Coffee in Lincoln Park with David Catania

[Anonymous]

What's the point of proposing anything? Hill parents are clearly a non-entity electorally. The City Council Com on Ed and DCPS DO NOT CARE IF WE VOTE WITH OUR FEET somewhere between preK and 5th grade, or they wouldn't be pushing three going-nowhere middle schools and one high school on us year after year. They could develop any number of viable fixes if they were remotely interested in our collective input.

No, won't vote for Bowser, will vote for Catania for reasons not related to education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to the even open-minded and came away disappointed, in Catania, not the parents I talked to. I listened in on more than an hour of his small group chats and didn't hear him say anything that convinced me he understands the need for bold action to reinvent most of the Hill DCPS schools (ES, MS and HS) as true neighborhood schools to keep parents from voting with their feet to privates, charters and the burbs somewhere between PreK and high school. He was pleasant, friendly and more appealing as a candidate than Bowser, but that was about it.

And you think Muriel has the answer??? Catania has my vote. He at least made an effort to visit almost every public school in the city and held community town halls in different venues across the city. Muriel did not come to our school. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I won't be able to make it to the coffee. However, can someone please ask Catania if supports test-in middle schools whereby high-SES white students can learn unencumbered by classroom disruptions that are caused by the less affluent minority type? (and report back?)

Cluster Cheerleader? Nonresident? Gotcha. Guess what, learning isn't race-based and there's nothing wrong with grouping high achievers to challenge them.

How do you know the Hispanic and AA boundary cheaters aren't high achievers? Their parents risk being fined and jailed to give them a better option. Isn't that what any of us would do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to the even open-minded and came away disappointed, in Catania, not the parents I talked to. I listened in on more than an hour of his small group chats and didn't hear him say anything that convinced me he understands the need for bold action to reinvent most of the Hill DCPS schools (ES, MS and HS) as true neighborhood schools to keep parents from voting with their feet to privates, charters and the burbs somewhere between PreK and high school. He was pleasant, friendly and more appealing as a candidate than Bowser, but that was about it.

And you think Muriel has the answer??? Catania has my vote. He at least made an effort to visit almost every public school in the city and held community town halls in different venues across the city. Muriel did not come to our school. Period.

I feel certain that neither has the answer...for most Hill elementary schools let alone a high-performing neighborhood MS or HS. Catania is obviously the lesser of the evils (explaining the blue sign in my yard).

[Anonymous]

The Hill Parents, honestly who in the world but credence into 10 neighborhood blocks of "those" people. That only generates about 50 of "those" students at the most. If he really wanted to impress the voters he should have had the coffee-clutch in Potomac Gardens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Hill Parents, honestly who in the world but credence into 10 neighborhood blocks of "those" people. That only generates about 50 of "those" students at the most. If he really wanted to impress the voters he should have had the coffee-clutch in Potomac Gardens.

nice story -- did you just make that up?

[Anonymous]

I just checked redfin

Searched on ludlow-taylor. Of the first 4 listings I checked, 2 were new renos listed for over 800k, both had sold in the spring for below 600k (one below 500) and had apprently been renovated over the summer. A third was listed for over a million, but I did not see data on the last prior sale. A fourth was listed at the bargain price of 600k, with the chance to "fix it up to your tastes" or something like that.

L-T will steadily shift whatever DCPS, or DME, or any mayor does. Presumably that will then impact the overall Hill problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I won't be able to make it to the coffee. However, can someone please ask Catania if supports test-in middle schools whereby high-SES white students can learn unencumbered by classroom disruptions that are caused by the less affluent minority type? (and report back?)

Cluster Cheerleader? Nonresident? Gotcha. Guess what, learning isn't race-based and there's nothing wrong with grouping high achievers to challenge them.

How do you know the Hispanic and AA boundary cheaters aren't high achievers? Their parents risk being fined and jailed to give them a better option. Isn't that what any of us would do?

It's called fraud and cheating. That's a non-starter to anyone who has ethics. No, the end doesn't jusitfy the means. You evidently are in need of an ethics class. DCPS should adopt that as continuing education.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just checked redfin

Searched on ludlow-taylor. Of the first 4 listings I checked, 2 were new renos listed for over 800k, both had sold in the spring for below 600k (one below 500) and had apprently been renovated over the summer. A third was listed for over a million, but I did not see data on the last prior sale. A fourth was listed at the bargain price of 600k, with the chance to "fix it up to your tastes" or something like that.

L-T will steadily shift whatever DCPS, or DME, or any mayor does. Presumably that will then impact the overall Hill problem.

I don't doubt the home prices and agree, the shift at LT will help. But that still leaves JO Wilson, Payne and Miner District resident parents without IB schools after PreK4, most in-bounds for Watkins and S-H less than happy, and E-H, Jefferson and Eastern all no-go zones for high SES families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just checked redfin

Searched on ludlow-taylor. Of the first 4 listings I checked, 2 were new renos listed for over 800k, both had sold in the spring for below 600k (one below 500) and had apprently been renovated over the summer. A third was listed for over a million, but I did not see data on the last prior sale. A fourth was listed at the bargain price of 600k, with the chance to "fix it up to your tastes" or something like that.

L-T will steadily shift whatever DCPS, or DME, or any mayor does. Presumably that will then impact the overall Hill problem.

I don't doubt the home prices and agree, the shift at LT will help. But that still leaves JO Wilson, Payne and Miner District resident parents without IB schools after PreK4, most in-bounds for Watkins and S-H less than happy, and E-H, Jefferson and Eastern all no-go zones for high SES families.

I would guess the LT shift happens first. I would presume that will make S-H stronger? And that in turn will help Watkins?

Jefferson will remain diffiult for a very long time as the large amount of public housing units will remain (whether zoned for A-B or for VN) and the new units will have few children. That will likely be an issue for Eastern whatever happens on the Hill.

As for JOW, Payne, and Miner, I would have to look at the RE trends in those zones.

[Anonymous]

JOW is the H Street area, correct?

Not that much guaranteed low income housing for families IB, correct? Its mostly an OOB school?

If and when S-H becomes a more sought after option, is it possible that houses in that area will become desirable to familes with children? And that the demographic of OOB will change?

[Anonymous]

So Catania didn't even address the desire/need for either test in classes/tracks or GT programs?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:So Catania didn't even address the desire/need for either test in classes/tracks or GT programs?

Do you know whether he was asked about such a thing?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Catania didn't even address the desire/need for either test in classes/tracks or GT programs?

Do you know whether he was asked about such a thing?

its the main topic that keeps coming up related to middle schools on the HIll. The lack of rigor and differentiated learning. Explains the mass exodus of kids after 4th grade to Latin, Basis and private. Catania actually should already know that and have some concrete ideas on how to keep those kids. I am voting for him for other reasons though.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Catania didn't even address the desire/need for either test in classes/tracks or GT programs?

Do you know whether he was asked about such a thing?

I listened in on his small group talks for over an hour, during which he was asked about the desire/need for test-in classes several times, by different parents. He dodged these questions with palaver about "strengthening neighborhood programs" and doing more to "recognize great teachers and effective school leaders." I heard him praise the S-H "honors" classes (grade-level classes by any standard).

I also heard him say that the only recommendation for a test-in program is in Ward 7, which he supports. This is not new, right? He wouldn't talk about the achievement gap, or the fact that in-boundary families largely avoid half the Hill K-12 programs, even though 90% of the parents who turned out were white or Asian/high SES.