Kaya Leaving; John Davis in as interim

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A good teacher operates in a good system,not with a personal magic wand. Classroom discipline must be supported by positive schoolwide (and by extension, system wide) policies and expectations. Period. - twenty years teaching

Yes yes and yes to all of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A good teacher operates in a good system,not with a personal magic wand. Classroom discipline must be supported by positive schoolwide (and by extension, system wide) policies and expectations. Period. - twenty years teaching

Yes yes and yes to all of that.

+2 But DCPS chooses to bury its head in the sand over the discipline issue--while rolling out fancy new initiatives each year. One criticism-that the initiatives aren't given time to work--is valid. However, it doesn't matter if chaos and a lack of uniform discipline reigns in the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that the problem with the boundary review process that Abigail Smith presided over was that it was far too susceptible to objections that were based on individual rather than collective interest. The idea that people's personal real estate choices must be validated by the education system was outrageous to me then and it remains outrageous now. When you buy a particular house, you assume certain things, but they are not guarantees. That a particular school will ALWAYS be tied to a particular address is a ridiculous assumption, and the idea that that is a "right" is even more ridiculous.

The system we have now sets up enclaves of success that motivated students hope to get into, while leaving an educational quality desert surrounding them. If posters want to sit there and pretend that their objections to things like boundary revisions that redistrict people from Deal to Hardy or the construction of homeless shelters in boundary for a high performing elementary are NOT motivated by person reasons, frankly, I don't believe you.

You send your children to a low-performing school and work tirelessly to solve problems within the school thst are impossible for the school to solve, right?

That's exactly the opposite of the PP's point, which is that this is not an individual problem; it's a group, collective-action problem. Something like choice sets (especially in Capitol Hill) could likely result in equalizing the situation without prejudicing the "enclaves". Breaking down the enclaves is the only way to get to an acceptable MS option on the Hill as well. Would I want to send my child to Eliot-Hine as is? No. Would I try out a Ward 6 unified middle school, feeding from Tyler, Miner, Maury, Payne, Brent, Van Ness, etc, where the administration had made a committment to appropriate academic offerings? Almost certainly I would consider it.

Spoken like someone not currently in boundary for SH. You know what's funny about your type? You omitted two of th three schoosl that feed into the only MS on the Hill that has promise. Good luck to you, my myopic self centered friend.

Ha. I deliberately left out SH feeders because of the view that Cluster parents would freak out at any changes in their feeder pattern. But yes, the best idea would be to consolidate all the middle schools. However, if the Cluster (and perhaps LT and JOW) are going to freak out then I don't think we actually meed them.

Why would Maury and Miner and Payne and Tyler be included in your dream team when they are both much closer to EH than JOWilson and LT? How about straight out proximity preference for middle schools on the Hill? And HS is still a dead end. . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that the problem with the boundary review process that Abigail Smith presided over was that it was far too susceptible to objections that were based on individual rather than collective interest. The idea that people's personal real estate choices must be validated by the education system was outrageous to me then and it remains outrageous now. When you buy a particular house, you assume certain things, but they are not guarantees. That a particular school will ALWAYS be tied to a particular address is a ridiculous assumption, and the idea that that is a "right" is even more ridiculous.

The system we have now sets up enclaves of success that motivated students hope to get into, while leaving an educational quality desert surrounding them. If posters want to sit there and pretend that their objections to things like boundary revisions that redistrict people from Deal to Hardy or the construction of homeless shelters in boundary for a high performing elementary are NOT motivated by person reasons, frankly, I don't believe you.

You send your children to a low-performing school and work tirelessly to solve problems within the school thst are impossible for the school to solve, right?

That's exactly the opposite of the PP's point, which is that this is not an individual problem; it's a group, collective-action problem. Something like choice sets (especially in Capitol Hill) could likely result in equalizing the situation without prejudicing the "enclaves". Breaking down the enclaves is the only way to get to an acceptable MS option on the Hill as well. Would I want to send my child to Eliot-Hine as is? No. Would I try out a Ward 6 unified middle school, feeding from Tyler, Miner, Maury, Payne, Brent, Van Ness, etc, where the administration had made a committment to appropriate academic offerings? Almost certainly I would consider it.

Spoken like someone not currently in boundary for SH. You know what's funny about your type? You omitted two of th three schoosl that feed into the only MS on the Hill that has promise. Good luck to you, my myopic self centered friend.

Ha. I deliberately left out SH feeders because of the view that Cluster parents would freak out at any changes in their feeder pattern. But yes, the best idea would be to consolidate all the middle schools. However, if the Cluster (and perhaps LT and JOW) are going to freak out then I don't think we actually meed them.

Why would Maury and Miner and Payne and Tyler be included in your dream team when they are both much closer to EH than JOWilson and LT? How about straight out proximity preference for middle schools on the Hill? And HS is still a dead end. . .

It would be great to have proximity but my understanding is that the cluster will not give up Stuart Hobson and SH is not big enough to expand. So the idea (which has been floated here before) is to consolidate Jefferson and Eliot-Hines.

[Anonymous]

Back to the topic of a new Chancellor....is there a way that DC residents can demand that we get an actual qualified Superintendent rather than another Chancellor? Tired of DC kids being used as social experiments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back to the topic of a new Chancellor....is there a way that DC residents can demand that we get an actual qualified Superintendent rather than another Chancellor? Tired of DC kids being used as social experiments.

I'm personally tired of the phrase "social experiments" w/r/t education policy. I received the below email yesterday. Maybe this is a way for you to voice your concerns?

Dear Friends,

By now, you may have heard that Kaya Henderson is stepping down as Chancellor of DCPS on September 30, 2016 and John Davis will serve as Interim Chancellor beginning October 1st. Mayor Bowser and I thank Kaya for her tremendous work over the last nine years and look forward to her being a partner as we move forward.

Right now, we will focus our attention on finding a permanent Chancellor and I am excited to be leading this effort. The upcoming community engagement and selection process is an opportunity for us to shape the future of education in DC.

I invite you to join me for a conference call to share my initial thoughts on our approach next Thursday, July 7th at 1:00pm. Please dial 1-866-878-9667 and use this code: 9956045.

In the meantime, I invite you to join the conversation on social media as we say #ThankYouKaya.

Look forward to talking soon.

Best,
Jennie Niles
Deputy Mayor for Education

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP! I think that info should be a new thread in order to inform people. It'll get lost in this one-just like the original topic did.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. And in the case of DC (having lived in other areas) I believe that children in this city ARE being used as social experiments. DCPS never gives anything a chance to "stick" and the children are NEVER taken into consideration. Adult issues ALWAYS come first. It is really heartbreaking. Thanks again for the information.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back to the topic of a new Chancellor....is there a way that DC residents can demand that we get an actual qualified Superintendent rather than another Chancellor? Tired of DC kids being used as social experiments.

I'm personally tired of the phrase "social experiments" w/r/t education policy. I received the below email yesterday. Maybe this is a way for you to voice your concerns?

Dear Friends,

By now, you may have heard that Kaya Henderson is stepping down as Chancellor of DCPS on September 30, 2016 and John Davis will serve as Interim Chancellor beginning October 1st. Mayor Bowser and I thank Kaya for her tremendous work over the last nine years and look forward to her being a partner as we move forward.

Right now, we will focus our attention on finding a permanent Chancellor and I am excited to be leading this effort. The upcoming community engagement and selection process is an opportunity for us to shape the future of education in DC.

I invite you to join me for a conference call to share my initial thoughts on our approach next Thursday, July 7th at 1:00pm. Please dial 1-866-878-9667 and use this code: 9956045.

In the meantime, I invite you to join the conversation on social media as we say #ThankYouKaya.

Look forward to talking soon.

Best,
Jennie Niles
Deputy Mayor for Education

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. And in the case of DC (having lived in other areas) I believe that children in this city ARE being used as social experiments. DCPS never gives anything a chance to "stick" and the children are NEVER taken into consideration. Adult issues ALWAYS come first. It is really heartbreaking. Thanks again for the information.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back to the topic of a new Chancellor....is there a way that DC residents can demand that we get an actual qualified Superintendent rather than another Chancellor? Tired of DC kids being used as social experiments.

I'm personally tired of the phrase "social experiments" w/r/t education policy. I received the below email yesterday. Maybe this is a way for you to voice your concerns?

Dear Friends,

By now, you may have heard that Kaya Henderson is stepping down as Chancellor of DCPS on September 30, 2016 and John Davis will serve as Interim Chancellor beginning October 1st. Mayor Bowser and I thank Kaya for her tremendous work over the last nine years and look forward to her being a partner as we move forward.

Right now, we will focus our attention on finding a permanent Chancellor and I am excited to be leading this effort. The upcoming community engagement and selection process is an opportunity for us to shape the future of education in DC.

I invite you to join me for a conference call to share my initial thoughts on our approach next Thursday, July 7th at 1:00pm. Please dial 1-866-878-9667 and use this code: 9956045.

In the meantime, I invite you to join the conversation on social media as we say #ThankYouKaya.

Look forward to talking soon.

Best,
Jennie Niles
Deputy Mayor for Education

Adult issues like how much money was spent on a house to get into such and such school district?

I agree that DCPS needs to give things time and allow them to work (or not work), but I think that parents are just as responsible for the institutional culture that doesn't do that. For example, one argument that is made occasionally is that in neighborhoods where there are growing populations of affluent families, schools could be "turned around" if all those families sent their children to the local school rather than trying to get into charters or better DCPS schools. A lot of people will allow as to how most schools in DC do preschool pretty well, but that once your kid is kindergarten age, it's time to seek better options. The predictable result is that by 3rd grade many of the high achieving kids are gone, and the test scores show that. My kid is starting first grade at one of these schools in the fall, and I have seen so many families play the lottery and bail based on concerns about future educational quality when their kids are actually thriving and learning. One friend has "traded up" EVERY YEAR since her daughter was in PK3.

Everyone needs to dial down the urgency and let the "social experiment" work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. And in the case of DC (having lived in other areas) I believe that children in this city ARE being used as social experiments. DCPS never gives anything a chance to "stick" and the children are NEVER taken into consideration. Adult issues ALWAYS come first. It is really heartbreaking. Thanks again for the information.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back to the topic of a new Chancellor....is there a way that DC residents can demand that we get an actual qualified Superintendent rather than another Chancellor? Tired of DC kids being used as social experiments.

I'm personally tired of the phrase "social experiments" w/r/t education policy. I received the below email yesterday. Maybe this is a way for you to voice your concerns?

Dear Friends,

By now, you may have heard that Kaya Henderson is stepping down as Chancellor of DCPS on September 30, 2016 and John Davis will serve as Interim Chancellor beginning October 1st. Mayor Bowser and I thank Kaya for her tremendous work over the last nine years and look forward to her being a partner as we move forward.

Right now, we will focus our attention on finding a permanent Chancellor and I am excited to be leading this effort. The upcoming community engagement and selection process is an opportunity for us to shape the future of education in DC.

I invite you to join me for a conference call to share my initial thoughts on our approach next Thursday, July 7th at 1:00pm. Please dial 1-866-878-9667 and use this code: 9956045.

In the meantime, I invite you to join the conversation on social media as we say #ThankYouKaya.

Look forward to talking soon.

Best,
Jennie Niles
Deputy Mayor for Education

Adult issues like how much money was spent on a house to get into such and such school district?

I agree that DCPS needs to give things time and allow them to work (or not work), but I think that parents are just as responsible for the institutional culture that doesn't do that. For example, one argument that is made occasionally is that in neighborhoods where there are growing populations of affluent families, schools could be "turned around" if all those families sent their children to the local school rather than trying to get into charters or better DCPS schools. A lot of people will allow as to how most schools in DC do preschool pretty well, but that once your kid is kindergarten age, it's time to seek better options. The predictable result is that by 3rd grade many of the high achieving kids are gone, and the test scores show that. My kid is starting first grade at one of these schools in the fall, and I have seen so many families play the lottery and bail based on concerns about future educational quality when their kids are actually thriving and learning. One friend has "traded up" EVERY YEAR since her daughter was in PK3.

Everyone needs to dial down the urgency and let the "social experiment" work.

In DCPS, turning around a school means firing all the teachers and the principal and hiring only people who believe that "all children can learn" despite their home situation. Saying it has something to do with family affluence is a form of heresy.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, who do people actually want? What would an ideal candidate be?

I know my suggestion won't be popular -- least of all with the person I'm suggesting -- but I think Abigail Smith should be considered. I can't defend her entire track record, but I think she has dealt with the system long enough to know what can and should be fixed.

But will she go for the root problems or stick to the TFA "reform" solution that it's all about the teachers -- even though that theory has clearly not worked.

[Anonymous]

Ugh! TFA.

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, who do people actually want? What would an ideal candidate be?

I know my suggestion won't be popular -- least of all with the person I'm suggesting -- but I think Abigail Smith should be considered. I can't defend her entire track record, but I think she has dealt with the system long enough to know what can and should be fixed.

But will she go for the root problems or stick to the TFA "reform" solution that it's all about the teachers -- even though that theory has clearly not worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you all think PARCC results came in? Last year's scores were really, really low.

Last year's PARCC were really low in MD and every other state too. It's going to take a few years to get the students adjusted to this new style. Have you seen the test? Try taking the sample test.

The problem isn't the test and students needn't 'adjust.' The test is written based on the standards that DC adopted for all schools, charter and DCPS, several years ago. That's where the adjustment needed to happen and there's been plenty of time for that.

If every student at every school had bombed PARCC -- I'd agree with you. But that isn't what happened (see DC Prep, KIPP, BASIS, Deal, Hardy, Janney, Brent, YY etc etc).

Some of those "great" schools still only got 50s and 60s on PARCC. I consider that bombing for very high SES % school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any chance of Muriel Bowser hiring anyone decent? Or will cronyism prevail?

Of course it will prevail. It's a proud DC tradition.

Because there is no cronyism in America's heartland, or wherever you come from. I guess DC is the only place where friend's and family get jobs. White people never get jobs based on who they know, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All indications are Davis just did whatever his boss told him to do. Milquetoast hack. Who knows what he really thinks and, if he has any thoughts, whether they would influence what he actually does.

I'm sure you do exactly the opposite of what your boss tells you to do, right? Is that what you tell your children, "don't do what I tell you, think for yourself and do what you want." Be real.