Question for Supporters of New WotP High School

[Anonymous]

Diane Rehm, NPR
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/45392/rough-ride-roosevelt-high-school/

I like the idea of this centrally-located school having a magnet program for different populations of students.

[Anonymous]

The perfect should not be the enemy of the good.

That's why the presentation of choice sets and city-wide lottery has been such a detriment to this process. Each of the schools in these scenarios would have to be on par with each other, and that's not possible.

Yet these two ideas have sucked up all the energy thus far and, disappointingly, have many people anxious to jettison the entire thing.

But we need decent middle and high schools EOTP. That problem is not going away no matter who is mayor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The perfect should not be the enemy of the good.

That's why the presentation of choice sets and city-wide lottery has been such a detriment to this process. Each of the schools in these scenarios would have to be on par with each other, and that's not possible.

Yet these two ideas have sucked up all the energy thus far and, disappointingly, have many people anxious to jettison the entire thing.

But we need decent middle and high schools EOTP. That problem is not going away no matter who is mayor.

+1 . The choice sets could be viable for certain neighborhoods, but the city-wide lottery is a poison pill that is threatening the whole enterprise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Changing the status of Ellington is under discussion simply because no one currently in-bounds for Wilson would consider narrowly re-drawing Wilson's boundaries closer to Wilson's neighborhood. Wilson's overcrowding problems would be solved, for example, if its eastern boundary ended at Connecticut Avenue. Then, everyone east of Connecticut avenue that had formerly been bound for Wilson, would go to Roosevelt.

The effect would be grand: A lot of high-SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams-Morgan areas would go to Roosevelt and immediately increase the overall academic achievement there. Ellington would be left alone. Voila.

Except that the high SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams Morgan would NOT go to Roosevelt. Some can go private, some can test into magnets, but many families would move out, and households without children would take their places.

[Anonymous]

How would a test-in middle school feed into the existing Roosevelt high school with its students of varying levesl of ability? Wouldn't most avoid that lack of clear upward feeders?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would a test-in middle school feed into the existing Roosevelt high school with its students of varying levesl of ability? Wouldn't most avoid that lack of clear upward feeders?

If the goal is to create "Deal for Everyone," then what DCPS would do is start installing "magnet"-like tracking programs in individual schools (like Deal and Wilson, and what is also now happening at Hardy). Would high-SES parents consider Roosevelt then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would a test-in middle school feed into the existing Roosevelt high school with its students of varying levesl of ability? Wouldn't most avoid that lack of clear upward feeders?

If the goal is to create "Deal for Everyone," then what DCPS would do is start installing "magnet"-like tracking programs in individual schools (like Deal and Wilson, and what is also now happening at Hardy). Would high-SES parents consider Roosevelt then?

High SES parents would consider any school where they have reason to think that their kids will get a good education -- they are doing that right now, all over the city and in classes with all kinds of kids.

Closer to home? so much the better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Changing the status of Ellington is under discussion simply because no one currently in-bounds for Wilson would consider narrowly re-drawing Wilson's boundaries closer to Wilson's neighborhood. Wilson's overcrowding problems would be solved, for example, if its eastern boundary ended at Connecticut Avenue. Then, everyone east of Connecticut avenue that had formerly been bound for Wilson, would go to Roosevelt.

The effect would be grand: A lot of high-SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams-Morgan areas would go to Roosevelt and immediately increase the overall academic achievement there. Ellington would be left alone. Voila.

Except that the high SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams Morgan would NOT go to Roosevelt. Some can go private, some can test into magnets, but many families would move out, and households without children would take their places.

This is the proposed NEW Roosevelt and what kind of crystal ball do you have to categorically make the statement above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Changing the status of Ellington is under discussion simply because no one currently in-bounds for Wilson would consider narrowly re-drawing Wilson's boundaries closer to Wilson's neighborhood. Wilson's overcrowding problems would be solved, for example, if its eastern boundary ended at Connecticut Avenue. Then, everyone east of Connecticut avenue that had formerly been bound for Wilson, would go to Roosevelt.

The effect would be grand: A lot of high-SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams-Morgan areas would go to Roosevelt and immediately increase the overall academic achievement there. Ellington would be left alone. Voila.

A huge geographic mass of DC is assigned to Wilson. Why move students from Cleveland Park which is closer to Wilson than many residences closer to the Ellington site?

Co-locating Ellington as a magnet program at Roosevelt is an efficient idea. Turning the Ellington site into a regular high school makes sense. Montco co-located the science/tech public exam magnet school program at Montgomery Blair.
Enrollment current/2002-03:
Coolidge 433/843, 99% FRL, in boundary 46%
Roosevelt 438/821, 99% FRL, in boundary 65%
Wilson 1696/1476 (overcapacity 10+years ago), 30% FRL, in boundary 54%
Ellington 541/485, 40% FRL- metro NA
Banneker 430/NA, 61% FRL - walkable from metro for teens, Howard U
School without Walls 585/NA, 20% FRL - metro, GW

Boundary maps : http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/Learn-About-Schools/Attn_Zones_High_2013_2014.pdf
2002-03 source: http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/DocUploads/DataShop/DS_143.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would a test-in middle school feed into the existing Roosevelt high school with its students of varying levesl of ability? Wouldn't most avoid that lack of clear upward feeders?

If the goal is to create "Deal for Everyone," then what DCPS would do is start installing "magnet"-like tracking programs in individual schools (like Deal and Wilson, and what is also now happening at Hardy). Would high-SES parents consider Roosevelt then?

High SES parents would consider any school where they have reason to think that their kids will get a good education -- they are doing that right now, all over the city and in classes with all kinds of kids.

Closer to home? so much the better.

OK, I get you - you just wouldn't be able to have the Roosevelt of today that is for all comers from this section of Ward 4 and nearby parts of DC. What would work for the rest of kids from this area? Reminds me a bit of the prior discussion of making Dunbar into a test-in school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Changing the status of Ellington is under discussion simply because no one currently in-bounds for Wilson would consider narrowly re-drawing Wilson's boundaries closer to Wilson's neighborhood. Wilson's overcrowding problems would be solved, for example, if its eastern boundary ended at Connecticut Avenue. Then, everyone east of Connecticut avenue that had formerly been bound for Wilson, would go to Roosevelt.

The effect would be grand: A lot of high-SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams-Morgan areas would go to Roosevelt and immediately increase the overall academic achievement there. Ellington would be left alone. Voila.

A huge geographic mass of DC is assigned to Wilson. Why move students from Cleveland Park which is closer to Wilson than many residences closer to the Ellington site?

Co-locating Ellington as a magnet program at Roosevelt is an efficient idea. Turning the Ellington site into a regular high school makes sense. Montco co-located the science/tech public exam magnet school program at Montgomery Blair.
Enrollment current/2002-03:
Coolidge 433/843, 99% FRL, in boundary 46%
Roosevelt 438/821, 99% FRL, in boundary 65%
Wilson 1696/1476 (overcapacity 10+years ago), 30% FRL, in boundary 54%
Ellington 541/485, 40% FRL- metro NA
Banneker 430/NA, 61% FRL - walkable from metro for teens, Howard U
School without Walls 585/NA, 20% FRL - metro, GW

Boundary maps : http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/Learn-About-Schools/Attn_Zones_High_2013_2014.pdf
2002-03 source: http://www.21csf.org/csf-home/DocUploads/DataShop/DS_143.pdf

Yes, excellent logic, what you are saying makes sense by geography. But many things that make sense using reason do not make sense when using emotion; so they are not politically possible. Moving Ellington from Georgetown falls into the latter category, as far as I can tell.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing. I live near Roosevelt, it is my child's inboundary school and I DO NOT WANT ELLINGTON. I want a long-term school to serve my child, and do not want my child educated to be on Fame or Glee or American Idol or whatever exists in 2035.

Thanks, but NO THANKS.

[Anonymous]

Right -- the discussion on this thread has been about roosevelt being some sort of test-in school, e.g. DC-CAS proficiency and there's also been discussion about it having some kind of specialty that would appeal to kids city-wide.

It's all brain storming, at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Changing the status of Ellington is under discussion simply because no one currently in-bounds for Wilson would consider narrowly re-drawing Wilson's boundaries closer to Wilson's neighborhood. Wilson's overcrowding problems would be solved, for example, if its eastern boundary ended at Connecticut Avenue. Then, everyone east of Connecticut avenue that had formerly been bound for Wilson, would go to Roosevelt.

The effect would be grand: A lot of high-SES kids from Cleveland Park and Adams-Morgan areas would go to Roosevelt and immediately increase the overall academic achievement there. Ellington would be left alone. Voila.

You must be smoking some of the ex-Mayor-for-Life's private crack stash. There are not "a lot" of high SES from Cleveland Park or from Woodley who would stay in DCPS for high school under this scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not willing to spend on a new WOTP high school because that is not where the students sufficient to build a second high school live.

Umm, you're wrong. Well, you're partly right. If we eliminate OOB feeder rights, then there's probably not a need for a new WOTP HS.

The need for another WOTP HS is because most people assume (and perhaps desire) the retention of OOB feeder rights and access for large swaths of the city currently cleaved from the Wilson catchment basin under the proposals.

This is a direct and correct way to put it: If OOB feeder rights to Wilson are eliminated, then Wilson may have enough capacity for the foreseeable future to meet the demand from its present boundary area. However, if OOB feeder rights are preserved (which seems the politically popular thing to do), then a new high school west of Rock Creek Park will be needed to serve in-boundary and OOB feeder demand. It's that simple.