Why are all of the GOOD public schools only in the Expensive parts of town?

[Anonymous]

Van Ness Elementary School is a pretty good school, and it's not expensive to live in the Capitol Riverfront.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is hardly a DC issue. Schools are funded by taxes so in every area of this country, better schools are in better neighborhoods. You get a free education in this country but it's definitely not equal to that of others' if you don't live in a great neighborhood.

Not buying that argument at all in DC. Taxes are not localized within DC like in states and there's no reason why WOTP schools should be better resourced than EOTR schools. The per student model is even across school and there are additional at-risk funds and federal Title I funds available to less affluent school communities, but there are other disparities obvious and subtle. Facilities are adequate to excellent in affluent communities and most of the poorest quality facilities are in communities of need. Affluent schools attract and retain top teachers, get high levels of parent involvement (both $$ and out of school support), and the students do not come to school with the additional burden of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, etc. DC has overlooked facility needs at many of its poorest schools but that's only one sign of inequality.

In Connecticut for example, Hartford collects less tax revenue to fund schools than Greenwich, which can thus provide greater funding for public education and exacerbate statewide inequity. CCJEF v. Rell in Connecticut is a long running case challenging this very issue in civil litigation and the matter currently awaits decision. The case challenges the structural inequality of having statewide mandatory universal schooling funding by such a wide range of municipalities with varying funding capacity.

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

Janney is twice renovated and overcrowded because its advocates want it that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is hardly a DC issue. Schools are funded by taxes so in every area of this country, better schools are in better neighborhoods. You get a free education in this country but it's definitely not equal to that of others' if you don't live in a great neighborhood.

Not buying that argument at all in DC. Taxes are not localized within DC like in states and there's no reason why WOTP schools should be better resourced than EOTR schools. The per student model is even across school and there are additional at-risk funds and federal Title I funds available to less affluent school communities, but there are other disparities obvious and subtle. Facilities are adequate to excellent in affluent communities and most of the poorest quality facilities are in communities of need. Affluent schools attract and retain top teachers, get high levels of parent involvement (both $$ and out of school support), and the students do not come to school with the additional burden of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, etc. DC has overlooked facility needs at many of its poorest schools but that's only one sign of inequality.

In Connecticut for example, Hartford collects less tax revenue to fund schools than Greenwich, which can thus provide greater funding for public education and exacerbate statewide inequity. CCJEF v. Rell in Connecticut is a long running case challenging this very issue in civil litigation and the matter currently awaits decision. The case challenges the structural inequality of having statewide mandatory universal schooling funding by such a wide range of municipalities with varying funding capacity.

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

You're absurd if you draw that conclusion which I never made on quality. You're also absurd if you can ignore where the biggest resource allocations land. And last I checked Dunbar is WOTR

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is hardly a DC issue. Schools are funded by taxes so in every area of this country, better schools are in better neighborhoods. You get a free education in this country but it's definitely not equal to that of others' if you don't live in a great neighborhood.

Not buying that argument at all in DC. Taxes are not localized within DC like in states and there's no reason why WOTP schools should be better resourced than EOTR schools. The per student model is even across school and there are additional at-risk funds and federal Title I funds available to less affluent school communities, but there are other disparities obvious and subtle. Facilities are adequate to excellent in affluent communities and most of the poorest quality facilities are in communities of need. Affluent schools attract and retain top teachers, get high levels of parent involvement (both $$ and out of school support), and the students do not come to school with the additional burden of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, etc. DC has overlooked facility needs at many of its poorest schools but that's only one sign of inequality.

In Connecticut for example, Hartford collects less tax revenue to fund schools than Greenwich, which can thus provide greater funding for public education and exacerbate statewide inequity. CCJEF v. Rell in Connecticut is a long running case challenging this very issue in civil litigation and the matter currently awaits decision. The case challenges the structural inequality of having statewide mandatory universal schooling funding by such a wide range of municipalities with varying funding capacity.

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

You're right about the families. It always been about the families who can lobby and advocate for their wants and needs no matter who gets neglected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its funny how people on this site think $800k is affordable for a home....

It's not 800K. We paid $350K for one bedroom + den (practically a 2-bed) inbound for Horace Mann. It's a matter of choice. We traded space in favor of better education. Do your homework, there's plenty on non-fancy condos in the area, on Mass Ave, and one building on the south side of Cathedral Ave. and New Mexico. Rent rates in those buildings are not bad either.

Of course you share with AU students, which makes you wonder why investing in education is meant to be a good investment.

Can you point me to a similar listing please? I'm interested in such a 1BR + den for $350k! NP here.

Just now on the market, in bound for Horace Mann, and larger than ours (2 bedroom), for $349,000.
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Washington-DC-20016/443344_zpid/66139_rid/38.939092,-77.076355,38.924687,-77.090088_rect/15_zm/0_mmm/

The Condo fees are over $1,000! How is that affordable? We own and our mortgage, utilities, taxes, and insurance come to around $2,300/mo. What a waste of money to dump into such high fees, even with the utilities included.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is hardly a DC issue. Schools are funded by taxes so in every area of this country, better schools are in better neighborhoods. You get a free education in this country but it's definitely not equal to that of others' if you don't live in a great neighborhood.

Not buying that argument at all in DC. Taxes are not localized within DC like in states and there's no reason why WOTP schools should be better resourced than EOTR schools. The per student model is even across school and there are additional at-risk funds and federal Title I funds available to less affluent school communities, but there are other disparities obvious and subtle. Facilities are adequate to excellent in affluent communities and most of the poorest quality facilities are in communities of need. Affluent schools attract and retain top teachers, get high levels of parent involvement (both $$ and out of school support), and the students do not come to school with the additional burden of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, etc. DC has overlooked facility needs at many of its poorest schools but that's only one sign of inequality.

In Connecticut for example, Hartford collects less tax revenue to fund schools than Greenwich, which can thus provide greater funding for public education and exacerbate statewide inequity. CCJEF v. Rell in Connecticut is a long running case challenging this very issue in civil litigation and the matter currently awaits decision. The case challenges the structural inequality of having statewide mandatory universal schooling funding by such a wide range of municipalities with varying funding capacity.

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

You're absurd if you draw that conclusion which I never made on quality. You're also absurd if you can ignore where the biggest resource allocations land. And last I checked Dunbar is WOTR

what is your point about Dumbar being WOTR, its brand new and my point is that a shiny new facility does not have any significant impact on test scores. the best teachers can't do much with kids who have been socialy promote since first grade and read on a third grade level in High School. Holy shit, you should hear the stories from DC teachers teachers from some of these schools. Its a lost cause by HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is hardly a DC issue. Schools are funded by taxes so in every area of this country, better schools are in better neighborhoods. You get a free education in this country but it's definitely not equal to that of others' if you don't live in a great neighborhood.

Not buying that argument at all in DC. Taxes are not localized within DC like in states and there's no reason why WOTP schools should be better resourced than EOTR schools. The per student model is even across school and there are additional at-risk funds and federal Title I funds available to less affluent school communities, but there are other disparities obvious and subtle. Facilities are adequate to excellent in affluent communities and most of the poorest quality facilities are in communities of need. Affluent schools attract and retain top teachers, get high levels of parent involvement (both $$ and out of school support), and the students do not come to school with the additional burden of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, etc. DC has overlooked facility needs at many of its poorest schools but that's only one sign of inequality.

In Connecticut for example, Hartford collects less tax revenue to fund schools than Greenwich, which can thus provide greater funding for public education and exacerbate statewide inequity. CCJEF v. Rell in Connecticut is a long running case challenging this very issue in civil litigation and the matter currently awaits decision. The case challenges the structural inequality of having statewide mandatory universal schooling funding by such a wide range of municipalities with varying funding capacity.

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

You're absurd if you draw that conclusion which I never made on quality. You're also absurd if you can ignore where the biggest resource allocations land. And last I checked Dunbar is WOTR

what is your point about Dumbar being WOTR, its brand new and my point is that a shiny new facility does not have any significant impact on test scores. the best teachers can't do much with kids who have been socialy promote since first grade and read on a third grade level in High School. Holy shit, you should hear the stories from DC teachers teachers from some of these schools. Its a lost cause by HS.

Dunbar's community lobbied for the gilded palace and got it. Has nothing to do with test scores whatsoever. Try leaving your bubble once in a while to see what a typical day looks like in other so-called "equal" schools. The buildings are just one piece of it. There's enormous inequality within DC schools even though the funding comes from general coffers unlike tonier suburbs in other states.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is hardly a DC issue. Schools are funded by taxes so in every area of this country, better schools are in better neighborhoods. You get a free education in this country but it's definitely not equal to that of others' if you don't live in a great neighborhood.

Not buying that argument at all in DC. Taxes are not localized within DC like in states and there's no reason why WOTP schools should be better resourced than EOTR schools. The per student model is even across school and there are additional at-risk funds and federal Title I funds available to less affluent school communities, but there are other disparities obvious and subtle. Facilities are adequate to excellent in affluent communities and most of the poorest quality facilities are in communities of need. Affluent schools attract and retain top teachers, get high levels of parent involvement (both $$ and out of school support), and the students do not come to school with the additional burden of poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, etc. DC has overlooked facility needs at many of its poorest schools but that's only one sign of inequality.

In Connecticut for example, Hartford collects less tax revenue to fund schools than Greenwich, which can thus provide greater funding for public education and exacerbate statewide inequity. CCJEF v. Rell in Connecticut is a long running case challenging this very issue in civil litigation and the matter currently awaits decision. The case challenges the structural inequality of having statewide mandatory universal schooling funding by such a wide range of municipalities with varying funding capacity.

You are really silly if you think facilities make the school. Janney is s overcrowded and kids in trailers and its still one of the top schools in DC and the region. Dunbar is a brand new school and its only at 45% capacity and abysmal from a discipline and academic persective. its about the families and thats it.

You're absurd if you draw that conclusion which I never made on quality. You're also absurd if you can ignore where the biggest resource allocations land. And last I checked Dunbar is WOTR

what is your point about Dumbar being WOTR, its brand new and my point is that a shiny new facility does not have any significant impact on test scores. the best teachers can't do much with kids who have been socialy promote since first grade and read on a third grade level in High School. Holy shit, you should hear the stories from DC teachers teachers from some of these schools. Its a lost cause by HS.

+1.

But I'm not sure it's very smart to try to argue with a mule.

[Anonymous]

I would be shocked if WoTP schools were getting more funding per pupil than an EOTP or EOTR school. As a Pp pointed out, schools with low income kids actually get more govt funding and smaller class sizes through Title I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be shocked if WoTP schools were getting more funding per pupil than an EOTP or EOTR school. As a Pp pointed out, schools with low income kids actually get more govt funding and smaller class sizes through Title I.

Though Title I and also through the additional "at-risk" DCPS funding.

EOTP and EOTR schools receive significantly higher per-pupil funding than WOTP ones.

Doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

[Anonymous]

Um, historic racism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, historic racism?

Climate change?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I once read that DC student population is over 50% poverty

The schools are always going to suck. Studies show once you pass 40% poverty the whole area is screwed

So the only thing we can do is have charters and concentrated areas of high SES so 25% of the schools are decent and 75% suck

If you spread everything equally 100% of the schools in DC would suck

That is also why people leave DC are choose private. There are just too many poor young people in the area

It is closer to 70% - if you consider qualifying for free meals poor.

This perspective ignores the fact that DC is rapidly gentrifying. I don't know the year over year rate of change for FARMS, but I'd imagine that there are rapid decreases in FARMS and other metrics.

I don't think having "charters and concentrated areas of high SES"--effectively maintaining areas of concentrated poverty--is the answer for an equitable and fair education system. However, I also don't like the idea of city-wide schools. I know some don't like the idea of a 10% set-aside for disadvantaged students, but that seems to at least go a little way towards evening the playing field.

Also keep in mind that if low SES kids don't do well--e.g., they get pregnant as teens, enter the prison system, etc.--we'll all be paying for it in the end, in one form or another.

Exactly this. What is the SE background of PK 3 across the city? In many respects both sides are talking past each other as the anti-DCPS folks have at their disposal tons of stats of what DCPS looks like from PK-3 to 12. On the other, lots of young families in schools across the city and it doesn't feel as dire, but zero stats to support that, just anecdotal, hunches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I once read that DC student population is over 50% poverty

The schools are always going to suck. Studies show once you pass 40% poverty the whole area is screwed

So the only thing we can do is have charters and concentrated areas of high SES so 25% of the schools are decent and 75% suck

If you spread everything equally 100% of the schools in DC would suck

That is also why people leave DC are choose private. There are just too many poor young people in the area

MOCO sucks too if you're using same measure. Prob VA too if they used PARCC.