Coffee in Lincoln Park with David Catania

[Anonymous]

So where is this test-in MS in Ward 7 then? It's a recommendation, not even a project in the planning stages yet. Good luck to the parents pushing for it.

I looked around and saw a grand total of 5 PSAT National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists in all DC public in 2014, 3 at Walls, 2 at Wilson. There were two dozen suburban high schools with more (each).

Accomplished students of all races and backgrounds are going to BASIS, but flocking? Not quite. BASIS has been advertising open spots in 5th and 6th grade, fully two weeks into the school year. Weak facilities must be part of the probelm - no gym, stage, library, grounds.

There aren't in fact a huge number of PS students in this city who can handle the commute to BASIS, and/or the rigor. I would expect the same situation if BASIS were to open a Cap Hill branch. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that stakeholders lobby for them to do so, and see results within two or three years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The problem the founders would obviously encounter is that the charter board isn't in the business of supporting the creation of schools catering to high SES Ward 6 residents.

Wasn't Latin created as an upper NW school to start?

[Anonymous]

Not really - they started way up 16th Street, serving a lot of AA kids from the neighborhoods to the southeast.

I don't see BASIS opening a second branch in DC at least until they're getting kids who started in 5th grade through high school (six more years). Rumor has it that management in AZ is seriously considering opening a second campus that's not charter at all, but one charging fees (a no-frills private school).

[Anonymous]

How is upper 16th St NW "not really" upper NW? Maybe they served kids from all over the city, but the point is that it didn't open in a predominately low income part of the city.

I'm not complaining, just pointing out that the charter board doesn't always refuse to have charters open up in high income places. If ?Latin was allowed to open upper 16th St NW, why couldn't a similar school open in ward 6?

[Anonymous]

There are charters open in ward 6 that include middle school and are also perceived as impeding the effort to recruit strong students to Eliot Hine and Eastern. They include Two Rivers, Cesar Chavez and Center City PCS. There are a fee more that a can't remember at the moment. Options PCS is in Ward 6 as well.

[Anonymous]

Catania's thoughts on sorting out middle and high schools, copied from another thread. Thoughtful, complete and based on his many hours of visiting schools and seeing the gaps first hand

Anonymous wrote:



Ensure Equal Programming Across District Schools—
With a Focus on Middle Schools Horizontal Equity in Programming,
Vertical Alignment of Feeder Patterns

School quality is the primary issue facing District schools. The lack of high quality academic programming throughout the District results in overcrowding at some schools and massive under enrollment at others.

Every morning we see the impact of this disparity in quality as approximately 60,000 students chose to commute to schools
that are not their assigned by-right neighborhood school in an effort to attend schools perceived to be of higher quality. And while perception alone plays a large part, the reality is that for too long schools have not had consistent and equitable academic programming. For instance, a middle school in one part of the city may offer expansive language and enrichment programs while a middle school across town has far fewer of both.

The impact of this inequity is most obvious as students transition to middle and high school. Recently, there has been great interest in improving the quality of District middle schools – and with good reason. A young person’s middle grade years are some of the most formative and often times challenging. Creating a high quality middle school takes hard work, talented school leaders and teachers, and engaged parents. Middle school quality is also a function of horizontal equity among the elementary schools within its feeder pattern. The consequences of disparities in quality and preparedness between the feeder elementary schools manifest themselves in middle schools, impacting every student and the school as a whole.

Until recently, this problem was exacerbated by the District’s legally mandated social promotion policy. Prior to David’s Focused Student Achievement Act, DCPS students could only be retained in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades unless their parents consented. The result was that students were often passed along despite not mastering academic content. This failure cascaded upward until the students reached 9th grade, at which point they were required to pass both algebra and English in order to be promoted to the 10th grade. It is no surprise that nearly 30% of District 9th graders fail every year as a result of entering high school on reading and math grade levels well below those required to pass high school classes.

Further, feeder patterns must be aligned with regard to programming and expectations as students progress from kindergarten through 12th grade. The leadership and faculty of a feeder pattern should have regular communication and contact with one another to deliver a consistent and cohesive academic pathway. This greater vertical alignment and integration ensures academic quality control and that students are provided the supports they need to succeed. Indeed, DCPS’s highest achieving feeder pattern—the Wilson HS feeder—already employs this practice of vertical integration with great success.

As Mayor, David will ensure that there is horizontal equity across the District so offerings are consistent regardless of whether a student attends a school in Northwest or Southeast. He will require all of our public schools to have the same high standards and curriculum with adequate room for differentiated learning. He will also see to it that feeder patterns are vertically aligned and coordinated to better support students. This will improve schools and student performance alike for the long term as well as strengthen feeder patterns across the city.

But, let's be fair and compare this to Murlel Bowser's education white paper. Here what she says about middle schools:

"Invest in our middle schools so that every child can attend a quality school like Alice Deal close to their own neighborhood."

http://murielformayor.com/wp-content/uploads/position-paper-education.pdf

[Anonymous]

OK, but I skimmed his plan and didn't see specifics on creating a strong Ward 6 middle school, DCPS or charter, in the forseeable future. Apparently, nobody's planning to do this. Wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OK, but I skimmed his plan and didn't see specifics on creating a strong Ward 6 middle school, DCPS or charter, in the forseeable future. Apparently, nobody's planning to do this. Wonderful.

So you really want Muriel???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are charters open in ward 6 that include middle school and are also perceived as impeding the effort to recruit strong students to Eliot Hine and Eastern. They include Two Rivers, Cesar Chavez and Center City PCS. There are a fee more that a can't remember at the moment. Options PCS is in Ward 6 as well.

PLEASE tell me Options is creaming off potential Eastern students!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not really - they started way up 16th Street, serving a lot of AA kids from the neighborhoods to the southeast.

I don't see BASIS opening a second branch in DC at least until they're getting kids who started in 5th grade through high school (six more years). Rumor has it that management in AZ is seriously considering opening a second campus that's not charter at all, but one charging fees (a no-frills private school).

That was their second location. They started in a church basement near Ward Circle. Any more upper NW than that is Glen Echo.