Public education: competing interests, philosophical divide

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Young families are certainly spending $600-800K to live EOTP without a Deal feeder.

They are, agreed. However the children of the adults who paid $600 - 800K are, at this very moment, ages 3 mos - about 6 years old. Max.

Let's check back in again when those Park View preschoolers are facing 6th grade. For your reference ... Capitol Hill, but without the Latin-Basis option

These families are counting on the fact that they'll be able to make money on their houses if their charters or up and coming schools don't work out and they need to move WOTP or to the suburbs. Or that they will pay the private school tuition.

That's not a bad bet. Growth in home prices will likely outpace the growth in home prices WOTP given the development in the Parkview / Petworth area over a 10 year period. Also, in 10 years, many of us will have higher salaries and will be able to afford the mortgage on a Parkview / Petworth home plus private school tuition.

I think lots will muddle through the way Capitol Hill parents are now. It's fairly easy to predict what things will look like 5 years from now; less so for 10 years from now, when toddlers and infants are middle school age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What about none of the above: a young family who couldn't afford it at top dollar, but can do so at a 20% discount caused by an increase in supply after the new rules go into effect and Janney Family decides to sell? I think practically speaking current paths and such would be grandfathered in, so I don't think things are as dire for the Janney Family as the picture you paint. Also, over time, wouldn't Dunbar be seen as less of a non-viable option? Dunbar is brand new school with facilities better than many suburban schools (maybe not in Arlington or Bethesda, but in lots of the US).

Still not getting it. Young Family with a $850,000 budget will not choose to buy the Janney Family's colonial (discounted from $1,000,000) and the very very real possibility of their kids attending Savoy Elementary in SE DC, River Terrace EC in NE DC, and Ballou HS.

Young Family didn't amass that kind of $850K buying power by being idiots. They have $850K to spend because they are smart and have made strong choices throughout their lives. Thus, they will take their $850,000 and buy a colonial zoned for Kenwood ES -> Walter Johnson. Or someplace in Fairfax.

Is "short commute" important to Young Family? yes it is. But it's not more important than avoiding being assigned to Savoy, River Terrace and Ballou.

and before you say it ... the only reason that there are as many available seats as there are currently are in the charter lottery is that thousands of DCPS kids stay close to their homes and attend their assigned DCPS schools. If you were to suddenly add every DCPS student from Ward 3, much of Ward 4 and select Hill elementary kids into the charter lottery, the already-low odds of scoring a seat at a high performing PCS would sink to abysmal. And people would move when the inevitable result is published.

Grandfather doesn't last forever. It's only a stop-gap for the transition.

I don't disagree with your overall point, but for the record about 33% of DC public school students actually attend their IB school.

Anything that has to do with "Oh! We have to strengthen the IB option!" is foolish to not bear this in mind from the outset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Young families are certainly spending $600-800K to live EOTP without a Deal feeder.

They are, agreed. However the children of the adults who paid $600 - 800K are, at this very moment, ages 3 mos - about 6 years old. Max.

Let's check back in again when those Park View preschoolers are facing 6th grade. For your reference ... Capitol Hill, but without the Latin-Basis option

These families are counting on the fact that they'll be able to make money on their houses if their charters or up and coming schools don't work out and they need to move WOTP or to the suburbs. Or that they will pay the private school tuition.

That's not a bad bet. Growth in home prices will likely outpace the growth in home prices WOTP given the development in the Parkview / Petworth area over a 10 year period. Also, in 10 years, many of us will have higher salaries and will be able to afford the mortgage on a Parkview / Petworth home plus private school tuition.

This. In some neighborhoods you could probably rent out your house and use the income to pay for a second house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

WRT no boundaries, sure tons of high SES people would move, but many wouldn't. Either way, all those folks bailing for the suburbs would be replaced by younger families who would suddenly find good housing stock in the city more affordable. I'm not sure anyone would even miss the high SES folks bailing to the suburbs.

We don't know each other obviously on the anonymous internet, but I am nevertheless certain you are young. Young enough to have not lived through the early 70s and been cognizant of what was happening around you WRT public schools.

the first "S" in SES is for socio (economic status). right? so by saying 'high SES,' this means that this group of parent-homebuyers has high educational attainment, high career success, high prestige within their careers, high discipline, high drive, high goal-oriented behavior .... regardless of their take-home pay. (the "E" in SES).

This ^^^ breed of parent-homebuyer, isn't going to rush right in and "replace" the newly destabilized DCPS system, buying right-priced housing that was 1) existing, & just vacated by departed high SES parents or 2) newly built affordable middle-class SFHs. This ^^^breed of parent-homebuyer didn't get where they are today (remember, great pedigree, not "high paycheck") by settling for good enough, so-so, destablized schools and 1+ hour bus commutes for their 4 year olds. That would be an irrational decision, and adults with the high SOCIO status didn't make it to the top by making a series of irrational decisions.

Also? you are way off base on your low estimate about the percentage of high achievers who will decamp to other school districts or private. see, e.g., every. single. US city where bussing occurred

Simple example to demonstrate ...

In this "no-neighborhood schools" paradigm, where every seat becomes a lottery chance, the Janney Family of AU Park enters the mandatory lottery to find out where their son will attend high school. Their lottery results assign their teen to Dunbar, where a whopping 95% of students are not proficient in math http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Dunbar+High+School

The Janney Family rationally decides not to send their capable son to a high school where 95% of students can't add 4 numbers together. The Janney Family puts their brick colonial on the market and moves to a different school district in Maryland or Virginia that has assigned schools. (they can't afford private x 3 kids).

Who will purchase their 5-bedroom colonial?

a) a childless gay couple or a couple of empty nesters
b) a moderate income family of non-profit employees who cares deeply about education
c) a high SES couple of lawyers who care deeply about education but, just like the Janney Family, cannot afford $120,000 annual tuition after taxes
d) a single woman with no kids, because she loves living in a 5-bedroom house
e) an investor, who will rent the large home to several unrelated AU students (see, e.g., 1970 to 1998 Washington DC).

What about none of the above: a young family who couldn't afford it at top dollar, but can do so at a 20% discount caused by an increase in supply after the new rules go into effect and Janney Family decides to sell? I think practically speaking current paths and such would be grandfathered in, so I don't think things are as dire for the Janney Family as the picture you paint. Also, over time, wouldn't Dunbar be seen as less of a non-viable option? Dunbar is brand new school with facilities better than many suburban schools (maybe not in Arlington or Bethesda, but in lots of the US).

please tell me you don't have kids or own property in DC ...

Why?

because you're floating grad-school type GGW musings on policies that would destroy schools and property values in DC, I can at least hope you are totally uniformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Separate but equal is NOT equal.

Neighborhood schools alone without school choice effectively create segregation due to housing costs. School choice enable desegregation.

As for flexible tracking I am fully in favor since I too believe it is impossible to differentiate enough when students in one class have widely divergent academic abilities. It is not uncommon to have DC students in middle and high school who can barely read or do math. DC also has many students who are years above grade level academically. It is a lie that one teacher can accomadate all their needs in the same classroom.

BS. Do you have an ounce of evidence to support that claim? We have school choice AND largely segregated schools

Wonder why that may be? Have you read this? It's an interesting read based on actual studies.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2016/07/when_white_parents_have_a_choice_they_choose_segregated_schools.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

WRT no boundaries, sure tons of high SES people would move, but many wouldn't. Either way, all those folks bailing for the suburbs would be replaced by younger families who would suddenly find good housing stock in the city more affordable. I'm not sure anyone would even miss the high SES folks bailing to the suburbs.

We don't know each other obviously on the anonymous internet, but I am nevertheless certain you are young. Young enough to have not lived through the early 70s and been cognizant of what was happening around you WRT public schools.

the first "S" in SES is for socio (economic status). right? so by saying 'high SES,' this means that this group of parent-homebuyers has high educational attainment, high career success, high prestige within their careers, high discipline, high drive, high goal-oriented behavior .... regardless of their take-home pay. (the "E" in SES).

This ^^^ breed of parent-homebuyer, isn't going to rush right in and "replace" the newly destabilized DCPS system, buying right-priced housing that was 1) existing, & just vacated by departed high SES parents or 2) newly built affordable middle-class SFHs. This ^^^breed of parent-homebuyer didn't get where they are today (remember, great pedigree, not "high paycheck") by settling for good enough, so-so, destablized schools and 1+ hour bus commutes for their 4 year olds. That would be an irrational decision, and adults with the high SOCIO status didn't make it to the top by making a series of irrational decisions.

Also? you are way off base on your low estimate about the percentage of high achievers who will decamp to other school districts or private. see, e.g., every. single. US city where bussing occurred

Simple example to demonstrate ...

In this "no-neighborhood schools" paradigm, where every seat becomes a lottery chance, the Janney Family of AU Park enters the mandatory lottery to find out where their son will attend high school. Their lottery results assign their teen to Dunbar, where a whopping 95% of students are not proficient in math http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Dunbar+High+School

The Janney Family rationally decides not to send their capable son to a high school where 95% of students can't add 4 numbers together. The Janney Family puts their brick colonial on the market and moves to a different school district in Maryland or Virginia that has assigned schools. (they can't afford private x 3 kids).

Who will purchase their 5-bedroom colonial?

a) a childless gay couple or a couple of empty nesters
b) a moderate income family of non-profit employees who cares deeply about education
c) a high SES couple of lawyers who care deeply about education but, just like the Janney Family, cannot afford $120,000 annual tuition after taxes
d) a single woman with no kids, because she loves living in a 5-bedroom house
e) an investor, who will rent the large home to several unrelated AU students (see, e.g., 1970 to 1998 Washington DC).

What about none of the above: a young family who couldn't afford it at top dollar, but can do so at a 20% discount caused by an increase in supply after the new rules go into effect and Janney Family decides to sell? I think practically speaking current paths and such would be grandfathered in, so I don't think things are as dire for the Janney Family as the picture you paint. Also, over time, wouldn't Dunbar be seen as less of a non-viable option? Dunbar is brand new school with facilities better than many suburban schools (maybe not in Arlington or Bethesda, but in lots of the US).

please tell me you don't have kids or own property in DC ...

Why?

because you're floating grad-school type GGW musings on policies that would destroy schools and property values in DC, I can at least hope you are totally uniformed.

I wish it weren't ironic that one of the GGW "bigwig" moved out of DC because his family didn't get into a decent school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

WRT no boundaries, sure tons of high SES people would move, but many wouldn't. Either way, all those folks bailing for the suburbs would be replaced by younger families who would suddenly find good housing stock in the city more affordable. I'm not sure anyone would even miss the high SES folks bailing to the suburbs.

We don't know each other obviously on the anonymous internet, but I am nevertheless certain you are young. Young enough to have not lived through the early 70s and been cognizant of what was happening around you WRT public schools.

the first "S" in SES is for socio (economic status). right? so by saying 'high SES,' this means that this group of parent-homebuyers has high educational attainment, high career success, high prestige within their careers, high discipline, high drive, high goal-oriented behavior .... regardless of their take-home pay. (the "E" in SES).

This ^^^ breed of parent-homebuyer, isn't going to rush right in and "replace" the newly destabilized DCPS system, buying right-priced housing that was 1) existing, & just vacated by departed high SES parents or 2) newly built affordable middle-class SFHs. This ^^^breed of parent-homebuyer didn't get where they are today (remember, great pedigree, not "high paycheck") by settling for good enough, so-so, destablized schools and 1+ hour bus commutes for their 4 year olds. That would be an irrational decision, and adults with the high SOCIO status didn't make it to the top by making a series of irrational decisions.

Also? you are way off base on your low estimate about the percentage of high achievers who will decamp to other school districts or private. see, e.g., every. single. US city where bussing occurred

Simple example to demonstrate ...

In this "no-neighborhood schools" paradigm, where every seat becomes a lottery chance, the Janney Family of AU Park enters the mandatory lottery to find out where their son will attend high school. Their lottery results assign their teen to Dunbar, where a whopping 95% of students are not proficient in math http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Dunbar+High+School

The Janney Family rationally decides not to send their capable son to a high school where 95% of students can't add 4 numbers together. The Janney Family puts their brick colonial on the market and moves to a different school district in Maryland or Virginia that has assigned schools. (they can't afford private x 3 kids).

Who will purchase their 5-bedroom colonial?

a) a childless gay couple or a couple of empty nesters
b) a moderate income family of non-profit employees who cares deeply about education
c) a high SES couple of lawyers who care deeply about education but, just like the Janney Family, cannot afford $120,000 annual tuition after taxes
d) a single woman with no kids, because she loves living in a 5-bedroom house
e) an investor, who will rent the large home to several unrelated AU students (see, e.g., 1970 to 1998 Washington DC).

What about none of the above: a young family who couldn't afford it at top dollar, but can do so at a 20% discount caused by an increase in supply after the new rules go into effect and Janney Family decides to sell? I think practically speaking current paths and such would be grandfathered in, so I don't think things are as dire for the Janney Family as the picture you paint. Also, over time, wouldn't Dunbar be seen as less of a non-viable option? Dunbar is brand new school with facilities better than many suburban schools (maybe not in Arlington or Bethesda, but in lots of the US).

please tell me you don't have kids or own property in DC ...

Why?

because you're floating grad-school type GGW musings on policies that would destroy schools and property values in DC, I can at least hope you are totally uniformed.

I still haven't seen anyone make a coherent argument that these admittedly radical and unrealistic approaches wouldn't work, just that they wouldn't work for High SES WOTP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

WRT no boundaries, sure tons of high SES people would move, but many wouldn't. Either way, all those folks bailing for the suburbs would be replaced by younger families who would suddenly find good housing stock in the city more affordable. I'm not sure anyone would even miss the high SES folks bailing to the suburbs.

We don't know each other obviously on the anonymous internet, but I am nevertheless certain you are young. Young enough to have not lived through the early 70s and been cognizant of what was happening around you WRT public schools.

the first "S" in SES is for socio (economic status). right? so by saying 'high SES,' this means that this group of parent-homebuyers has high educational attainment, high career success, high prestige within their careers, high discipline, high drive, high goal-oriented behavior .... regardless of their take-home pay. (the "E" in SES).

This ^^^ breed of parent-homebuyer, isn't going to rush right in and "replace" the newly destabilized DCPS system, buying right-priced housing that was 1) existing, & just vacated by departed high SES parents or 2) newly built affordable middle-class SFHs. This ^^^breed of parent-homebuyer didn't get where they are today (remember, great pedigree, not "high paycheck") by settling for good enough, so-so, destablized schools and 1+ hour bus commutes for their 4 year olds. That would be an irrational decision, and adults with the high SOCIO status didn't make it to the top by making a series of irrational decisions.

Also? you are way off base on your low estimate about the percentage of high achievers who will decamp to other school districts or private. see, e.g., every. single. US city where bussing occurred

Simple example to demonstrate ...

In this "no-neighborhood schools" paradigm, where every seat becomes a lottery chance, the Janney Family of AU Park enters the mandatory lottery to find out where their son will attend high school. Their lottery results assign their teen to Dunbar, where a whopping 95% of students are not proficient in math http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Dunbar+High+School

The Janney Family rationally decides not to send their capable son to a high school where 95% of students can't add 4 numbers together. The Janney Family puts their brick colonial on the market and moves to a different school district in Maryland or Virginia that has assigned schools. (they can't afford private x 3 kids).

Who will purchase their 5-bedroom colonial?

a) a childless gay couple or a couple of empty nesters
b) a moderate income family of non-profit employees who cares deeply about education
c) a high SES couple of lawyers who care deeply about education but, just like the Janney Family, cannot afford $120,000 annual tuition after taxes
d) a single woman with no kids, because she loves living in a 5-bedroom house
e) an investor, who will rent the large home to several unrelated AU students (see, e.g., 1970 to 1998 Washington DC).

What about none of the above: a young family who couldn't afford it at top dollar, but can do so at a 20% discount caused by an increase in supply after the new rules go into effect and Janney Family decides to sell? I think practically speaking current paths and such would be grandfathered in, so I don't think things are as dire for the Janney Family as the picture you paint. Also, over time, wouldn't Dunbar be seen as less of a non-viable option? Dunbar is brand new school with facilities better than many suburban schools (maybe not in Arlington or Bethesda, but in lots of the US).

On the 2015 PARCC, 27% of DCPS high schoolers got a 4 or 5 on the ELA test and 12% did so in geometry. If you assumed that students would be randomly assigned, Dunbar would look like that--and so would Wilson. Many families with enough income and wealth to live WOTP would prefer to move to the suburbs rather than send their children to a school where 7 out of 8 kids are below grade level in math. And if enough of the high scorers left, evenly distributing the remaining students would wind up with schools that have even worse test scores.

None of this addresses another major challenge with eliminating boundaries: how do kids get across town to their assigned schools, and what if they're responsible for picking up younger siblings? Obviously some families make this work already, but it's good that the ones who can't or don't want to have the option to attend school close to where they live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

WRT no boundaries, sure tons of high SES people would move, but many wouldn't. Either way, all those folks bailing for the suburbs would be replaced by younger families who would suddenly find good housing stock in the city more affordable. I'm not sure anyone would even miss the high SES folks bailing to the suburbs.

We don't know each other obviously on the anonymous internet, but I am nevertheless certain you are young. Young enough to have not lived through the early 70s and been cognizant of what was happening around you WRT public schools.

the first "S" in SES is for socio (economic status). right? so by saying 'high SES,' this means that this group of parent-homebuyers has high educational attainment, high career success, high prestige within their careers, high discipline, high drive, high goal-oriented behavior .... regardless of their take-home pay. (the "E" in SES).

This ^^^ breed of parent-homebuyer, isn't going to rush right in and "replace" the newly destabilized DCPS system, buying right-priced housing that was 1) existing, & just vacated by departed high SES parents or 2) newly built affordable middle-class SFHs. This ^^^breed of parent-homebuyer didn't get where they are today (remember, great pedigree, not "high paycheck") by settling for good enough, so-so, destablized schools and 1+ hour bus commutes for their 4 year olds. That would be an irrational decision, and adults with the high SOCIO status didn't make it to the top by making a series of irrational decisions.

Also? you are way off base on your low estimate about the percentage of high achievers who will decamp to other school districts or private. see, e.g., every. single. US city where bussing occurred

Simple example to demonstrate ...

In this "no-neighborhood schools" paradigm, where every seat becomes a lottery chance, the Janney Family of AU Park enters the mandatory lottery to find out where their son will attend high school. Their lottery results assign their teen to Dunbar, where a whopping 95% of students are not proficient in math http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Dunbar+High+School

The Janney Family rationally decides not to send their capable son to a high school where 95% of students can't add 4 numbers together. The Janney Family puts their brick colonial on the market and moves to a different school district in Maryland or Virginia that has assigned schools. (they can't afford private x 3 kids).

Who will purchase their 5-bedroom colonial?

a) a childless gay couple or a couple of empty nesters
b) a moderate income family of non-profit employees who cares deeply about education
c) a high SES couple of lawyers who care deeply about education but, just like the Janney Family, cannot afford $120,000 annual tuition after taxes
d) a single woman with no kids, because she loves living in a 5-bedroom house
e) an investor, who will rent the large home to several unrelated AU students (see, e.g., 1970 to 1998 Washington DC).

What about none of the above: a young family who couldn't afford it at top dollar, but can do so at a 20% discount caused by an increase in supply after the new rules go into effect and Janney Family decides to sell? I think practically speaking current paths and such would be grandfathered in, so I don't think things are as dire for the Janney Family as the picture you paint. Also, over time, wouldn't Dunbar be seen as less of a non-viable option? Dunbar is brand new school with facilities better than many suburban schools (maybe not in Arlington or Bethesda, but in lots of the US).

On the 2015 PARCC, 27% of DCPS high schoolers got a 4 or 5 on the ELA test and 12% did so in geometry. If you assumed that students would be randomly assigned, Dunbar would look like that--and so would Wilson. Many families with enough income and wealth to live WOTP would prefer to move to the suburbs rather than send their children to a school where 7 out of 8 kids are below grade level in math. And if enough of the high scorers left, evenly distributing the remaining students would wind up with schools that have even worse test scores.

None of this addresses another major challenge with eliminating boundaries: how do kids get across town to their assigned schools, and what if they're responsible for picking up younger siblings? Obviously some families make this work already, but it's good that the ones who can't or don't want to have the option to attend school close to where they live.

Fair points. Lets assume students aren't randomly assigned, but there's just no feeders and in-boundary preferences. So everyone self-selects based on preference and commute convenience. And the challenge of getting across town is just left unsolved. So I'm not envisioning parents EOTP being forced to go to WOTP schools; they can deal with the bad commute if they want to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Young families are certainly spending $600-800K to live EOTP without a Deal feeder.

They are, agreed. However the children of the adults who paid $600 - 800K are, at this very moment, ages 3 mos - about 6 years old. Max.

Let's check back in again when those Park View preschoolers are facing 6th grade. For your reference ... Capitol Hill, but without the Latin-Basis option

These families are counting on the fact that they'll be able to make money on their houses if their charters or up and coming schools don't work out and they need to move WOTP or to the suburbs. Or that they will pay the private school tuition.

That's not a bad bet. Growth in home prices will likely outpace the growth in home prices WOTP given the development in the Parkview / Petworth area over a 10 year period. Also, in 10 years, many of us will have higher salaries and will be able to afford the mortgage on a Parkview / Petworth home plus private school tuition.

That seems highly unlikely, given the trajectory of tuition at DC's independent schools and how it outpaces wage increases every single year (ask me how I know )

Also, the problem with your global plan is that way too many of you have paid top dollar for those interchangeable Petworth flips. Sure, a household here and there can handle the $900,000 mortgage payment along with $41,000 a year after taxes for each kid's tuition. But statistically, not all of you are going to be named Executive Director of Large NonProfit XYZ or managing partner by the time your baby hits MS. Then what? North Bethesda!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Oh dear!
You mean to tell me that they use worksheets at your competitive-entry school?
And your teachers use lower-level vocabulary and lower-level texts during whole class lessons?

Out the 7+ hours of school, are you aware that this includes recess, lunch, specials, and transitions?
Presumably you would not want those activities to be differentiated.

As for the rest, the bulk of our learning time is either modified for ability level, or, if it is whole class, the texts, vocabulary, and conceptual tasks are at or above grade level with accommodations provided for students who need them, as well as challenge activities for students who need more challenge.

Maybe you're in the wrong building.

No, they don't use worksheets at this private school. But the teachers do indeed use mid-level vocabulary and mid-level text during whole-class instruction, yes. They also have uniformly mid-level expectations as evidenced by the assignments and comments on the same. The curriculum itself is thoughtful and rich and aims straight for the 65th percentile.

I don't know who, exactly, the "our" in "our learning time" is (?), but I call BS on your claim that your entire science and humanities curriculum is presented "above grade level" at all times, every year, in a public school in the District of Columbia. It's not, not even at Janney, which is why our family opted out of DCPS for elementary.

You mean you're paying tuition for mid-level vocabulary and mid-level text? That's really a shame.

I said "at or above grade level". And you can call it anything you like. Common Core mandates that we use complex text for close reading and that's what we do.

Not the PP, but I can't see how her choice is "really a shame." Are you seriously suggesting that she can't find a superior private alternative to DCPS? Because then I think whatever it is you do in your head that like to think is "thinking" is "really a shame."

She wants something better than DCPS (many of us do) and she decided to pay for it, because it is that important to her and her family. Your attitude attempts to be snide and dismissive, but really only sounds ignorant.

I'm not judging her. I have no reason to doubt what she is saying about Janney and the school she chose. She has my sympathy.
On the other hand, she has no reason to doubt what I'm saying about the practice in my building. But I respect her right to disagree.
People can disagree without name-calling.

[Anonymous]

I still haven't seen anyone make a coherent argument that these admittedly radical and unrealistic approaches wouldn't work, just that they wouldn't work for High SES WOTP.

You will need to set aside time to read the hundreds of pages of commentary and analysis that accompanied the last DCPS boundary review process. It really can't be summarized in a few sentences.

But again, do you know even the wikipedia version of how mandatory bussing played out in cities during the 1970s? Short answer: Motivated parents with an array of choices don't stick around so their kids can be assigned to school across town.

These motivated middle class parents in the District were white AND black. They lived WOTP in Tenleytown AND EOTP in Brookland. They moved out of DCPS and into Falls Church AND Mitchellville.

If you want the 2000s version of how such utopian engineering works, study San Francisco and to a lesser degree, Seattle. The latter no-boundaries paradigm was effectively gutted, following a lawsuit win by pissed off parents.

[Anonymous]

I'm not judging her. I have no reason to doubt what she is saying about Janney and the school she chose. She has my sympathy.
On the other hand, she has no reason to doubt what I'm saying about the practice in my building. But I respect her right to disagree.
People can disagree without name-calling.

If you don't want us to doubt what you are saying about how limitless differentiation works in your District of Columbia public school, then you need to name your District of Columbia Public School.

Those of us who actually live here and send our kids to school in the District of Columbia are understandably suspicious. Your glowing explanation of effective in-classroom differentiation in every subject doesn't comport with our reality with our own children. Your claim that every topic is taught at least "at" grade level is plausible in some schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"We do it every day at the elementary level using guided math and guided reading. Online programs, such as i-Ready and Lexia are tailored to the individual learner. Other subjects, such as social studies and science, are taught at grade level. It helps to have a large classroom library with text levels ranging from primary to high school. Reading aloud while students follow along an above-level text is another strategy for challenging high achievers while building vocabulary and background knowledge of students who are below level."

NO, YOU DON'T. Maybe you think you do, or pretend to, but you don't. Trust me, as the parent of a gifted child who, even at one of the highest performing schools in this city, has been bored and unhappy at school for most of the last 5 years, you don't differentiate beyond slightly below and slightly above grade level. That's doable. But differentiating plus or minus 2 grades levels? Not possible. Ask any special ed or gifted ed teacher.

Wow. You must have some incredible para-normal abilities to know with such certainty what goes on in my classroom.

You are truly gifted. Especially when you use upper-case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm not judging her. I have no reason to doubt what she is saying about Janney and the school she chose. She has my sympathy.
On the other hand, she has no reason to doubt what I'm saying about the practice in my building. But I respect her right to disagree.
People can disagree without name-calling.

If you don't want us to doubt what you are saying about how limitless differentiation works in your District of Columbia public school, then you need to name your District of Columbia Public School.

Those of us who actually live here and send our kids to school in the District of Columbia are understandably suspicious. Your glowing explanation of effective in-classroom differentiation in every subject doesn't comport with our reality with our own children. Your claim that every topic is taught at least "at" grade level is plausible in some schools.

Why is it only plausible in some schools? Are you assuming that there aren't any high achieving and/or gifted students in every school?