San Francisco: a good model for DC?

[Anonymous]

@ 14:29: I think you too casually conclude that neighborhood schools are "not the answer" based on the premise that DCPS hasn't been very good WITH neighborhood schools (note: the vast majority of school districts, good ones and bad ones, have neighborhood schools). I think you could accomplish much of what you like by keeping most if not all neighborhood schools but increasing the number of OOB kids to the current "good" schools' population. As just one example of what might be done to improve the plight of "underserved" kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:@ 14:29: I think you too casually conclude that neighborhood schools are "not the answer" based on the premise that DCPS hasn't been very good WITH neighborhood schools (note: the vast majority of school districts, good ones and bad ones, have neighborhood schools). I think you could accomplish much of what you like by keeping most if not all neighborhood schools but increasing the number of OOB kids to the current "good" schools' population. As just one example of what might be done to improve the plight of "underserved" kids.

This is much more rational than the long poster. I have to wonder if that long poster understands that they sound like they are whining a bit. Unless they are working daily to improve the lot of those undeserved they purport to advocate for, as many do in their day jobs and off of dcum, they need to stop insulting people who want their own children to be well served in dc, not just other peope's children. Sorry, that is what parents do -advocate for their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@ 14:29: I think you too casually conclude that neighborhood schools are "not the answer" based on the premise that DCPS hasn't been very good WITH neighborhood schools (note: the vast majority of school districts, good ones and bad ones, have neighborhood schools). I think you could accomplish much of what you like by keeping most if not all neighborhood schools but increasing the number of OOB kids to the current "good" schools' population. As just one example of what might be done to improve the plight of "underserved" kids.

This is much more rational than the long poster. I have to wonder if that long poster understands that they sound like they are whining a bit. Unless they are working daily to improve the lot of those undeserved they purport to advocate for, as many do in their day jobs and off of dcum, they need to stop insulting people who want their own children to be well served in dc, not just other peope's children. Sorry, that is what parents do -advocate for their children.

I'm the long poster, don't care at all if I sound like I'm whining. The issue is too important and I've been quiet too long on this board when people trot this out as the answer.

But to keep this short, OOB slots are NOTHING like a random lottery for spreading out the access. Going to a neighborhood school, IB/OOB model for charters would unquestionably and drastically reduce the access to - for the sake of having a common measurement - students who receive FARMS. It's that simple, end of story, don't pretend OOB slots somehow would account for that loss. How many in demand DCPS schools have zero OOB slots? At least the popular charters who have very few spots, those few spots and the waitlist spots for them are RANDOM. Which is maddening to people who live nearby.

Every single person who is yelliing for "a child's education to not be up to chance" should be exploring and supporting reforms thta INCREASE the number of good and great options for DC families. Not trying to convert the few options that exist now into options just for them and their neighbors.

[Anonymous]

To the long poster: now its clear that your goal would be to completely end neighborhood schools in D.C. -- the premise being, I guess, that DCPS would be improved as a result. However, almost every other comment thinks that would be a really bad idea, for the reasons posted in this thread.

So why, exactly, would ending neighborhood schools be an improvement? Certainly, it would allow kids throughout the city to travel to a great selection of schools, but how would that improve DCPS as a whole? Wouldn't it result in destroying many of the "good" schools that everybody likes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the long poster: now its clear that your goal would be to completely end neighborhood schools in D.C. -- the premise being, I guess, that DCPS would be improved as a result. However, almost every other comment thinks that would be a really bad idea, for the reasons posted in this thread.

So why, exactly, would ending neighborhood schools be an improvement? Certainly, it would allow kids throughout the city to travel to a great selection of schools, but how would that improve DCPS as a whole? Wouldn't it result in destroying many of the "good" schools that everybody likes?

I second this. The long poster has a lot of conviction but does not concede the very real and negative consequences. They also do not seem open to reading ideas from other posters. That does not allow for consensus building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the long poster: now its clear that your goal would be to completely end neighborhood schools in D.C. -- the premise being, I guess, that DCPS would be improved as a result. However, almost every other comment thinks that would be a really bad idea, for the reasons posted in this thread.

So why, exactly, would ending neighborhood schools be an improvement? Certainly, it would allow kids throughout the city to travel to a great selection of schools, but how would that improve DCPS as a whole? Wouldn't it result in destroying many of the "good" schools that everybody likes?

I can't tell if you're purposefully twisting my views or you just really jump to conclusions all the time. The points I've repeated 4+ times now are my only points. It has never even crossed my mind to end DCPS's neighborhood system, since that pre-dated our arrival in DC and is deeply entrenched. So I have no response to your bizarre assumption about my opinion. I had 2 points I wanted to make... I made them, and assuming anything else about my beliefs is not worth your time or mine.

How bout you share your thoughts on this question: what's your priority (be honest): improve the quality of all current DC public schools (incl charters), or increasing access to the better schools for some people, whether schools overall improve or not? Or another priority, which is... What? And whatever yor a ace, what do you see as the next major steps to getting there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To the long poster: now its clear that your goal would be to completely end neighborhood schools in D.C. -- the premise being, I guess, that DCPS would be improved as a result. However, almost every other comment thinks that would be a really bad idea, for the reasons posted in this thread.

So why, exactly, would ending neighborhood schools be an improvement? Certainly, it would allow kids throughout the city to travel to a great selection of schools, but how would that improve DCPS as a whole? Wouldn't it result in destroying many of the "good" schools that everybody likes?

I second this. The long poster has a lot of conviction but does not concede the very real and negative consequences. They also do not seem open to reading ideas from other posters. That does not allow for consensus building.

Long poster here, ditto my response to the other poster. I'm quite open to other posters' opinions, but no one has offered a counter to my specific points, and you and the other poster are responding to something that I never. Ever. Said. Where in my post do I talk about doing about doing away with neighborhood schools? I am saying over and over that converting charters to neighborhood schools does zero to improve any schools and hurts the most needy students (not to mention violating the missions of almost all DC charters). How did you go from that to "do away with all if them!"?? Not only didn't I say do away with them, I also didn't blame that system for DC's ills. DC history just proves that more of them isn't the answer (unless you live near a good one and don't give a damn about anyone else).

I'll tell you what gets in the way of consensus building: being so biased you read into others opinions stuf hat they never said and then criticizing them for not being open.

[Anonymous]

Wow, touchy, touchy. The title of the entire thread is the "San Francisco" Model, which essentially would mean doing away with the the neighborhood model. So the person who is off-track the topic, respectfully, is you.

You should start a new thread explaining why neighborhood charter schools are a bad idea. (which I think makes sense: parents who want neighborhood charter schools are just dissatisfied with what DCPS offers in their neighborhood and want a better choice in their neighborhood. Instead, DCPS should do what it can to improve the DCPS neighborhood school -- not conscript the charters to doing their work for them.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, touchy, touchy. The title of the entire thread is the "San Francisco" Model, which essentially would mean doing away with the the neighborhood model. So the person who is off-track the topic, respectfully, is you.

You should start a new thread explaining why neighborhood charter schools are a bad idea. (which I think makes sense: parents who want neighborhood charter schools are just dissatisfied with what DCPS offers in their neighborhood and want a better choice in their neighborhood. Instead, DCPS should do what it can to improve the DCPS neighborhood school -- not conscript the charters to doing their work for them.).

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, touchy, touchy. The title of the entire thread is the "San Francisco" Model, which essentially would mean doing away with the the neighborhood model. So the person who is off-track the topic, respectfully, is you.

You should start a new thread explaining why neighborhood charter schools are a bad idea. (which I think makes sense: parents who want neighborhood charter schools are just dissatisfied with what DCPS offers in their neighborhood and want a better choice in their neighborhood. Instead, DCPS should do what it can to improve the DCPS neighborhood school -- not conscript the charters to doing their work for them.).

Right, because in the whole history of DCUM no one's ever honed in on a specific point in a conversation and given their opinion!

Don't get mad at me if your reading comprehension skills are lacking or you jump to conclusions. At least I was responding to something actually said in the thread!