Washington Post Poll vs Catania Internal Poll

[jsteele]

I'm going to break one of our own rules and cross-post (one of the benefits of being the site owner). Some of you may be interested in this post of mine in the Politics Forum which explains why the Catania campaign continues to have faith in the results of their internal poll (with some justification):

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/414012.page

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:I'm going to break one of our own rules and cross-post (one of the benefits of being the site owner). Some of you may be interested in this post of mine in the Politics Forum which explains why the Catania campaign continues to have faith in the results of their internal poll (with some justification):

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/414012.page

is it true that Catania wants to pressure charters to begin in 6th grade? Saw this on another thread.

That ship sailed for everyone when Rhee abolished 6th grade - Deal and Hardy created a 6th grade, private schools started opening up slots in 6th instead of 7th, and BASIS DC starts in 5th in Arizona - no way they would change.

If it is true, I am surprised that he would waste his energy on something like this........

Can you comment? I am voting for him anyway, but this would shake my confidence in him. Not enough to vote for a spoiler or someone who is quite frankly dumber than a rock.......

[Anonymous]

That's what was reported after the Lincoln Park coffee meet-up a few weeks ago. Here's a quote from that thread: "For one thing, he said he wants the City Council to coax the leadership of in-demand MS charters to come together to voluntarily agree to stop creaming off most of the 5th graders from high-performing DCPS Hill schools."

I also can't stand Bowser, but reading this did not make me a stronger supporter of Catania. The current entry path to 5th for Latin and Basis is about the only good thing Capitol Hill parents of middle-schoolers have going these days. Were it not for that, we and many of our neighbors would have moved over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's what was reported after the Lincoln Park coffee meet-up a few weeks ago. Here's a quote from that thread: "For one thing, he said he wants the City Council to coax the leadership of in-demand MS charters to come together to voluntarily agree to stop creaming off most of the 5th graders from high-performing DCPS Hill schools."

I also can't stand Bowser, but reading this did not make me a stronger supporter of Catania. The current entry path to 5th for Latin and Basis is about the only good thing Capitol Hill parents of middle-schoolers have going these days. Were it not for that, we and many of our neighbors would have moved over the summer.

But are you getting in at 5th because lesser-informed communities aren't aware of the Latin/Basis entry grade? If so, I think that's inherently unfair and could lead to establishment of higher-SES enclave (while depleting DCPS of well-performing 5th graders, who'd probably be just fine stay at their ES for another year).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That's what was reported after the Lincoln Park coffee meet-up a few weeks ago. Here's a quote from that thread: "For one thing, he said he wants the City Council to coax the leadership of in-demand MS charters to come together to voluntarily agree to stop creaming off most of the 5th graders from high-performing DCPS Hill schools."

I also can't stand Bowser, but reading this did not make me a stronger supporter of Catania. The current entry path to 5th for Latin and Basis is about the only good thing Capitol Hill parents of middle-schoolers have going these days. Were it not for that, we and many of our neighbors would have moved over the summer.

I heard him say this at LP. What a joke. The 5th grade ship has absolutely sailed at Brent and Maury. The charter middle schools won't voluntarily help DCPS retain 5th graders, or on any other score.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is a joke at all. It makes perfect sense for middle schools to start (and elementary schools to end) at the same grade across the entire system, DCPS and charter. I'm a charter supporter but this mismatch definitely hurts the stability of DCPS elementary schools (even those that are good) that don't feed into decent middle schools.

[Anonymous]

Can vouch for the accuracy but on the Prince of Petworth site, polling is 63% to 13% in favor of Catania. I would assume that site skews towards the 25-45 gentrifiying/progressive/urbanist crowd. No idea how motivated they are to come out and vote though.

[Anonymous]

wait, I meant I CAN'T vouch...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a joke at all. It makes perfect sense for middle schools to start (and elementary schools to end) at the same grade across the entire system, DCPS and charter. I'm a charter supporter but this mismatch definitely hurts the stability of DCPS elementary schools (even those that are good) that don't feed into decent middle schools.

I'm IB for an elementary school where typically 60-70% of the kids who start kindergarten don't finish fifth grade. The reason is that we feed a middle school that is deemed unacceptable by the vast majority of parents. Where do those kids go? Some go charter, some go private, some move out of DC, and some lottery into feeders for better middle schools.

I agree whole-heartedly that it is destabilizing for my school to have so many kids abandon the school in the upper grades. However, I see charters as only a small part of it. The real problem is the scarcity of decent middle school spots, the secondary problem is that just about all of them are locked up before fifth grade starts, whether in charters, privates or OOB. If I had to pick a single biggest culprit, it would have to be the feeder rights for OOB students. I realize it's impolitic to say this -- feeder rights are a sacred cow -- but they destabilize the rest of the schools in the city.

At my school many kids leave for charters at fifth grade. Part of the calculus driving this decision is that they know if they weren't able to lottery into a Deal feeder for fifth grade, they have zero chance of lotterying into Deal for sixth. So the charter is the best they're going to be able to do for middle school.

Without feeder rights there would be no incentive to jump ship at 3rd, 4th or 5th grade. The number of OOB slots wouldn't change, but every fifth grader would have an equal chance of getting into 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think this is a joke at all. It makes perfect sense for middle schools to start (and elementary schools to end) at the same grade across the entire system, DCPS and charter. I'm a charter supporter but this mismatch definitely hurts the stability of DCPS elementary schools (even those that are good) that don't feed into decent middle schools.

And that's competition for you. The real question is: Does charters starting at 5th grade help kids?