School Choice => School Chance

[Anonymous]

The "but I pay taxes!" argument would be more compelling if your taxes only paid for education.

[Anonymous]

Having moved from a jurisdiction without public pre-k 3/4 and still half day kindergarten this whole thread makes me SMH.

[Anonymous]

I don't get why people think they "deserve" something more than their neighborhood school. You knew what it was when you moved there, right?

All the rest - OOB, charters - that's above and beyond what you have a right to. This shouldn't have been news to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School choice because if you lived in VA or MoCo your school would have been decided for you - at kindergarten, earliest - based on your address. At least you have a *chance* for something other than your address-based school. Some win, some don't.

OP here: Frankly we'd be okay going to school with our neighbors (middle class, working and poor), but the most motivated of them leave for charters, leaving us with one choice: an Struggling IB that people like me leave ASAP.

I agree that it sucks. It frustrates me that we have created a system where you can live in a neighborhood filled with motivated parents and children, but the IB school sucks because those people are spread out to a bunch of non-neighborhood schools, and some people are shut out of those other options and are stuck with the crap IB school that would be good if those other options didn't exist.

+1000

Signed,
Happy at our under-the-radar IB DCPS

You can say good-bye to all the families you met at the neighborhood park, 'cause almost every single one of those kids is going to disperse to charters or OOB DCPS opportunities by K. It's a great way for politicians to disperse and political muscle a school might get if it had a strong neighborhood following.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School choice because if you lived in VA or MoCo your school would have been decided for you - at kindergarten, earliest - based on your address. At least you have a *chance* for something other than your address-based school. Some win, some don't.

OP here: Frankly we'd be okay going to school with our neighbors (middle class, working and poor), but the most motivated of them leave for charters, leaving us with one choice: an Struggling IB that people like me leave ASAP.

I agree that it sucks. It frustrates me that we have created a system where you can live in a neighborhood filled with motivated parents and children, but the IB school sucks because those people are spread out to a bunch of non-neighborhood schools, and some people are shut out of those other options and are stuck with the crap IB school that would be good if those other options didn't exist.

+1000

Signed,
Happy at our under-the-radar IB DCPS

You can say good-bye to all the families you met at the neighborhood park, 'cause almost every single one of those kids is going to disperse to charters or OOB DCPS opportunities by K. It's a great way for politicians to disperse and political muscle a school might get if it had a strong neighborhood following.

That makes no sense. The kids at the local park come from everywhere, and my neighbors are next door regardless of what charter or private they (already) go to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The "but I pay taxes!" argument would be more compelling if your taxes only paid for education.

At this point, I'm wondering what my taxes actually DO pay for because the city services are less than ideal. But that's for another thread!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School choice because if you lived in VA or MoCo your school would have been decided for you - at kindergarten, earliest - based on your address. At least you have a *chance* for something other than your address-based school. Some win, some don't.

OP here: Frankly we'd be okay going to school with our neighbors (middle class, working and poor), but the most motivated of them leave for charters, leaving us with one choice: an Struggling IB that people like me leave ASAP.

I agree that it sucks. It frustrates me that we have created a system where you can live in a neighborhood filled with motivated parents and children, but the IB school sucks because those people are spread out to a bunch of non-neighborhood schools, and some people are shut out of those other options and are stuck with the crap IB school that would be good if those other options didn't exist.

+1000

Signed,
Happy at our under-the-radar IB DCPS

You can say good-bye to all the families you met at the neighborhood park, 'cause almost every single one of those kids is going to disperse to charters or OOB DCPS opportunities by K. It's a great way for politicians to disperse and political muscle a school might get if it had a strong neighborhood following.

Sounds like extreme sour grapes. Why don't you go to the gym and work it out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why people think they "deserve" something more than their neighborhood school. You knew what it was when you moved there, right?

All the rest - OOB, charters - that's above and beyond what you have a right to. This shouldn't have been news to you.

I don't necessarily read any entitlement into the posts on these threads from posters who didn't win the lottery. Sounds to me like it's more frustration and disappointment. What I don't get is people like you coming on here and telling posters why they should or shouldn't feel a certain way about the process or their results. It's fine if you don't feel the same way, but try having a little empathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could set your watch to a post like this every year. It's when I know Spring has really arrived.

So true. You can tell us over and over how bad the odds are and we are still angry and surprised that we didn't beat them.

Because people read press releases saying that 85% of applicants got into a top 3 choice and they don't read between the lines.

We've been shut out of the coveted schools (we're talking 100+ waitlist numbers) 3 years now. Fortunately we're very happy with the current school (got in off 2nd round waitlist last year) and will likely stay until middle school anyway. But at this point I want to keep playing the lottery just to see if we'll ever get a good draw!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Totally disheartened by a system that gives you the impression of great choices but then dangles them in front of you like candy you can never reach.

This is not how charters are supposed to work, is it? Why can't they expand to absorb the crazy demand?

Sorry, but you sound like a two-year-old

Agree but then again this is Wound Licking Day for many, so I get the knee-jerk "it's not fair" responses.

NP. I get the disappointment, but saying "it's not fair" is still petulant because it usually (especially today) means that someone else got something that you wanted or felt you deserved. Everyone is paying the taxes, and someone always gets in. Be as disappointed as you gotta be, but lose the entitlement. Your kid doesn't deserve that 1 PK3 seat any more than the kid who got it.

Well... it is inherently unfair. We're all paying taxes and only some of us are getting free pre-k.

I thought there were enough spots across the city to accommodate all demand. You may not want to enroll your child in that school - but that is your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been waitlisted for everything for three years in a row. Here's what I think: this is a taste of what poorer people experience ALL THE TIME. You watch other people's kids go to a fancier, nicer, wonderful school that you could have gone to....if not for the fact that you lost the lottery, the lottery being who gets born rich or poor. It seems so unfair. It is unfair. This is how other people -- most of the people around the world -- live all the time.

But I'm a white Ivy League-educated American! This doesn't happen to us.

It doesn't usually happen because white Ivy League educated Americans don't usually want to send their kids into DC public/charter schools. You know how the competition is these days to get into the Ivy League.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Well... it is inherently unfair. We're all paying taxes and only some of us are getting free pre-k.

I thought there were enough spots across the city to accommodate all demand. You may not want to enroll your child in that school - but that is your choice.

Exactly. People should take a deep breath and examine the data that will come out in a few weeks showing where there are still openings and put in a post-lottery application. If your only requirement is that it's free, there are options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School choice because if you lived in VA or MoCo your school would have been decided for you - at kindergarten, earliest - based on your address. At least you have a *chance* for something other than your address-based school. Some win, some don't.

OP here: Frankly we'd be okay going to school with our neighbors (middle class, working and poor), but the most motivated of them leave for charters, leaving us with one choice: an Struggling IB that people like me leave ASAP.

I agree that it sucks. It frustrates me that we have created a system where you can live in a neighborhood filled with motivated parents and children, but the IB school sucks because those people are spread out to a bunch of non-neighborhood schools, and some people are shut out of those other options and are stuck with the crap IB school that would be good if those other options didn't exist.

+1000

Signed,
Happy at our under-the-radar IB DCPS

You can say good-bye to all the families you met at the neighborhood park, 'cause almost every single one of those kids is going to disperse to charters or OOB DCPS opportunities by K. It's a great way for politicians to disperse and political muscle a school might get if it had a strong neighborhood following.

That makes no sense. The kids at the local park come from everywhere, and my neighbors are next door regardless of what charter or private they (already) go to.

Lol. Agree with you PP. However, I know in my neighborhood, people physically move out of the neighborhood. Part of the problem is that the houses are really too small, and most families have more than 1 kid. When you strike out of the lottery, there's just not anymore justification for living such a cramped lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't it the case that most school systems don't have PK3 or PK4? Seems you have to think of it as a luxury or should only be for at risk kids. Tax dollars could be used to fund other parts of education process and those that can make other arrangements.

DC has almost-universal PK3 and PK4 because the DCPS programs (except for in Ward 3) are funded by Head Start dollars. We wouldn't have it if we didn't have so many low-income families.

Sometimes I think they should make pre-K income-based... I probably wouldn't qualify but that just seems more fair.

If they did that the schools
Would turn to shit, again. Free preschool is the gateway that gets high SES families into them at all and every ear more and more stay which eventually turns the school around in 10 years or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Totally disheartened by a system that gives you the impression of great choices but then dangles them in front of you like candy you can never reach.

This is not how charters are supposed to work, is it? Why can't they expand to absorb the crazy demand?

Sorry, but you sound like a two-year-old

Agree but then again this is Wound Licking Day for many, so I get the knee-jerk "it's not fair" responses.

NP. I get the disappointment, but saying "it's not fair" is still petulant because it usually (especially today) means that someone else got something that you wanted or felt you deserved. Everyone is paying the taxes, and someone always gets in. Be as disappointed as you gotta be, but lose the entitlement. Your kid doesn't deserve that 1 PK3 seat any more than the kid who got it.

Well... it is inherently unfair. We're all paying taxes and only some of us are getting free pre-k.

Everyone in DC could have free PreK if they want it. If you don't want the school, that's your problem but every year there are Dcps schools that have open spots.

why do you keep posting this. Nobody is going to say commute from Petworth to Capitol Heights for an open spot.