Looking for some feedback on Eastern HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do any of you who are making these general accusations against Weedon have any links to actual quotes from him from before his daughter made the decision to attend SWW? What specifically are you claiming that he said back then? Links, please.

Here’s just one example of his anti-charter advocacy: https://twitter.com/joeweedon/status/1516514315028905991

And here he is advocating for limiting choice for parents who have “good” IB options: https://thedcline.org/2018/11/05/ward-6-candidates-tout-varying-approaches-backgrounds-in-state-board-of-education-race/

[Anonymous]

I don’t know Wheedon and have nothing against him personally.

But I know many, many parents on the Hill who will speak dismissively of charters and criticize others for “failing to invest in neighborhood schools” and then quietly use the lottery to get their kids into charters or OOB DCPS with higher test scores. That prominent voices in the community do this is no surprise, because it’s common on the Hill. People are very holier than thou until it actually stands to impact their own kid negatively, and then it’s “well these are private, family-dependent choices.”

It’s not just parents who suddenly realize an IB school doesn’t meet academic needs. It’s also people who criticize paremts for going charter for smaller class sizes or different academic approaches, and then do the same when they discover DCPS doesn’t meet their kid’s special needs. Or who claim racism when parents express concern about their child being the only white kid in their grade, but then leave IB schools around the same time they get significantly less diverse (5th grade, for a school like Maury).

It feels good to be smug about how you are making the selfless, anti-racist, pro-public education choice. But then when you find your family is poorly served by your IB public, suddenly it’s a personal choice. It’s a ver common attitude on the hill. It’s really not about Wheedon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do any of you who are making these general accusations against Weedon have any links to actual quotes from him from before his daughter made the decision to attend SWW? What specifically are you claiming that he said back then? Links, please.

Here’s just one example of his anti-charter advocacy: https://twitter.com/joeweedon/status/1516514315028905991

And here he is advocating for limiting choice for parents who have “good” IB options: https://thedcline.org/2018/11/05/ward-6-candidates-tout-varying-approaches-backgrounds-in-state-board-of-education-race/

Yeah, I’m not at all impressed by these examples.

The first says that privatization of education is increasing, including in DC. Is that not true?

The second appears to suggest that kids who are inbound for lowering-performing schools should have better access to lottery schools than those who are in-bound for higher-performing schools. I don’t see any inconsistency between that position and sending your kid to SWW when your inbound is Eastern.

Any better examples?

[Anonymous]

Slight correction: The first says that privatization of public education is gaining ground, including in DC. But, again, is that not true?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know Wheedon and have nothing against him personally.

But I know many, many parents on the Hill who will speak dismissively of charters and criticize others for “failing to invest in neighborhood schools” and then quietly use the lottery to get their kids into charters or OOB DCPS with higher test scores. That prominent voices in the community do this is no surprise, because it’s common on the Hill. People are very holier than thou until it actually stands to impact their own kid negatively, and then it’s “well these are private, family-dependent choices.”

It’s not just parents who suddenly realize an IB school doesn’t meet academic needs. It’s also people who criticize paremts for going charter for smaller class sizes or different academic approaches, and then do the same when they discover DCPS doesn’t meet their kid’s special needs. Or who claim racism when parents express concern about their child being the only white kid in their grade, but then leave IB schools around the same time they get significantly less diverse (5th grade, for a school like Maury).

It feels good to be smug about how you are making the selfless, anti-racist, pro-public education choice. But then when you find your family is poorly served by your IB public, suddenly it’s a personal choice. It’s a ver common attitude on the hill. It’s really not about Wheedon.

If his daughter wants to go to a test in HS, even if it’s not his wish, shouldn’t she be able to do so? And isn’t he being consistent with his philosophy if he is literally sending his son to Eastern? Obviously, he’s not saying Eastern is good for other kids and not his own if he has his own child enrolled there. He must think Eastern is providing his child an adequate education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know Wheedon and have nothing against him personally.

But I know many, many parents on the Hill who will speak dismissively of charters and criticize others for “failing to invest in neighborhood schools” and then quietly use the lottery to get their kids into charters or OOB DCPS with higher test scores. That prominent voices in the community do this is no surprise, because it’s common on the Hill. People are very holier than thou until it actually stands to impact their own kid negatively, and then it’s “well these are private, family-dependent choices.”

It’s not just parents who suddenly realize an IB school doesn’t meet academic needs. It’s also people who criticize paremts for going charter for smaller class sizes or different academic approaches, and then do the same when they discover DCPS doesn’t meet their kid’s special needs. Or who claim racism when parents express concern about their child being the only white kid in their grade, but then leave IB schools around the same time they get significantly less diverse (5th grade, for a school like Maury).

It feels good to be smug about how you are making the selfless, anti-racist, pro-public education choice. But then when you find your family is poorly served by your IB public, suddenly it’s a personal choice. It’s a ver common attitude on the hill. It’s really not about Wheedon.

If his daughter wants to go to a test in HS, even if it’s not his wish, shouldn’t she be able to do so? And isn’t he being consistent with his philosophy if he is literally sending his son to Eastern? Obviously, he’s not saying Eastern is good for other kids and not his own if he has his own child enrolled there. He must think Eastern is providing his child an adequate education.

Did you read the PP? Of course his daughter should be allowed to go to a test in school.

The point is that many people on the Hill get militant about public education, being very anti-charter and openly criticizing parents who choose charters or choose to go outside their IB schools. However, it's not uncommon for these exact same parents to suddenly advocate for respecting individual family decisions when they are no longer served by their IB schools, as Wheedon's family was not served by Eastern when it was time for his daughter to go to high school.

What would be great is if people STARTED from the position of "not all families are served by their IB school, and DC offers other options so it is not up to me to judge individual family choices."

I don't live in Ward 6 -- my family lives in Trinidad and our IB elementary and middle is Wheatley. We did actually attend for ECE but decided it was not a great option for us long term and chose to lottery out. But you would never have caught me judging another Trinidad family for choosing a charter before we did. It can be a hard choice. We all wish that our neighborhood schools were fantastic schools with wonderful facilities, an invested family base, and great outcomes for all kids. But that's often not the case. And when people whose IB schools have real issues choose to go elsewhere, an option DC makes available to them by a now well-established lottery system and a wide variety of charter options, they shouldn't be pilloried by their neighbors.

We all just want what is best for our kids.

[Anonymous]

They're not actually test-in. DC has no schools or programs where you have to be at grade level for admissions and has not since COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eastern high school suffers from all the same problems as all the non selective DCPS schools. If you send a kid there they will be in classes that are often half full for no reason, kids on devices all day barely engaging academically, leaving school early, smoking weed on campus, etc. There are good students and staff there but the experience of those who care is ruined by out of control students that DCPS refuses to address in any meaningful way. If your kid works really hard they will be bored because teachers spend half the time trying to catch up all the kids who were late/absent and dealing with behavior.

But the IB cohort is a good way of solving that problem, no? Kids are selecting into it. They want to be there. It may not solve the academic preparation problem, but I don't think these are kids with behavior issues.

Nobody is willing to clearly explain if the IB program actually is effectively an honors program/school within school.

Because they don't actually want white or high achieving kids to come there. A lot of schools would rather not deal with the "Karen" factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Joe Weedon will thinks Eastern is fine for everyone (except his daughter):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/they-believe-more-students-should-attend-neighborhood-schools-but-what-happens-when-its-their-child/2019/04/13/8e797690-3ed6-11e9-9361-301ffb5bd5e6_story.html

His daughter went to Walls and recently testified to DC Council that options for schools should be limited and more students encouraged to go to their neighborhood schools.

Typical social justice hypocrisy

His son does attend Eastern, which is more than I can say for any of my Hill neighbors.

Dude already made entirely clear that he’d take Walls if possible. So just like Hill neighbors.

I send my kids to a charter HS, as do most of my neighbors who didn’t go private or get into Walls. There are other options, and their family still stuck with Eastern. I recognize that is, long term, probably the best thing for Eastern. I’m just saying that Joe Weeden, whom I’ve never even spoken to, at least sticks with his principles better than most.

How does HE stick with his principals? After decades of obnoxious, preening blathering, he conceded that in fact, school choice is something Hill parents want. I won’t speculate on his son because that’s not fair; but there just are not any charter options that you can start at 9th grade. But sure, glad he had a second kid so he can continue with his self-aggrandizement and expect us to forget about kid #1 embarrassingly demonstrating the limits to his nonsense.

And honestly, let's talk to his kid in twenty years about how he feels about his father sending him to Eastern.

[Anonymous]

So far, none of the Weedon critics in this thread have pointed to an actual quote in which Weedon indicated that parents should choose schools like Eastern over higher-performing options.

Do any of you have such an example, with a link? Just one? Something to back up your accusations of hypocrisy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're not actually test-in. DC has no schools or programs where you have to be at grade level for admissions and has not since COVID.

True. If there was actual data used in admissions it would be more fair given the grade inflation and lack of grade inflation in some schools. An apples to apples comparison of some sort would be very helpful, given how few spots are open in challenging high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far, none of the Weedon critics in this thread have pointed to an actual quote in which Weedon indicated that parents should choose schools like Eastern over higher-performing options.

Do any of you have such an example, with a link? Just one? Something to back up your accusations of hypocrisy?

There was a post article about him when his daughter decided to go to Walls. Did you read that? Why do you think the Post article came out? Because he was a long term ANC rep who was very vocal about the fact that it was the responsibility of UMC families who lived in CH to send their kids to local schools including Eastern. And he was vocal about his anti-charter views. I don’t live in CH but I met him a couple of times because I work in the education field. He is a nice guy but I remember him going on and on about how important it was for CH families to rally around Eastern. I appreciated his passion but didn’t think he was very realistic and I was surprised he did not try to hold DCPS to higher standards given that DCPS has put in zero effort to attract inbound families

[Anonymous]

Correction to my pp. He was the ward 6 member of the DC State Board of Education not the ANC rep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far, none of the Weedon critics in this thread have pointed to an actual quote in which Weedon indicated that parents should choose schools like Eastern over higher-performing options.

Do any of you have such an example, with a link? Just one? Something to back up your accusations of hypocrisy?

PP: Weedon himself has said over and over publicly and in thousands of conversations that he does believe education in our city would be better for all if more people ( you ) sent their kids to their neighborhood school. And that it was an agonizing time when he had to wrestle with his daughter’s choice for high school.

This is from the Post article

“ Weedon, a nonprofit leader and former representative on the D.C. State Board of Education, believes that if more students in the District attended the schools around the block from their homes, education would be better — for everyone.

He has stood on that pulpit as a father and an elected official, always able to say he sends his two children to the elementary and middle schools blocks away from his home.”

I am not a person who would call him—or others in his like-minded circle who have sent kids to Walls, Gonzaga, moved out of DC due to school etc.—hypocrites.

To me, they are all kind of naive and idealogical and inadvertently alienated others by acting like coming up through elementary and middle they had it all figured out and if ONLY the rest of us would friggin get on board we could FIX this mess. There is a close-mindedness there to the priorities and expertise of others, and also a fair degree of paternalism and saviourism.

This all makes for easy crier of hypocrisy from those left with feelings of distaste, but I’m not sure it is pure hypocrisy. Let’s call it “ a learning curve”

[Anonymous]

One other quote from the article

“ These application schools — intended to attract top-performing students — go against the Weedons’ education convictions. They believe using testing as an admission requirement creates a barrier to students from low-
income families and benefits children like Malia.”