FREE Study Abroad Trips for DCPS 8th and 11th Graders!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

It isn't having it both ways. Unless DCPS students are funding their own trips, there is no reasonable way to demand charters self-fund. They already get less funding than DCPS as it is.

In short, you're totally and completely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

It isn't having it both ways. Unless DCPS students are funding their own trips, there is no reasonable way to demand charters self-fund. They already get less funding than DCPS as it is.

In short, you're totally and completely wrong.

The challenge is scale - DCPS can seek $1,000,000 to send 400 students overseas (~$2,500 each, just a guess) with one central office to plan and manage the program.

For 50+ charters to band together and execute the same thing is really hard, and funders aren't going to want to give a grant to each individual school.

I totally agree that this is another example of add'l resources to DCPS that will not showing up in the per pupil funding formula. But I"m more focused on facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are they literally going to take every 8th and 11th grader who wants to go and who has studied taken language for any period of time? So basically this will fund for example EVERY 8th grader at Deal? If so, that's a huge expense in a school system that can't seem to find the funding for lots of other needs (and is not doing to well educating the city's most disadvantaged). If they want to sponsor trips, I think that's great, but funding should be awarded on a need basis only.

No, and with funding for only 400, you can bet that they will be evenly distributed across the city. 11th graders wlll outrank 8th, and no matter how special your Deal snowflake is, she will not outrank an Eastern 11th grader. This is not meant to reward WOTP families who can pay for their own vacations. This is an attempt to stem the tide EOTP who want DCI over BM and Roosevelt and Eastern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

It isn't having it both ways. Unless DCPS students are funding their own trips, there is no reasonable way to demand charters self-fund. They already get less funding than DCPS as it is.

In short, you're totally and completely wrong.

The challenge is scale - DCPS can seek $1,000,000 to send 400 students overseas (~$2,500 each, just a guess) with one central office to plan and manage the program.

For 50+ charters to band together and execute the same thing is really hard, and funders aren't going to want to give a grant to each individual school.

I totally agree that this is another example of add'l resources to DCPS that will not showing up in the per pupil funding formula. But I"m more focused on facilities.

that is a tradeoff of being in a charter school then, isn't it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How in the world can they do this and not have a test-in middle school? I can only imagine the demographics of this first group, given the short turn-around and need for a passport.

lots of children of immigrants have passports, too--they need them if they go to their parents' country of birth.

Wasn't thinking about all the children of Columbia Heights -- was thinking more of the third-generation folks of SE in 11th grade at Ballou.

Well, then thank previous PP for expanding your thinking.

I guess the PP thinks that only (certain) poor kids deserve to study abroad for free.

I'm the pp and I was only thinking about how many students at Deal have passports as opposed to Elliot Hine. Not hating on the children of immigrants.

Really? Are there a lot of IB Deal students residing in Columbia Heights? Nice try, but your post clearly indicates that you think that children of immigrants are the less deserving poor for these study abroad trips.

WRONG -- living eotr, I was only seeing this in regards to poor black and weathy white. I am guilty of forgetting about the native Spanish speakers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually...being "in the know": a lot (all? I don't know) of this year's money was from the settlement/refund/whatever it was DCPS got from the Chartwells fiasco.

You have no idea what you're talking about. The source of the funds was revealed in the City Paper article.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they literally going to take every 8th and 11th grader who wants to go and who has studied taken language for any period of time? So basically this will fund for example EVERY 8th grader at Deal? If so, that's a huge expense in a school system that can't seem to find the funding for lots of other needs (and is not doing to well educating the city's most disadvantaged). If they want to sponsor trips, I think that's great, but funding should be awarded on a need basis only.

No, and with funding for only 400, you can bet that they will be evenly distributed across the city. 11th graders wlll outrank 8th, and no matter how special your Deal snowflake is, she will not outrank an Eastern 11th grader. This is not meant to reward WOTP families who can pay for their own vacations. This is an attempt to stem the tide EOTP who want DCI over BM and Roosevelt and Eastern.

We'll see. However, there will be middle/upper middle class kids on these free trips--whether you like it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they literally going to take every 8th and 11th grader who wants to go and who has studied taken language for any period of time? So basically this will fund for example EVERY 8th grader at Deal? If so, that's a huge expense in a school system that can't seem to find the funding for lots of other needs (and is not doing to well educating the city's most disadvantaged). If they want to sponsor trips, I think that's great, but funding should be awarded on a need basis only.

No, and with funding for only 400, you can bet that they will be evenly distributed across the city. 11th graders wlll outrank 8th, and no matter how special your Deal snowflake is, she will not outrank an Eastern 11th grader. This is not meant to reward WOTP families who can pay for their own vacations. This is an attempt to stem the tide EOTP who want DCI over BM and Roosevelt and Eastern.

We'll see. However, there will be middle/upper middle class kids on these free trips--whether you like it or not.

Personally, I couldn't care less. It's just a straightforward analysis of how politics work in DC. You might think that snowflake deserves to go on her merits, however she will only deserve to go relative to her competition at her school. Other schools in other wards will have an equal shot - even if they don't match up academically against snowflake. Sorry. That's the truth - whether you like it or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are they literally going to take every 8th and 11th grader who wants to go and who has studied taken language for any period of time? So basically this will fund for example EVERY 8th grader at Deal? If so, that's a huge expense in a school system that can't seem to find the funding for lots of other needs (and is not doing to well educating the city's most disadvantaged). If they want to sponsor trips, I think that's great, but funding should be awarded on a need basis only.

No, and with funding for only 400, you can bet that they will be evenly distributed across the city. 11th graders wlll outrank 8th, and no matter how special your Deal snowflake is, she will not outrank an Eastern 11th grader. This is not meant to reward WOTP families who can pay for their own vacations. This is an attempt to stem the tide EOTP who want DCI over BM and Roosevelt and Eastern.

We'll see. However, there will be middle/upper middle class kids on these free trips--whether you like it or not.

Personally, I couldn't care less. It's just a straightforward analysis of how politics work in DC. You might think that snowflake deserves to go on her merits, however she will only deserve to go relative to her competition at her school. Other schools in other wards will have an equal shot - even if they don't match up academically against snowflake. Sorry. That's the truth - whether you like it or not.

You seem to care an awful lot...lol. Well, if WotP snowflake doesn't get the free trip, her parents will just have to pay for her to study abroad. No need to be "sorry;" snowflake will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Got into an argument with my neighborhood on this one. He says that
an international flight is just as bad as a year of driving! What is he
talking about? Global Warming! I personally think the whole theory
is a bunch of bunk. I think it's supercool that DCPS is doing this...yeah!
Though frankly, don't know if kiddos will get them, we're high SES!

[Anonymous]

As a side note, and maybe it's just because I'm EOTP, but those who use "snowflake" over and over to make a point, just sound ignorant. Are you able to make a point any other way?

[Anonymous]

As a charter school parent, great news DCPS! I still don't think a chance at an international trip would lure me away from our amazing school to the shit-Show that is DCPS, but free bikes and free trips overseas are bright shiny objects to make people look away from a crappy school system.

Whatever, nothing to see here.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, meant to say neighbor, not "neighborhood." I agree, lots of snowflakes
around, flying or no flying, and no sea level rise or melting ice bergs. All Good!
Way to go DCPS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a charter school parent, great news DCPS! I still don't think a chance at an international trip would lure me away from our amazing school to the shit-Show that is DCPS, but free bikes and free trips overseas are bright shiny objects to make people look away from a crappy school system.

Whatever, nothing to see here.

Hahaha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a charter school parent, great news DCPS! I still don't think a chance at an international trip would lure me away from our amazing school to the shit-Show that is DCPS, but free bikes and free trips overseas are bright shiny objects to make people look away from a crappy school system.

Whatever, nothing to see here.

Free bikes and free study abroad looks great from my WotP neighborhood schools. My youngest kid walks to our fantastic elementary school, and the other child will be in 8th at Deal next year. I'll take the fantastic experience they've had with DCPS any day over the experiment going on at DC charters (I.e., inexperienced teachers, discipline issues, swing space, frequent moves, etc). You're right, nothing for charter parents to see on this thread. You need to start focusing on fundraising for your kids' study abroad trips...right now!