DME Paul Kihn on Kojo Show at 12pm Today Dec 4
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Anonymous
It's tough. To attract the best people, you may want to give them options, such as choosing private for their kids if they prefer. If you force people to go public, I worry we'll get more stories of skirting the rules, like the last chancellor. |
Anonymous
What is really nuts is that elected officials in DC get a pass on sending their kids to public schools. Just about anywhere else sending your kids to private school would immediately disqualify you from elected office. Maybe unless you are devoutly religious and send your kids to parochial instead. Or I guess in the south if you send your kids to segregation academy. |
Anonymous
They can't require DCPS teachers to do so - they can't afford housing here, we cannot mandate that they live in DC. However, judges are required to live in DC. Several judges send their kids to public schools. The DME is exceedingly well-paid. He can afford to. Scott Pearson is also rich. He can afford to. The head of FOCUS is rich. The heads of Building Hope are rich. They can all afford to - but choose to send Biff and Muffy to WIS. Consequences for said choice under Ms. Bowser? Nope. |
Anonymous
Not as simple. Remember the Obamas sent their kids to private schools even back in Chicago? |
Anonymous
Obama wasn't the DME. And, he sent his kids to a school operated by the University of Chicago, where he was a professor. |
Anonymous
| I think using WIS rhetorically is a way to offer a subtle dig to Kihn. The direct question is too unkind, but a less direct one makes the point - "What does it take for DCPS to be a better choice than WIS for parents who want Spanish-bilingual children?" |
Anonymous
True, he was only 10 times more important than the DME, and still chose private. Didn't Duncan do the same? The point is, it's better to evaluate officials by their actual results, not by where they send their kids. |
Anonymous
Simple in theory, tough in practice. 1) Focus on every kid, instead of prioritizing the bottom half 2) Have a bilingual HS as good as O-A is for elementary grades |
Anonymous
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I listened to the interview with Kihn. He used a lot of smoothing, polished language to offer points that I believe would be poorly taken if he were more blunt.
In one portion of the interview, you could hear the wheels churn as he delivered high-flown language that boiled down to "DCPS high schools should be place where would-be dropouts should be coached to graduating" and "DCPS is a place where we can try out things we think might work." If I heard that I would say, "Do I want my kid in a school specializing in students who are failing? Doesn't that usually come with a package of disciplinary and social problems that affect students around them?" Or "do I want my kid to be the subject of the experimental education idea du jour?" Or the convoluted response he had for Valerie asking about French and Calculus at Eastern. At first pretending he didn't know what the schools had at Wilson vs. Eastern and then making it seem like there needs to be some three-dimensional chess with the DCPS chancellor to determine whether a lack of decent classes keeps children who are doing well academically out of our neighborhood high schools. Of course it does, and it's too bad he can't give the obvious answer and admit the solutions are hard and rely on things like money and difficult things like nearly-empty classrooms or honors-type classes. I feel like he's on the macro-level system's side and not willing to bend in favor of people like us. We're beneath him and subject to his noblesse oblige. |
Anonymous
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For the love of G-d. There are several traditional DCPS and charter schools which offer Spanish immersion. He had multiple options. Also, much like Fenty's very expensive 75k heater that magically ended up in the public pool where he trained, the DME sending his rich children to Bancroft,
Bruce-Monroe, Cleveland, Houston, Oyster, Powell, Reed, Tyler, LAMB, Mundo Verdo, DC Bilingual, Stokes, etc. etc. would make those schools better. It is absolutely disgusting and disqualifying that the DME sends his kids to private schools and then LIES that it's because he cares about "Spanish immersion" - he cares about his children being surrounded by rich, largely white children. |
Anonymous
Arne Duncan lived in Arlington - his kids went to public schools in Arlington. Obama was not in charge of running public schools when he was professor. |
Anonymous
+1 It should be disqualifying to hold the position and send one’s children to private school. |
Anonymous
He was appointed by the Mayor. Let's have a real election next time. |
Anonymous
Exactly, forced to write-in Vince Gray. Who will take out Bowser, unless she is felled by scandal? |
Anonymous
| Next election is in 4 (!) years. I doubt Mayor Bowser will even run again, but it's all a long way off. |