DCI Parent Petition

[Anonymous]

But but but... he so effective! Look at the record turnover! And the record staff dissatisfaction!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Can't see attrition after 8th grade decreasing, not with bigger UMC cohorts coming up the chain from the feeders and more Ward 5 and 6 families with MS and HS age kids staying put. With drastic cuts to the Federal work force in the last year, hurting DMV business that rely on govt resources, some DC families who expected to be able to afford privates for HS a year or two hence no longer can. And it's not a great time to sell a DC house to decamp to the burbs on good form.

All things considered, DCI will remain popular however the fraught management situation nets out this year.

[Anonymous]

So what happened last night? The loud malcontents just screamed and screamed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School newspaper just dropped a special edition expose. Amazing.

Is that online? Link?

https://www.instagram.com/dci_newspaper/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tFezsBJ2KJM2uDW37Gq0kZQyf7Fcqi5fVEjUbl5m_jU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.4z2kyyema2et

Holy sh*t! This is bad.

DCI is really sinking.

I don’t agree. Seems like a small group is complaining about ensuring teachers are on time. A few people were let go for reasons we can’t legally know. I don’t know why you think a school is “sinking”. By that measure dcps as a whole is fully sunk (wait that might be accurate).

What do these protestors mean by “loss of IB for all”? It makes little sense to me but I’m an outsider.

I am once again asking in what world is 94% of staff, thousands of petition signers, and hundreds of students walking out a "small group"? Stop trying to make small group happen.

I think there were like 12 kids in the walkout, most of the kids didn’t even know it was happening. The staff number is unsurprising, given how teachers rebel against any and all accountability at every school.

Your continued "teachers hate accountability" argument doesn't really explain why students walked out, alumni spoke out, parents organized, and community members testified publicly. At some point, it becomes statistically improbable that every group raising concerns is the problem.

When your explanation for every criticism is that the critic is lazy, uninformed, manipulated, or disgruntled, you're no longer evaluating evidence. You're protecting your (wrong) conclusion.

The evidence we have is weak and all you’re doing is appealing to essentially unfalsifiable claims.

I dispute that the walkout was that big (and students claim it was the usual suspects, backing me up there). I dispute that the parental organization was any great number outside of dramatic LAMB parents who have caused trouble their entire time in the Charter system (and the behavior of other parents and the board backs me up here).

I don’t dispute the petition, but it appears in response to a truly necessary call for staff accountability.

I have no kids at DCI and no horse in this race. The video posted flies in the face of bolded. So either the video is AI or you are just making things up and sticking with your story. If an outsider is trying to figure out who is credible, it isn't you.

I don’t have a kid at DCI either but it looked pretty small for a student population with 1600 kids. It’s not like the whole school or even 10% walked out.

You seem very confident for someone who wasn’t there.

The middle school was in testing, so the walkout was limited to the high school. Anyone who was actually present knows almost all students walked out and there was representation from across grades, programs, backgrounds, and friend groups… not just “the usual suspects.”

More importantly, you’re missing the point. Whether it was 300 students or 500 students, that’s an extraordinary event in the life of a school. Students generally don’t leave class, risk disciplinary consequences, organize petitions, testify publicly, and spend months advocating because they’re upset about employee badge swipes.

And since we’re talking about leadership, it’s worth noting that while students were outside making their concerns known, Rosskamm exited through the back of the building rather than facing the students directly. Many people viewed that as emblematic of the broader concern: when confronted with difficult feedback, the response has too often been avoidance rather than engagement.

How many students are not returning next year? That is more of a metric for there displeasure than a silly walkout.

Not really. Most of the kids at DcI have no better option.

NP. Sorry but you are wrong. We turned down private and Latin. Know families who turn down Basis and Walls. Know families who chose DCI over their IB Deal.

Based on this, you’d think DCI is the top middle and high school in DC, but the reality is quite different.

Nope, I never said that. You are making incorrect assumptions typical of DCUM.

70k private wasn’t worth it. We might have considered if we had gotten FA.

Latin weak in math, STEM, sports and extracurriculars. Subpar facilities.

DCI was good enough, strong in STEM and languages, lots of tracking, and kid is having a good experience not only academically but loving his friend group and the sports and clubs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

I doubt any significant attrition because high school is better than middle and now with more AP offerings available to 9th and 10th graders who then track to IB diploma.

We know a few kids who declined Walls and predict that will continue to be an upward trend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Riddle me this - hundreds of students walk out in protest of Rosskamm. So then he thinks it's a good idea to get in the dunk tank today? A mile long line quickly forms of students who can't wait to dunk him and another group of students form to taunt him each time he gets dunked. READ THE ROOM.

We know the teachers have lost all respect for Rosskamm. We know the parents have lost all respect for him. When will he take the hint?

Great work! Students lining up to dunk their school leader when he gets in a dunk tank is a clear referendum on his ineffective leadership and shows their overall dissatisfaction as something like this would never happen at any other school. Outstanding job with building your more compelling case with the actual evidence of why the school is in trouble with him as a leader. I'm convinced!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

I doubt any significant attrition because high school is better than middle and now with more AP offerings available to 9th and 10th graders who then track to IB diploma.

We know a few kids who declined Walls and predict that will continue to be an upward trend.

That's a continued trend with most places that have a viable high school path because Walls itself is spiraling downward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

I doubt any significant attrition because high school is better than middle and now with more AP offerings available to 9th and 10th graders who then track to IB diploma.

We know a few kids who declined Walls and predict that will continue to be an upward trend.

That's a continued trend with most places that have a viable high school path because Walls itself is spiraling downward.

Believe it or not, but I know students this year who declined Walls to go to the Eastern EPIC/IB program!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Riddle me this - hundreds of students walk out in protest of Rosskamm. So then he thinks it's a good idea to get in the dunk tank today? A mile long line quickly forms of students who can't wait to dunk him and another group of students form to taunt him each time he gets dunked. READ THE ROOM.

We know the teachers have lost all respect for Rosskamm. We know the parents have lost all respect for him. When will he take the hint?

Great work! Students lining up to dunk their school leader when he gets in a dunk tank is a clear referendum on his ineffective leadership and shows their overall dissatisfaction as something like this would never happen at any other school. Outstanding job with building your more compelling case with the actual evidence of why the school is in trouble with him as a leader. I'm convinced!

I weep at the thought that the person you are replying to is more than a disgruntled child. The thought of that person being an adult, who in theory works for a living, is depressing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School newspaper just dropped a special edition expose. Amazing.

Is that online? Link?

https://www.instagram.com/dci_newspaper/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tFezsBJ2KJM2uDW37Gq0kZQyf7Fcqi5fVEjUbl5m_jU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.4z2kyyema2et

Holy sh*t! This is bad.

DCI is really sinking.

I don’t agree. Seems like a small group is complaining about ensuring teachers are on time. A few people were let go for reasons we can’t legally know. I don’t know why you think a school is “sinking”. By that measure dcps as a whole is fully sunk (wait that might be accurate).

What do these protestors mean by “loss of IB for all”? It makes little sense to me but I’m an outsider.

I am once again asking in what world is 94% of staff, thousands of petition signers, and hundreds of students walking out a "small group"? Stop trying to make small group happen.

I think there were like 12 kids in the walkout, most of the kids didn’t even know it was happening. The staff number is unsurprising, given how teachers rebel against any and all accountability at every school.

Your continued "teachers hate accountability" argument doesn't really explain why students walked out, alumni spoke out, parents organized, and community members testified publicly. At some point, it becomes statistically improbable that every group raising concerns is the problem.

When your explanation for every criticism is that the critic is lazy, uninformed, manipulated, or disgruntled, you're no longer evaluating evidence. You're protecting your (wrong) conclusion.

The evidence we have is weak and all you’re doing is appealing to essentially unfalsifiable claims.

I dispute that the walkout was that big (and students claim it was the usual suspects, backing me up there). I dispute that the parental organization was any great number outside of dramatic LAMB parents who have caused trouble their entire time in the Charter system (and the behavior of other parents and the board backs me up here).

I don’t dispute the petition, but it appears in response to a truly necessary call for staff accountability.

I have no kids at DCI and no horse in this race. The video posted flies in the face of bolded. So either the video is AI or you are just making things up and sticking with your story. If an outsider is trying to figure out who is credible, it isn't you.

I don’t have a kid at DCI either but it looked pretty small for a student population with 1600 kids. It’s not like the whole school or even 10% walked out.

You seem very confident for someone who wasn’t there.

The middle school was in testing, so the walkout was limited to the high school. Anyone who was actually present knows almost all students walked out and there was representation from across grades, programs, backgrounds, and friend groups… not just “the usual suspects.”

More importantly, you’re missing the point. Whether it was 300 students or 500 students, that’s an extraordinary event in the life of a school. Students generally don’t leave class, risk disciplinary consequences, organize petitions, testify publicly, and spend months advocating because they’re upset about employee badge swipes.

And since we’re talking about leadership, it’s worth noting that while students were outside making their concerns known, Rosskamm exited through the back of the building rather than facing the students directly. Many people viewed that as emblematic of the broader concern: when confronted with difficult feedback, the response has too often been avoidance rather than engagement.

How many students are not returning next year? That is more of a metric for there displeasure than a silly walkout.

Not really. Most of the kids at DcI have no better option.

NP. Sorry but you are wrong. We turned down private and Latin. Know families who turn down Basis and Walls. Know families who chose DCI over their IB Deal.

Based on this, you’d think DCI is the top middle and high school in DC, but the reality is quite different.

Nope, I never said that. You are making incorrect assumptions typical of DCUM.

70k private wasn’t worth it. We might have considered if we had gotten FA.

Latin weak in math, STEM, sports and extracurriculars. Subpar facilities.

DCI was good enough, strong in STEM and languages, lots of tracking, and kid is having a good experience not only academically but loving his friend group and the sports and clubs.

You are very insecure!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

I doubt any significant attrition because high school is better than middle and now with more AP offerings available to 9th and 10th graders who then track to IB diploma.

We know a few kids who declined Walls and predict that will continue to be an upward trend.

That's a continued trend with most places that have a viable high school path because Walls itself is spiraling downward.

Believe it or not, but I know students this year who declined Walls to go to the Eastern EPIC/IB program!

I don't believe that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School newspaper just dropped a special edition expose. Amazing.

Is that online? Link?

https://www.instagram.com/dci_newspaper/

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tFezsBJ2KJM2uDW37Gq0kZQyf7Fcqi5fVEjUbl5m_jU/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.4z2kyyema2et

Holy sh*t! This is bad.

DCI is really sinking.

I don’t agree. Seems like a small group is complaining about ensuring teachers are on time. A few people were let go for reasons we can’t legally know. I don’t know why you think a school is “sinking”. By that measure dcps as a whole is fully sunk (wait that might be accurate).

What do these protestors mean by “loss of IB for all”? It makes little sense to me but I’m an outsider.

I am once again asking in what world is 94% of staff, thousands of petition signers, and hundreds of students walking out a "small group"? Stop trying to make small group happen.

I think there were like 12 kids in the walkout, most of the kids didn’t even know it was happening. The staff number is unsurprising, given how teachers rebel against any and all accountability at every school.

Your continued "teachers hate accountability" argument doesn't really explain why students walked out, alumni spoke out, parents organized, and community members testified publicly. At some point, it becomes statistically improbable that every group raising concerns is the problem.

When your explanation for every criticism is that the critic is lazy, uninformed, manipulated, or disgruntled, you're no longer evaluating evidence. You're protecting your (wrong) conclusion.

The evidence we have is weak and all you’re doing is appealing to essentially unfalsifiable claims.

I dispute that the walkout was that big (and students claim it was the usual suspects, backing me up there). I dispute that the parental organization was any great number outside of dramatic LAMB parents who have caused trouble their entire time in the Charter system (and the behavior of other parents and the board backs me up here).

I don’t dispute the petition, but it appears in response to a truly necessary call for staff accountability.

I have no kids at DCI and no horse in this race. The video posted flies in the face of bolded. So either the video is AI or you are just making things up and sticking with your story. If an outsider is trying to figure out who is credible, it isn't you.

I don’t have a kid at DCI either but it looked pretty small for a student population with 1600 kids. It’s not like the whole school or even 10% walked out.

You seem very confident for someone who wasn’t there.

The middle school was in testing, so the walkout was limited to the high school. Anyone who was actually present knows almost all students walked out and there was representation from across grades, programs, backgrounds, and friend groups… not just “the usual suspects.”

More importantly, you’re missing the point. Whether it was 300 students or 500 students, that’s an extraordinary event in the life of a school. Students generally don’t leave class, risk disciplinary consequences, organize petitions, testify publicly, and spend months advocating because they’re upset about employee badge swipes.

And since we’re talking about leadership, it’s worth noting that while students were outside making their concerns known, Rosskamm exited through the back of the building rather than facing the students directly. Many people viewed that as emblematic of the broader concern: when confronted with difficult feedback, the response has too often been avoidance rather than engagement.

How many students are not returning next year? That is more of a metric for there displeasure than a silly walkout.

Not really. Most of the kids at DcI have no better option.

NP. Sorry but you are wrong. We turned down private and Latin. Know families who turn down Basis and Walls. Know families who chose DCI over their IB Deal.

Know people who make bad choices all the time.

Not this family and ones we know with options are happy and kids love the school.

It’s great and lots of opportunities if you have a high performing kid. Even better if they like sports and have lots of interests with clubs.

Nope.

HARD pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

I doubt any significant attrition because high school is better than middle and now with more AP offerings available to 9th and 10th graders who then track to IB diploma.

We know a few kids who declined Walls and predict that will continue to be an upward trend.

That's a continued trend with most places that have a viable high school path because Walls itself is spiraling downward.

Believe it or not, but I know students this year who declined Walls to go to the Eastern EPIC/IB program!

I don't believe that.

+1.

About 7% of Eastern High School has successfully passed even a single IB exam.

No one is turning down SWW to go to Eastern EPIC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on. It's by no means easy to change high schools a year, two or three in. DCI is OK enough for parents to hang in there for one, two, maybe three more years until the kid graduates. Maybe you supplement more, pay for pricey tutors and summer programs to compensate for turbulence at the school. The ship has sailed for most DCI families in pursuing another option for high school, even if they're very unhappy with recent developments.

+1. Of course high school students stay. The big indicator is whether attrition increases from 8th to 9th grade.

I doubt any significant attrition because high school is better than middle and now with more AP offerings available to 9th and 10th graders who then track to IB diploma.

We know a few kids who declined Walls and predict that will continue to be an upward trend.

That's a continued trend with most places that have a viable high school path because Walls itself is spiraling downward.

Believe it or not, but I know students this year who declined Walls to go to the Eastern EPIC/IB program!

I don't believe that.

+1.

About 7% of Eastern High School has successfully passed even a single IB exam.

No one is turning down SWW to go to Eastern EPIC.

This is just this anti-Walls poster that shows up on any thread that mentions Walls as a viable option.