DME Meeting at SWS June 5th

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reasons that SWS does not have proximity are lame and anachronistic. There are enough Reggio inspired schools -LT- around that are neighborhood schools. What makes SWS so much different to keep that OOB status alive?

SWS is significantly different in that they are extending the Reggio approach through 5th. All other programs are preschool only. So big difference.

they are not extending the Reggio approach beyond K or 1. After that it'll be a different learning approach, yet to be determined. Maybe Expeditionary Learning. So no big difference.

are you just making stuff up?

That is exactly what I have understood as an sws parent with a student in the highest grade. Reggio APPROACH does not go beyond early childhood. We were told that another sort of project learning based approach would be employed that would also reflect the same Reggio Principals. Of course this is all very much a work in progress still.

[Anonymous]

OOPS Reggio Principals = Reggio Principles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reasons that SWS does not have proximity are lame and anachronistic. There are enough Reggio inspired schools -LT- around that are neighborhood schools. What makes SWS so much different to keep that OOB status alive?

SWS is significantly different in that they are extending the Reggio approach through 5th. All other programs are preschool only. So big difference.

they are not extending the Reggio approach beyond K or 1. After that it'll be a different learning approach, yet to be determined. Maybe Expeditionary Learning. So no big difference.

are you just making stuff up?

That is exactly what I have understood as an sws parent with a student in the highest grade. Reggio APPROACH does not go beyond early childhood. We were told that another sort of project learning based approach would be employed that would also reflect the same Reggio Principals. Of course this is all very much a work in progress still.

The "Reggio Approach"? Any Reggio program outside of Reggio itself is "Reggio Inspired", but the town itself continues to educate children beyond early childhood. There are philosophical underpinnings to this approach, but the demands change as children age. In the States most Reggio programs are limited to early childhood, but there are other schools adopting and continuing the principles beyond ECE (including Burgundy Farms in Alexandria). There has never been any discussion of implementing a curriculum like EL. Responsive Classroom is already used (and is common in non-Reggio programs too)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is ok for the school to have its own internal discussions on this. Others with interest are able to voice their opinions in many different ways including DCPS, DME and council members. A school community is perfectly within reason having its own process and meetings and communications on behalf of its current students and families

I agree internal meetings are fine (and the SWS community should indeed be voicing its opinions about feeder patterns), but having the DME there and the fact that this meeting got advertised to a MoveOn.org group in favor of neighborhood proximity suggests to me that it is not currently internal even if it was initially intended to be.

At any rate, I can't attend the meeting, but I would be very interested in hearing about it afterwards. It would be difficult to discuss "feeder patterns for citywide schools" in the absence of knowing what policies the DME is going to propose next week. So I wonder if any skinny will be released at this meeting.

[Anonymous]

There's a MoveOn.org group dedicated to SWS proximity preference???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reasons that SWS does not have proximity are lame and anachronistic. There are enough Reggio inspired schools -LT- around that are neighborhood schools. What makes SWS so much different to keep that OOB status alive?

SWS is significantly different in that they are extending the Reggio approach through 5th. All other programs are preschool only. So big difference.

they are not extending the Reggio approach beyond K or 1. After that it'll be a different learning approach, yet to be determined. Maybe Expeditionary Learning. So no big difference.

are you just making stuff up?

That is exactly what I have understood as an sws parent with a student in the highest grade. Reggio APPROACH does not go beyond early childhood. We were told that another sort of project learning based approach would be employed that would also reflect the same Reggio Principals. Of course this is all very much a work in progress still.

The "Reggio Approach"? Any Reggio program outside of Reggio itself is "Reggio Inspired", but the town itself continues to educate children beyond early childhood. There are philosophical underpinnings to this approach, but the demands change as children age. In the States most Reggio programs are limited to early childhood, but there are other schools adopting and continuing the principles beyond ECE (including Burgundy Farms in Alexandria). There has never been any discussion of implementing a curriculum like EL. Responsive Classroom is already used (and is common in non-Reggio programs too)

Sounds like we all need to get on the same page about what constitutes an educational approach vs educational inspiration vs educational curriculum vs educational set of principles. I think if the school administration and faculty knew themselves what the deal will be we would know, too. They need time to figure it out. Meanwhile my little one in 2nd grade is getting an great, well-rounded education and I could care less what it is called.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There's a MoveOn.org group dedicated to SWS proximity preference???

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/restore-school-within

[Anonymous]

And saying this is for Capitol Hill families is a big broad since if DCPS implemented typical proximity preference (from a point location), this would be for people who live within a few blocks of the school not the rest of Capitol Hill. And most of the current families (coming from the Cluster) would ironically not be able to attend if they had to apply again.

[Anonymous]

I live far from Capitol Hill but I think it should just be a neighborhood school. All dcps unless test-in should be neighborhood schools. Enough with pretending we all have a "choice" in lotteries for non-charter schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a MoveOn.org group dedicated to SWS proximity preference???

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/restore-school-within

Oh, a petition. I thought you meant an organized group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live far from Capitol Hill but I think it should just be a neighborhood school. All dcps unless test-in should be neighborhood schools. Enough with pretending we all have a "choice" in lotteries for non-charter schools.

Agree! A 1-in-a-bazillion chance in the lottery is not "choice." All this drama over SWS is political posturing or jealousy.

[Anonymous]

The problem is, SWS was not moved to its current location because DC needs another elementary there -- there are already several elementary schools in Ward 6, and w/the exception of Brent I don't think any are overcrowded with neighborhood kids.

DCPs wanted to expand SWS; the Prospect building was there, and it was already not a neighborhood school.

It's not coincidence that SWS became a city-wide school when it left Peabody; I think (without being in a position to know for certain) that relocating to the Prospect site was probably contingent on SWS NOT being a neighborhood school, because there's no need for an additional neighborhood school there.

If DCPS *does* decide to make SWS a neighborhood school, I would hope that rather than simply saying those living nearby have preference, they reconsider the boundaries in Ward 6 as a whole, to better balance the school-age population among the area schools.

[Anonymous]

What would be the justification for adding a neighborhood preference other than "they want it?" I know one family there and they don't live in the neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is, SWS was not moved to its current location because DC needs another elementary there -- there are already several elementary schools in Ward 6, and w/the exception of Brent I don't think any are overcrowded with neighborhood kids.

DCPs wanted to expand SWS; the Prospect building was there, and it was already not a neighborhood school.

It's not coincidence that SWS became a city-wide school when it left Peabody; I think (without being in a position to know for certain) that relocating to the Prospect site was probably contingent on SWS NOT being a neighborhood school, because there's no need for an additional neighborhood school there.

If DCPS *does* decide to make SWS a neighborhood school, I would hope that rather than simply saying those living nearby have preference, they reconsider the boundaries in Ward 6 as a whole, to better balance the school-age population among the area schools.

I think adding any sort of proximity preference would be tantamount to making it a by-right neighborhood school. I live right by there and my kids attend, but I can't see any way that doing this won't hurt L-T (which appears to be growing hugely in popularity) and inflate home prices inside whatever boundaries they create.

[Anonymous]

Just make all dcps neighborhood schools, is that not the feedback to the proposals? Let's be consistent.