Joe Weedon wants permission to send his daughter to Walls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

[Anonymous]

I don't think that the "Honors For All" initiative supports your claim. If you have evidence beyond anecdotal please share with the class.

[Anonymous]

We went to an Eastern fundraiser (we live in the neighborhood with young kids and would love to see the school succeed). The building is beautiful and the students involved in the fundraiser were lovely (polite and friendly; really kind to my kids)... but they also had trouble quickly alphabetizing things and reading the names of slightly but not terribly exotic items. I have no idea how this subset of kids compares to the school population obviously (though this wasn't a fundraiser connected to any SNs type program), but the idea that these kids could be doing high level IB work seemed... insane, frankly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We went to an Eastern fundraiser (we live in the neighborhood with young kids and would love to see the school succeed). The building is beautiful and the students involved in the fundraiser were lovely (polite and friendly; really kind to my kids)... but they also had trouble quickly alphabetizing things and reading the names of slightly but not terribly exotic items. I have no idea how this subset of kids compares to the school population obviously (though this wasn't a fundraiser connected to any SNs type program), but the idea that these kids could be doing high level IB work seemed... insane, frankly.

Not all Eastern students take the IB courses. There isn't a minimum GPA or test-in requirements, but you must apply and discuss with the counselor and your teachers. It is unlikely that a student who is not strong is going to be in that program, especially in the IB diploma program. http://easternhighschooldc.org/academic-offerings/ib-international-baccalaureate/

[Anonymous]

So where did Joe Weedon's daughter end up going to school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So where did Joe Weedon's daughter end up going to school?

School Without Walls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what Eastern’s IB results look like? Is it a strong program?

No way. Eastern's average IB Diploma pass points totals are the IB equivalent of a D. Most of their "full" IB Diploma candidates fail even to pass with the lowest acceptable points total (24 points on a scale of 24-45 points). IB subject exams are graded in Geneva, so no fudging results.

This is depressing. Why even offer IB then? Stick to AP classes. DCPS tries to offer too many options and then cannot manage them well.
I still don’t understand why Deal is IB and I have multiple kids there

I don't get it either. Why bother with IB in a situation where only one or two dozen students can handle the curriculum minimally? IB obviously only works well as a GT test-in program, or in a private school setting.

I am all for keeping IB at Eastern and providing that challenge and thorough education for those who want it.

But remember that DCPS brought IB to Easter in response to in-bound families’ request for a rigorous option. The high SES neighborhood didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. They should have been more honest: we will enroll if you allow our children to be walked off from the rest of the school and be given a special curriculum and classes.

I was involved in the discussions with DCPS to add IB to Eastern 15 years ago. However, I didn't agree to send my children there if the Baccalaureate program was added.

I agreed to send my children there if the IB Diploma program that was created was test-in and high-performing. It certainly hasn't been.

Look Wilson pyramid didn't happen overnight

There has been really great progress made with Stuart Hobson and Jefferson and the tracking they have there.

If all those kids went to Eastern combined there would be a challenging cohort for honors and IB at the high school level

Now, DCPS is shooting themselves in the foot with the test in high schools. All the motivated kids are going there instead (i don't blame them)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what Eastern’s IB results look like? Is it a strong program?

No way. Eastern's average IB Diploma pass points totals are the IB equivalent of a D. Most of their "full" IB Diploma candidates fail even to pass with the lowest acceptable points total (24 points on a scale of 24-45 points). IB subject exams are graded in Geneva, so no fudging results.

This is depressing. Why even offer IB then? Stick to AP classes. DCPS tries to offer too many options and then cannot manage them well.
I still don’t understand why Deal is IB and I have multiple kids there

I don't get it either. Why bother with IB in a situation where only one or two dozen students can handle the curriculum minimally? IB obviously only works well as a GT test-in program, or in a private school setting.

I am all for keeping IB at Eastern and providing that challenge and thorough education for those who want it.

But remember that DCPS brought IB to Easter in response to in-bound families’ request for a rigorous option. The high SES neighborhood didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. They should have been more honest: we will enroll if you allow our children to be walked off from the rest of the school and be given a special curriculum and classes.

I was involved in the discussions with DCPS to add IB to Eastern 15 years ago. However, I didn't agree to send my children there if the Baccalaureate program was added.

I agreed to send my children there if the IB Diploma program that was created was test-in and high-performing. It certainly hasn't been.

Look Wilson pyramid didn't happen overnight

There has been really great progress made with Stuart Hobson and Jefferson and the tracking they have there.

If all those kids went to Eastern combined there would be a challenging cohort for honors and IB at the high school level

Now, DCPS is shooting themselves in the foot with the test in high schools. All the motivated kids are going there instead (i don't blame them)

I agree. Starting two early college high schools last year was a really stupid idea. Why 2? I think by doing that, DCPS has severely handicapped schools like Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what Eastern’s IB results look like? Is it a strong program?

No way. Eastern's average IB Diploma pass points totals are the IB equivalent of a D. Most of their "full" IB Diploma candidates fail even to pass with the lowest acceptable points total (24 points on a scale of 24-45 points). IB subject exams are graded in Geneva, so no fudging results.

This is depressing. Why even offer IB then? Stick to AP classes. DCPS tries to offer too many options and then cannot manage them well.
I still don’t understand why Deal is IB and I have multiple kids there

I don't get it either. Why bother with IB in a situation where only one or two dozen students can handle the curriculum minimally? IB obviously only works well as a GT test-in program, or in a private school setting.

I am all for keeping IB at Eastern and providing that challenge and thorough education for those who want it.

But remember that DCPS brought IB to Easter in response to in-bound families’ request for a rigorous option. The high SES neighborhood didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. They should have been more honest: we will enroll if you allow our children to be walked off from the rest of the school and be given a special curriculum and classes.

I was involved in the discussions with DCPS to add IB to Eastern 15 years ago. However, I didn't agree to send my children there if the Baccalaureate program was added.

I agreed to send my children there if the IB Diploma program that was created was test-in and high-performing. It certainly hasn't been.

Look Wilson pyramid didn't happen overnight

There has been really great progress made with Stuart Hobson and Jefferson and the tracking they have there.

If all those kids went to Eastern combined there would be a challenging cohort for honors and IB at the high school level

Now, DCPS is shooting themselves in the foot with the test in high schools. All the motivated kids are going there instead (i don't blame them)

I agree. Starting two early college high schools last year was a really stupid idea. Why 2? I think by doing that, DCPS has severely handicapped schools like Eastern.

The bet - probably correctly - that families like yours would never buy into an Eastern. So they are giving people what they want now, not in some imagined future. Some of us have 7th-12th graders and need options today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

Right, because multiple high-performing neighborhood elementary schools feed into each of the two by-right middle schools in Upper NW, providing a stable link to Wilson for neighborhood families.

In Ward 6, DCPS insists that the only one or two high-performing elementary schools feeds into each by-right middle school (Brent to Jefferson, Watkins to Hobson, SWS and Maury to Eliot-Hine), with Eastern as a big dead-end afterwards.

The result is that far more of the UMC neighborhood residents send their children to 5th-12th grade charters than to neighborhood middle schools and none, or close, stay in the feeder pattern for Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

Right, because multiple high-performing neighborhood elementary schools feed into each of the two by-right middle schools in Upper NW, providing a stable link to Wilson for neighborhood families.

In Ward 6, DCPS insists that the only one or two high-performing elementary schools feeds into each by-right middle school (Brent to Jefferson, Watkins to Hobson, SWS and Maury to Eliot-Hine), with Eastern as a big dead-end afterwards.

The result is that far more of the UMC neighborhood residents send their children to 5th-12th grade charters than to neighborhood middle schools and none, or close, stay in the feeder pattern for Eastern.

Yeah, they messed up the feeders almost a decade ago and combined with the charter movement, that set progress back almost a decade.

However, there is now honors/tracking at Jefferson and Stuart Hobson which is setting up a nice advanced cohort of kids, like I said earlier most of those are going to selective high schools but over time Eastern is on track to be the next Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

Right, because multiple high-performing neighborhood elementary schools feed into each of the two by-right middle schools in Upper NW, providing a stable link to Wilson for neighborhood families.

In Ward 6, DCPS insists that the only one or two high-performing elementary schools feeds into each by-right middle school (Brent to Jefferson, Watkins to Hobson, SWS and Maury to Eliot-Hine), with Eastern as a big dead-end afterwards.

The result is that far more of the UMC neighborhood residents send their children to 5th-12th grade charters than to neighborhood middle schools and none, or close, stay in the feeder pattern for Eastern.

Yeah, they messed up the feeders almost a decade ago and combined with the charter movement, that set progress back almost a decade.

However, there is now honors/tracking at Jefferson and Stuart Hobson which is setting up a nice advanced cohort of kids, like I said earlier most of those are going to selective high schools but over time Eastern is on track to be the next Wilson.

Sure, say 25 or 30 years from now, too late for most of our grandchildren.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

Right, because multiple high-performing neighborhood elementary schools feed into each of the two by-right middle schools in Upper NW, providing a stable link to Wilson for neighborhood families.

In Ward 6, DCPS insists that the only one or two high-performing elementary schools feeds into each by-right middle school (Brent to Jefferson, Watkins to Hobson, SWS and Maury to Eliot-Hine), with Eastern as a big dead-end afterwards.

The result is that far more of the UMC neighborhood residents send their children to 5th-12th grade charters than to neighborhood middle schools and none, or close, stay in the feeder pattern for Eastern.

This is crazy talk.

Yeah, they messed up the feeders almost a decade ago and combined with the charter movement, that set progress back almost a decade.

However, there is now honors/tracking at Jefferson and Stuart Hobson which is setting up a nice advanced cohort of kids, like I said earlier most of those are going to selective high schools but over time Eastern is on track to be the next Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

Right, because multiple high-performing neighborhood elementary schools feed into each of the two by-right middle schools in Upper NW, providing a stable link to Wilson for neighborhood families.

In Ward 6, DCPS insists that the only one or two high-performing elementary schools feeds into each by-right middle school (Brent to Jefferson, Watkins to Hobson, SWS and Maury to Eliot-Hine), with Eastern as a big dead-end afterwards.

The result is that far more of the UMC neighborhood residents send their children to 5th-12th grade charters than to neighborhood middle schools and none, or close, stay in the feeder pattern for Eastern.

Yeah, they messed up the feeders almost a decade ago and combined with the charter movement, that set progress back almost a decade.

However, there is now honors/tracking at Jefferson and Stuart Hobson which is setting up a nice advanced cohort of kids, like I said earlier most of those are going to selective high schools but over time Eastern is on track to be the next Wilson.
[/b]

What is your basis for arguing this, when UMC families in the Eastern catchment family not only aren't enrolling at Eastern, they seldom enroll in one of the feeder DCPS middle schools? Fact is, the Eastern catchment area is more than two-thirds white these days, while the school is 0-1% white.

The Brent cohort going on to Jefferson has been really small (roughly 10% of the 4th grade families), and the Maury cohort going to Eliot-Hine only a little bigger. Most of the Watkins and SWS 4th grade families bail for Washington Latin or BASIS.

What is the relevance of "over time." Decades from now? Silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why should we believe that the requisite rigor will magically appear if we send our children to Eastern?

Hint: It won't.

Because it's happened at Wilson. And it happened at Deal and Hardy.

Right, because multiple high-performing neighborhood elementary schools feed into each of the two by-right middle schools in Upper NW, providing a stable link to Wilson for neighborhood families.

In Ward 6, DCPS insists that the only one or two high-performing elementary schools feeds into each by-right middle school (Brent to Jefferson, Watkins to Hobson, SWS and Maury to Eliot-Hine), with Eastern as a big dead-end afterwards.

The result is that far more of the UMC neighborhood residents send their children to 5th-12th grade charters than to neighborhood middle schools and none, or close, stay in the feeder pattern for Eastern.

Yeah, they messed up the feeders almost a decade ago and combined with the charter movement, that set progress back almost a decade.

However, there is now honors/tracking at Jefferson and Stuart Hobson which is setting up a nice advanced cohort of kids, like I said earlier most of those are going to selective high schools but over time Eastern is on track to be the next Wilson.
[/b]

What is your basis for arguing this, when UMC families in the Eastern catchment family not only aren't enrolling at Eastern, they seldom enroll in one of the feeder DCPS middle schools? Fact is, the Eastern catchment area is more than two-thirds white these days, while the school is 0-1% white.

The Brent cohort going on to Jefferson has been really small (roughly 10% of the 4th grade families), and the Maury cohort going to Eliot-Hine only a little bigger. Most of the Watkins and SWS 4th grade families bail for Washington Latin or BASIS.

What is the relevance of "over time." Decades from now? Silly.

I am assuming you are another one of the recent gentrifiers to DC

20 years ago Wilson pyramid wasn't embraced by UMC+ folks
10 years ago Stuart Hobson wasn't embraced by UMC+ and only 1-2 of the elementary schools on the hill were

These things take time but things do change