DC School Rankings are Abysmal - Charters Too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a black person it pains me to say its largely the percentage of poor blacks in DC that causes a lot of that last place finish. Many generations of low/no opportunity, discrimination etc. The fact is whites in DC have the highest score of all "states" on that website. So OP by your selection criteria (this website) DC has the best public schools in the country.

(Or maybe as others have said above, income and test performances correlate.)

Stop lying. You're not a black person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

Your statement is laughable. I can personally attest that MoCo does no better at teaching advanced kids than DCPS. Also, where do you get test scores for privates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are comparing DC-- a city-- to states like MD and VA. Not apples to apples.

Shouldn't DC be higher because of more spending per student? I could imagine a child in Appalachia would have much lower spending and resources.

Exactly. Plus DC has more people or the same amount of people as several states and we have a state board of education too.

We have a state board of education without any power. We have OSSE because the Department of Education required it. All federal dollars must go through OSSE b/c we have DCPS and charter schools. Each charter school is considered its own school district. DCPS could not manage all of that, it's just a school district like any other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a black person it pains me to say its largely the percentage of poor blacks in DC that causes a lot of that last place finish. Many generations of low/no opportunity, discrimination etc. The fact is whites in DC have the highest score of all "states" on that website. So OP by your selection criteria (this website) DC has the best public schools in the country.

(Or maybe as others have said above, income and test performances correlate.)

Not entirely true...check the graduate rates for DCPS, and compare them to Baltimore City, BMORE tops DC in the Category...u telling me that DC is poorer than BMORE? Poor or not DCPS sucks regardless of income. Trust me those wealthy whites kids aren't getting a proper education either...I dont care what the school cheerleaders proclaim on this site

This is ridiculous. I met a Gates scholar a few weeks ago. She graduated from Banneker at the top of her class. Got a full ride to college and is about to start her Ph.D. at VA Tech in the fall. Banneker is excellent as is SWW and many programs at Wilson. Kids go on to do very well.

Having lived in Chevy Chase, MD and Charlotte (in the top school in the city which was excellent) I don't see the difference with my 12 year old at Deal. We love Deal and it is just as good as Westland.

My 16 year old is doing very well, but we opted for a single sex school instead.

Sorry. You are wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a little confused -- people claim that there are good public and public charter schools in DC, but the National Center for Education Statistics ranks DC public schools (including the 109 charters) below national averages in math, reading, science and writing.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

The only report that ranks DC charter schools separately is issued by the DC Public Charter School Board, which is hardly an independent source.

I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm actually looking for real facts -- where are people getting their data to support assertions that these public schools are high performing?

Yea its not fair to compare DC to STATES...but because its a district thats what usually happens, even so DC is bad when compared to other cities as well, a lot of the charter schools are a sham, even the elite one's in NorthWest that all the affluent whites are trying to get their kids into are subpar

Subpar how? As long as the kids go to great colleges and do well, what does it matter. Apparently, they are getting what they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a little confused -- people claim that there are good public and public charter schools in DC, but the National Center for Education Statistics ranks DC public schools (including the 109 charters) below national averages in math, reading, science and writing.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

The only report that ranks DC charter schools separately is issued by the DC Public Charter School Board, which is hardly an independent source.

I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm actually looking for real facts -- where are people getting their data to support assertions that these public schools are high performing?

Yea its not fair to compare DC to STATES...but because its a district thats what usually happens, even so DC is bad when compared to other cities as well, a lot of the charter schools are a sham, even the elite one's in NorthWest that all the affluent whites are trying to get their kids into are subpar

Where do you live and where are your children enrolled?

Mitchellville/woodmore area

Then why are you posting? The schools in Woodmore suck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

Your statement is laughable. I can personally attest that MoCo does no better at teaching advanced kids than DCPS. Also, where do you get test scores for privates?

Your denial is laughable. MoCo has a higher number of kids testing above basic levels -- this is data you can look up -- so the class as a whole can at least move beyond that. For the better DC privates, if your child isn't passing they will work with them, but if they don't bring their grades up they are asked to leave. They don't allow consistently failing students to stay there indefinitely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They really don't compare. Part of it is academics, but mostly DCPS schools are just different. You can't really compare even a great urban school to a suburban school. Take [b]Wilson, for instance. Yes, they have most of the same course offerings, sports, activities; and many of their students likely out-test their suburban counterparts. But their space is limited, inside and out,[/b] their resources are stretched. That being said, the students are navigating a city, and it's disfunction to get there - that gives them something a W, Langley, or McLean school does not. It really comes down to what you feel is important, and what you are willing to live with.

Have you toured the inside of the building since its remodel/rebuild/additions? I strongly suspect you have not. Wilson HS definitely has its issues, but cramped or "limited" space in the building is not one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

Your statement is laughable. I can personally attest that MoCo does no better at teaching advanced kids than DCPS. Also, where do you get test scores for privates?

Your denial is laughable. MoCo has a higher number of kids testing above basic levels -- this is data you can look up -- so the class as a whole can at least move beyond that. For the better DC privates, if your child isn't passing they will work with them, but if they don't bring their grades up they are asked to leave. They don't allow consistently failing students to stay there indefinitely.

And to clarify -- I'm referring to the better MoCo publics. There is a false belief that ALL MoCo schools are good. This is NOT the case. It depends on what part of MoCo you're in...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

Your bolded point is valid, but not applicable in DC. The advanced students are not in the same classes (often, they're not in the same schools) as the lagging students. Teaching only to the advanced students is not what's going on in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

You clearly have no idea what is going on in DC public schools with significant portions of advanced kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way to see how income plays into this particularly strongly in DC is to filter the NCES data by National School Lunch Eligibility.

Select 4th grade, reading, national school lunch eligibility, 2013.

DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category.

That said, at most DC private schools and better MoCo publics, the majority of the students test above proficient in the basic categories. Teachers can't teach just to the advanced students in a class while ignoring the ones lagging behind. They usually end up somewhere in the middle, or if the majority of the class isn't getting it, slowing things down a bit. The more "advanced" students (in this case the ones not eligible for free lunch) will always get As, but you have to wonder if you're doing your "advanced" child a disservice if a quality education is your priority. Are they really being challenged academically? What could they be learning if most of their classmates were beyond the basic level?

You clearly have no idea what is going on in DC public schools with significant portions of advanced kids.

Please enlighten me -- what are the DC public schools where the MAJORITY are advanced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a little confused -- people claim that there are good public and public charter schools in DC, but the National Center for Education Statistics ranks DC public schools (including the 109 charters) below national averages in math, reading, science and writing.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

The only report that ranks DC charter schools separately is issued by the DC Public Charter School Board, which is hardly an independent source.

I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm actually looking for real facts -- where are people getting their data to support assertions that these public schools are high performing?

Yea its not fair to compare DC to STATES...but because its a district thats what usually happens, even so DC is bad when compared to other cities as well, a lot of the charter schools are a sham, even the elite one's in NorthWest that all the affluent whites are trying to get their kids into are subpar

Where do you live and where are your children enrolled?

Mitchellville/woodmore area

Then why are you posting? The schools in Woodmore suck.

Soooo not true...very good testing scores and majority minority as well, though not poverty stricken

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a little confused -- people claim that there are good public and public charter schools in DC, but the National Center for Education Statistics ranks DC public schools (including the 109 charters) below national averages in math, reading, science and writing.

http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/

The only report that ranks DC charter schools separately is issued by the DC Public Charter School Board, which is hardly an independent source.

I'm not trying to be snarky, I'm actually looking for real facts -- where are people getting their data to support assertions that these public schools are high performing?

Yea its not fair to compare DC to STATES...but because its a district thats what usually happens, even so DC is bad when compared to other cities as well, a lot of the charter schools are a sham, even the elite one's in NorthWest that all the affluent whites are trying to get their kids into are subpar

Where do you live and where are your children enrolled?

Mitchellville/woodmore area

Did you miss this part?


"DC has a 50-point gap between eligible/not eligible for free lunch and the highest scores in the country for those in the "not eligible" category."

I would hardly call that subpar.

make sense, but is that due to the school system or just the highly educated majority white population in certain sections of the city? I always judge a system on how it does with its poorer residents. I"m curious to see the racial breakdown of those scores

What woudlbt racial breakdown do for you? Are you assuming there are not any educated black families in DC? The schools aren't failing the non-poverty kids and based on a recent DCUM survey, most people aren't supplementing their students via tutoring.

No not all, schools like shepherd park i'm sure test well, like the white highly educated kids in other parts of NW. But how many communities are like that? As a AA myself when I judge a certain school I like to look at the minority ie Black kids test scores because they can lag behind others even if the school produces great test results. What good is a great school with great test results if ur child isn't benefiting.