Schools cause PoP to leave Petworth

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one said he had an obligation to do anything. He's free to do what he feels is best. But based on his position, which is public (and a public persona that he chose), we're free to comment on it publicly.

Of course you are free to do so - but when you make comments that seem to imply he has some kind of moral obligation to help "turn" Bruce Monroe, or that those who flip schools are doing something not merely good, but crucial for society, it makes you look pretentious and silly. Almost as bad as the folks who would call you an irresponsible parent. So much mutual shaming going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is so silly. He could have entered the lotteries for next year when his child is actually 3. See what happens. Every first child has their best chance for charter admission at PK3. Then, if the child didn't get in anywhere, or anywhere acceptable, pay for day care another year and try it again. There's no guarantee for PK4 even at a WOTP school. seems like such an uninformed decision.

They have a new kid on the way, IIUC. So they probably want more space - if they were to stay in Petworth they would want a bigger place in Petworth. Probably did not want to buy and then need to move again in only a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said he had an obligation to do anything. He's free to do what he feels is best. But based on his position, which is public (and a public persona that he chose), we're free to comment on it publicly.

Of course you are free to do so - but when you make comments that seem to imply he has some kind of moral obligation to help "turn" Bruce Monroe, or that those who flip schools are doing something not merely good, but crucial for society, it makes you look pretentious and silly. Almost as bad as the folks who would call you an irresponsible parent. So much mutual shaming going on.

That wasn't me... that was Anonymous. If all you're trying to do is flip a school, then I agree - lame. But helping out underserved kids is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is so silly. He could have entered the lotteries for next year when his child is actually 3. See what happens. Every first child has their best chance for charter admission at PK3. Then, if the child didn't get in anywhere, or anywhere acceptable, pay for day care another year and try it again. There's no guarantee for PK4 even at a WOTP school. seems like such an uninformed decision.

Why should he have done all that? If he can afford to move, then moving WOTP gives him lots of advantages in terms of a better shot at better schools, shorter commute, less crime, etc. So he and his wife made a perfectly reasonable choice to buy a house that gives them all those benefits. No reason to begrudge or criticize him for it.

It seems that because he ran this public blog supporting Petworth, many people want to force PoP onto some pedestal where he must live an ideologically pure lifestyle in service of Petworth, and he's unable to make any personal choice that's not 100% in support of Petworth. IMHO, that's a ridiculous standard.

I see that same ideological purity test applied in other realms:

1. Vegetarians. It's not uncommon for people to criticize vegetarians for wearing leather shoes, claiming they're being hypocritical for choosing not to eat animals, and yet still permitting some animals to be used.

2. President Obama & Arne Duncan. President Obama pretty regularly gets criticized for sending his daughters to private school, by people who suggest that because he claims to support public schools, he cannot send his daughters to private school without being a hypocrite. Arne Duncan got the same treatment last week when it came out that his kids will attend private school next year. (God forbid if Michelle Obama was ever photographed eating pizza!)

My point is that it's stupid to subject anyone to such an ideological purity test. People are complex. They are big enough to contain two different heartfelt views that might conflict with one another. They have many different influences and needs and constraints. They try new things from time to time. They change. Just because a vegetarian might try a hamburger sometime doesn't mean her essential beliefs aren't worthy of respect. Just because Arne Duncan decides its best to send his kids to private school doesn't mean he cannot work hard to improve education for all students across the country. Just because PoP decides its best to move WOTP doesn't negate or diminish all his other views in support of EOTP neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said he had an obligation to do anything. He's free to do what he feels is best. But based on his position, which is public (and a public persona that he chose), we're free to comment on it publicly.

Of course you are free to do so - but when you make comments that seem to imply he has some kind of moral obligation to help "turn" Bruce Monroe, or that those who flip schools are doing something not merely good, but crucial for society, it makes you look pretentious and silly. Almost as bad as the folks who would call you an irresponsible parent. So much mutual shaming going on.

That wasn't me... that was Anonymous. If all you're trying to do is flip a school, then I agree - lame. But helping out underserved kids is a good thing.

You can help kids by volunteering at a school that you do not live in. Or in many other ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Congrats to PoP and family on having found a house they love in a welcoming neighborhood! Schools aside, with two kids under 4 years old it's best to love your house/condo/apartment because you may be spending a lot more time in it than you expected after 5pm. Living in car-optional, pedestrian-accessible parts of the city means you can push that time out to 7pm without needing a babysitter. With luck, PoP's first daughter will get into the PK-4 lottery for their IB school. If not, they have to wait another year until their DD#1 is admitted for kinder with possibly 30 kids in her class. DD#2 will also be guaranteed a spot in a 25+ student kinder class starting at age 5.

There's really no such thing as a "good school" in a relatively small city -- with no county or state resources -- that lacks stability in leadership, clarity of governance, and predictable paths for achievement in public education. Regardless of the school, DCPS is DCPS. Art, PE, and Music are 45 minutes a week (unless there is testing). Recess is 15 minutes a day. The Science standards for elementary are quite good, but DCPS does not include science teachers in staffing plans for elementary.

Any school that offers more than the basics of DCPS is either a Title I school with more than 30% of students from low-income families or WotP with PTAs that raise donations of more than 6-figures annually. Neither model can guarantee sustainable, high-quality resources. Like charters, these schools only offer admission before age 5 by lottery. Don't get me started on special education or dual-immersion.

The District is still very much in an experimental phase of education transformation. The only place with more kids in charter schools is post-Katrina New Orleans, and their superintendent has charter assignment authority.

So while moving IB for a WotP school might feel like a surer bet than lotteries, we must not assume that all of our kids will do well in a small number of schools.

It's all a crap shoot

Great post, I concur from down here on Cap Hill, where our school funded its own PE and science teachers initially. You nailed some of the most egregious shortcomings.

Foreign languages are also only taught 45 minutes a week in ES, if at all, other than at Janney, where parents pay for them to be taught two hours a week before and after school. Don't get me started on dual-immersion either, the realm where DCPC sees no value in bringing in native speakers as native-speaking communities, and few DCPS ES Spanish immersion programs (the only kind on offer) feed into MS immersion programs. As things stand, most of the immersion kids heading into the International Baccalaureate programs sprouting up like mushrooms in DC public seem unlikely to ace the Higher Level IB exams down the track, as they probably could if long-term immersion were an option.

With Deal forced to accommodate nearly 500 kids more than the building was built for this fall, even as DCPS tosses hundreds of millions of dollars at HS buildings serving under 1000 students, something's gotta give in the next few years. When will voters demand more?

Are the suburban schools better? Could someone please break down what they offer in comparison?

[Anonymous]

PoP seems like a good guy, but he is fun to needle and an easy target. Kind of like our own loveable Jeff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one said he had an obligation to do anything. He's free to do what he feels is best. But based on his position, which is public (and a public persona that he chose), we're free to comment on it publicly.

Of course you are free to do so - but when you make comments that seem to imply he has some kind of moral obligation to help "turn" Bruce Monroe, or that those who flip schools are doing something not merely good, but crucial for society, it makes you look pretentious and silly. Almost as bad as the folks who would call you an irresponsible parent. So much mutual shaming going on.

That wasn't me... that was Anonymous. If all you're trying to do is flip a school, then I agree - lame. But helping out underserved kids is a good thing.

You can help kids by volunteering at a school that you do not live in. Or in many other ways.

The main thing you can do is vote or become a foster parent. Most school volunteer works does little to really help the students who really need help.

[Anonymous]

At least he is not Petrelli, writing a book about school diversity and then moving to Montgomery County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At least he is not Petrelli, writing a book about school diversity and then moving to Montgomery County.

Yes, that was awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least he is not Petrelli, writing a book about school diversity and then moving to Montgomery County.

Yes, that was awful.

Why? Did he say that parents had an obligation to send their kids to diverse schools, even in a world where most schools were not diverse? Or was it a descriptive book, or one about public policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PoP seems like a good guy, but he is fun to needle and an easy target. Kind of like our own loveable Jeff.

Except of course JS writes about education. DS did not.

[Anonymous]

C'mon people. Despite what he said on his blog, I am sure that the last year's spike in violent crime, including some notable incidents in Petworth (several daytime shootings with people and children walking around), played a role in their decision to move.

[Anonymous]

14:31, not everybody wants to travel across town for a Charter, so it's not silly that he made the move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At least he is not Petrelli, writing a book about school diversity and then moving to Montgomery County.

Yes, that was awful.

Why? Did he say that parents had an obligation to send their kids to diverse schools, even in a world where most schools were not diverse? Or was it a descriptive book, or one about public policy?

"The Diverse Schools Dilemma: A Parent's Guide to Socioeconomically Mixed Public Schools"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Diverse-Schools-Dilemma-Socioeconomically-ebook/dp/B009F32Z2E