Jefferson Academy Kool-Aid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

No one is amenable to that because picking those three schools out of the hat doesn't make any sense.

If you look at the feeders for Hardy it's all relatively affluent neighborhoods. It hasn't taken off because it's probably too affluent for public schools. That's slowly changing as more students from feeders are staying. Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde-Addison, Eaton -- that's a pretty impressive group of feeders and not a whole lot of FARMS in that lot. It's OK for NW but not the Hill. When Hardy turns DCPS is going to see a MS even more affluent and less diverse than Deal

but everyone knows the Hill can't have nice things . . . those are reserved for Wards 2 and 3 and to a lesser extent 4.

Throwing Ward 4 in there must be a joke...we have been last in line for just about every renovation round.

Lafayette is Ward 4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

No one is amenable to that because picking those three schools out of the hat doesn't make any sense.

If you look at the feeders for Hardy it's all relatively affluent neighborhoods. It hasn't taken off because it's probably too affluent for public schools. That's slowly changing as more students from feeders are staying. Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde-Addison, Eaton -- that's a pretty impressive group of feeders and not a whole lot of FARMS in that lot. It's OK for NW but not the Hill. When Hardy turns DCPS is going to see a MS even more affluent and less diverse than Deal

but everyone knows the Hill can't have nice things . . . those are reserved for Wards 2 and 3 and to a lesser extent 4.

Throwing Ward 4 in there must be a joke...we have been last in line for just about every renovation round.

Lafayette is Ward 4.

Barely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

No one is amenable to that because picking those three schools out of the hat doesn't make any sense.

If you look at the feeders for Hardy it's all relatively affluent neighborhoods. It hasn't taken off because it's probably too affluent for public schools. That's slowly changing as more students from feeders are staying. Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde-Addison, Eaton -- that's a pretty impressive group of feeders and not a whole lot of FARMS in that lot. It's OK for NW but not the Hill. When Hardy turns DCPS is going to see a MS even more affluent and less diverse than Deal

but everyone knows the Hill can't have nice things . . . those are reserved for Wards 2 and 3 and to a lesser extent 4.

Throwing Ward 4 in there must be a joke...we have been last in line for just about every renovation round.

Lafayette is Ward 4.

Barely.

what do you mean "barely" -- how about "entirely"?

[Anonymous]

Roosevelt and MacFarland are being renovated in Ward 4 too.

But we are full of low performing ECs and high schools too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

No one is amenable to that because picking those three schools out of the hat doesn't make any sense.

If you look at the feeders for Hardy it's all relatively affluent neighborhoods. It hasn't taken off because it's probably too affluent for public schools. That's slowly changing as more students from feeders are staying. Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde-Addison, Eaton -- that's a pretty impressive group of feeders and not a whole lot of FARMS in that lot. It's OK for NW but not the Hill. When Hardy turns DCPS is going to see a MS even more affluent and less diverse than Deal

but everyone knows the Hill can't have nice things . . . those are reserved for Wards 2 and 3 and to a lesser extent 4.

Throwing Ward 4 in there must be a joke...we have been last in line for just about every renovation round.

Lafayette is Ward 4.

Barely.

Fake Edit: Even conceding Lafayette, that is a school with 700+ kids that is just now being renovated, years after many other schools. Not exactly evidence that this ward has been receiving preferential treatment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

This is just silly, magical thinking and a unicorn. What do these three have in common? On yeah, high concentration of white, high SES students. There is no geographic logic to this at all.

There's little geographic logic to many of DCPS's decisions (Watkins, Eaton, etc). But the decisions that lack geographic logic are politically feasible, while combining Brent, Maury and SWS in one middle school is not. Given that it will never happen, I do wish people stopped focusing on it.

How about a middle school that includes Brent, SWS and Maury, PLUS Tyler, Miner and Payne? The idea is to focus on collecting as many strong students in one building as possible, and not focus on the percentage of strong students in said school. If you had 100 kids on day one capable of taking advanced classes then you'd have something. The issue is that Hobson cuts through the middle of the catchment areas of these schools, and Hobson used all of the Hill's political capital with its $40 million of capital improvements.

and Watkins is in the process of getting the same. Peabody has already seen dramatic facility improvements to its beautiful yet weathered building. The eastern half of the Watkins' boundary is seeing transformational change with a large chunk of single family homes in development. Maybe DCPS sees potential in the Cluster because it serves Watkins/Peabody but also LT and JO Wilson and offers instant diversity for Stuart Hobson even if it shifts towards IB. The investment makes more sense than Eliot Hine which has seen a dramatic drop in enrollment. SH is the only fully subscribed MS in Ward 6.

Brent is sadly SOL on neighborhood MS for the foreseeable future. Even long term when Van Ness is in play for Jefferson that's a tough sell. I don't blame Brent families for agitating for change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Roosevelt and MacFarland are being renovated in Ward 4 too.

But we are full of low performing ECs and high schools too.

Thanks. My point was that schools like Roosevelt and MarFarland were in the worst shape and are pretty close to last in line when you look at secondary schools.

[Anonymous]

None of these ideas about realignment of Hill middle schools are solving the problem facing this year's 3rd and 4th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well of course not Hardy - bc they are 4th graders.

Some of the 5th grade Brent families tried for Hardy and Hobson and failed by a long shot.

+1. And some 4th Grade families tried for Mann, Eaton and Hearst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Roosevelt and MacFarland are being renovated in Ward 4 too.

But we are full of low performing ECs and high schools too.

Thanks. My point was that schools like Roosevelt and MarFarland were in the worst shape and are pretty close to last in line when you look at secondary schools.

And Coolidge is behind them and has an enrollment of 300.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a great week for the Brent community. Many 4th graders without older siblings at charters didn't land a spot at the public middle schools parents applied them to - Washington Latin, BASIS, Stuart Hobson, Hardy, 2 Rivers, Creative Minds, Inspired Teaching etc. It sounds like two dozen of the 60 currently have no DC public option other than Jefferson Academy. Some will get off wait lists by the start of school. Some won't. Brent's 5th grade of 18 will be larger in the fall as a result. No telling how big just yet.

Do you know how many sibs there were? It sounds like more than 1/2 the 4th graders landed somewhere public for 5th (other than Brent) - whereas at SWS, it sounds like around 25% landed a public 5th grade spot (other than SWS).

Anyone know what happened at Maury?

Same situation with it sounds fewer getting into Latin or Basis (if they applied) but generally not desperate like this conversation here, with many playing the lottery for the heck of it and others not even bothering. Just as Brent, Maury has some parents bound for Stuart-Hobson and happy with that and many others have confidence in Eliot-Hine and Jefferson. We will most certainly take a closer look not only at Eliot-Hine, with which we're familiar, but also Jefferson even if it's a little out of the way. We know families/kids at Jefferson who've done exceptionally well for high school placements. So no fear there.

[Anonymous]

I generally hate reading these Ward 6 threads because there is no simple solution that can satisfy even a plurality of parents.

DCPS dropped the ball, obviously, but Latin and Basis' role as a temporary escape hatch hasn't been the most helpful either. That door is closing and the feeder situation is just as screwed up as it was seven years ago. All that money and effort and the Hill is no closer to a solution.

[Anonymous]

Home schooling co-op.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a great week for the Brent community. Many 4th graders without older siblings at charters didn't land a spot at the public middle schools parents applied them to - Washington Latin, BASIS, Stuart Hobson, Hardy, 2 Rivers, Creative Minds, Inspired Teaching etc. It sounds like two dozen of the 60 currently have no DC public option other than Jefferson Academy. Some will get off wait lists by the start of school. Some won't. Brent's 5th grade of 18 will be larger in the fall as a result. No telling how big just yet.

Brent's PARCC proficiency is about 62% according to Myschool DC (averaging ELA and math scores).

Jefferson's is about 12% (which, it should be noted, is substantially higher than Elliot-Hine and only a little lower than Stuart-Hobson).

If those two dozen kids from Brent went to Jefferson and 60% of them were proficient, the school could go from its current rate of about 12 proficient 6th graders in a class of 100 (12%) to 26 out of 124 (21%) and its scores would be higher than Stuart-Hobson and on par with Hardy.

That's a heavy lift for Brent parents, I understand. The kids who are most likely to be proficient are the least likely to take a chance on Jefferson. But the school does have enough proficient kids in the feeder pattern to raise the test scores just through a cohort effect alone. And the school has expressed willingness to differentiate to meet the needs of whoever enrolls.

This is so silly. Families at Brent don't want their students to BE the academic strength at a middle school, they want to join a cohort with academic strength ( or mere proficiency ). Which, frankly, is not asking a lot. And it's not that they are asking for it in any begging/demanding sense, they are simply saying that is a condition which would have them looking at a middle school as a possibility

+1000. While I think her intentions are well-placed, the fact Natalie Gordon can pay lip service to differentiation ignores the realities of where resources will need to be directed. That's not going to happen when kids are being reprimanded for having shirts that aren't tucked in, assuming they are one of the many of those who are chronically absent. The number of at risk kids only adds to the complexity of the task of educating kids during the critical middle school period of development.

DCPS wants to focus on the "success stories" of kids who arrived at Jefferson several grades behind snd totally unprepared for middle school or anything much beyond. It boils down to a game of MGP and other stats that look good in a press release. Otherwise there isn't jack squat Rhee and her acolytes have accomplished in the past decade with respect to narrowing the achievement gap or providing a path forward for higher achieving kids. Just take a look at the promises Henderson has made but not kept with respect to Jefferson.

The simple fact is you're never going to see two dozen Brent fifth graders enrolling at Jefferson when half of them peel off for Basis, Latin or other options after fourth. You grab the golden ring when given the opportunity because there's very little more important than your child's education. Of course, even if the magical thinking about a cohort of Brent being able to "flip" Jefferson was the case, the fact that Jefferson test scores might be elevated higher than those at SH (which presumably will continue to rise as more inbound families from the Cluster and Ludlow-Taylor also find themselves shutout of Latin and Basis) isn't saying all that much right now. Can some families make it work? Probably, and particularly if your kid is higher-achieving or needs remediation or other types of interventions. Those in the middle will be left to sink or swim. Jefferson, like Stuart-Hobson, is a dead-end in terms of the feed to Eastern and it makes little to no sense to invest so heavily in trying to make three years at a middle school potentially viable when the best possible outcome is maybe being admitted to SWW or possibly Banneker. It's an absurd exercise in futility. In the meantime, no modernization on the horizon and relatively few classroom teachers rated highly-effective is not a recipe for success when the Mayor and Henderson are fretting about what to name the Empowering Males HS instead of committing to a magnet STEM program that could jump-start Jefferson.


And where are the Tyler families in terms of the Jefferson equation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I generally hate reading these Ward 6 threads because there is no simple solution that can satisfy even a plurality of parents.

DCPS dropped the ball, obviously, but Latin and Basis' role as a temporary escape hatch hasn't been the most helpful either. That door is closing and the feeder situation is just as screwed up as it was seven years ago. All that money and effort and the Hill is no closer to a solution.

That really sums it up -- the escape hatch was a myopic yet workable solution for Hill families and DCPS as long as ample HRCS spaces were readily available. Most of the charter growth has been dual language and KIPP/DC PREP type schools which appeal to a different demographic. Without that assurance DCPS needs to do the hard work in creating better vertical paths. This kind of visioning is not really an organizational strength of DCPS or DME