Charter school parents: why are you okay with diverting resources from public schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's an interesting idea - move all the students with IEPs moved to their own school. Oh wait, that would be discrimination and we have decided as a society to mainstream everyone. We could test and pull out all the top students to go to a different school. Oh wait, that would discriminate against the students so don't get to go to that school.

This keeps going on and on and will not change until we rationally look at what works. The least DCPS could do is not socially promote so that all students on a grade are at grade level, regardless if that means that some students have to repeat a grade. Reepetition is not failure.

Do some research on why and to what extent social promotion exists, then get back to us.

I know, I know - we would rather have a class of 14 year olds with reading abilities ranging from 2nd grade to 12th grade level and expect the teacher to handle it rather than thinking that we COULD end up with 10 tear olds in 1st grade. SMH.

And the teacher teaches at a grade 2 level so the kids who are way behind dont feel bad, while the on grade level kids are expected to sit still and not be bored to tears.

[Anonymous]

The Washington Teachers Union doesn't want to fund charters because they want more and more gravy spread on certain failing D.C. Schools. WTU leadership still pines for the days of Mayor-Crackhead Marion Barry and believes that DCPS should exist largely as a jobs program for the folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Teachers Union doesn't want to fund charters because they want more and more gravy spread on certain failing D.C. Schools. WTU leadership still pines for the days of Mayor-Crackhead Marion Barry and believes that DCPS should exist largely as a jobs program for the folks.

Thank you for your talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High income parents send their kids to private school, not charter schools or other public schools (unless it's TJ in Virginia).

Nope. Wrong again.

But I think this brings up an interesting question. I'm in Ward 5. If all our charters were "outlawed tomorrow" (not realistic but just imagine), would those high income parents move their kids to private, or "immediately" flip the local DCPS? Or would the just move away? As one of those parents...I'd probably test the waters, but my guess is a combination of the three. There would be no immediate flip. It might improve, but only if it happened to suddenly listen to a band of high income parents (not only white btw) about what to do with the school. Unlikely. Personally I might try it out but make other plans for upper grades, much like parents are doing now who I know.

+1. I live there too, and I think the lower grades in elementary schools would drastically improve. But having seen the struggles at Stuart-Hobson and Eliot-Hine, I simply have no faith in DCPS' competence in managing a middle school. The conditions are there, parents are trying, and it is still really hard. Why would I expect any different in Ward 5, which is so much less affluent?

This isn't about the kids being a problem. The more I work and learn, the more I realize that downtown is the heart of the matter. They are incompetent, they make terrible decisions, and I don't know how to change it. That is why people like me go to charters eventually. I can't un-know the things I know about how DCPS really works.

Don't forget that Ward 5 had significant under-enrollment in many schools, leading to their closures, and then the charters opening up. No charters would have a profound effect on many neighborhoods, including Ward 5, and it would not just be neighborhood schools getting better (although that could happen over time). Yes, gentrification would still happen -- as one said, it is often driven in the first instance by singles, and it is happening everywhere country- and worldwide. But charters have enabled some to stay who might otherwise have felt pressure to move to the suburbs or NW if their neighborhood school was not at the level they wanted and did not improve fast enough. There would still be some that stick out for elementary, some but fewer for middle. But the charters have given another option/some more hope. But for charters, I'm not sure we would have moved to Ward 5, and I'm sure that applies to many others too. With the charters, there's still uncertainty but if you're lucky, you will end up at a Ward 5 charter you'll be happy with for many years (and may feed to high school, etc.). Without them, you're putting down a lot of money for a school that you are "hoping improves." Some would still make that gamble, but many fewer.

[Anonymous]

^^ Exactly! I am busting my ass for our IB school. But without charters as a safety net for older grades and middle school, I wouldn't have lived here at all.

Downtown sucks and should clean its own house before whining about charters. It is holding DCPS back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High income parents send their kids to private school, not charter schools or other public schools (unless it's TJ in Virginia).

Nope. Wrong again.

But I think this brings up an interesting question. I'm in Ward 5. If all our charters were "outlawed tomorrow" (not realistic but just imagine), would those high income parents move their kids to private, or "immediately" flip the local DCPS? Or would the just move away? As one of those parents...I'd probably test the waters, but my guess is a combination of the three. There would be no immediate flip. It might improve, but only if it happened to suddenly listen to a band of high income parents (not only white btw) about what to do with the school. Unlikely. Personally I might try it out but make other plans for upper grades, much like parents are doing now who I know.

+1. I live there too, and I think the lower grades in elementary schools would drastically improve. But having seen the struggles at Stuart-Hobson and Eliot-Hine, I simply have no faith in DCPS' competence in managing a middle school. The conditions are there, parents are trying, and it is still really hard. Why would I expect any different in Ward 5, which is so much less affluent?

This isn't about the kids being a problem. The more I work and learn, the more I realize that downtown is the heart of the matter. They are incompetent, they make terrible decisions, and I don't know how to change it. That is why people like me go to charters eventually. I can't un-know the things I know about how DCPS really works.

Don't forget that Ward 5 had significant under-enrollment in many schools, leading to their closures, and then the charters opening up. No charters would have a profound effect on many neighborhoods, including Ward 5, and it would not just be neighborhood schools getting better (although that could happen over time). Yes, gentrification would still happen -- as one said, it is often driven in the first instance by singles, and it is happening everywhere country- and worldwide. But charters have enabled some to stay who might otherwise have felt pressure to move to the suburbs or NW if their neighborhood school was not at the level they wanted and did not improve fast enough. There would still be some that stick out for elementary, some but fewer for middle. But the charters have given another option/some more hope. But for charters, I'm not sure we would have moved to Ward 5, and I'm sure that applies to many others too. With the charters, there's still uncertainty but if you're lucky, you will end up at a Ward 5 charter you'll be happy with for many years (and may feed to high school, etc.). Without them, you're putting down a lot of money for a school that you are "hoping improves." Some would still make that gamble, but many fewer.

Same here!! I've heard that some young families are willing to give our IB a chance for pre-school/pre-k, but my children are in 6th and 4th and we would have moved or gone private if we hadn't gotten into our highly regarded public charter schools.

All the wishful thinking in the world wouldn't make us enroll in our IB DCPS.

You can't force people to enroll in a school they don't like or trust.

[Anonymous]

Ward 5 resident here with relatively high HHI here. We'd already secured a spot in a private school for my son when we did the lottery. And we absolutely would have taken it if he didn't get into his amazing charter. The families you want to turn a school around have many more options than DCPS vs. charter.

[Anonymous]

What are the highly regarded charters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 resident here with relatively high HHI here. We'd already secured a spot in a private school for my son when we did the lottery. And we absolutely would have taken it if he didn't get into his amazing charter. The families you want to turn a school around have many more options than DCPS vs. charter.

I feel like it can be lose lose for affluent families . Flip a school and the get blamed for gentrification and taking up spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the highly regarded charters?

"Highly regarded" charter started as a joke term on DCUM. It's not based on any objective criteria. They are the charter schools that gentrifier / upper SES parents flock to send their kids to, sometimes in spite of the testing data (aka not DC Prep, KIPP).

Usually mentioned as a HRC: LAMB, YY, IT, CMI, Lee, Washington Latin etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Teachers Union doesn't want to fund charters because they want more and more gravy spread on certain failing D.C. Schools. WTU leadership still pines for the days of Mayor-Crackhead Marion Barry and believes that DCPS should exist largely as a jobs program for the folks.

Thank you for your talking points.

That hardly refutes the PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Teachers Union doesn't want to fund charters because they want more and more gravy spread on certain failing D.C. Schools. WTU leadership still pines for the days of Mayor-Crackhead Marion Barry and believes that DCPS should exist largely as a jobs program for the folks.

Thank you for your talking points.

That hardly refutes the PP.

The PP just made an assertion with no basis or evidence. What's to refute?

Would you feel the need to refute me if I told you that the entire charter sector was propped up by a shadow organization of mafioso unicorns?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ward 5 resident here with relatively high HHI here. We'd already secured a spot in a private school for my son when we did the lottery. And we absolutely would have taken it if he didn't get into his amazing charter. The families you want to turn a school around have many more options than DCPS vs. charter.

I feel like it can be lose lose for affluent families . Flip a school and the get blamed for gentrification and taking up spots.

"Blamed"

No one cares if people say that. The idiots can spout off all they want and I could not give less of a fuck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Teachers Union doesn't want to fund charters because they want more and more gravy spread on certain failing D.C. Schools. WTU leadership still pines for the days of Mayor-Crackhead Marion Barry and believes that DCPS should exist largely as a jobs program for the folks.

Teachers in those European countries that clean our clock on international tests? All unionized. Not a charter in sight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You DCPS defenders are insane if you think DCPS has done a good job with middle school. There arent enough charter seats to meet demand so it should be a golden opportunity for DCPS to show their best hand and develop some great programs. Everyone knows what is needed - true test in and specialty programming. But DCPS keeps offering the same failing shit.

The problem is that when middle class parents say "good" schools, they mean high test scores. The research is clear that the variation in test scores is about 60% explained by home related factors like mother's education and income. Schools only explain 25% of the difference in scores across kids.

Where is the evidence that test in programs improve achievement as opposed to just rearranging the high performing kids. I'm a Harvard grad, and I don't care whether my kid attends a test in program. I just want the school to offer 7th grade algebra. If they offe the material, my kid will learn it. I don't need bragging rights for the neighbors.