WHO'S MINDING THE PRINCIPALS?

[Anonymous]

Perhaps Thomson parents should contact the "instructional superintendent"? Don't understand exactly what the chain of command is if entire school communities are unhappy with their leadership, as so many of us at OYster are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really 11:27, kind of sounds like you have an axe to grind?

You never noticed that poor Hispanic kids at Thomson struggle? Where have you been?

If you look at the scores of Thomson's white kids, middle class black kids and asian kids, they do pretty well.

In fact, 77% of non FARM kids were proficient or advanced in reading and 67.5 % were proficient or advanced in math.

Stellar, no, but not bad.

Thomson has the same problems of poverty as every other school in DCPS or for that matter, in the country.

Thomson was nice when it offered all the extras like a great music program. Now it's just another Title I school and it's sad. Taking away the joy of the school isn't going to make the poverty go away. It is making everyone pretty unhappy though. It is driving those out who have the means to get out, which will drive up the poverty. How is that good for anyone?

the 77% of non FARM kids meaning those in grades 3-5 that is only several dozen kids. There are 375-400 in that school. The reality is those kids were not getting any focus because teachers struggle, some more successfully than others to help all those kids that are behind. Some because of language, some because of poverty, some because of home enviroment. The reality is that if you have a kid succeeding in that environment is is also because you are doing a lot at home, not because the school is really able to help your kid. There are a lot of people that work really hard, I cannot say I think they always work effectively. That was the case before the new principal, still the case. Thomson is the classic case of sprinkling of middle-class liberals does not save a school from the crisis poverty or having a lot of 2nd language kids. Yes the Chinese kids are mostly doing well, but look at their scores and you will see that even the Hispanic kids are reading ahead of their presumably American born, African-american boys. The issues are deep and troubling and they go beyond the teaching staff and either the new or old principal, they are systemic within our country. Yes the music and other programs provided a sheen that a lot of us could believe made up for having peers that could not read. But it doesn't the assignments are less challenging, the behavior issues are worse and my child learns less. Do I have an ax to grind, may be I do. I am frustraed that our system cannot hope to succeed because of the concentration of poverty. Those of us that are middle class in this city are screwed because we will not be able to hope for school system that is not mired in mediocrity and crisis. But I also know that this is not new and that many of us have wanted to believe the place we were taking our children was better than it was.

[Anonymous]

Middle class families voluntarily left DCPS and DC during desegregation in the 50s. New highways made suburban living look good. Many of the public schools soon filled with poorer kids, usually black

Now 50 years later, the highways are jammed with traffic and more middle class families want to stay in the city. Seems to me that short of running poor people out of town or demanding separate facilities at public expense, the middle class folks need to voluntarily stay until a critical mass is formed.

This is not what I'd call being screwed - it's part of living in a democratic society. Seems like a lot of people want their kids to experience diversity in their schools - to have friends of another race and another class. That's an ideal, not a right. It may not seem like you have choices - but you do - private school, parochial school, home school, moving to the suburbs. No one has the right to have the ideal public school available to their children just because they're middle class.

[Anonymous]

Many AA families don't want their children in schools full of "ghetto kids" either. It becomes a place for underachievement for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle class families voluntarily left DCPS and DC during desegregation in the 50s. New highways made suburban living look good. Many of the public schools soon filled with poorer kids, usually black

Now 50 years later, the highways are jammed with traffic and more middle class families want to stay in the city. Seems to me that short of running poor people out of town or demanding separate facilities at public expense, the middle class folks need to voluntarily stay until a critical mass is formed.

This is not what I'd call being screwed - it's part of living in a democratic society. Seems like a lot of people want their kids to experience diversity in their schools - to have friends of another race and another class. That's an ideal, not a right. It may not seem like you have choices - but you do - private school, parochial school, home school, moving to the suburbs. No one has the right to have the ideal public school available to their children just because they're middle class.

I didn't get from the PP's point that she felt it was a right. What I got from it, was her point that if the city is serious about wanting to attract and retain the middle class and young families (a goal that has been espoused since the Williams administration), there is ONE way to do it: decent schools. And she's right.

When you think about it, that's why certain charter schools have had such wild success. It's really hard to change an old school, one middle class kid at a time - you don't have the critical mass, and you can't attract it either. In order to have a critical mass, you need well over 40% of the families to be middle class. (60% FARMS is the percentage tipping point for a school to get Title I money, but many people - including poor ones - would like to attend schools where poverty is in the minority, not the majority). OTOH, when you build a school from the ground up you get to start fresh: you can attract those same middle class families which are despairing over their options (do we squeeze out money for private or do we move to the burbs). Middle class families like having choices, and when you don't offer them any, they will leave.

[Anonymous]

11:27

Having a choir of cute little Rainbow Coalition children that perform at the White House is not the same thing as having a wonderful arts program. Many of us felt that the choir was being used like a minstrel show by organizations such as ASAE, that needed some good B-Roll for their events.

However, the general school environment was much happier and more welcoming under the previous principal. Today it's a rather grim and unhappy place where the teachers feel threatened and the parents feel marginalized.

[Anonymous]

how does a school become decent, besides starting from stratch? The samw way a school goes bad -- when middle class families changes their patterns.

It does sound that the families are being demanding - make this school worthy of my child, or I'm leaving.

Fine - go -- enjoy yourselves at Applebee's

There will be a another generation of young families to take your place. There always has been. DC is a great place to live.

When the kids finish school, you'll be back -- that's a common trend too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:how does a school become decent, besides starting from stratch? The samw way a school goes bad -- when middle class families changes their patterns.

It does sound that the families are being demanding - make this school worthy of my child, or I'm leaving.

Fine - go -- enjoy yourselves at Applebee's

There will be a another generation of young families to take your place. There always has been. DC is a great place to live.

When the kids finish school, you'll be back -- that's a common trend too.

You might think that is demanding or unreasonable, but I don't.

(I'm not the PP.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[You might think that is demanding or unreasonable, but I don't.

(I'm not the PP.)

What do you expect "them" to do with the kids you find offensive? Ship them aross town? put them in a special corner of the school? If you and enough parents like you stay put, the school will improve. Period.

if not, it's not DC's responsibility to make certain families feel comfortable. It really isn't. It comes down to a bribe.

Why do you want to stay in a place that's so unacceptable for your children? So you like the city. What's more important?