Solving the Wilson Feeder crisis - charter schools

[Anonymous]

We have collectively acknowledged here that:
1) Ending OOB rights is not going to happen
2) Building another middle or high school WOTP is not going to happen

So perhaps the least politically charged option would be to turn to the charter sector. Should a middle and high school open close to or in the WOTP neighborhoods, It could siphon of a lot of kids. DCPS would have some of its problems solved for it while continuing to do nothing. Those schools would be city-wide, but by placing them in accessible locations, it would attract a lot of the Wilson feeder kids.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I think so. Especially languagenor Montessori.

[Anonymous]

Between 1), 2), and charter, I'd still pick 2) for a new middle, a new high, AND old Hardy for Elementary spillovers and specials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think so. Especially languagenor Montessori.

You want 6th graders with no exposure to Montessori or immersion to start middle school?

No, these schools need to be more in line with Latin or other traditional schools. They need to be pulling from the Wilson feeder elementary schools, drawing them away from Deal and Hardy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Between 1), 2), and charter, I'd still pick 2) for a new middle, a new high, AND old Hardy for Elementary spillovers and specials.

But that is just not going to happen. So, moving forward, what do you suggest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think so. Especially languagenor Montessori.

You want 6th graders with no exposure to Montessori or immersion to start middle school?

No, these schools need to be more in line with Latin or other traditional schools. They need to be pulling from the Wilson feeder elementary schools, drawing them away from Deal and Hardy.

No, but the feeder elementary schools are over capacity as well. Start there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think so. Especially languagenor Montessori.

You want 6th graders with no exposure to Montessori or immersion to start middle school?

No, these schools need to be more in line with Latin or other traditional schools. They need to be pulling from the Wilson feeder elementary schools, drawing them away from Deal and Hardy.

No, but the feeder elementary schools are over capacity as well. Start there.

The problem is that if you siphon off the elementary schools, DCPS will replace those kids with OOB kids. They WANT the OOB system to stay robust. Keep the elementary schools limited (thus not increasing potential OOB seats anywhere) and you keep the flow upwards limited. Increase elementary seats only means increasing demand up river. The expansion needs to be where the real crisis is -- Deal and Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Charter schools were created in DC to serve UNDERSERVED children and develop innovative ways to try and meet their needs.

The PCSB is not going to charter a school to pick up overflow from Wilson feeders. That is DCPS' job.

Charters will continue to focus on serving children without quality options, and push new schools to focus on serving at-risk and disadvantaged kids. They are learning the lessons of charters that have become high SES islands.

Hence Latin's invoking a "moral" imperative to redouble its efforts to serve students EOTR, Lee and Stokes expanding EOTR.

Location is part of it and outreach is another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think so. Especially languagenor Montessori.

You want 6th graders with no exposure to Montessori or immersion to start middle school?

No, these schools need to be more in line with Latin or other traditional schools. They need to be pulling from the Wilson feeder elementary schools, drawing them away from Deal and Hardy.

Except for the fact that charters are supposed to fill a curriculum void (language, Montessori, gifted ed, STEM, special ed, etc...), or pursue a civic mission, like education equity, *not* address overcrowding in a wealthy public school area. DCPS is responsible for planning to address that.

Of course, the city can get around that by allowing into Ward 3 a charter that fills a city-wide curriculum void. But I'd still much prefer that DCPS address overcrowding with high quality public schools, and that the city-wide charters be placed more centrally, accessible to the whole city, and further away from the private school kids.

[Anonymous]

These days, to get approved charters need to show how they are going to attract low-income students and maintain economic diversity. The solution is generally location; ie, far from Ward 3.

Also, it would be great if there were a high school-only charter. But the charters want to start earlier, not later. Even charters starting at 5th Grade is part of the current problem, as students from DCPS ESs take those seats in 5th, since they likely can’t get in in 6th, and then DCPS fills those 5th grade seats with OOB who feed on to Deal and Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between 1), 2), and charter, I'd still pick 2) for a new middle, a new high, AND old Hardy for Elementary spillovers and specials.

But that is just not going to happen. So, moving forward, what do you suggest.

Says who? If it's the only responsible way forward, I have no reason to accept "it's just not going to happen" from some anonymous dudette on the Internet.

[Anonymous]

But where would it be located? Close to or in the WOTP neighborhoods? That impossible. THere's no place that's large enough or cheap enough. It's one of the top reasons why a new DCPS couldn't open. There's no place to locate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between 1), 2), and charter, I'd still pick 2) for a new middle, a new high, AND old Hardy for Elementary spillovers and specials.

But that is just not going to happen. So, moving forward, what do you suggest.

Says who? If it's the only responsible way forward, I have no reason to accept "it's just not going to happen" from some anonymous dudette on the Internet.

Have you attended or read anything from the Wilson Feeder group? They have said that is DCPS' answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between 1), 2), and charter, I'd still pick 2) for a new middle, a new high, AND old Hardy for Elementary spillovers and specials.

But that is just not going to happen. So, moving forward, what do you suggest.

Says who? If it's the only responsible way forward, I have no reason to accept "it's just not going to happen" from some anonymous dudette on the Internet.

Have you attended or read anything from the Wilson Feeder group? They have said that is DCPS' answer.

np: So DCPS is going to have to change. It’s their responsibility to do their jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Between 1), 2), and charter, I'd still pick 2) for a new middle, a new high, AND old Hardy for Elementary spillovers and specials.

But that is just not going to happen. So, moving forward, what do you suggest.

Says who? If it's the only responsible way forward, I have no reason to accept "it's just not going to happen" from some anonymous dudette on the Internet.

Have you attended or read anything from the Wilson Feeder group? They have said that is DCPS' answer.

Here's a discussion with links to the documentation.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/784506.page