Antwan Wilson to be announced as new Chancellor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spent an hour reading local news reports on Wilson from Denver and Oakland. My strong concern is that the narrow focus of his career has been to boost charter enrollment to improve test scores for low SES kids. A friend in CO tells me that she moved to the Denver burbs partly because he and his team proved inept on MS reform there. I'd much rather have seen a Chancellor come in from a city doing a good job drawing high SES families to neighborhood schools, and retaining most of them through HS. DC has missed an opportunity to import mature talent from Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, or NYC.

This man is clearly not the Chancellor to introduce the test-in programs DCPS desperately needs to fill by-right middle schools in gentrifying areas, expensive-to-maintain buildings that sit nearly 3/4 empty, supporting student populations that are more than 3/4 OOB. McFarland, Jefferson Academy, Eliot-Hine and other by-right middle schools can't possibly turn around under this Chancellor. They have great potential, with spacious grounds and decent facilities, unlike the 5th-12th grade charters most of their in-bounds families flock to after 4th grade. Yet so many of their classrooms sit empty that ES populations camp out in them during renovations (Watkins at Eliot-Hine this SY with nearly 500 kids, Maury heading there next year with 400 kids).

Antwan Wilson is obviously the wrong Chancellor to provide the leadership, and make the policy changes, to fill neighborhood middle schools across the city, and, by extension, neighborhood high schools. This is no small matter for DC.

You are probably right that the needs of high SES families will not be his priority.

But that's because high SES families' educational desires and needs aren't the priority of the Mayor, the Chancellor or the DC political and business community that influences our government officials. Their only educational priority is to close the achievement gap and bring underperforming students closer to grade level proficiency. Doing this is the city's only hope of breaking cyclical poverty, and it's going to take significant investments in families, social services and jobs, not just schools.

What you want would have a negligible effect on that problem and thus isn't going to happen. City leaders are just as happy to have you move to the suburbs and sell your house to young professionals without kids or with babies who will use far fewer city services and pay the same taxes.

As for this candidate - how much credit should he get for rising test scores having been in Oakland a year? I'd give the credit - if its warranted - to whomever was his immediate predecessor.

High SES families complain b/c they want their school to help their already high performing child, perform even better. Wonder if there are any parallels to this and the today's modern white supremacists and nationalists feel whites who also feels the system is working against them despite whites owning most of the wealth and nearly all of the power in this country?

And that's wrong why exactly? Sure, it's lucky to be a kid who starts with advantages, but they still need and deserve an education! Are they supposed to go sit in school 7 hours everyday and not get something positive out of it?! How absurd.

+1.

Previous PP's position is not only absurd, but counterproductive for the idea of public education. Public schools provide an universal right, not an entitlement for the poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow! Can some one provide me with Mr. Wilson's accomplishments before I contact my Ward 3 Repres. Ms. Cheh's office about the lack of transparency.

You can just contact her about that alone.

Mary Cheh's shown time and again she has little to no ability to influence anything related to education. She throws around random ideas at meetings at neighborhood, Ward and meetings with parents at schools and then has not clout to do anything to push them and/or they are so out of touch with what the rest of the Council will support, they treat them like jokes when she brings them up.

Since this guy is a done deal and the Mayor really can appt anyone she wants (that's really how the system works), would be nice to focus on the list of things that parents in the public system - representing a spectrum of needs and interests - want and then work towards what's feasible.

[Anonymous]

Any bets on where he will send his 3 kids? He indicated on Fox5 they will go to public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any bets on where he will send his 3 kids? He indicated on Fox5 they will go to public schools.

No idea about his kids' ages, but I bet 100 dollars that none of them end up in a majority AA school.

High-income AAs, especially liberal, avoid them like the plague.

[Anonymous]

Do you even KNOW the history of PUBLIC education? Those who could afford it sent their children to private schools. High SES=can afford choice. Low SES=fewer choices.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spent an hour reading local news reports on Wilson from Denver and Oakland. My strong concern is that the narrow focus of his career has been to boost charter enrollment to improve test scores for low SES kids. A friend in CO tells me that she moved to the Denver burbs partly because he and his team proved inept on MS reform there. I'd much rather have seen a Chancellor come in from a city doing a good job drawing high SES families to neighborhood schools, and retaining most of them through HS. DC has missed an opportunity to import mature talent from Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, or NYC.

This man is clearly not the Chancellor to introduce the test-in programs DCPS desperately needs to fill by-right middle schools in gentrifying areas, expensive-to-maintain buildings that sit nearly 3/4 empty, supporting student populations that are more than 3/4 OOB. McFarland, Jefferson Academy, Eliot-Hine and other by-right middle schools can't possibly turn around under this Chancellor. They have great potential, with spacious grounds and decent facilities, unlike the 5th-12th grade charters most of their in-bounds families flock to after 4th grade. Yet so many of their classrooms sit empty that ES populations camp out in them during renovations (Watkins at Eliot-Hine this SY with nearly 500 kids, Maury heading there next year with 400 kids).

Antwan Wilson is obviously the wrong Chancellor to provide the leadership, and make the policy changes, to fill neighborhood middle schools across the city, and, by extension, neighborhood high schools. This is no small matter for DC.

You are probably right that the needs of high SES families will not be his priority.

But that's because high SES families' educational desires and needs aren't the priority of the Mayor, the Chancellor or the DC political and business community that influences our government officials. Their only educational priority is to close the achievement gap and bring underperforming students closer to grade level proficiency. Doing this is the city's only hope of breaking cyclical poverty, and it's going to take significant investments in families, social services and jobs, not just schools.

What you want would have a negligible effect on that problem and thus isn't going to happen. City leaders are just as happy to have you move to the suburbs and sell your house to young professionals without kids or with babies who will use far fewer city services and pay the same taxes.

As for this candidate - how much credit should he get for rising test scores having been in Oakland a year? I'd give the credit - if its warranted - to whomever was his immediate predecessor.

High SES families complain b/c they want their school to help their already high performing child, perform even better. Wonder if there are any parallels to this and the today's modern white supremacists and nationalists feel whites who also feels the system is working against them despite whites owning most of the wealth and nearly all of the power in this country?

And that's wrong why exactly? Sure, it's lucky to be a kid who starts with advantages, but they still need and deserve an education! Are they supposed to go sit in school 7 hours everyday and not get something positive out of it?! How absurd.

+1.

Previous PP's position is not only absurd, but counterproductive for the idea of public education. Public schools provide an universal right, not an entitlement for the poor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any bets on where he will send his 3 kids? He indicated on Fox5 they will go to public schools.

Yeah, when I asked that question no one responded.

[Anonymous]

Oh come on, he's going to make a lot of dough. He'll find a house in Upper Caucasia and send them to a Deal feeder. Who really cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh come on, he's going to make a lot of dough. He'll find a house in Upper Caucasia and send them to a Deal feeder. Who really cares.

That cannot be. He's a black reformer. He will live on SE, and send his kids to a KIPP charter nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spent an hour reading local news reports on Wilson from Denver and Oakland. My strong concern is that the narrow focus of his career has been to boost charter enrollment to improve test scores for low SES kids. A friend in CO tells me that she moved to the Denver burbs partly because he and his team proved inept on MS reform there. I'd much rather have seen a Chancellor come in from a city doing a good job drawing high SES families to neighborhood schools, and retaining most of them through HS. DC has missed an opportunity to import mature talent from Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, or NYC.

This man is clearly not the Chancellor to introduce the test-in programs DCPS desperately needs to fill by-right middle schools in gentrifying areas, expensive-to-maintain buildings that sit nearly 3/4 empty, supporting student populations that are more than 3/4 OOB. McFarland, Jefferson Academy, Eliot-Hine and other by-right middle schools can't possibly turn around under this Chancellor. They have great potential, with spacious grounds and decent facilities, unlike the 5th-12th grade charters most of their in-bounds families flock to after 4th grade. Yet so many of their classrooms sit empty that ES populations camp out in them during renovations (Watkins at Eliot-Hine this SY with nearly 500 kids, Maury heading there next year with 400 kids).

Antwan Wilson is obviously the wrong Chancellor to provide the leadership, and make the policy changes, to fill neighborhood middle schools across the city, and, by extension, neighborhood high schools. This is no small matter for DC.

You are probably right that the needs of high SES families will not be his priority.

But that's because high SES families' educational desires and needs aren't the priority of the Mayor, the Chancellor or the DC political and business community that influences our government officials. Their only educational priority is to close the achievement gap and bring underperforming students closer to grade level proficiency. Doing this is the city's only hope of breaking cyclical poverty, and it's going to take significant investments in families, social services and jobs, not just schools.

What you want would have a negligible effect on that problem and thus isn't going to happen. City leaders are just as happy to have you move to the suburbs and sell your house to young professionals without kids or with babies who will use far fewer city services and pay the same taxes.

As for this candidate - how much credit should he get for rising test scores having been in Oakland a year? I'd give the credit - if its warranted - to whomever was his immediate predecessor.

High SES families complain b/c they want their school to help their already high performing child, perform even better. Wonder if there are any parallels to this and the today's modern white supremacists and nationalists feel whites who also feels the system is working against them despite whites owning most of the wealth and nearly all of the power in this country?

And that's wrong why exactly? Sure, it's lucky to be a kid who starts with advantages, but they still need and deserve an education! Are they supposed to go sit in school 7 hours everyday and not get something positive out of it?! How absurd.

+1.

Previous PP's position is not only absurd, but counterproductive for the idea of public education. Public schools provide an universal right, not an entitlement for the poor.

NP here with no dog in this fight, but I do not understand this statement. A universal right IS an entitlement. So EVERYONE is entitled to a good public school education. Improving schools for poor students helps everyone. It makes no sense to focus on the top while the little people get nothing. On the other hand, when the "little people" rise, everyone rises with them. Poor students greatly outweigh the rich in DC. They need to be a focus, as they're the ones not doing well on standardized test (and this is nationwide, but we are talking about DC here).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spent an hour reading local news reports on Wilson from Denver and Oakland. My strong concern is that the narrow focus of his career has been to boost charter enrollment to improve test scores for low SES kids. A friend in CO tells me that she moved to the Denver burbs partly because he and his team proved inept on MS reform there. I'd much rather have seen a Chancellor come in from a city doing a good job drawing high SES families to neighborhood schools, and retaining most of them through HS. DC has missed an opportunity to import mature talent from Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, or NYC.

This man is clearly not the Chancellor to introduce the test-in programs DCPS desperately needs to fill by-right middle schools in gentrifying areas, expensive-to-maintain buildings that sit nearly 3/4 empty, supporting student populations that are more than 3/4 OOB. McFarland, Jefferson Academy, Eliot-Hine and other by-right middle schools can't possibly turn around under this Chancellor. They have great potential, with spacious grounds and decent facilities, unlike the 5th-12th grade charters most of their in-bounds families flock to after 4th grade. Yet so many of their classrooms sit empty that ES populations camp out in them during renovations (Watkins at Eliot-Hine this SY with nearly 500 kids, Maury heading there next year with 400 kids).

Antwan Wilson is obviously the wrong Chancellor to provide the leadership, and make the policy changes, to fill neighborhood middle schools across the city, and, by extension, neighborhood high schools. This is no small matter for DC.

You are probably right that the needs of high SES families will not be his priority.

But that's because high SES families' educational desires and needs aren't the priority of the Mayor, the Chancellor or the DC political and business community that influences our government officials. Their only educational priority is to close the achievement gap and bring underperforming students closer to grade level proficiency. Doing this is the city's only hope of breaking cyclical poverty, and it's going to take significant investments in families, social services and jobs, not just schools.

What you want would have a negligible effect on that problem and thus isn't going to happen. City leaders are just as happy to have you move to the suburbs and sell your house to young professionals without kids or with babies who will use far fewer city services and pay the same taxes.

As for this candidate - how much credit should he get for rising test scores having been in Oakland a year? I'd give the credit - if its warranted - to whomever was his immediate predecessor.

High SES families complain b/c they want their school to help their already high performing child, perform even better. Wonder if there are any parallels to this and the today's modern white supremacists and nationalists feel whites who also feels the system is working against them despite whites owning most of the wealth and nearly all of the power in this country?

And that's wrong why exactly? Sure, it's lucky to be a kid who starts with advantages, but they still need and deserve an education! Are they supposed to go sit in school 7 hours everyday and not get something positive out of it?! How absurd.

+1.

Previous PP's position is not only absurd, but counterproductive for the idea of public education. Public schools provide an universal right, not an entitlement for the poor.

NP here with no dog in this fight, but I do not understand this statement. A universal right IS an entitlement. So EVERYONE is entitled to a good public school education. Improving schools for poor students helps everyone. It makes no sense to focus on the top while the little people get nothing. On the other hand, when the "little people" rise, everyone rises with them. Poor students greatly outweigh the rich in DC. They need to be a focus, as they're the ones not doing well on standardized test (and this is nationwide, but we are talking about DC here).

Note that you said "[poor students] need to be a focus." That's a far more reasoned statement than the bolded quote above that began this discussion.

[Anonymous]

If you want to help poor kids succeed, the focus should be making a school system acceptable to those who aren't trapped in it. That's the acid test of bona fide change, not improvements in poor kids' test scores. I teach a good many KIPP graduates at the college level. They are obviously trained to ace tests on which content is predictable, not to think, create, write, reason, analyze or socialize with peers who are mostly well-off and white. Most of the KIPP grads at my college drop out along the way, feeling overwhelmed academically AND socially. They work hard, but aren't prepared to tackle the challenges the school has in store for them. I'm not remotely optimistic about what this Chancellor will do for poor kids in DC schools. You bleeding hearts don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Oakland, CA isn't exactly known for quality public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oakland, CA isn't exactly known for quality public schools.

+1.

Opaque hiring process, leading to random guy from one of the worst school systems in CA.

Doesnt bode too well, but let's see.

[Anonymous]

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spent an hour reading local news reports on Wilson from Denver and Oakland. My strong concern is that the narrow focus of his career has been to boost charter enrollment to improve test scores for low SES kids. A friend in CO tells me that she moved to the Denver burbs partly because he and his team proved inept on MS reform there. I'd much rather have seen a Chancellor come in from a city doing a good job drawing high SES families to neighborhood schools, and retaining most of them through HS. DC has missed an opportunity to import mature talent from Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, or NYC.

This man is clearly not the Chancellor to introduce the test-in programs DCPS desperately needs to fill by-right middle schools in gentrifying areas, expensive-to-maintain buildings that sit nearly 3/4 empty, supporting student populations that are more than 3/4 OOB. McFarland, Jefferson Academy, Eliot-Hine and other by-right middle schools can't possibly turn around under this Chancellor. They have great potential, with spacious grounds and decent facilities, unlike the 5th-12th grade charters most of their in-bounds families flock to after 4th grade. Yet so many of their classrooms sit empty that ES populations camp out in them during renovations (Watkins at Eliot-Hine this SY with nearly 500 kids, Maury heading there next year with 400 kids).

Antwan Wilson is obviously the wrong Chancellor to provide the leadership, and make the policy changes, to fill neighborhood middle schools across the city, and, by extension, neighborhood high schools. This is no small matter for DC.

You are probably right that the needs of high SES families will not be his priority.

But that's because high SES families' educational desires and needs aren't the priority of the Mayor, the Chancellor or the DC political and business community that influences our government officials. Their only educational priority is to close the achievement gap and bring underperforming students closer to grade level proficiency. Doing this is the city's only hope of breaking cyclical poverty, and it's going to take significant investments in families, social services and jobs, not just schools.

What you want would have a negligible effect on that problem and thus isn't going to happen. City leaders are just as happy to have you move to the suburbs and sell your house to young professionals without kids or with babies who will use far fewer city services and pay the same taxes.

As for this candidate - how much credit should he get for rising test scores having been in Oakland a year? I'd give the credit - if its warranted - to whomever was his immediate predecessor.

High SES families complain b/c they want their school to help their already high performing child, perform even better. Wonder if there are any parallels to this and the today's modern white supremacists and nationalists feel whites who also feels the system is working against them despite whites owning most of the wealth and nearly all of the power in this country?

And that's wrong why exactly? Sure, it's lucky to be a kid who starts with advantages, but they still need and deserve an education! Are they supposed to go sit in school 7 hours everyday and not get something positive out of it?! How absurd.

+1.

Previous PP's position is not only absurd, but counterproductive for the idea of public education. Public schools provide an universal right, not an entitlement for the poor.

NP here with no dog in this fight, but I do not understand this statement. A universal right IS an entitlement. So EVERYONE is entitled to a good public school education. Improving schools for poor students helps everyone. It makes no sense to focus on the top while the little people get nothing. On the other hand, when the "little people" rise, everyone rises with them. Poor students greatly outweigh the rich in DC. They need to be a focus, as they're the ones not doing well on standardized test (and this is nationwide, but we are talking about DC here).

[Anonymous]

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just spent an hour reading local news reports on Wilson from Denver and Oakland. My strong concern is that the narrow focus of his career has been to boost charter enrollment to improve test scores for low SES kids. A friend in CO tells me that she moved to the Denver burbs partly because he and his team proved inept on MS reform there. I'd much rather have seen a Chancellor come in from a city doing a good job drawing high SES families to neighborhood schools, and retaining most of them through HS. DC has missed an opportunity to import mature talent from Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, or NYC.

This man is clearly not the Chancellor to introduce the test-in programs DCPS desperately needs to fill by-right middle schools in gentrifying areas, expensive-to-maintain buildings that sit nearly 3/4 empty, supporting student populations that are more than 3/4 OOB. McFarland, Jefferson Academy, Eliot-Hine and other by-right middle schools can't possibly turn around under this Chancellor. They have great potential, with spacious grounds and decent facilities, unlike the 5th-12th grade charters most of their in-bounds families flock to after 4th grade. Yet so many of their classrooms sit empty that ES populations camp out in them during renovations (Watkins at Eliot-Hine this SY with nearly 500 kids, Maury heading there next year with 400 kids).

Antwan Wilson is obviously the wrong Chancellor to provide the leadership, and make the policy changes, to fill neighborhood middle schools across the city, and, by extension, neighborhood high schools. This is no small matter for DC.

You are probably right that the needs of high SES families will not be his priority.

But that's because high SES families' educational desires and needs aren't the priority of the Mayor, the Chancellor or the DC political and business community that influences our government officials. Their only educational priority is to close the achievement gap and bring underperforming students closer to grade level proficiency. Doing this is the city's only hope of breaking cyclical poverty, and it's going to take significant investments in families, social services and jobs, not just schools.

What you want would have a negligible effect on that problem and thus isn't going to happen. City leaders are just as happy to have you move to the suburbs and sell your house to young professionals without kids or with babies who will use far fewer city services and pay the same taxes.

As for this candidate - how much credit should he get for rising test scores having been in Oakland a year? I'd give the credit - if its warranted - to whomever was his immediate predecessor.

High SES families complain b/c they want their school to help their already high performing child, perform even better. Wonder if there are any parallels to this and the today's modern white supremacists and nationalists feel whites who also feels the system is working against them despite whites owning most of the wealth and nearly all of the power in this country?

And that's wrong why exactly? Sure, it's lucky to be a kid who starts with advantages, but they still need and deserve an education! Are they supposed to go sit in school 7 hours everyday and not get something positive out of it?! How absurd.

+1.

Previous PP's position is not only absurd, but counterproductive for the idea of public education. Public schools provide an universal right, not an entitlement for the poor.

NP here with no dog in this fight, but I do not understand this statement. A universal right IS an entitlement. So EVERYONE is entitled to a good public school education. Improving schools for poor students helps everyone. It makes no sense to focus on the top while the little people get nothing. On the other hand, when the "little people" rise, everyone rises with them. Poor students greatly outweigh the rich in DC. They need to be a focus, as they're the ones not doing well on standardized test (and this is nationwide, but we are talking about DC here).

Note that you said "[poor students] need to be a focus." That's a far more reasoned statement than the bolded quote above that began this discussion.