DCPS to close Washington Metropolitan
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Anonymous
Why on earth would you close a school that just got renovated and had testing gains last year? Yes the scores are still ghastly but there is a bit of progress, and things in the feeder elementaries and Wells middle are looking up. There would be massive blowback if they closed a newly renovated school, that makes zero sense. DCPS seldom closes neighborhood schools because they still have to provide a by-right school for every child in the zone within a reasonable commute. They can't fit any more kids into Wilson, and they can't all fit into Roosevelt. It's really far from Dunbar and Cardozo. So they basically can't close Coolidge. They could replace the leadership and try to reboot it like they did Eastern, starting over with just 9th grade. |
Anonymous
| Why would you close Coolidge? |
Anonymous
Because it’s way under enrolled. Because folks won’t send their kids to Coolidge. |
Anonymous
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Here is the final order from the DC Register.
https://dcregs.dc.gov/Common/DCR/Issues/IssueCategoryList.aspx?DownloadFile={3E1397A4-71B0-4C1D-A7B1-CDD840286082} |
Anonymous
The old Coolidge HS is now housing 2 schools (Wells and Coolidge). And Coolidge is now 2 totally separate programs -- Coolidge Early College and the regular program. We don't have enrollment figures yet because Early College just opened thsi year and will be adding grades as they go. What is clear is that Coolidge will not be a full blown comprehensive high school ... they should have at least given people in that feeder pattern the option of an alternative, but that's a whole other thread. |
Anonymous
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"Most days, only about 28 percent of students attend class, according to city data."
Yikes. |
Anonymous
Wash Met is closing because of enrollment and academic performance, right? On PARCC, Wash Met and Coolidge have the same proficiency: 10% proficient in ELA, 0% in math. Ballou's proficiency is lower for ELA. The two STAY programs have lower proficiency than Wash Met as does the alternative Luke C Moore school. Are there really better options for the Wash Met students? |
Anonymous
DCPS has an embarrassment of riches, so to speak, when it comes to 1 and 2 star high schools (PARCC is only given in one year; for high school SAT and graduation rate count more, so the report cards are probably a better gauge). Perhaps we should close them all? Dunbar -2, Ballou - 1, Coolidge - 1, Anacostia - 1, Cardozo -1, Ron Brown - 1, Roosevelt - 1, Woodson - 1 |
Anonymous
No but we need to look closer at the realities of supporting the students at Wash Met (and elsewhere). If all of the Wash Met students were put at a 4 or 5 star school would the students suddenly have 4 or 5 star performance? Would the school continue to have 4 or 5 star performance? |
Anonymous
Eastern-2. There are so few students at Wash Met, they probably would not.make a noticeable difference unless they alll went to the same school. |
Anonymous
The biggest challenge at Washington Met, and the other alternative schools, is that the students are at such a high risk of dropping out. They know they are not strong students, and they really do need far more support, academic and emotional, than they are possibly going to get at any of the comprehensives. It's also clear that the education system has failed them for years, or they wouldn't need an alternative school, and now one that at least some of the students felt comfortable in and was trying to help them finish high school, is being closed. That's tough, no matter what those of us on DCUM think of their achievement scores. |
Anonymous
| Do any of the comprehensive high schools house an alternative program? Couldn’t they do one at Dunbar for example? |
Anonymous
They walked out of school. Well at least those that were there that day. There are other non traditional school they can attend. The teacher that was on the new complaining about dcps "breaking their promises" regarding his 1 year contract made me laugh. The teachers are getting paid to finish the year they are year to year contract. |
Anonymous
Shouldn’t ALL of the 1-star schools just become alternative programs? These students need to be in school and leave literate - by any means necessary. |
Anonymous
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Brianne Nadeau’s recent proposal is what DCPS should have done:
Stop admitting new students to Wash Met but let the current classes finish and close the school in four years. It’s no argument the school may need to be shut. But the kids who are currently there need to be supported through their high school years. |