how to address the under enrollment at Brookland Middle School

[Anonymous]

An abundance of high demand charters in close proximity to Brookland Middle School and almost zero interest of local mid-high SES parents to enroll their kids into DCPS elementary schools isn't the formula for success here.

Over before it started on this path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's going to take time and consistent outreach by the school. Plus, it takes financial investment. School budgets are calculated based on enrollment numbers and upward adjustments for ELA and special education students. But, when a school is new and struggling to build enrollment, I really think there has to be additional investment from DCPS. So that the school can add a few more bells and whistles; so that staff can be compensated for after-hours promotion activities; money to fund a community event or two (a fair or festival) that will allow families to check out the school in a casual way; funding for quality after school activities and clubs.

I have to assume that the PTA at Brookland is likely fledging and they aren't raising much money. DCPS has to step in and make up for the lack in fundraising for "extras" if they want Brookland to attract middle class families.

For example, one of the most important tools for a school is their website but in DC, it's every school for themselves. So wealthier schools with more parents with professional degrees and more ability to volunteer have nicer websites, monthly enewsletters and a focus on timely communication. Usually some techie parent has volunteered to run the website or some parent who works in communications has offered to handle the newsletter. But when you have a school that doesn't have the parent volunteer base, it results in limited communications and not-so-great websites. If DCPS wants Brookland to thrive it should give the principal extra money in her budget to hire someone to do the website.

And the most important thing, in my opinion, is having GREAT teachers and allowing prospective families to meet them. The principal should tout her teaching staff. Write up bios for each one and have them on the website. How long have they been teaching? Where did they go to college? Any awards? Why do they teach? What inspires them?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I disagree that these things are all necessary to increase parental interest. Just look at what BASIS is doing with its middle school. It has terrible facilities, and very little money. Yet it offers a desirable program, and people are flocking to it.

Yeah, but BASIS is a charter, not DCPS, which means BASIS has a lot more freedom in how it is organized and ran, how it compensates it's staff, etc. And BASIS DC is, to some extent, riding the reputational coattails of its counterparts in Arizona. Just take a look at the recent US News Best Schools listings....BASIS in AZ ranks top on many lists. And BASIS was founded on the reputation of being hyper-rigorous. All of those things together made BASIS DC a school that higher SES families would consider. I think DCPS was banking that a beautiful new building together with a former, very successful, principal from Janney at the helm of Brookland would be enough to attract families. DCPS needs to do more.

While I don't disagree with anything you've said, you seem to be suggesting that it's the BASIS brand, not the rigorous program, that is attracting students. I disagree. I think it's the rigorous programming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An abundance of high demand charters in close proximity to Brookland Middle School and almost zero interest of local mid-high SES parents to enroll their kids into DCPS elementary schools isn't the formula for success here.

Over before it started on this path.

True. So DCPS should just throw up its hands and give up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An abundance of high demand charters in close proximity to Brookland Middle School and almost zero interest of local mid-high SES parents to enroll their kids into DCPS elementary schools isn't the formula for success here.

Over before it started on this path.

True. So DCPS should just throw up its hands and give up?

NP. No, but it takes improvement up and down the feeder path.

Deal finally became acceptable to its IB families because both the elementary schools were good, and the high school was decent enough for parents to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't fix under enrollment at Brookland so long as it feeds to Dunbar.

It's a sysiphean task.

It is a huge task but it can work. Stuart-Hobson feeds to Eastern but parents have made a lot of progress there in the last 20 years.

The key phrase is 20 years. I would imagine OP has a child who is already born, and will need a MS option she's confident in sooner than that.

I'm the OP, and have a K child. I don't think it would take 20 years to fill up the building. I think if they offer an IB program, there would be increased demand next year. Look at the incredible demand for charters that offer desirable programming. Many of them have no track record, and terrible facilities. And yet the people flock to them. This isn't that hard.

But it is. Check out the Eastern HS thread. Eastern was emptied, renovated and started from scratch with IB. High SES kids still won't go there and frankly the school isn't good except for a few kids in the ACE program. It isn't as simple as saying put in a desirable curriculum and kids will come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't fix under enrollment at Brookland so long as it feeds to Dunbar.

It's a sysiphean task.

It is a huge task but it can work. Stuart-Hobson feeds to Eastern but parents have made a lot of progress there in the last 20 years.

The key phrase is 20 years. I would imagine OP has a child who is already born, and will need a MS option she's confident in sooner than that.

I'm the OP, and have a K child. I don't think it would take 20 years to fill up the building. I think if they offer an IB program, there would be increased demand next year. Look at the incredible demand for charters that offer desirable programming. Many of them have no track record, and terrible facilities. And yet the people flock to them. This isn't that hard.

But it is. Check out the Eastern HS thread. Eastern was emptied, renovated and started from scratch with IB. High SES kids still won't go there and frankly the school isn't good except for a few kids in the ACE program. It isn't as simple as saying put in a desirable curriculum and kids will come.

Fair point. But I think middle school is different. There are many good options for high school for the high achieving student. There aren't many for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's going to take time and consistent outreach by the school. Plus, it takes financial investment. School budgets are calculated based on enrollment numbers and upward adjustments for ELA and special education students. But, when a school is new and struggling to build enrollment, I really think there has to be additional investment from DCPS. So that the school can add a few more bells and whistles; so that staff can be compensated for after-hours promotion activities; money to fund a community event or two (a fair or festival) that will allow families to check out the school in a casual way; funding for quality after school activities and clubs.

I have to assume that the PTA at Brookland is likely fledging and they aren't raising much money. DCPS has to step in and make up for the lack in fundraising for "extras" if they want Brookland to attract middle class families.

For example, one of the most important tools for a school is their website but in DC, it's every school for themselves. So wealthier schools with more parents with professional degrees and more ability to volunteer have nicer websites, monthly enewsletters and a focus on timely communication. Usually some techie parent has volunteered to run the website or some parent who works in communications has offered to handle the newsletter. But when you have a school that doesn't have the parent volunteer base, it results in limited communications and not-so-great websites. If DCPS wants Brookland to thrive it should give the principal extra money in her budget to hire someone to do the website.

And the most important thing, in my opinion, is having GREAT teachers and allowing prospective families to meet them. The principal should tout her teaching staff. Write up bios for each one and have them on the website. How long have they been teaching? Where did they go to college? Any awards? Why do they teach? What inspires them?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I disagree that these things are all necessary to increase parental interest. Just look at what BASIS is doing with its middle school. It has terrible facilities, and very little money. Yet it offers a desirable program, and people are flocking to it.

Huh? Basis is supported by a massive 22-school wide corporation. It can inject funding whenever it needs to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's going to take time and consistent outreach by the school. Plus, it takes financial investment. School budgets are calculated based on enrollment numbers and upward adjustments for ELA and special education students. But, when a school is new and struggling to build enrollment, I really think there has to be additional investment from DCPS. So that the school can add a few more bells and whistles; so that staff can be compensated for after-hours promotion activities; money to fund a community event or two (a fair or festival) that will allow families to check out the school in a casual way; funding for quality after school activities and clubs.

I have to assume that the PTA at Brookland is likely fledging and they aren't raising much money. DCPS has to step in and make up for the lack in fundraising for "extras" if they want Brookland to attract middle class families.

For example, one of the most important tools for a school is their website but in DC, it's every school for themselves. So wealthier schools with more parents with professional degrees and more ability to volunteer have nicer websites, monthly enewsletters and a focus on timely communication. Usually some techie parent has volunteered to run the website or some parent who works in communications has offered to handle the newsletter. But when you have a school that doesn't have the parent volunteer base, it results in limited communications and not-so-great websites. If DCPS wants Brookland to thrive it should give the principal extra money in her budget to hire someone to do the website.

And the most important thing, in my opinion, is having GREAT teachers and allowing prospective families to meet them. The principal should tout her teaching staff. Write up bios for each one and have them on the website. How long have they been teaching? Where did they go to college? Any awards? Why do they teach? What inspires them?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I disagree that these things are all necessary to increase parental interest. Just look at what BASIS is doing with its middle school. It has terrible facilities, and very little money. Yet it offers a desirable program, and people are flocking to it.

Huh? Basis is supported by a massive 22-school wide corporation. It can inject funding whenever it needs to.

I don't think it's "supported" by the corporation. In fact I think its the other way around. Why would a for profit corporation "inject funding" unless they saw a possible return on investment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's going to take time and consistent outreach by the school. Plus, it takes financial investment. School budgets are calculated based on enrollment numbers and upward adjustments for ELA and special education students. But, when a school is new and struggling to build enrollment, I really think there has to be additional investment from DCPS. So that the school can add a few more bells and whistles; so that staff can be compensated for after-hours promotion activities; money to fund a community event or two (a fair or festival) that will allow families to check out the school in a casual way; funding for quality after school activities and clubs.

I have to assume that the PTA at Brookland is likely fledging and they aren't raising much money. DCPS has to step in and make up for the lack in fundraising for "extras" if they want Brookland to attract middle class families.

For example, one of the most important tools for a school is their website but in DC, it's every school for themselves. So wealthier schools with more parents with professional degrees and more ability to volunteer have nicer websites, monthly enewsletters and a focus on timely communication. Usually some techie parent has volunteered to run the website or some parent who works in communications has offered to handle the newsletter. But when you have a school that doesn't have the parent volunteer base, it results in limited communications and not-so-great websites. If DCPS wants Brookland to thrive it should give the principal extra money in her budget to hire someone to do the website.

And the most important thing, in my opinion, is having GREAT teachers and allowing prospective families to meet them. The principal should tout her teaching staff. Write up bios for each one and have them on the website. How long have they been teaching? Where did they go to college? Any awards? Why do they teach? What inspires them?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I disagree that these things are all necessary to increase parental interest. Just look at what BASIS is doing with its middle school. It has terrible facilities, and very little money. Yet it offers a desirable program, and people are flocking to it.

Huh? Basis is supported by a massive 22-school wide corporation. It can inject funding whenever it needs to.

I don't think it's "supported" by the corporation. In fact I think its the other way around. Why would a for profit corporation "inject funding" unless they saw a possible return on investment.

BASIS DC, is a DC 501(c)(3) that contracts with BASIS.ed to manage the school. At certain points, BASIS.ed has provided more in 'overhead' type services in DC than in some of the other schools -- e.g. covering the salary of more staff than the DC school on its own could afford, especially before the enrollment reached the full 600. They did it because it was in their own interest to make sure DC succeeded, or at least didn't fail.

BASIS.ed does get an annual payment from BASIS DC (as KIPP's national organization does from its DC schools) but DC pays a lower percentage than do the other schools, because that's how the local Board negotiated the contract.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's going to take time and consistent outreach by the school. Plus, it takes financial investment. School budgets are calculated based on enrollment numbers and upward adjustments for ELA and special education students. But, when a school is new and struggling to build enrollment, I really think there has to be additional investment from DCPS. So that the school can add a few more bells and whistles; so that staff can be compensated for after-hours promotion activities; money to fund a community event or two (a fair or festival) that will allow families to check out the school in a casual way; funding for quality after school activities and clubs.

I have to assume that the PTA at Brookland is likely fledging and they aren't raising much money. DCPS has to step in and make up for the lack in fundraising for "extras" if they want Brookland to attract middle class families.

For example, one of the most important tools for a school is their website but in DC, it's every school for themselves. So wealthier schools with more parents with professional degrees and more ability to volunteer have nicer websites, monthly enewsletters and a focus on timely communication. Usually some techie parent has volunteered to run the website or some parent who works in communications has offered to handle the newsletter. But when you have a school that doesn't have the parent volunteer base, it results in limited communications and not-so-great websites. If DCPS wants Brookland to thrive it should give the principal extra money in her budget to hire someone to do the website.

And the most important thing, in my opinion, is having GREAT teachers and allowing prospective families to meet them. The principal should tout her teaching staff. Write up bios for each one and have them on the website. How long have they been teaching? Where did they go to college? Any awards? Why do they teach? What inspires them?

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I disagree that these things are all necessary to increase parental interest. Just look at what BASIS is doing with its middle school. It has terrible facilities, and very little money. Yet it offers a desirable program, and people are flocking to it.

Huh? Basis is supported by a massive 22-school wide corporation. It can inject funding whenever it needs to.

I don't think it's "supported" by the corporation. In fact I think its the other way around. Why would a for profit corporation "inject funding" unless they saw a possible return on investment.

BASIS DC, is a DC 501(c)(3) that contracts with BASIS.ed to manage the school. At certain points, BASIS.ed has provided more in 'overhead' type services in DC than in some of the other schools -- e.g. covering the salary of more staff than the DC school on its own could afford, especially before the enrollment reached the full 600. They did it because it was in their own interest to make sure DC succeeded, or at least didn't fail.

BASIS.ed does get an annual payment from BASIS DC (as KIPP's national organization does from its DC schools) but DC pays a lower percentage than do the other schools, because that's how the local Board negotiated the contract.

So, in other words, BASIS has made investments in the DC campus because they expect a return on the investments. I don't think that changes my opinion at all. This is what corporations do. They do it because they expect to get back more than they invest.

[Anonymous]

BASIS attracts some families because 1) the academics are rigorous, 2) the school has a no social promotion policy and 3) the kids have to take 6 AP exams to graduate -- meaning the fact that they learned something (or didn't) is validated externally.

To be blunt, parents of strong students figure that while there may be kids below grade level in their children's 5th or 6th grade classes (except for math), by 7th those kids will have either caught up, or will have left the school.

It's really controversial, and their high stakes test policies in middle school sometimes catch 'good' students too, who struggle in a subject.

That's not something DCPS can do, and something no other charter chooses to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't fix under enrollment at Brookland so long as it feeds to Dunbar.

It's a sysiphean task.

It is a huge task but it can work. Stuart-Hobson feeds to Eastern but parents have made a lot of progress there in the last 20 years.

PP wins the dry humor crown. Brava.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BASIS attracts some families because 1) the academics are rigorous, 2) the school has a no social promotion policy and 3) the kids have to take 6 AP exams to graduate -- meaning the fact that they learned something (or didn't) is validated externally.

To be blunt, parents of strong students figure that while there may be kids below grade level in their children's 5th or 6th grade classes (except for math), by 7th those kids will have either caught up, or will have left the school.

It's really controversial, and their high stakes test policies in middle school sometimes catch 'good' students too, who struggle in a subject.

That's not something DCPS can do, and something no other charter chooses to do.

I'm the previous poster that mentioned BASIS, as an example of how a rigorous program can attract students, even when the school lacks other things that most parents want. You're right that there are some things about BASIS that wouldn't work in DCPS. I still there are things that DCPS can do it institute a rigorous curriculum, and these things would attract more students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't fix under enrollment at Brookland so long as it feeds to Dunbar.

It's a sysiphean task.

It is a huge task but it can work. Stuart-Hobson feeds to Eastern but parents have made a lot of progress there in the last 20 years.

The key phrase is 20 years. I would imagine OP has a child who is already born, and will need a MS option she's confident in sooner than that.

I'm the OP, and have a K child. I don't think it would take 20 years to fill up the building. I think if they offer an IB program, there would be increased demand next year. Look at the incredible demand for charters that offer desirable programming. Many of them have no track record, and terrible facilities. And yet the people flock to them. This isn't that hard.

And yet apparently it is. Charters have been stealing students from DCPS for over 10 years and are almost at 50%. DCPS gave up on MS a few years ago. Now the only solution is a new building and lacrosse. Higher SES parents are supposed to be fooled that it makes up for something consequential like dual language or higher-level math. Most such parents didn't find their way into that status by being easily duped.

The sooner your realize that high-achieving (even average) students are not a priority for DCPS, the sooner you will save your child a year of falling behind. As long as less than 50% of DCPS students can read and write and do math at grade level the sooner you will understand the basic calculus. That shiny new building is just a way to entice the low-performing students into even coming to school at all. It's not an achievement-oriented or aspirational setting. It's about decreasing truancy and trying to get 13 year olds to still try to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't fix under enrollment at Brookland so long as it feeds to Dunbar.

It's a sysiphean task.

By that argument all of the charters that end at 8th grade cannot be saved either. Poor TR, CMI, and ITS. RIP...