School Without Walls Principal

[Anonymous]

Experiences have been very positive! I've seen her resolve situations with teachers in short order. Now I do feel like SWW needs new teachers. Too many are just awful. I'm sure finding motivated and quality teachers is not easy. I've heard some teachers don't want to teach at a school like SWW because the kids do challenge you. That seems like a bad teacher.

It seems some think that SWW is a private school and should function as one. It's part of DCPS and the leadership does have a manager also. Go talk to her if you have an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We didn’t even apply to Walls because of the principal. Instead my kid applied and got into Banneker but it was ultimately too regimented for them, so we went with JR.

The issue of problematic principals is also at JR. I wish there was a way to convince DCPS to change course with their approach to principal selection and oversight. It’s very damaging, at least at the schools I’m familiar with. There is a lot of potential in DCPS that is left on the table due to poor, petty leadership.

The previous JR principal was fairly outspoken, which was sometimes good and sometimes bad.

She implemented the “honors for all” during freshman year which just resulted in dumbed down honors classes for all.

She tried to implement AP for all which meant all juniors were automatically enrolled in I think AP English and history, but DCPs shot her down because of costs…since they pay for every DCPS student to take the AP test, so now it went from maybe 150 taking those two AP tests to 500 x 2 taking those AP tests.

Totally agree, honors for all is definitely not honors-level work. Freshman year classes at JR are mostly a joke in terms of rigor. It’s all a performance.

And the former principal is the one who, in her capacity as instructional superintendent, hired the current principal. At least she is KIPP’s “asset” now.