Wards Five & Six - Let's Make "Deals"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:59,

My word, get over-it. If it is not a drunk Louisa then a tipsy Weezy can be a reasonable subsitute. I was just responding as one can do on this site.

You broke the ultimate rule on this site and that was to argue with anonymous and then you tried to validate yourself with your degree.

On that note, I need to find testerone/menopausal Weezy/Louisa and we both can begin to bar-hop on H-Street.

Am I too new to DCUM? What the hell does this even mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would guess those 10 kids are the Chinese kids who go to Jefferson to take advantage of the fantastic ESL teacher there. The Asian subgroup at Jefferson has relatively high dc cas scores.

Yeah, if by relatively high you mean over 90% proficient in math for Asian students, yes. Test scores in reading dropped at Jefferson this year (reflecting a higher # of NEPs) but last year 70% of Asian students were prof/advanced in reading at Jefferson too.

Thomson did an excellent job working with Asian students. Of course that was under the old principal, so Jefferson test scores for Asian kids should plunge soon, just like Thomson test scores did this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 parent here. Moving forward, more schools in Ward 5 will close. We do not have the enrollment to support the schools we have - - because so many Ward 5 families choose other options (including Ward 6). At the elementary level, less than 60% of DCPS Ward 5 families attend Ward 5 schools. At middle school grades, it's even lower (50% I think). And this doesn't include those who choose charters, privates, homeschooling, moving out of the District etc.

Many people have been making noise to create a middle school. But we used to have a middle school and it was a failure. Right now a lot of Ward 5 parents take their kids to Ward 6 schools. While recognizing that there's not a 1 for 1 line between schools and wards, i think it might make sense for there to be a large school serving many of the elementary schools in Ward 6 and Ward 5 (once they close some and the rest revert to elementaries). I am thinking this might provide the greatest chance for there to be the numbers of proficient students (inboundary for Ward 5 and 6 residents) within a big middle school with a rich academic and extracurricular offering.

Agree with PP that Metro access would be great.

How far is the trek from Ward 5 schools to Eliot Hine? Would Ward 5 really be interested in Eliot Hine? Despite the reported failure of middle school in Ward 5, will Ward 5 be angry with any solution short of a new middle school program in Ward 5?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 parent here. Moving forward, more schools in Ward 5 will close. We do not have the enrollment to support the schools we have - - because so many Ward 5 families choose other options (including Ward 6). At the elementary level, less than 60% of DCPS Ward 5 families attend Ward 5 schools. At middle school grades, it's even lower (50% I think). And this doesn't include those who choose charters, privates, homeschooling, moving out of the District etc.

Many people have been making noise to create a middle school. But we used to have a middle school and it was a failure. Right now a lot of Ward 5 parents take their kids to Ward 6 schools. While recognizing that there's not a 1 for 1 line between schools and wards, i think it might make sense for there to be a large school serving many of the elementary schools in Ward 6 and Ward 5 (once they close some and the rest revert to elementaries). I am thinking this might provide the greatest chance for there to be the numbers of proficient students (inboundary for Ward 5 and 6 residents) within a big middle school with a rich academic and extracurricular offering.

Agree with PP that Metro access would be great.

How far is the trek from Ward 5 schools to Eliot Hine? Would Ward 5 really be interested in Eliot Hine? Despite the reported failure of middle school in Ward 5, will Ward 5 be angry with any solution short of a new middle school program in Ward 5?

A dedicated bus from Brookland metro to EH would help. Similar to the 16th St bus to Deal. The trek using metrorail going through Metro Center is too much for my soon to be 6th grader.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 parent here. Moving forward, more schools in Ward 5 will close. We do not have the enrollment to support the schools we have - - because so many Ward 5 families choose other options (including Ward 6). At the elementary level, less than 60% of DCPS Ward 5 families attend Ward 5 schools. At middle school grades, it's even lower (50% I think). And this doesn't include those who choose charters, privates, homeschooling, moving out of the District etc.

Many people have been making noise to create a middle school. But we used to have a middle school and it was a failure. Right now a lot of Ward 5 parents take their kids to Ward 6 schools. While recognizing that there's not a 1 for 1 line between schools and wards, i think it might make sense for there to be a large school serving many of the elementary schools in Ward 6 and Ward 5 (once they close some and the rest revert to elementaries). I am thinking this might provide the greatest chance for there to be the numbers of proficient students (inboundary for Ward 5 and 6 residents) within a big middle school with a rich academic and extracurricular offering.

Agree with PP that Metro access would be great.

How far is the trek from Ward 5 schools to Eliot Hine? Would Ward 5 really be interested in Eliot Hine? Despite the reported failure of middle school in Ward 5, will Ward 5 be angry with any solution short of a new middle school program in Ward 5?

Exactly. There's nothing holy about an MS only serving the ward it is in. Deal serves 3, 4, and 1 - all in-boundary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 parent here. Moving forward, more schools in Ward 5 will close. We do not have the enrollment to support the schools we have - - because so many Ward 5 families choose other options (including Ward 6). At the elementary level, less than 60% of DCPS Ward 5 families attend Ward 5 schools. At middle school grades, it's even lower (50% I think). And this doesn't include those who choose charters, privates, homeschooling, moving out of the District etc.

Many people have been making noise to create a middle school. But we used to have a middle school and it was a failure. Right now a lot of Ward 5 parents take their kids to Ward 6 schools. While recognizing that there's not a 1 for 1 line between schools and wards, i think it might make sense for there to be a large school serving many of the elementary schools in Ward 6 and Ward 5 (once they close some and the rest revert to elementaries). I am thinking this might provide the greatest chance for there to be the numbers of proficient students (inboundary for Ward 5 and 6 residents) within a big middle school with a rich academic and extracurricular offering.

Agree with PP that Metro access would be great.

How far is the trek from Ward 5 schools to Eliot Hine? Would Ward 5 really be interested in Eliot Hine? Despite the reported failure of middle school in Ward 5, will Ward 5 be angry with any solution short of a new middle school program in Ward 5?

Exactly. There's nothing holy about an MS only serving the ward it is in. Deal serves 3, 4, and 1 - all in-boundary.

Yeah, but would feeding into Eliot Hine mollify Ward Five activists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 parent here. Moving forward, more schools in Ward 5 will close. We do not have the enrollment to support the schools we have - - because so many Ward 5 families choose other options (including Ward 6). At the elementary level, less than 60% of DCPS Ward 5 families attend Ward 5 schools. At middle school grades, it's even lower (50% I think). And this doesn't include those who choose charters, privates, homeschooling, moving out of the District etc.

Many people have been making noise to create a middle school. But we used to have a middle school and it was a failure. Right now a lot of Ward 5 parents take their kids to Ward 6 schools. While recognizing that there's not a 1 for 1 line between schools and wards, i think it might make sense for there to be a large school serving many of the elementary schools in Ward 6 and Ward 5 (once they close some and the rest revert to elementaries). I am thinking this might provide the greatest chance for there to be the numbers of proficient students (inboundary for Ward 5 and 6 residents) within a big middle school with a rich academic and extracurricular offering.

Agree with PP that Metro access would be great.

How far is the trek from Ward 5 schools to Eliot Hine? Would Ward 5 really be interested in Eliot Hine? Despite the reported failure of middle school in Ward 5, will Ward 5 be angry with any solution short of a new middle school program in Ward 5?

Exactly. There's nothing holy about an MS only serving the ward it is in. Deal serves 3, 4, and 1 - all in-boundary.

Yeah, but would feeding into Eliot Hine mollify Ward Five activists?

It should. Assuming, of course, that Ward Five activists are interested in access to a better education, wherever it may be. However, if they're more interested in territoriality, then I don't see them being mollified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A dedicated bus from Brookland metro to EH would help. Similar to the 16th St bus to Deal. The trek using metrorail going through Metro Center is too much for my soon to be 6th grader.

Not dedicated, but the D6 is an alternative. Red Line to Union Station, where you take the front (outside) exit, cross street and take the D6, which then stops right in front of Eliot-Hine. The D6 is fast and frequent going east during rush hour, much faster than taking the Metro all around the south side of the Mall. And the D6 is a comfortable and safe bus. Back home is just as easy, again against traffic and with a safe and easy transfer at Union Station.

(Other buses leave from Union Station towards Eliot-Hine: the 97, the 96, and the X8. The 97 and 96 take longer (because of their detour around the Capitol). And the X8 goes up Maryland Ave NE, dropping you off within a few blocks walk to Eliot-Hine.)

[Anonymous]

A train to a bus sounds a little cumbersome for me.

[Anonymous]

Too much of a trek for me. What's in it for Ward 5 residents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much of a trek for me. What's in it for Ward 5 residents?

Ward 5 parent here. I think the idea of Ward 5 feeding into Elliot Hine is definitely worth considering because I would like to see an option where there are a sufficient number of proficient students -- and that is more likely if we combine with Ward 6. That is what I see it in for Ward 5 parents (and students). And it will be bigger and thus have more options (language, extra curricular, math etc). So I certainly see advantages vs. a Ward 5 only school, which I see as more likely to fail.

That said, for middle school, I do think a straight shot is important. Train + public bus is a lot for an 11 year old, IMO. With a dedicated bus I would think it quite viable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much of a trek for me. What's in it for Ward 5 residents?

Ward 5 parent here. I think the idea of Ward 5 feeding into Elliot Hine is definitely worth considering because I would like to see an option where there are a sufficient number of proficient students -- and that is more likely if we combine with Ward 6. That is what I see it in for Ward 5 parents (and students). And it will be bigger and thus have more options (language, extra curricular, math etc). So I certainly see advantages vs. a Ward 5 only school, which I see as more likely to fail.

That said, for middle school, I do think a straight shot is important. Train + public bus is a lot for an 11 year old, IMO. With a dedicated bus I would think it quite viable.

Okay, not playing dumb here (though I may very well be dumb, but it's not deliberate), what exactly would a "dedicated bus" look like? For example, would it be from your front door to Eliot Hine? I live in Ward 5. I think a dedicated stop coming out of Union Station sounds, if not "dedicated" - then at least committed. Ward 5 is geographically enormous. It covers a lot of territory. Where in Ward 5 should your proposed bus stop be, in order for it to be considered "dedicated"?

[Anonymous]

There is a dedicated bus for Deal students who live in the Shepherd boundary. It stops 2 or 3 places in the morning along 16th St, and then drives to Deal. (it might also go to Wilson). Only DCPS students get on the bus. It is not open to the public.

A dedicated bus from Ward 5 to EH might stop at 2 or 3 locations throughout the Ward, and then go direct to EH.

[Anonymous]

Further add, at least one of the stops would be at or near Brookland metro. Possibly also Ft Totten metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Further add, at least one of the stops would be at or near Brookland metro. Possibly also Ft Totten metro.

Okay, thank you for the clarification. And in that case, I would be inclined to agree with you.