Jefferson Academy Kool-Aid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a great week for the Brent community. Many 4th graders without older siblings at charters didn't land a spot at the public middle schools parents applied them to - Washington Latin, BASIS, Stuart Hobson, Hardy, 2 Rivers, Creative Minds, Inspired Teaching etc. It sounds like two dozen of the 60 currently have no DC public option other than Jefferson Academy. Some will get off wait lists by the start of school. Some won't. Brent's 5th grade of 18 will be larger in the fall as a result. No telling how big just yet.

Do you know how many sibs there were? It sounds like more than 1/2 the 4th graders landed somewhere public for 5th (other than Brent) - whereas at SWS, it sounds like around 25% landed a public 5th grade spot (other than SWS).

Anyone know what happened at Maury?

Same situation with it sounds fewer getting into Latin or Basis (if they applied) but generally not desperate like this conversation here, with many playing the lottery for the heck of it and others not even bothering. Just as Brent, Maury has some parents bound for Stuart-Hobson and happy with that and many others have confidence in Eliot-Hine and Jefferson. We will most certainly take a closer look not only at Eliot-Hine, with which we're familiar, but also Jefferson even if it's a little out of the way. We know families/kids at Jefferson who've done exceptionally well for high school placements. So no fear there.

Please, Maury parents aren't guaranteed a spot at Hobson anymore than Brent parents. We're seeing the unworkable Hobson lottery numbers in the 200s over here so you must be seeing them over there. Many others with confidence in Eliot-Hine is BS. Show me the cohort of high SES kids at EH (because such kids are, er, the majority in the school district) and I'm convinced.

Right, so Jefferson Academy is fine as is. So where are the high SES kids there?

Not a Maury parent but I think point is that there are Cluster families who attend Maury whose by-right MS would be SH.

Indeed what I meant, same is true for Brent I imagine.

But what's with the 'SES-obsession'? Are you working for Jefferson's front office? So how would you know the 'high SES' proportion?! You mean like that's written across people's forehead or something? We all know - I hope you do too and if not you do now - that when DCPS reports 99% FARMS, that percentage can in truth be anywhere from above 50 to 100. It's just an artifact of the federal reporting system. Wish it were different but it isn't. So read up and study up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

No one is amenable to that because picking those three schools out of the hat doesn't make any sense.

If you look at the feeders for Hardy it's all relatively affluent neighborhoods. It hasn't taken off because it's probably too affluent for public schools. That's slowly changing as more students from feeders are staying. Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde-Addison, Eaton -- that's a pretty impressive group of feeders and not a whole lot of FARMS in that lot. It's OK for NW but not the Hill. When Hardy turns DCPS is going to see a MS even more affluent and less diverse than Deal

Hardy is still 15% IB. Change isn't happening like many had hoped.

You're dead wrong. Both Hardy for 6th and all of its feeders for 3-5 are offering way fewer OOB seats than in past years. Your data is stale. Talk to me in 3 years.

This is true. At least in round 1 --

In 2015-16 Hardy offered 80 seats in the lottery for OOB students. For 2016-17 they offered 25.

The only thing that tells changesis the IB number which actually has only gone up by a few points over the last few years. The number of students hasn't declined either. So while they may only put 25 seats into the lottery many more OOB will be able to get in. It is a game for them. The administration creates the optics that lots of IB families at feeders are coming in. When they don't materialize they blow through the waitlist and add in more than 25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They're trying hard to move a 30 million dollar plus renovation, planned for 2021 by DCPS and Bowser, up by a few years, and to build relationships with admins and the Jefferson parent organization. All fine, it's the feeder problem that seems unworkable in under a decade. Not nearly enough strong students in the pipeline from Tyler heading to Jefferson, and none in-boundary from Brent. Also no 5th grade at Van Ness for another five years. If Brent, Maury and SWS fed to the same DCPS middle school, we'd have another Deal soon. But nobody much lobbied for that several years back, and DCPS wasn't amenable anyway.

No one is amenable to that because picking those three schools out of the hat doesn't make any sense.

If you look at the feeders for Hardy it's all relatively affluent neighborhoods. It hasn't taken off because it's probably too affluent for public schools. That's slowly changing as more students from feeders are staying. Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde-Addison, Eaton -- that's a pretty impressive group of feeders and not a whole lot of FARMS in that lot. It's OK for NW but not the Hill. When Hardy turns DCPS is going to see a MS even more affluent and less diverse than Deal

Hardy is still 15% IB. Change isn't happening like many had hoped.

You're dead wrong. Both Hardy for 6th and all of its feeders for 3-5 are offering way fewer OOB seats than in past years. Your data is stale. Talk to me in 3 years.

This is true. At least in round 1 --

In 2015-16 Hardy offered 80 seats in the lottery for OOB students. For 2016-17 they offered 25.

The only thing that tells changesis the IB number which actually has only gone up by a few points over the last few years. The number of students hasn't declined either. So while they may only put 25 seats into the lottery many more OOB will be able to get in. It is a game for them. The administration creates the optics that lots of IB families at feeders are coming in. When they don't materialize they blow through the waitlist and add in more than 25.

You have to look at the enrollment patterns of the feeders and the squeeze on HRCS for 5th being faced by everyone outside of Deal feeders. There is not going to be a flood of waitlisted students offered seats. Hardy will have diminishing numbers of at risk students and improving scores. Its size and feeders are a huge asset. Plus it has a Wilson feed.

[Anonymous]

I'd bet on Hardy improving before Stuart Hobson. I'd also bet on Hardy being a strong option before additional sought after HRC seats are added for 5th. DCI is a real mixed bag so far.

[Anonymous]

I think it would be great for Brent kids to go to Jefferson. It may help move the school in the right direction more quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it would be great for Brent kids to go to Jefferson. It may help move the school in the right direction more quickly.

Your thought has been duly noted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd bet on Hardy improving before Stuart Hobson. I'd also bet on Hardy being a strong option before additional sought after HRC seats are added for 5th. DCI is a real mixed bag so far.

+1. Hardy has been at this longer and has Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent PTA Meeting - So you ridicule parents who are working hard to ensure a strong middle option for your child(re)?

(1) it's not going to benefit my child and (2) while I don't view the observation as ridicule, many Sysyphean endeavors need a hearty dose of objective skepticism. Parents are free to invest their time in whatever manner they choose but trying to put lipstick on a pig doesn't make it any less porcine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a great week for the Brent community. Many 4th graders without older siblings at charters didn't land a spot at the public middle schools parents applied them to - Washington Latin, BASIS, Stuart Hobson, Hardy, 2 Rivers, Creative Minds, Inspired Teaching etc. It sounds like two dozen of the 60 currently have no DC public option other than Jefferson Academy. Some will get off wait lists by the start of school. Some won't. Brent's 5th grade of 18 will be larger in the fall as a result. No telling how big just yet.

Do you know how many sibs there were? It sounds like more than 1/2 the 4th graders landed somewhere public for 5th (other than Brent) - whereas at SWS, it sounds like around 25% landed a public 5th grade spot (other than SWS).

Anyone know what happened at Maury?

Same situation with it sounds fewer getting into Latin or Basis (if they applied) but generally not desperate like this conversation here, with many playing the lottery for the heck of it and others not even bothering. Just as Brent, Maury has some parents bound for Stuart-Hobson and happy with that and many others have confidence in Eliot-Hine and Jefferson. We will most certainly take a closer look not only at Eliot-Hine, with which we're familiar, but also Jefferson even if it's a little out of the way. We know families/kids at Jefferson who've done exceptionally well for high school placements. So no fear there.

Please, Maury parents aren't guaranteed a spot at Hobson anymore than Brent parents. We're seeing the unworkable Hobson lottery numbers in the 200s over here so you must be seeing them over there. Many others with confidence in Eliot-Hine is BS. Show me the cohort of high SES kids at EH (because such kids are, er, the majority in the school district) and I'm convinced.

Right, so Jefferson Academy is fine as is. So where are the high SES kids there?

Not a Maury parent but I think point is that there are Cluster families who attend Maury whose by-right MS would be SH.

Indeed what I meant, same is true for Brent I imagine.

But what's with the 'SES-obsession'? Are you working for Jefferson's front office? So how would you know the 'high SES' proportion?! You mean like that's written across people's forehead or something? We all know - I hope you do too and if not you do now - that when DCPS reports 99% FARMS, that percentage can in truth be anywhere from above 50 to 100. It's just an artifact of the federal reporting system. Wish it were different but it isn't. So read up and study up.

High SES proportion is easy to spot from a mile away (literally). Hint: around 3/4 of the kids who score 4s and 5s on any section of the PARCC. Read up and study up yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent PTA Meeting - So you ridicule parents who are working hard to ensure a strong middle option for your child(re)?

(1) it's not going to benefit my child and (2) while I don't view the observation as ridicule, many Sysyphean endeavors need a hearty dose of objective skepticism. Parents are free to invest their time in whatever manner they choose but trying to put lipstick on a pig doesn't make it any less porcine.

Yes, yes, yes. I'd much rather if the lipstick was being put on a second building for BASIS, Latin, or both in Ward 6, or a serious GT test-in middle school program at Jefferson. That way, at least our advanced students lacking rich parents might have a decent shot of staying in the city as teens (sorry, next generation of Hill parents).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brent PTA Meeting - So you ridicule parents who are working hard to ensure a strong middle option for your child(re)?

(1) it's not going to benefit my child and (2) while I don't view the observation as ridicule, many Sysyphean endeavors need a hearty dose of objective skepticism. Parents are free to invest their time in whatever manner they choose but trying to put lipstick on a pig doesn't make it any less porcine.

Yes, yes, yes. I'd much rather if the lipstick was being put on a second building for BASIS, Latin, or both in Ward 6, or a serious GT test-in middle school program at Jefferson. That way, at least our advanced students lacking rich parents might have a decent shot of staying in the city as teens (sorry, next generation of Hill parents).

Anyone on who owns a house on the Hill is rich by DC and regional standards.

I get it, you don't want to move, but you have resources.

[Anonymous]

OP, in the interests of fairness, I don't think anyone last night said Jefferson was the next Deal or that any of this would be easy. But they did let people know that the enrollment situation at Jefferson is improving, albeit it doesn't have nearly the demand as Basis or Latin. But demand is there which it isn't for Eliot-Hine or many other DCPS middle schools.

So you have done your due diligence in adding skepticism to the discussion. That is duly noted. Now how can we make a better middle school pathway for advanced/proficient students at Brent? I'm with the optimists who are working to improve Jefferson rather than throwing their hands up and getting a realtor or paying for private.

I would add that, yes, Hardy and Stuart-Hobson's test scores may improve faster than Jefferson's. But they are in demand now. So if Brent families would consider those schools now and the Hardy/SH aren't an option in the future, why not consider Jefferson if it gets to or could get to quickly the point Hardy is at now? It is my understanding that the proficient/advanced students at SH generally feel pretty good about their experience.

[Anonymous]

Also, as the middle school population grows (or potential middle school population), schools on the rise start to attract other well prepared students from OOB (see the Maury parent comments from earlier). It will take brave and hardworking parents to get the ball rolling, but it sounds like there is a principal at Jefferson willing to work with them.

Also, this is all a bit insulting to current Jefferson students who are proficient/advanced. There is already a cohort.

[Anonymous]

And what happens when about half of the hardworking optimists get into Latin or Basis as the result of the lottery next Spring? Where does that leave the rest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, as the middle school population grows (or potential middle school population), schools on the rise start to attract other well prepared students from OOB (see the Maury parent comments from earlier). It will take brave and hardworking parents to get the ball rolling, but it sounds like there is a principal at Jefferson willing to work with them.

Also, this is all a bit insulting to current Jefferson students who are proficient/advanced. There is already a cohort.

All 15 of them?