s/o Future of Oyster-Adams
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Anonymous
| This could be a great solution but NEW LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED if it is to work |
Anonymous
| Haven't had a chance to read all the comments, but I have friends at Spanish Tyler who are hoping to move over to O-A for middle school to continue the Spanish. Do people feel like this could be a good option for other Spanish immersion elementary schools too to keep the Spanish momentum going for the O-A middle school? |
Anonymous
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I agree. An expanded bilingual Middle School in Adams Morgan
would give a boost to nearby schools, such as Bancroft students and students from neighboring schools, e.g. Cooke, if they could be admitted based on demonstrated competence in Spanish and English. |
Anonymous
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O-A middle school desperately needs more space. Right now I don't think it has room for anyone from other schools. If O-A neighborhood is kicked out of the Deal boundary, and middle school retention increases (even just a little), I don't even know how the school would handle its own elementary graduates.
What is the scoop on Columbia Heights Ed Campus? I've heard such high praise for the principal, and it's supposed to have this great bilingual program 6-12, so why is it not a more compelling draw for kids from Spanish immersion or bilingual/dual language elementaries? |
Anonymous
I'm just curious--why don't you think Monica would be able to lead in this scenario? Is it that you believe she wouldn't want to, or that her goals/priorities somehow conflict with this kind of expansion? You can't just say she's incompetent and leave it at that. What particular incompetence are you concerned about? She doesn't do everything I want, either, but I don't know her well enough to understand why you doubt her ability so much. |
Anonymous
Different PP here. She has been responsible from Day 1 to make the Adams campus integration work. Not only progress there has been dubious at best, but she's now creating mayhem at both campuses with her bright idea to move to a shiny campus elsewhere. If she cannot run what she's been given...how can she credibly take on more? |
Anonymous
I am not the person who wrote the original quote, but I will respond with relevant experience. 1. I have found the administration to be totally ineffective in dealing with behavioral "issues," both in the classroom, in the hallways, and on the playground (middle school). Kids who misbehave in the classroom are not dealt with in a way that either improves behavior or fixes the problem in the classroom. After school "programming" via OCA at the middle school is anarchy. Multiple times I have seen kids be complete and total jerks to one another with the OCA attendant standing against the wall, texting. One may argue that perhaps this is OCA's problem, but when brought to the attention of the administration, nothing happens. No changes with the behavior, no followup with parents who have complained. 2. I have found the administration to be completely disorganized with general day-to-day functions: dismissal (at the lower school) is general outside on days when it's not raining. And when it's raining, dismissal is inside, except when it's outside. And when it's not raining, but looks like it might rain, it's outside. Except when it's inside. This is a small thing, to be sure, but does speak to poor policy making, or poor communication of such policy to teachers. 3. On an academic level I have found the administration to be unresponsive and of parental concerns about achievement in the classrooms and dismissive of concerns about poor teaching. I am referring here to the lack of differentiation in math (middle school), which admittedly, we cannot really complain about. The administration's stated mission is to NOT differentiate in this area. However, it is one of the main reasons why parents choose to send their kids elsewhere, and is an issue that can no longer be ignored by this principal if she wants to retain bright kids at the middle school level. However, concerns about poor teaching have been met with the following response, "Oh, well, there's always a class that isn't as good as it could be." WHAT? Admittedly again, this was not the response of the principal, but the middle school coordinator at the time. However, the principal is the head of this administration and cannot be ignorant of these sorts of complaints by parents. 4. On a professional level, I have grave concerns about the principal's ability to hire good staff and dismiss people who should be fired. I have seen talented teachers leave, and have seen people who have been FIRED by DCPS return to the school in a different position, hired by the principal. Seriously, if you have been so egregious in your performance that DCPS can fire you, there is a paper trail a mile long. To surround oneself with people who are loyal, as opposed to surrounding oneself with strong performers, is a serious problem in leadership. None of the issues individually are deal breakers. But together they speak to a general lack of confidence in leadership at the helm. And when you get to a different school and see how different things are run, you realize immediately where the weakness is: at the top. |
Anonymous
| I don't find much substance in the PPs 1-4. I suspect she's been posting again and again with her vendetta against the principal. I wish she'd focus on her child's new school instead. I wouldn't give Monica 100 percent, but she's probably here to stay, Oyster-Adams hasn't been doing bad at all. |
Anonymous
| 18:54 wrote an accurate summary. Different parents from all grades have questioned the principal's abilities, many have moved on and we (different than 18:54 and others who have criticized the principal) who have left over these very issues do see the contrast of current school vs. the time pulling hair out under that woman. It's not a vendetta, but she should be at the top of the list when it comes to replacing principals. |
Anonymous
Another current O-A parent here. ITA that PP 1-4 is grinding a lot of personal axes. I have my own and I'm in no way a Monica cheerleader. But it's kind of hard to reconcile complete and total dysfunction with the fact that Adams scored better than Deal on DC-CAS. It doesn't mean O-A is a better school across the board, of course. But unless there is massive cheating (like elementary under Guzman), it's hard to justify leadership change based solely on subjective things like your perception of OCA oversight, the cluelessness of the former middle school coordinator (who was not an AP but had to replace AP at the last minute), and a staffing issue which sounds ominous in your description but probably doesn't involve a sex offender. As to math, if people are telling you it's the main reason they left the school, well maybe that's what they want to tell you to get you off their backs and out of their business. It's a well-documented and much lamented issue across the board. Including teachers. The questions remain about what and how things could be done better. "Off with her head!" is not an immediate3 solution unless you have a viable replacement who can deliver similar or better measurable results given the budgeting, facilities, and Spanish licensing issues that O-A faces. Status quo is not sustainable for safety of students and sanity of staff and families. Whether or not Monica chooses to stay or is fired (for what exactly?), the fate of roughly 700 current public school students needs to be addressed. The past and recent dramas have been rehashed ad nauseum here and at school during rainy pickups. New ideas are welcome. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
+ 100. What kind of principal needlessly creates turmoil by suggesting that the school should be relocated? A popular and successful school that has stood in its current location for over 40 years? This shows a lack of regard for her current students (due to the disruptive nature of a move), and a lack of commitment to the Woodley Park community (from which a sizable number of students are drawn). Her suggestion/proposal/bright idea to move the school shows poor judgment at best. O-A deserves a principal who is truly committed to ALL of its students. |
Anonymous
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What PP said about the needless turmoil...
It was very clear during my child's Oyster years, and especially her Oyster-Adams years, that in-bounds kids and their educational needs beyond the acquisition of Spanish were lowest priority. |
Anonymous
| Anyone attend the meeting last night where, among other things, the problem of kids from MD attending Oyster was discussed? I understand that perhaps kids living in DC (and, by a longer stretch of the imagination, their siblings) are grandfathered in after moving out of boundary; however, kids living in a different state should not be attending a DC school. |
Anonymous
| Please elaborate on this. What was the response about the cheaters? |