What if...leadership changed before boundaries?

[Anonymous]

I'm kind of skeptical that the WOTP elementary schools are so good because of parents. The top performing DCPS seem to have both consistency in leadership and stability if/when there is transition.

What if we skip the boundary change and mandate a leadership change? For example, if Mann or Key can't meaningfully improve beyond their high (for DC) levels, why not put those principals and teachers to use at the schools that really need to improve?

Shouldn't equal access mean access to educators as well as educational resources like laptops and ipads?

[Anonymous]

Seriously? You think that it just so happens that the highest SES areas of the city are also the top performing schools? It just HAPPENS that JKLMM got the best principals? That's your theory?

[Anonymous]

Crap, I thought this was going to be a discussion about a mayoral change

[Anonymous]

So did I. So here is my two cents for the discussion proposed by 21:53. No matter who becomes mayor, the assignment policies need to be addressed. I have OOB children in Eaton and Deal and may or may not get grandfathered in, but seeing what I see at Deal it is pretty evident to me that the status quo is untenable in the long term and needs to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

JKLMM schools are so good because of the particular students in the seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JKLMM schools are so good because of the particular students in the seats.

I disagree. I think there is a baseline level of success that is attributable to the students in the seats, but the involved families have also demanded excellent leadership and taken advantage of it when it presents itself. My kids attend one and I do not get the feeling they are interchangeable. I would be upset if we lost our school leadership but I do not think you need to steal good leadership from one to provide good leadership at another. Someone has to have good hiring skills and hire and support strong leaders for the school district. I think there are many throughout DCPS and they need to be supported and appreciated and given sufficient time to make changes.

[Anonymous]

22:24 Agree that is preposterous to actively steal a good principal from one school to go to another one. That is not in the best interest of the students losing their principal. Why destabilize what is working?

[Anonymous]

While good leadership helps - it certainly doesn't make or break the school. There are examples of this in JKLM!

[Anonymous]

OP here. This was more of a cabin fever-induced thought exercise. When Bowser says she wants a Deal in every ward, or whatever it was, doesn't it mean a strong principal for 7 years or however long it took Dr. Kim to "fix" Deal?

I guess my real question is what, if anything, can DCPS do strategically to ensure there will be human capital at the leadership levels to manage transitions to the new boundaries? Succession planning is obviously a challenge with one-year contracts. But what do other school systems do? Is there turnover at principal level in the burbs?

[Anonymous]

This is so feaking funny. That a small percentage of people are concerned about school boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Janney's last principal went to a struggling school and from what I understand they are still very much struggling.

[Anonymous]

11:05 So true! In fact, I hear that the school is worse than it was before his arrival at Wheatley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JKLMM schools are so good because of the particular students in the seats.

Are you prepared to say the same of KIPP? Because you surely know that they outscore Deal in 7th and 8th grade reading and math scores.

I merely ask because I'd hate to see us all collectively break our arms, patting ourselves on our largely-white, upper-middle-class backs.