still debating its merits.

Even Kaya Henderson can see that there's no point in re-opening Van Ness as another DCPS school withering on the vine in the face of charter competition. They've got Amidon for that locally.

As long as enough funds to renovate come through, the school culture is dominated by professional parents, good admins and teachers screened by parent hiring panels come in, support for advanced learners is built into the curriculum, and the PTA can afford to pay for inputs the school will need to keep up with others where at least two-thirds of the kids test proficient or advanced (the Waterfront developers will help there), Van Ness will serve the Navy Yard neighborhood well.

Elementary school management isn't rocket science.

Of course not. But, my dear, it sounds like you're new. It sounds like you think no-one has been down this road before. Believe it or not, other parents have pushed for the same things. For decades. In the million dollar homes that are on the Hill. You haven't just discovered fire or invented the wheel.

I'm not saying don't dream, but I am saying you need to start managing your expectations right away, so that you're not bitter within two years, before your next child is even born. You simply will not get something that DCPS has been deliberately denying other schools - schools with generous parent bases, that have worked for it, earned it, can afford it, and have been told they MAY NOT HAVE IT.

DCPS is NOT interested in creating heavily middle class schools. It doesn't matter what the developers intend, they make no decisions. DCPS is trying to distribute higher SES families through the system like sprinkles of salt. Hopefully enough (30% here, 25% there, 40% here, 20% there) to affect the culture of the low-performing schools. You're not expected to elevate the schools to high-performing. But hopefully you'll get them to the level of Watkins or Jefferson MS. At least you can be used to buck up Eastern HS.

Just don't spend so much that you can't put away enough for private school once your DC hits 1st grade.

Oh, I'm hardly new. I remember when Maury was slated to be shut, and Brent was 0% in-boundary. I don't beleve that it doesn't matter what the Navy Yard developers intend. Deep pockets get a say in a reinvented SW and DCPS can't prevent parents from buying in-boundary for one of the city's strongest elementary schools. Hint: we're in-boundary for Brent, and you're just grumpy. Van Ness starts with a clean slate, meaning that every last staff member can be highly competent and enthusiastic. That's raw material with potential, given the location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTF?

Advanced sarcasm: the awkward moment when your sarcasm is so advanced that people actually think you're stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I call BS on PP. On the other hand, it was not that many years ago that I witnessed IB Brent parents being called racists and worse by some OOB parents. I have to admit that the thought crossed my mind more than once that these parents were impediments to much needed progress and Brent wasn't benefitting from having them around.

Have you meet the VNPG? If you had been to a meeting you would know this was true. Also, for all of the folks who think that DCPS will 'give' them what they want- read her open letter she released today about anniversary of Brown v. Board. No way are they getting a lilly white school. And as for PP who asked where my kids went to school- well I was pulling for Van Ness but cannot stomach that nonsense anymore. We would, mostly likely be IB for Van Ness- but its just gross to me.

Good luck at Amidon.

This is my point, and thanks for being so transparent! You are intentionally trying to keeps 'amidon' low SES black kids out. And hiding behind a south Capitol street boundary. As parent, SW resident, and DCPS employee I plan to personally take those awful 'amidon' kids to enroll in your/my school. You won't get your way and it's going to be funny watching you all squirm!

PP here. How am I intentionally trying to keep anyone out of Van Ness? The school will not open for two years and its boundaries will be drawn by DCPS, not by me, the VNPG or anyone else. Your tilting at windmills Ms. Quixote.

[Anonymous]

School is slated to open in August 2015 for PreS2, PreK4 and K. 14 short months from now.

[Anonymous]

How would sending low income AA kids from Amidon to Van Ness serve them better? People keep posting that somehow that will raise their test scores. Um, they will still be the same struggling kids, from the same struggling homes in the same shitty public housing. A new school, further away isn't going to change those factors one bit. Unless of course, once again people are arguing that just sitting next to high income white kids is the magical cure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would sending low income AA kids from Amidon to Van Ness serve them better? People keep posting that somehow that will raise their test scores. Um, they will still be the same struggling kids, from the same struggling homes in the same shitty public housing. A new school, further away isn't going to change those factors one bit. Unless of course, once again people are arguing that just sitting next to high income white kids is the magical cure.

Perhaps you should ask the DME. After all, she is advocating for setting aside 10-25 percent of sets for students of low-income families, or students of low-income families at the lowers performing schools, or whatever the flavor of the month happens to be in terms of social experimentation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would sending low income AA kids from Amidon to Van Ness serve them better? People keep posting that somehow that will raise their test scores.

If the FARMs rate is below 35% and ideally below 20%, studies have shown the low-income kids will do better. http://www.joannejacobs.com/2010/10/poor-learn-more-in-low-poverty-schools/

The trick is figuring out how to take 2 neighborhoods (SW and Near SE) where there are a lot of kids in poverty and come out with a school that is at least 2/3 not poor. It will take lots of things:

* enrollment by a very high percentage of middle/upper class families in the area
* creating programs that attract richer families from out of bounds (of course those same programs attract *all* families)
* inclusive boundaries--not putting all the poor kids in Amidon and all the rich ones at Van Ness
* building more market-rate housing in SW and Near SE that is attractive to families. Townhouses or 2 and 3 bedroom apartments. Due to inclusionary zoning, there will also be an affordable component to anything that's built. Eventually, if public housing is redeveloped with a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of market rate to affordable, that would make a difference too. Greater density on the sites and building housing on some of the city-owned sites in the area would allow that to happen without displacement or loss of affordability. But that would take buyin from the mayor, office of planning, DCHA, and lots of others.

Plus, if the VNPG is right, all their teachers will be vetted by the PTA and are guaranteed to be amazing. That can't hurt.

[Anonymous]

Don't tell the Century Foundation, but one study of 850 students in a school system of more than 140,000 over a 6 year period is not exactly overwhelming evidence that a low-income student will necessarily perform substantially better when surrounded by high-SES students.

By the way, contrary to what you may believe, there are not "a lot" of poor kids living in Near SE (Navy Yard). Capper/Carrollsburg has been replaced by Capitol Quarter and nearby high-end condos and apartments, which are out of reach of the working poor and far from optimal for most UMC families with school-aged children. What happens to Greenleaf, Syphax and James Creek now that the HOPE VI program is dead-in-the-water holds the key to the future of Amidon and Jefferson, particularly when the DME cuts the feed to Wilson. Call me pessimistic, but the days when there will be enough high-SES families south of the Eisenhower Freeway to compromise two-thirds of the student bodies at Amidon and Van Ness (about 500 students) are still years away.