So how many IB are going to really be at Hardy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's interesting that a few years ago Hardy almost became the Coretta Scott King middle school of the arts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/20/AR2008082001476.html

Back then Hardy was on a fast-track to becoming a city-wide magnet arts middle school -- an Ellington feeder. Things might have actually worked out better if that effort had been successful and the pretext of a neighborhood school had been dropped. Then DCPS would have had to do something for the in-boundary families, and everyone would have been happy.

That plan for the school and the new name would have been fine with me. It annoys me that a school that is a gift to the families of the District of Columbia is not up to the high and mighty standards of the neighborhood. If you wa to come to Hardy that's ok but we won't miss you if you don't. It's not all about you and your precious dears.

What a coincidence! The members of my cigar and cognac club met last night to trade insider stock tips and talk about which Mediterranean islands were worth visiting over winter break. At some point the conversation shifted to DC public schools. We all shared a hearty guffaw thinking about the plight of the poor EOTPers and EOTRers. One of the help tried to say that the state of schools over there was a shame. It was sad, she said, that the local schools cannot meet the needs of their in-bounds population. She thought these people felt -- justifiably -- disenfranchised. We all laughed so hard. Who cares about the standards and needs of those neighborhoods? Who are they to think they're "too good" for their in-bounds school? Finally, someone said it's not all about you and your precious dears, lady; those schools are a gift to the families of DC. She was so offended I thought she was going to cry in her Hyundai.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's interesting that a few years ago Hardy almost became the Coretta Scott King middle school of the arts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/20/AR2008082001476.html

Back then Hardy was on a fast-track to becoming a city-wide magnet arts middle school -- an Ellington feeder. Things might have actually worked out better if that effort had been successful and the pretext of a neighborhood school had been dropped. Then DCPS would have had to do something for the in-boundary families, and everyone would have been happy.

That plan for the school and the new name would have been fine with me. It annoys me that a school that is a gift to the families of the District of Columbia is not up to the high and mighty standards of the neighborhood. If you wa to come to Hardy that's ok but we won't miss you if you don't. It's not all about you and your precious dears.

What a coincidence! The members of my cigar and cognac club met last night to trade insider stock tips and talk about which Mediterranean islands were worth visiting over winter break. At some point the conversation shifted to DC public schools. We all shared a hearty guffaw thinking about the plight of the poor EOTPers and EOTRers. One of the help tried to say that the state of schools over there was a shame. It was sad, she said, that the local schools cannot meet the needs of their in-bounds population. She thought these people felt -- justifiably -- disenfranchised. We all laughed so hard. Who cares about the standards and needs of those neighborhoods? Who are they to think they're "too good" for their in-bounds school? Finally, someone said it's not all about you and your precious dears, lady; those schools are a gift to the families of DC. She was so offended I thought she was going to cry in her Hyundai.

Really? You thought that was clever? How embarrassing - I've read better snark on Salon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IOW retention and recruitment may not be independent factors - one may impact the other.

Retention is the best recruitment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IOW retention and recruitment may not be independent factors - one may impact the other.

Retention is the best recruitment.

Wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Excellence is, followed by exclusivity (perceived desirability).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IOW retention and recruitment may not be independent factors - one may impact the other.

Retention is the best recruitment.

Wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Excellence is, followed by exclusivity (perceived desirability).

Retention is evidence of both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A PP wrote that someone was posting with an agenda of boosting private school admissions, allegedly afraid of competition from Hardy. Never mind that private schools in or near Hardy's IB area are well oversubscribed by applicants chasing relatively few seats, and they all have wait lists. Now someone alleges that questions about Hardy are raised by charter schools afraid of competition from Hardy. Never mind that the better charter schools -- Latin, etc. -- are oversubscribed in the lottery and are much sought after.

Instead of inventing false conspiracy theories that the St. Albans or Sidwells or Latins are afraid of Hardy, why not focus on those issues that IB parents need to seal the deal and send their kids to Hardy. What does Deal offer that Hardy doesn't? Then provide it. Aim to make Hardy the most rigorous public middle school in DC.

I am the PP you quote - I did not post about private schools, and posted about charters only because someone is posting with a very charter focused agenda, including a ppst to the effect that DCPS shouild not open so many middle schools and all will be underenrolled.

It seems clear to me that the deal is sealed with 34 IB families already, and given the prisoners dilemma dynamic, that alone will seal the deal for many more next year. That is why this thread was started I believe, because the dynamic is such that that number is crucial now - people ARE willing to send their kids to Hardy but only IF other IB do so as well. So IB percentage is the crux of the issue, NOT the content of education at Hardy, which is already desirable on its own terms. I am trying to understand why so many posters seem stuck in a now obsolete discourse.

34 students out of how many? What percentage are we talking about after all?

This was calculated and posted about 20 pages up. Maybe you can find it and bump it.

Great schools gives a student body of 404, so it looks like 8% (8.4% actually) are IB.

This is stunningly low. Based on prior postings I thought it was like 13 percent and moving higher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is stunningly low. Based on prior postings I thought it was like 13 percent and moving higher.

Hardy is NOT 8% IB-Hardy's 6th grade has 34 INB and another 15 or so OOB from IB Feeders, which makes the IB for 6th grader around 25-40% depending on what you consider OOB kids from IB feeders as.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
A PP wrote that someone was posting with an agenda of boosting private school admissions, allegedly afraid of competition from Hardy. Never mind that private schools in or near Hardy's IB area are well oversubscribed by applicants chasing relatively few seats, and they all have wait lists. Now someone alleges that questions about Hardy are raised by charter schools afraid of competition from Hardy. Never mind that the better charter schools -- Latin, etc. -- are oversubscribed in the lottery and are much sought after.

Instead of inventing false conspiracy theories that the St. Albans or Sidwells or Latins are afraid of Hardy, why not focus on those issues that IB parents need to seal the deal and send their kids to Hardy. What does Deal offer that Hardy doesn't? Then provide it. Aim to make Hardy the most rigorous public middle school in DC.

I am the PP you quote - I did not post about private schools, and posted about charters only because someone is posting with a very charter focused agenda, including a ppst to the effect that DCPS shouild not open so many middle schools and all will be underenrolled.

It seems clear to me that the deal is sealed with 34 IB families already, and given the prisoners dilemma dynamic, that alone will seal the deal for many more next year. That is why this thread was started I believe, because the dynamic is such that that number is crucial now - people ARE willing to send their kids to Hardy but only IF other IB do so as well. So IB percentage is the crux of the issue, NOT the content of education at Hardy, which is already desirable on its own terms. I am trying to understand why so many posters seem stuck in a now obsolete discourse.

34 students out of how many? What percentage are we talking about after all?

This was calculated and posted about 20 pages up. Maybe you can find it and bump it.

Great schools gives a student body of 404, so it looks like 8% (8.4% actually) are IB.

This is stunningly low. Based on prior postings I thought it was like 13 percent and moving higher.

Hardy was already 13% IB last year. The PP is doing a poor calculation and seem to think that the 34 student number is total IB in the whole school instead of just the IB number in 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is stunningly low. Based on prior postings I thought it was like 13 percent and moving higher.

Hardy is NOT 8% IB-Hardy's 6th grade has 34 INB and another 15 or so OOB from IB Feeders, which makes the IB for 6th grader around 25-40% depending on what you consider OOB kids from IB feeders as.

Yes, but it seems that everyone would agree that it's silly to consider OOB resident students who come up through a feeder school as "in boundaries." Of course, they're pretty likely to stay in the system. The whole issue is how to attract in boundary residents who historically have refused to attend their "neighborhood" middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IOW retention and recruitment may not be independent factors - one may impact the other.

Retention is the best recruitment.

Wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Excellence is, followed by exclusivity (perceived desirability).

Retention is evidence of both.

No it definitely isn't. If it were then any school which retained any students could make the same claim. Such as Cardozo or Coolidge or Dunbar. And we know these are neither excellent nor exclusive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is stunningly low. Based on prior postings I thought it was like 13 percent and moving higher.

Hardy is NOT 8% IB-Hardy's 6th grade has 34 INB and another 15 or so OOB from IB Feeders, which makes the IB for 6th grader around 25-40% depending on what you consider OOB kids from IB feeders as.

Yes, but it seems that everyone would agree that it's silly to consider OOB resident students who come up through a feeder school as "in boundaries." Of course, they're pretty likely to stay in the system. The whole issue is how to attract in boundary residents who historically have refused to attend their "neighborhood" middle school.

It's a little below 25% if the numbers are correct. The ones in the feeders are not IB, they're still OOB, they just have feeder rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Until the Latin, KIPP, DC Prep, Two Rivers, and DCI feeders don't have WLs a mile long, we'll continue to need charter middle schools.

I wouldn't suggest shutting them down - they provide special offerings, are available to children from areas not IB to the new and improved middle schools, and probably help to keep DCPS on their toes. But NEW charter middle schools may not be needed - use up the capacity in the DCPS middle schools (including the four new ones) first.

You're not on the charter board. One of the new ones approved to open next year is Washington Global MS. + a new campus at Two Rivers.

And that may well be a mistake given DC's planned investments in middle schools. It will be up to the next mayor to address the issue of coordinating charter and DCPS plans.

Are you kidding me? We need to "protect" DC's investments in its middle school by limiting access to charter schools? What about the actual education of actual children, which, despite financial investment, DCPS seems completely unable to pull off at any middle school with a significant number of non-wealthy students. Lets see some successes and some innovative programming ( not necessarily big financial investments, simply smart and savvy planning anfd management of resources ) before trying to limit access to other public middle school programs that seem to be having success. Having desirable DCPS middle schools is a matter of skill and political will in many cases, not just money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some one should run against Mary Cheh and fix this mess. I live in a $2m+ IB house and am PISSED my IB school is not truly available to my kids. The idea that all of us in fancy IB houses will just go private is stupid.....we didn't get $$$ by wasting our money on private school. For families with multiple kids, even well heeled families, private school is often a foolish financial decision.

Please list precisely what it is that makes Hardy "not truly available" to your kids. Go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Until the Latin, KIPP, DC Prep, Two Rivers, and DCI feeders don't have WLs a mile long, we'll continue to need charter middle schools.

I wouldn't suggest shutting them down - they provide special offerings, are available to children from areas not IB to the new and improved middle schools, and probably help to keep DCPS on their toes. But NEW charter middle schools may not be needed - use up the capacity in the DCPS middle schools (including the four new ones) first.

You're not on the charter board. One of the new ones approved to open next year is Washington Global MS. + a new campus at Two Rivers.

And that may well be a mistake given DC's planned investments in middle schools. It will be up to the next mayor to address the issue of coordinating charter and DCPS plans.

Are you kidding me? We need to "protect" DC's investments in its middle school by limiting access to charter schools? What about the actual education of actual children, which, despite financial investment, DCPS seems completely unable to pull off at any middle school with a significant number of non-wealthy students. Lets see some successes and some innovative programming ( not necessarily big financial investments, simply smart and savvy planning anfd management of resources ) before trying to limit access to other public middle school programs that seem to be having success. Having desirable DCPS middle schools is a matter of skill and political will in many cases, not just money

Now's hardly the time to limit access to charters, because demand will only increase. In fact, once the limited "grandfather" pipeline to Deal is sealed off, Oyster and Eaton families will be applying in greater numbers to middle school charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Until the Latin, KIPP, DC Prep, Two Rivers, and DCI feeders don't have WLs a mile long, we'll continue to need charter middle schools.

I wouldn't suggest shutting them down - they provide special offerings, are available to children from areas not IB to the new and improved middle schools, and probably help to keep DCPS on their toes. But NEW charter middle schools may not be needed - use up the capacity in the DCPS middle schools (including the four new ones) first.

You're not on the charter board. One of the new ones approved to open next year is Washington Global MS. + a new campus at Two Rivers.

And that may well be a mistake given DC's planned investments in middle schools. It will be up to the next mayor to address the issue of coordinating charter and DCPS plans.

Are you kidding me? We need to "protect" DC's investments in its middle school by limiting access to charter schools? What about the actual education of actual children, which, despite financial investment, DCPS seems completely unable to pull off at any middle school with a significant number of non-wealthy students. Lets see some successes and some innovative programming ( not necessarily big financial investments, simply smart and savvy planning anfd management of resources ) before trying to limit access to other public middle school programs that seem to be having success. Having desirable DCPS middle schools is a matter of skill and political will in many cases, not just money

Now's hardly the time to limit access to charters, because demand will only increase. In fact, once the limited "grandfather" pipeline to Deal is sealed off, Oyster and Eaton families will be applying in greater numbers to middle school charters.

I agree. The numbers of students in Ward 6 who are looking for those new charter middle schools is HUGE. And without a massive effort to attract them to Jefferson and/or Eliot-Hine and/or Stuart Hobson; they will leave the public system if those middle/high school charter slots don't materialize.