I'm puzzled, please help

[Anonymous]

me to understand why all the top performing DCPS schools are west of Rock Creek Park. I mean, is DCPS continuing to place all the top funding west of the park. If so, are charter schools the only choices parents west of the park have for obtaining quality educations for their children. Well, I mean, if the parents cannot afford private schools that is. Hmm, silly statement, if they could afford private schools, the parents could probably afford to live in neighborhoods with schools providing quality education.

[Anonymous]

Actually it's not the DCPS funding so much as the constituency. When middle and upper income families dominate in a school, they can raise a lot of money through PTA activities. They are also well-educated and feel entitled to demand that their children get better services.

I tutor a kid from a poor family whose mom and dad didn't finish high school. While they do the best they can, I don't think it even occurs to them that they could make demands on the schools their kids attend. And they have difficulty supplementing what the schools don't give their kids.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, ditto what the PP stated. Many of the "good" schools raise a 1/2 million dollars a year to supplement the school budget. Most of that cash comes from charging the families a fee per child, around $500 at some schools. This is used to fund instruction aids and other things that DCPS ought to provide.

A low-income school doesn't have parents who can fork over that kind of cash.

[Anonymous]

16:13 again -- btw, as my neighborhood gentrifies the young middle class families are sticking around (rather than moving to the 'burbs) when dc is born and are enrolling their kids in elementary schools that formerly were struggling. From what I hear it is making a big difference. I also hear there are some folks who are getting involved with their local schools years before their kids will be attending them.

[Anonymous]

Historically, white people have lived west of the park and the west of the park schools never suffered from "white flight". When the phenomenon got worse in the '70s and '80s it was middle class black flight, so those nice integrated neighborhoods just east of the park suffered quite a bit. Gentrification is bringing middle-class people (of all colors) back to the city, but it hasn't don't much to build confidence in the schools. There are a number of charter schools that have succeeded in building confidence among many demographic subgroups. Most families would rather start fresh with a new charter than rebuild a school with a bad reputation.

[Anonymous]

the other choice people east of park have is to try to get into west of park schools via out of boundary application process, generally lottery starts accepting applicants in January for the next school year.

My son got into Janney, but I said no because in the meantime, I'd gotten both kids into charter. Janney would not have likely had space for youngest for a couple of years.

Welcome to a miserable system as a parent. Once your kids lands someplace appropriate for them, it can be great, but in the meantime. . ..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:me to understand why all the top performing DCPS schools are west of Rock Creek Park. I mean, is DCPS continuing to place all the top funding west of the park. If so, are charter schools the only choices parents west of the park have for obtaining quality educations for their children. Well, I mean, if the parents cannot afford private schools that is. Hmm, silly statement, if they could afford private schools, the parents could probably afford to live in neighborhoods with schools providing quality education.

Actually, there are some gorgeous historically A.A. neighborhoods east of the park which have long traditions of wealth and private schools. Such as Crestview. DC has its own "Gold Coast."

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you all for your responses. They are rght on point but unfortunately it does not alleviate my anixiety for my child's educational opportunites in DCPS. I know, I know welcome to the world of public schools and parenting. DC is currently enrolled PK in "one of the better" performing DCPS east of the river. Yet, the school never makes the list as a top performing school. I suppose DH and I could go the Black flight middle class route like many of those before us have done. We are working middle class and definitely cannot afford Woodley/Cleveland Park, etc. house prices. We tried the OOB process for the 09-10 school year and was waitlisted everywhere. As for the charter schools, I have been made to understand that E.L.Hayne, Yu Ying, Lamb are the only way to go. If that is true then I doubt very seriously if they will have K openings. Do I sound despondent about this crap. Well, I am and the school year has just begun. Did I mention that my lovely DS was adopted just recently, so I am learning parenthood and DCPS all at the same time. Loving the parenthood. Hating D.C. as in the city, not my child, more and more.

[Anonymous]

congratulations on your son's arrival in your family. Hang in there. Are you happy with the preK classroom that he is in this year, right now? Start with that.

If you are, then try your best to relax, nearly impossible I know after many nights lost sleep, and try try try to let it go until the winter/spring lottery season begins.

There is typically a lot more fluidity in the system than you might imagine. I was in your position a year ago, but with 2 kids, which makes it easier & harder, one a rising K, other rising lower elementary grade. Now enrolled at a charter on your list.

Between May and Aug, I had acceptance to consider at one of the other charters on your list (for 1 of the 2), 1 NW DC school (for 1 of the 2 kids), and another charter (both admitted). So, if you can remain flexible, you likely will have offers. For example, EL Haynes opened a 3rd K section this August. I think this year they have only 2 preK, and may open a 3rd K next year, so if yes, there is a whole classroom full of K available.

All of that said, if you aren't happy with the preK situation right now, get on the phone and look for an alternate placement. Consider contacting: West, Shepherd, Hearst. As good schools, a little below the radar. Visit and see the preK classroom and teacher before you make a transfer.

Good luck

[Anonymous]

It's not funding, fundraising, parent advocacy. better teachers, or higher quality educational opportunities that explain higher test scores. It's the affluence and educational level of the parents.

[Anonymous]

OP, there are a few more schools I'd add to that charter list:

Cap City
Two Rivers
DC Prep

Also, in DCPS the cluster schools in Capitol Hill get a fair amount of respect.

[Anonymous]

Ignore the test scores. Find the school that offers the best educational opportunities for your child.

[Anonymous]

Did the Cluster. Does your child respond well to being screamed at? If not, look elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

"... why all the top performing DCPS schools are west of Rock Creek Park. I mean, is DCPS continuing to place all the top funding west of the park?..."

There are a bunch of items at work here - but to the best of my knowledge, it is not the DCPS is placing all of the funding west of the park.

2 significant items at play include.....
When many of the children come into a classroom for the 1st time in one of the those "Top Performing (TP)" schools, they are performing academically higher than many of the children not in one of those select schools. The teachers of the non-TP schools need to bring the students up to where the TP schools students start. This is one of the reasons why PS and PreK4 programs are so important. If you look to where DC has PS classes (these are for 3 YOs), none of these are in the upper NW. The hope is that through these programs when children start K, there will be a smaller gap and truley - no child will be left behind.

and the average years of experience a teacher has. Teachers come to DC b/c they want to make a difference in teaching in an urban environment. But given the historical challenges of the DCPS administration, they did not make it easy on the teachers. There are stories of new teachers not getting paid for months. Put that on top of lack of resources in the class room and limited parental involvement, (I am making a gross generalization here to make a point) the top teachers moved to the better schools. Either to other districts OR to schools wher PTAs did huge fundraisers so that the teachers would not be fighting for what should be expected resources.


To the OP - if you are committed to your neighborhood school, contact Parents Associations board members at some of the 'desired' schools to understand how they worked to make change. Talk to your neighbors who are young couples / families who can start establishing ties with the school and get involved now - as opposed to waiting X years for when the child is of school age. These are some of the things you can do to help change the school to become all that it can be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not funding, fundraising, parent advocacy. better teachers, or higher quality educational opportunities that explain higher test scores. It's the affluence and educational level of the parents.

I agree that the education level of the parents is the largest contributing factor.