Shaw middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No rush to build a new school during a recession. By the time Cardozo is at capacity, Howard Middle School may be closed, boundaries might be redrawn, the Banneker site may be available, etc. We should deal with the boundary and feeder process first (are you planning a school with 2.5 feeders--Garrison/Seaton/Cleveland English--or the SWW feeders too? Seems like the sort of thing you should decide in advance), rebuild DC's rainy day fund, and then think about a new middle school building.

In the meantime, get Cardozo a separate middle school principal, offer honors math and English classes for anyone who gets a 4 or 5 on PARCC (even if the classes are small), get the school and its feeders to interact more, and achieve more community buy-in. If few people are sending their kids there, there's no need for a bigger building because it's not going to reach capacity as fast as DCPS predicts.

Why does it always come back to offering honors classes? Tracking (that's what honors is) is just a way to perpetuate segregation within a school so white parents feel better about sending their kids there. And despite it being the thing people keep asking for, it's terrible for equity and learning which is why our best schools (e.g., Deal MS) don't do it.

Because it's the only way to have a classroom that is on grade level (that's what counts as "honors" in these schools, let's be real), and isn't constantly disrupted by problem behaviors. You can't scold or shame or philosophize parents into putting their children into an educational context that's as bad as what DCPS is providing. You can try, but it won't work. There's no substitute for DCPS actually providing quality, so focus on getting to that.

It’s amazing to see the continued assumptions about “behavior problems” in “these schools” not based on firsthand knowledge. You assume kids are disrupting classes and that the curriculum/instruction is not rigorous based on what, exactly? The lower test scores? Come on, now.

Yes, definitely the lower test scores. You come on now. Also the fact that Cardozo MS has a super low IB and feeder capture rate. Parents of all races and backgrounds are opting not to attend this school. Why don't you tell us why you think that's happening.

You cannot scold, shame, guilt-trip, persuade, or philosophize parents into sending their children to a school that's as low-performing as Cardozo MS. Focus your energies on improving the school and that will benefit the kids who actually go there, as well as potentially bringing in others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No rush to build a new school during a recession. By the time Cardozo is at capacity, Howard Middle School may be closed, boundaries might be redrawn, the Banneker site may be available, etc. We should deal with the boundary and feeder process first (are you planning a school with 2.5 feeders--Garrison/Seaton/Cleveland English--or the SWW feeders too? Seems like the sort of thing you should decide in advance), rebuild DC's rainy day fund, and then think about a new middle school building.

In the meantime, get Cardozo a separate middle school principal, offer honors math and English classes for anyone who gets a 4 or 5 on PARCC (even if the classes are small), get the school and its feeders to interact more, and achieve more community buy-in. If few people are sending their kids there, there's no need for a bigger building because it's not going to reach capacity as fast as DCPS predicts.

Why does it always come back to offering honors classes? Tracking (that's what honors is) is just a way to perpetuate segregation within a school so white parents feel better about sending their kids there. And despite it being the thing people keep asking for, it's terrible for equity and learning which is why our best schools (e.g., Deal MS) don't do it.

Because it's the only way to have a classroom that is on grade level (that's what counts as "honors" in these schools, let's be real), and isn't constantly disrupted by problem behaviors. You can't scold or shame or philosophize parents into putting their children into an educational context that's as bad as what DCPS is providing. You can try, but it won't work. There's no substitute for DCPS actually providing quality, so focus on getting to that.

It’s amazing to see the continued assumptions about “behavior problems” in “these schools” not based on firsthand knowledge. You assume kids are disrupting classes and that the curriculum/instruction is not rigorous based on what, exactly? The lower test scores? Come on, now.

I work near there and I see how the kids behave at dismissal. And no, it is not just the test scores (which are worse, btw, than demographically similar schools). It is the leadership turnover, teacher retention, student retention and satisfaction. Basically every published metric there is, Cardozo MS does badly.

Why don't you tell us why you think it is a good school.in spite of all the metrics. Specifically.