How long are you planning on staying in DCPS or charter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a thoughtful and excellent post. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. It's not up to the parents to keep their kids in DCPS or charters to help improve the school system but rather up to the schools to provide a quality education where people will want to send their kids and stay. Looking at test scores for the quality of education provided, no one who has a choice will stay for long.

There's no political will in DC to provide magnets and/or gifted/talented programs that will attract upper socio-economic families. While there are charters that have gotten around this by offering immersion language which families self-select in, every step for overall improvement has been met with a stone wall for the status quo. So there you have it... we're not planning to stay and don't know any parents who will sacrifice their kids' one chance at an education who will if they have a choice.

Instead of Upper SES families, how about talented driven kids with supportive families? I get the gist of what you're saying and agree that there should be charters with entrance exams or grade point standards to serve kids who really need an exciting challenge and high expectations, but I am betting some non SES kids would make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a thoughtful and excellent post. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. It's not up to the parents to keep their kids in DCPS or charters to help improve the school system but rather up to the schools to provide a quality education where people will want to send their kids and stay. Looking at test scores for the quality of education provided, no one who has a choice will stay for long.

There's no political will in DC to provide magnets and/or gifted/talented programs that will attract upper socio-economic families. While there are charters that have gotten around this by offering immersion language which families self-select in, every step for overall improvement has been met with a stone wall for the status quo. So there you have it... we're not planning to stay and don't know any parents who will sacrifice their kids' one chance at an education who will if they have a choice.

Instead of Upper SES families, how about talented driven kids with supportive families? I get the gist of what you're saying and agree that there should be charters with entrance exams or grade point standards to serve kids who really need an exciting challenge and high expectations, but I am betting some non SES kids would make the cut.

ITA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Middle class parents at schools like Thomson, Garrison, and Francis-Stevens weren't met halfway so they won't stay. DCPS is not ready to put the resources into these schools so parents will flee if they have options. How can you blame them?

Not blaming parents at all. Just saying that their committment is a very important piece of a school's success and that you cannot put the entire onus on the system if you want to see real change. I've said over, and over that I understand a parent's need to make the best decision for their child. As a matter of fact, I'm zoned for Thomson and didn't send my kids there.

I know about Garrison and Francis-Stevens. I think if the parents at Garrison stick with it, they will be able to turn that school around in the same way that Ross families did. I think the same is true for Francis-Stevens. Thomson....well, it has a loooooot of issues to overcome and unfortunately, I wasn't in a position where I could invest the time and energy it was going to take to help push that school forward. Moreover, I didn't believe the school had the potential to improve significantly in the forseeable future.

All that said, I think that you're right about the need for active parents to have a good working relationship with the school administration in order to successfully turn a school around.

Parents make a decision to leave DCPS/Charters for a variety of reasons; and they have every right to do so. I just get tired of the DCPS/Charter BASHING from SOME parents who never fully committed to these schools. The negative commentary does not help us help our children. If you left, I truly hope you found just the right school for your child, and I would also hope that you would have the same wish for those of us who continue to fight to get the best education we can for our children within the public education system in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middle class parents at schools like Thomson, Garrison, and Francis-Stevens weren't met halfway so they won't stay. DCPS is not ready to put the resources into these schools so parents will flee if they have options. How can you blame them?

Not blaming parents at all. Just saying that their committment is a very important piece of a school's success and that you cannot put the entire onus on the system if you want to see real change. I've said over, and over that I understand a parent's need to make the best decision for their child. As a matter of fact, I'm zoned for Thomson and didn't send my kids there.

I know about Garrison and Francis-Stevens. I think if the parents at Garrison stick with it, they will be able to turn that school around in the same way that Ross families did. I think the same is true for Francis-Stevens. Thomson....well, it has a loooooot of issues to overcome and unfortunately, I wasn't in a position where I could invest the time and energy it was going to take to help push that school forward. Moreover, I didn't believe the school had the potential to improve significantly in the forseeable future.

All that said, I think that you're right about the need for active parents to have a good working relationship with the school administration in order to successfully turn a school around.

Parents make a decision to leave DCPS/Charters for a variety of reasons; and they have every right to do so. I just get tired of the DCPS/Charter BASHING from SOME parents who never fully committed to these schools. The negative commentary does not help us help our children. If you left, I truly hope you found just the right school for your child, and I would also hope that you would have the same wish for those of us who continue to fight to get the best education we can for our children within the public education system in DC.

As a former Thomson parent I have to agree in the short term the issues are tremendous. The language issue alone will require levels of intervention that still are not understood at the school. Also because the majority of the student body comes from a small number of high rises in the area it is unlikely to that the SES of the students will change either. Thomson and a few other schools in DC represent different issues from what DC has traditionally faced in terms of poverty, non-English speaking parents will respond differently and need different interventions to get them involved and the district is not there in conceptualizing what that will require.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


As a former Thomson parent I have to agree in the short term the issues are tremendous. The language issue alone will require levels of intervention that still are not understood at the school. Also because the majority of the student body comes from a small number of high rises in the area it is unlikely to that the SES of the students will change either. Thomson and a few other schools in DC represent different issues from what DC has traditionally faced in terms of poverty, non-English speaking parents will respond differently and need different interventions to get them involved and the district is not there in conceptualizing what that will require.

Sorry to be ignorant here, but can you elaboration on the issues? I thought the high-rise subsidized housing in that area was zoned for Walker Jones.

[Anonymous]

To answer the original question, I don't have any predetermined thoughts on how long to stay in the system. We are sending our preschooler to one of the new, promising PS - 8 charters. I can certainly see staying at the school all the way if all works out the way I hope it will. If it doesn't, we'll investigate other options (including other charters or whatever's around at the time. I can't imagine being able to afford private.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


As a former Thomson parent I have to agree in the short term the issues are tremendous. The language issue alone will require levels of intervention that still are not understood at the school. Also because the majority of the student body comes from a small number of high rises in the area it is unlikely to that the SES of the students will change either. Thomson and a few other schools in DC represent different issues from what DC has traditionally faced in terms of poverty, non-English speaking parents will respond differently and need different interventions to get them involved and the district is not there in conceptualizing what that will require.

Sorry to be ignorant here, but can you elaboration on the issues? I thought the high-rise subsidized housing in that area was zoned for Walker Jones.

There are about 3 apartment buildings within 2 blocks of the school. One is for sure public housing. 2 others are more section 8 and affordability issues. You have many families of 5 living in a two bedroom apartments. As a previous poster stated a lot work in restaurants as bus boys etc. Many of these parents struggle to even read Spanish. It would help tremendously if there was adult English education available but most of that is concentrated in Columbia Heights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


As a former Thomson parent I have to agree in the short term the issues are tremendous. The language issue alone will require levels of intervention that still are not understood at the school. Also because the majority of the student body comes from a small number of high rises in the area it is unlikely to that the SES of the students will change either. Thomson and a few other schools in DC represent different issues from what DC has traditionally faced in terms of poverty, non-English speaking parents will respond differently and need different interventions to get them involved and the district is not there in conceptualizing what that will require.

Sorry to be ignorant here, but can you elaboration on the issues? I thought the high-rise subsidized housing in that area was zoned for Walker Jones.

There are about 3 apartment buildings within 2 blocks of the school. One is for sure public housing. 2 others are more section 8 and affordability issues. You have many families of 5 living in a two bedroom apartments. As a previous poster stated a lot work in restaurants as bus boys etc. Many of these parents struggle to even read Spanish. It would help tremendously if there was adult English education available but most of that is concentrated in Columbia Heights.

That helps clarify. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

But over 1/2 of Thomson is "out of boundary" and previously, high quality arts and language programs attracted middle class parents. Many students transferred into the upper grades from Watkins and Bancroft.

I'd guess that Thomson next year will have more ESL students and more FARM students.

Of course if test scores go up this year (assuming no cheating) then this will all be a success and Dupont and Rhee and Kaya should be very, very proud. Except for the crack, but that's another topic.

[Anonymous]

moved to an feeder for Deal. Will now stay until end of MS.

[Anonymous]

On Deal it proves the point that DCPS needs to meet committed families half way. That wasn't just enthusiastic/cash strapped parents coming together to say "let's stay". Wasn't it more a fantastic principal, an IB program with lots of support from central office and a gorgeous renovation that compelled families to stay? That needs to happen at more middle schools around the city, although few happen to have the same boundary population that Deal Has, thus the need for magnet progams sprinkled in....

[Anonymous]

Magnets would definitely help! I think it is a shame that the language immersion programs are not magnet. Why should these special programs be restricted to certain boundaries? i think all parents should have an equal shot at them. Similarly, perhaps some folks don't want language immersion or it is not a good fit for their child -- yet their IB school is wholly bilingual -- it shouldn't be that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Magnets would definitely help! I think it is a shame that the language immersion programs are not magnet. Why should these special programs be restricted to certain boundaries? i think all parents should have an equal shot at them. Similarly, perhaps some folks don't want language immersion or it is not a good fit for their child -- yet their IB school is wholly bilingual -- it shouldn't be that way.

ITA. Magnets are a proven strategy for creating SES-diverse schools. Making, say, Stuart Hobson a magnet program with special offerings available that aren't available at any other DCPS MS would draw more economic diversity into the school. DCPS has to figure out a way to have more than one successful middle school, and the best way to do that is to create one with offerings unavailable at Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But over 1/2 of Thomson is "out of boundary" and previously, high quality arts and language programs attracted middle class parents. Many students transferred into the upper grades from Watkins and Bancroft.

I'd guess that Thomson next year will have more ESL students and more FARM students.

Of course if test scores go up this year (assuming no cheating) then this will all be a success and Dupont and Rhee and Kaya should be very, very proud. Except for the crack, but that's another topic.

Around 40% but that has been declining because there is no room in the younger grades. There are many families in boundary that have 3 kids. The lower grades are bursting with in boundary kids. It does not matter if middle class parents wanted to come in there has not been space for two years now, even with sibling preference.

[Anonymous]

Last year Thomson was 54% out of boundary, according to the DCPS website.

Even if the lower classes are filled with IB kids, there would be spots in the upper grades, if for no other reason that the classes are smaller on the PS/PK level.

The new principal accepted no out of boundary students in the lottery, but that was his choice, not a necessity.

Middle class parents used to join the school at the upper grades. Most of them have left now though.

Apparently the new leaderships wants it to be strictly an ESL school?