Lafayette Principal

[Anonymous]

I am a fan of Dr. B. I could care less about the lunch policy and I respect that she has addressed really difficult issues like the achievement gap.lt is so true that many parents who are now complaining about their kids education really were not thinking about the needs of the whole school. Very myopic and not really an appropriate view for a public school. also feel that parents who hate any change are not
Giving her the space to make the school her own, that is impose her own style on it. We all love DC Theatre Cafe, Wax Museum etc but I imagine Dr B has some good ideas as well if people would give her a chance.

But mainly I think that dr b is thinking about all students, not just the most vocal families.

[Anonymous]

Let's be honest - the wax museum sucked!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette has some of the highest test scores DCPS has seen. It does not always follow the curriculum to the T which is most likely why our kids test much better. Our students need to freedom to learn and express themselves as the experienced teachers see fit, which result in these high scores.

This is just inaccurate. Kids at Lafayette don't have higher test scores because an experienced teacher decided to teach the Revolutionary War instead of the Civil Rights Movement, or fractions instead of symmetry, or fantasy instead of historically fiction as dictated by the curriculum. These types of choices, made in isolation, lead to knowledge gaps as the PP explained. While the DCPS curriculum isn't perfect, it is coherent and comprehensive and each year builds on the previous one.

Lafayette has high test scores because of its student population.

So you are saying that test scores wpuld be high regardless of what they teach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette has some of the highest test scores DCPS has seen. It does not always follow the curriculum to the T which is most likely why our kids test much better. Our students need to freedom to learn and express themselves as the experienced teachers see fit, which result in these high scores.

This is just inaccurate. Kids at Lafayette don't have higher test scores because an experienced teacher decided to teach the Revolutionary War instead of the Civil Rights Movement, or fractions instead of symmetry, or fantasy instead of historically fiction as dictated by the curriculum. These types of choices, made in isolation, lead to knowledge gaps as the PP explained. While the DCPS curriculum isn't perfect, it is coherent and comprehensive and each year builds on the previous one.

Lafayette has high test scores because of its student population.

So you are saying that test scores wpuld be high regardless of what they teach.

Higher SES is strongly correlated with high test scores. In a school like Lafayette, flush with resources and an active parent body, a surprise would be lower test scores. And for a school like Lafayette, with all those resources, a 20 something point achievement gap is shameful because the school had resources, and an experienced teaching staff that could been working to help its neediest students (a tiny fraction of the population) and possibly eliminate the gap years/decades ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We want the experienced teachers who have been in the field to have the freedoms to teach the skills and subject areas that they believe are imperative for students success.

Our students should not have to follow dcps curriculum.

Seriously? This cannot be real.

Unfortunately, I think this is most likely real. Lafayette parent here, and I've seen that attitude in the flesh. I do think/pray it's limited to the 20 or so loud people/families who disparage Dr. B and seem to try very hard to preserve their own special treatment and aren't concerned for the community as a whole: example, parents who fought against much-needed change and expansion with the after care program.

I'm glad to be reminded here that it's a small minority, and hope the rest of parents who are not selfish, who are sane, and who are willing to work toward positive solutions for all of the kids, not just their own special snowflakes can be a stronger force and have more of a impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette has some of the highest test scores DCPS has seen. It does not always follow the curriculum to the T which is most likely why our kids test much better. Our students need to freedom to learn and express themselves as the experienced teachers see fit, which result in these high scores.

This is just inaccurate. Kids at Lafayette don't have higher test scores because an experienced teacher decided to teach the Revolutionary War instead of the Civil Rights Movement, or fractions instead of symmetry, or fantasy instead of historically fiction as dictated by the curriculum. These types of choices, made in isolation, lead to knowledge gaps as the PP explained. While the DCPS curriculum isn't perfect, it is coherent and comprehensive and each year builds on the previous one.

Lafayette has high test scores because of its student population.

So you are saying that test scores wpuld be high regardless of what they teach.

Higher SES is strongly correlated with high test scores. In a school like Lafayette, flush with resources and an active parent body, a surprise would be lower test scores. And for a school like Lafayette, with all those resources, a 20 something point achievement gap is shameful because the school had resources, and an experienced teaching staff that could been working to help its neediest students (a tiny fraction of the population) and possibly eliminate the gap years/decades ago.

Yup

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We want the experienced teachers who have been in the field to have the freedoms to teach the skills and subject areas that they believe are imperative for students success.

Our students should not have to follow dcps curriculum.

Seriously? This cannot be real.

Unfortunately, I think this is most likely real. Lafayette parent here, and I've seen that attitude in the flesh. I do think/pray it's limited to the 20 or so loud people/families who disparage Dr. B and seem to try very hard to preserve their own special treatment and aren't concerned for the community as a whole: example, parents who fought against much-needed change and expansion with the after care program.

I'm glad to be reminded here that it's a small minority, and hope the rest of parents who are not selfish, who are sane, and who are willing to work toward positive solutions for all of the kids, not just their own special snowflakes can be a stronger force and have more of a impact.

Unfortunately this is more misinformation. I am unaware of any families that objected to growing the aftercare program out of self-interest. I think most of the people that had reservations about growing at the rate requested were concerned with where the reported demand numbers actually came from and having adequate space in the school for the program. It seems that space usage and resources were a bargaining chips (among other things) being used to pressure the involved parties to get a desired outcome for better or worse.

[Anonymous]

Complaining about the mishmash of policy disagreeements generally sounds whiny in this forum since it by its very nature as anonymous chat room lacks reasonable context and accountability for comments. Unfortunately discussions about personality issues are much harder to talk about in a anonymous chat room forum like this. They rely on real first-hand accounts and can easily be construed as he said she said arguments without careful and well documented transactions that can be backed up by hard evidence... not something that translates well to being discussed here at DCUM and requires an alternate platform for careful/measured discussion. I don't think you will ever see those discussions here So I think anyone who tries to get the whole picture by reading these posts will be woefully misinformed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette has some of the highest test scores DCPS has seen. It does not always follow the curriculum to the T which is most likely why our kids test much better. Our students need to freedom to learn and express themselves as the experienced teachers see fit, which result in these high scores.

This is just inaccurate. Kids at Lafayette don't have higher test scores because an experienced teacher decided to teach the Revolutionary War instead of the Civil Rights Movement, or fractions instead of symmetry, or fantasy instead of historically fiction as dictated by the curriculum. These types of choices, made in isolation, lead to knowledge gaps as the PP explained. While the DCPS curriculum isn't perfect, it is coherent and comprehensive and each year builds on the previous one.

Lafayette has high test scores because of its student population.

So you are saying that test scores wpuld be high regardless of what they teach.

Higher SES is strongly correlated with high test scores. In a school like Lafayette, flush with resources and an active parent body, a surprise would be lower test scores. And for a school like Lafayette, with all those resources, a 20 something point achievement gap is shameful because the school had resources, and an experienced teaching staff that could been working to help its neediest students (a tiny fraction of the population) and possibly eliminate the gap years/decades ago.

Yup

You are assuming all the kids at the bottom of the testing range arrived in PK and stayed through the testing years. This is not how DC works. Many kids are testing after they have been at a school for only a few months or maybe just one year, and some are testing when their family just moved here from China a month ago. Not all test scores reflect the teaching and resources of the school. It would be interesting to see scores of lifer kids only and see if there is a gap within that group. But we don't have that data.

[Anonymous]

OP or anyone interested in Lafayette, come to a tour. Dr. B will introduce herself to you, answer your questions and take you through the school. You can judge for yourself. I personally don't agree with Dr. B on every single thing, but I do think she's handling most things very well and I have great respect for her leading such a large school so successfully and cheerfully, despite the constant criticism she receives. I trust that she knows better than I do about the needs of the whole community and is doing her best to meet them. My children are thriving, and we have been there for several years. We feel very lucky to be a part of this school.

[Anonymous]

OP here! After this thread.. no thank you

[Anonymous]

Ha! OP - don't think it's any different at Janney, Murch or Mann. Uber educated liberal NW - it can be a lot to stomach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha! OP - don't think it's any different at Janney, Murch or Mann. Uber educated liberal NW - it can be a lot to stomach.

Oh yes it is different!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha! OP - don't think it's any different at Janney, Murch or Mann. Uber educated liberal NW - it can be a lot to stomach.

Oh yes it is different!

So list the ways it differs from Murch and Janney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ha! OP - don't think it's any different at Janney, Murch or Mann. Uber educated liberal NW - it can be a lot to stomach.

Oh yes it is different!

So list the ways it differs from Murch and Janney.

One difference between Lafayette and Mann is that Mann has a science teacher and dedicated science time. Lafayette has neither, although some teachers are better than others at teaching science in the classroom.