New opposition petition to the Maury-Miner boundary proposal from DME

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

EH has over 300 kids. If there was a willingness to do real, test-in tracking in math and reading in each grade (and to be transparent about it), they could do that. The programming doesn't need to be tantalizing, it just needs to be at the appropriate level in major subjects so you don't have teachers trying to manage a huge range of student ability and skills. That's the big thing that parents want. It doesn't take tons of additional resources - you're teaching the kids math and reading anyway. It's better for the at-risk kids who are at or ahead of grade level, too. DCPS doesn't choose not to do this because the logistics are hard or it's bad for currently-enrolled students, it's a choice about politics and optics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There could be sound reasons for combining the schools but “diversity” isn’t one. Maybe they could allow Miner kids to participate in Maury-based after school programs and provide transport to and fro.

But academic outcomes (at least gaps) are the result of out-of-school factors so don’t expect any changes there.

On the flip side, I highly doubt there will be an appreciable academic downsides for the Maury kids, notwithstanding the logistical wrinkles that need to be ironed out. So it doesn’t seem to make much sense, but not sure I’d muster the energy to oppose it on the Maury side.

I oppose it from the Maury side not because the populations will be combined, but because there will be two campuses. I think it would negatively impacts kids across the socio-economic spectrum to transition between two schools with relatively large student populations. Kids will fall through the cracks. I think it would lead to attrition as seen at Watkins, negatively impacting Eliot-Hine. If there were miraculously a giant school that could house all the kids, I would support combining the schools.

I agree with the concerns about the two campuses. I do still have reservations about combining the schools in the absence of tracked classrooms/some sort of GT program. If you combined Maury and Miner last year, Maury students in the upper grades would go from being in classrooms where ~70% are scoring proficient on PARCC to classrooms which are just ~50% proficient, with fully a quarter of the class scoring level 1. If I'm a parent with options, I'm not sure I'd sign my kid up for that. I don't see how a single classroom could possibly offer adequate attention to either the high scoring or low scoring students in that scenario.

yes, this is the whole issue. it’s pure fantasy to claim a teacher can “differentiate” in this scenario.

[Anonymous]

It is baffling to me that at this point, having seen the same issues over and over, at Watkins/Peabody for a cluster, everywhere with bussing and aftercare issues (nationally, not just DC) and for the charters in DC, DC can’t make it a priority to have bussing in elementary, free after care for EVERYONE under a certain income threshold and sliding from there to a much higher level, and to have standardized grade bands. Simply making Basis and Latin start in 6th would reduce so much churn and strengthen the elementary experience everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

I don't actually understand this. What does it mean for an IB school to "alienate" existing families? Like, where else are they going to go? A school needs to meet the needs of all students in its boundary, rich or poor, advanced or not. No student is more entitled to a good education than any other, and a school that focuses on its at-risk kids to the exclusion of its high SES kids is as big a problem as a school that focuses on high SES kids to the exclusion of at-risk kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

EH has over 300 kids. If there was a willingness to do real, test-in tracking in math and reading in each grade (and to be transparent about it), they could do that. The programming doesn't need to be tantalizing, it just needs to be at the appropriate level in major subjects so you don't have teachers trying to manage a huge range of student ability and skills. That's the big thing that parents want. It doesn't take tons of additional resources - you're teaching the kids math and reading anyway. It's better for the at-risk kids who are at or ahead of grade level, too. DCPS doesn't choose not to do this because the logistics are hard or it's bad for currently-enrolled students, it's a choice about politics and optics.

I thought I had seen somewhere that there is tracking/advanced classes at EH. What is the real deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

DCPS is 47% at-risk. Charters are 49%. Both are educating at-risk kids and non-at-risk kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me that at this point, having seen the same issues over and over, at Watkins/Peabody for a cluster, everywhere with bussing and aftercare issues (nationally, not just DC) and for the charters in DC, DC can’t make it a priority to have bussing in elementary, free after care for EVERYONE under a certain income threshold and sliding from there to a much higher level, and to have standardized grade bands. Simply making Basis and Latin start in 6th would reduce so much churn and strengthen the elementary experience everywhere.

Relevance? BASIS and Latin will never start at 6th. Zero momentum politically to change their start year. Pure fantasy. I'm not convinced that this merger will ever happen either. It's been bogged down, probably being derailed in slow motion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

DCPS is 47% at-risk. Charters are 49%. Both are educating at-risk kids and non-at-risk kids.

PP's point is that DCPS must take all kids IB, any day of the year, regardless of class sizes. Any charters stepping up to make that guarantee?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

EH has over 300 kids. If there was a willingness to do real, test-in tracking in math and reading in each grade (and to be transparent about it), they could do that. The programming doesn't need to be tantalizing, it just needs to be at the appropriate level in major subjects so you don't have teachers trying to manage a huge range of student ability and skills. That's the big thing that parents want. It doesn't take tons of additional resources - you're teaching the kids math and reading anyway. It's better for the at-risk kids who are at or ahead of grade level, too. DCPS doesn't choose not to do this because the logistics are hard or it's bad for currently-enrolled students, it's a choice about politics and optics.

I thought I had seen somewhere that there is tracking/advanced classes at EH. What is the real deal?

I don't know what they say they're doing, but you can see what's happening in the data, which is that virtually no one in 8th grade math tests proficient and that the majority of students in algebra are getting 1s and 2. Meaning that, to the extent they are differentiating for algebra, they are using it to separate out the kids who are profoundly behind from everyone else, much like many DCPS middle schools. If this is what they're doing for algebra, do you think they have real, test-in tracking for other subjects?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me that at this point, having seen the same issues over and over, at Watkins/Peabody for a cluster, everywhere with bussing and aftercare issues (nationally, not just DC) and for the charters in DC, DC can’t make it a priority to have bussing in elementary, free after care for EVERYONE under a certain income threshold and sliding from there to a much higher level, and to have standardized grade bands. Simply making Basis and Latin start in 6th would reduce so much churn and strengthen the elementary experience everywhere.

Relevance? BASIS and Latin will never start at 6th. Zero momentum politically to change their start year. Pure fantasy. I'm not convinced that this merger will ever happen either. It's been bogged down, probably being derailed in slow motion.

This is actually one of the things the boundary task force is discussing.

[Anonymous]

Fox News picked up the story. https://www.foxnews.com/media/plan-blend-predominantly-black-white-dc-schools-tense-debate-liberal-neighborhood

Their take is funny. It’s basically “liberals are hypocrites”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me that at this point, having seen the same issues over and over, at Watkins/Peabody for a cluster, everywhere with bussing and aftercare issues (nationally, not just DC) and for the charters in DC, DC can’t make it a priority to have bussing in elementary, free after care for EVERYONE under a certain income threshold and sliding from there to a much higher level, and to have standardized grade bands. Simply making Basis and Latin start in 6th would reduce so much churn and strengthen the elementary experience everywhere.

Relevance? BASIS and Latin will never start at 6th. Zero momentum politically to change their start year. Pure fantasy. I'm not convinced that this merger will ever happen either. It's been bogged down, probably being derailed in slow motion.

This is actually one of the things the boundary task force is discussing.

Who cares. Bowser is pro charters and she essentially runs unopposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

DCPS is 47% at-risk. Charters are 49%. Both are educating at-risk kids and non-at-risk kids.

PP's point is that DCPS must take all kids IB, any day of the year, regardless of class sizes. Any charters stepping up to make that guarantee?

That wasn't their point. They specifically stated that that DCPS has to educate 50% of students who are at-risk and can't just focus on those who aren't. They, and charters, have to focus on both. While you may not believe it or acknowledge it, there are actually at-risk kids who can take rigorous math courses. Those who can should have access to those courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is baffling to me that at this point, having seen the same issues over and over, at Watkins/Peabody for a cluster, everywhere with bussing and aftercare issues (nationally, not just DC) and for the charters in DC, DC can’t make it a priority to have bussing in elementary, free after care for EVERYONE under a certain income threshold and sliding from there to a much higher level, and to have standardized grade bands. Simply making Basis and Latin start in 6th would reduce so much churn and strengthen the elementary experience everywhere.

Relevance? BASIS and Latin will never start at 6th. Zero momentum politically to change their start year. Pure fantasy. I'm not convinced that this merger will ever happen either. It's been bogged down, probably being derailed in slow motion.

This is actually one of the things the boundary task force is discussing.

The task force debated a common 6th grade entry for NEW schools not schools like BASIS or Latin that already exist. In any case, if this is done, I see BASIS having a great case for an elementary approval.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Annoyingly, the article doesn't get to the heart of the matter: endemic low DCPS capacity and general incompetence. The UMC and white parents come off as selfish, elitist jerks in the WaPo when the truth is that they know that Maury is only so wonderful even without it being merged with a Title 1 school. When you've finally got a functional school in a dysfunctional system, after years of struggle on the part of neighborhood parents, don't mess with it. The inconvenient truth is that DCPS isn't doing a great job with the high SES kids they've got. There's a reason that more than a third of the Maury 4th graders (and most of the Brent 4th graders) don't return for 5th grade, and it's not because DCPS inspires great confidence in most upper grades UMC Hill parents. Risking killing a goose laying golden eggs won't improve matters.

The reason for this is middle school & 5th grade being the charter entry year. I don't disagree with what you're saying overall, but the 5th grade exodus is 100% driven by DCPS & DCPCSes having different MS entry years and has nothing to do with the quality of the elementary schools.

No one is leaving a DCPS for 5th if they have the programming they want in their by right middle school. The exodus is driven by what's missing in middle school. Fix that and the charters starting MS early would fold or change.

But this is harder for a DCPS middle school to do. A charter can come in and say "hey here's our approach to MS, if you are interested, do the lottery and grab a spot." As a new school without an existing student body, they can create this kind of offering without alienating existing families.

The problem DCPS schools face is that they have current students. EH and Eastern already have students enrolled. Many are OOB and there is a high at risk contingent. These schools struggle to say "Ok, here's how we're going to change the school to meet the needs and expectations of high SES IB families" without disregarding the needs of students who are currently enrolled.

This is actually a dynamic that also exists at Miner.

DCPS schools, because they must take all IB students and because they are relied upon by at risk kids in a way charters are not, do not have the same leeway as charters to create tantalizing programming for high SES kids. It's not a true education "marketplace" because DCPS has to educate the 50% of its students who are at risk and can't just focus on those that aren't.

I don't actually understand this. What does it mean for an IB school to "alienate" existing families? Like, where else are they going to go? A school needs to meet the needs of all students in its boundary, rich or poor, advanced or not. No student is more entitled to a good education than any other, and a school that focuses on its at-risk kids to the exclusion of its high SES kids is as big a problem as a school that focuses on high SES kids to the exclusion of at-risk kids.

+1.