MacFarland Middle & Roosevelt High - Status?

[Anonymous]

What's the current status? Are they both on track to open for students for the 2016-17 school year? I tried searching online and here, but did not find much. It looks like the plan was to open in Fall 2016, but I have not seen much posted recently. These are important to help absorb the many students in that part of town who need neighborhood schools. Any info appreciated.

Most recent item I found is here - https://dcpsplanning.wordpress.com/2016/04/13/enrollment-fair-for-roosevelt-and-macfarland-423/

[Anonymous]

MacFarland is opening iwth a small number of students who will be in the dual-language program only.

MacFarland offered 72 6th grade seats in the lottery for Round 1. https://public.tableau.com/profile/aaron2446#!/vizhome/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData/Dashboard1

and appears to have 4 seats still available

http://www.myschooldc.org/find-schools/available-spaces/#by-grade

[Anonymous]

This is a good summary of March community meeting https://dcpsplanning.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/032616-roosevelt-community-cabinet-meeting-notes.pdf

[Anonymous]

OP we need more than just a "neighborhood school"-- we need an EXCELLENT middle school option. McFarland is probably two decades away from being that. Brookland failed to attract any white/high SES kids, failed to deliver the things that parents kept asking for etc. Its nice that McFarland that has dual language but the feeders to McFarland all have poorly scoring students in the upper grades. The current feeders have more high SES kids in PK but they are still bolting by K for charters or moving. A school really is only as good as its feeders in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP we need more than just a "neighborhood school"-- we need an EXCELLENT middle school option. McFarland is probably two decades away from being that. Brookland failed to attract any white/high SES kids, failed to deliver the things that parents kept asking for etc. Its nice that McFarland that has dual language but the feeders to McFarland all have poorly scoring students in the upper grades. The current feeders have more high SES kids in PK but they are still bolting by K for charters or moving. A school really is only as good as its feeders in DCPS.

Well, I agree with you that a school is only as good as its feeders. The problem MacFarland and every other school besides Deal will face is that most parents won't want to be the first ones to commit. Parents from strong elementary schools would rather drive across town and stuff their children into a hive of 100 overcrowded trailers spread across the fields near Deal, than take a chance on some unknown school like MacFarland. DCPS can offer salaries of $200,000 per teacher to hire the absolute best in the nation, can present the absolute best curriculum, and can drive classroom ratios down to 10:1 ... but if only a few poorly scoring students show up, the school will struggle. And once the public sees those low proficiency scores, no one will want to send kids there. It will fail. A "build it an they will come" approach, where DCPS just hopes that strong students show up, is a recipe for failure.

I know it's an incredibly unpopular viewpoint, but I think DCPS should throw all sorts of incredible resources at MacFarland, but should NOT take a "build it an they will come" approach that hopes for slow growth. Instead, DCPS should eliminate the seven-year grandfathering period for its boundary changes, and in fact should carve Bancroft and Shepherd elementary schools out of Deal. By funneling Powell, Shepherd, and Bancroft all to MacFarland, DCPS is starting MacFarland off with strong feeders.

Yes, the mayor will face lots of angry constituent calls. Yes, several families will threaten to leave DCPS for charters or private schools. But even if 20% of those families make good on their threats, that leaves 80% starting MacFarland off on the right foot. But with a strong group of feeder students coming from those neighborhoods, the school will almost immediately boast strong proficiency scores. With the higher proficiency scores that come from the strong feeders, coupled with the influx of resources from DCPS, MacFarland has a good chance to spiral upward and develop a reputation as a strong middle school. DCPS and the families who involuntarily pioneered the school will be hailed as heroes.

I know my proposed approach will never happen. Most people are too self-interested, and so the neighborhoods affected will fight tooth and nail against this. It will be a classic NIMBY issue where people oppose the new school. And Mayor Bowser it too beholden to her Ward 4 support to do anything that might piss them off. But if she had the courage to do something big, this IMHO is how to give MacFarland the best chance of success.

[Anonymous]

I have a better solution PP that would be less politically damaging all around. Stop OOB feeder rights. Schools like Shepherd and Bancroft (older grades) are filled with OOB students that are guaranteed access to Deal. If OOB feeder rights were stopped, it wouldn't impact one or two particular neighborhood, it would be more fair, and would force people to look at other options. If you remove the only diverse schools from Deal, you're opening up a whole new issue. The OOB feeder rights is the easy, more attainable target.

[Anonymous]

YES. I said this so many times during the redistricting process. The DME basically said she was unwilling to deal with the anger it would cause among families who got their 3yo into Bancroft and felt like they were owed a slot at Wilson for that child and all its eventual younger sibs, 15-20 years down the road.

Eliminating the OOB feeder rights would also do so much to keep kids in their elementaries through 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a better solution PP that would be less politically damaging all around. Stop OOB feeder rights. Schools like Shepherd and Bancroft (older grades) are filled with OOB students that are guaranteed access to Deal. If OOB feeder rights were stopped, it wouldn't impact one or two particular neighborhood, it would be more fair, and would force people to look at other options. If you remove the only diverse schools from Deal, you're opening up a whole new issue. The OOB feeder rights is the easy, more attainable target.

You think Shepherd and Bancroft kids are high achieving, they're not. Look at the low performers at Deal and see what schools they are coming from?

[Anonymous]

Wow - I have thought this as well and believed no one else did. It may be unpopular, but I believe it is right. Many people may opt-out, but let's make it an opt-out situation, not a required opt-in. Make people plan for the inevitable instead of wait for the "perfect" conditions to accept a school they should make their own.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I know it's an incredibly unpopular viewpoint, but I think DCPS should throw all sorts of incredible resources at MacFarland, but should NOT take a "build it an they will come" approach that hopes for slow growth. Instead, DCPS should eliminate the seven-year grandfathering period for its boundary changes, and in fact should carve Bancroft and Shepherd elementary schools out of Deal. By funneling Powell, Shepherd, and Bancroft all to MacFarland, DCPS is starting MacFarland off with strong feeders.

Yes, the mayor will face lots of angry constituent calls. Yes, several families will threaten to leave DCPS for charters or private schools. But even if 20% of those families make good on their threats, that leaves 80% starting MacFarland off on the right foot. But with a strong group of feeder students coming from those neighborhoods, the school will almost immediately boast strong proficiency scores. With the higher proficiency scores that come from the strong feeders, coupled with the influx of resources from DCPS, MacFarland has a good chance to spiral upward and develop a reputation as a strong middle school. DCPS and the families who involuntarily pioneered the school will be hailed as heroes.

I know my proposed approach will never happen. Most people are too self-interested, and so the neighborhoods affected will fight tooth and nail against this. It will be a classic NIMBY issue where people oppose the new school. And Mayor Bowser it too beholden to her Ward 4 support to do anything that might piss them off. But if she had the courage to do something big, this IMHO is how to give MacFarland the best chance of success.

[Anonymous]

What are the schools that would be cut out of MacFarland under this plan?

Why would you feed Shepherd there and not Whittier, Brightwood or Takoma - all of which are closer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a better solution PP that would be less politically damaging all around. Stop OOB feeder rights. Schools like Shepherd and Bancroft (older grades) are filled with OOB students that are guaranteed access to Deal. If OOB feeder rights were stopped, it wouldn't impact one or two particular neighborhood, it would be more fair, and would force people to look at other options. If you remove the only diverse schools from Deal, you're opening up a whole new issue. The OOB feeder rights is the easy, more attainable target.

You think Shepherd and Bancroft kids are high achieving, they're not. Look at the low performers at Deal and see what schools they are coming from?

First, Shepherd and Hearst have similar scores. Second, all schools are majority OOB at their feeder elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the schools that would be cut out of MacFarland under this plan?

Why would you feed Shepherd there and not Whittier, Brightwood or Takoma - all of which are closer.

They could all feed there. It would be the Alice Deal for that entire area. They key is that I'm crediting Shepherd Bancroft and Powell with being strong feeder schools based on their reputations. They are the ones that will ensure MacFarland has a good base to start, and isn't treated as a school of last resort. Those neighborhoods have strong spirit and bragging rights to activism and diversity, so I think they have the strength to pull it off. The question is whether they have the courage to do it.

[Anonymous]

DCPS is already planning a 'North Middle.'

And how can DCPS allow a majority white Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the schools that would be cut out of MacFarland under this plan?

Why would you feed Shepherd there and not Whittier, Brightwood or Takoma - all of which are closer.

They could all feed there. It would be the Alice Deal for that entire area. They key is that I'm crediting Shepherd Bancroft and Powell with being strong feeder schools based on their reputations. They are the ones that will ensure MacFarland has a good base to start, and isn't treated as a school of last resort. Those neighborhoods have strong spirit and bragging rights to activism and diversity, so I think they have the strength to pull it off. The question is whether they have the courage to do it.

Ain't gonna happen. No matter how much you want the Brown folk out of Deal. Sorry. Leave to deal with colored folks. You do live in DC you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the schools that would be cut out of MacFarland under this plan?

Why would you feed Shepherd there and not Whittier, Brightwood or Takoma - all of which are closer.

PP's goal is to get Shepherd out of Deal, not to construct a MS that actually makes sense.