At-risk lottery preference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this changing the math for the charters than many of the "popular" DCPS schools. The question is for the non at risk families that are suddenly shut out, do they bail from the city all together or stick around to improve their neighborhood schools.

I don't think that many will get shut out. Surveys by the DME have shown that ALL parents prioritize having a school close to home. Some will seize the opportunity to try to a 'better' school than is in their neighborhood.

Many neighborhoods don’t have a better school closer to home. I can see this driving families into the suburbs again.

The vast majority of at-risk students are in Wards 7 and 8. Those are also the wards where there is the highest percentage of charters with at-risk students. Those families are already choosing schools that are better than their IB. The question is whether they would consider a school further than home better enough to justify the commute, at least for elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this changing the math for the charters than many of the "popular" DCPS schools. The question is for the non at risk families that are suddenly shut out, do they bail from the city all together or stick around to improve their neighborhood schools.

I don't think that many will get shut out. Surveys by the DME have shown that ALL parents prioritize having a school close to home. Some will seize the opportunity to try to a 'better' school than is in their neighborhood.

Many neighborhoods don’t have a better school closer to home. I can see this driving families into the suburbs again.

The vast majority of at-risk students are in Wards 7 and 8. Those are also the wards where there is the highest percentage of charters with at-risk students. Those families are already choosing schools that are better than their IB. The question is whether they would consider a school further than home better enough to justify the commute, at least for elementary.

There are at-risk students in all Wards (very few in 2 and 3). There are over 200 school options. The study showed that a preference moves the needle for 600 or 700 kids IF siblings and IB students are displaced from lottery seats by at-risk students. There are several questions aside from would people consider a school further from home (they will, to a point, based on their family circumstances). Will the politicians suggest breaking up siblings by moving the sibling preference down the priority list (unlikely) or displacing neighborhood students in PK that will have to be accommodated in K and above (maybe, but also unlikely and difficult with packed facilities). The most likely thing is that they will authorize a ceremonial at-risk preference that doesn't do squat to help the at-risk kids. Or, they will continue to do nothing aside from trying to improve the schools all around rather than moving a few kids here and there.