Message
Hi parents - a Ward 4 Education Alliance school fair for Ward 4 neighborhood elementary, middle school (MacFarland), and high schools (Roosevelt and Coolidge) is coming up Thursday at Roosevelt at 6pm. Should be a pretty good opportunity to get questions answered ahead of the lottery about DCPS schools in this part of DC.
Parents, Educators and Neighbors: Please join us at our DCPS Ward 4 Feeder School Fair
January 11th, 6:00 to 8:00pm at Roosevelt High School -
4301 13th St, NW
___________________________________________
Padres, Educadores and Vecinos: Por favor únase a nosotros en nuestra
FERIA DE ESCUELAS
11 enero, 6:00 to 8:00pm en la escuela secundaria Roosevelt High School -4301 13th St NW
Parents, Educators and Neighbors: Please join us at our DCPS Ward 4 Feeder School Fair
January 11th, 6:00 to 8:00pm at Roosevelt High School -
4301 13th St, NW
___________________________________________
Padres, Educadores and Vecinos: Por favor únase a nosotros en nuestra
FERIA DE ESCUELAS
11 enero, 6:00 to 8:00pm en la escuela secundaria Roosevelt High School -4301 13th St NW
Mr. Sanders is in a Mary Jane Patterson principal fellowship this year and was a bilingual assistant principal at Powell over the past several years. There's a lot to recommend him for this job, not just that he is a known leader from MacFarland's feeder, but also his experience, goals for urban education and interest in bringing communities together in the school are right on. And it's meaningful to me that his is a DCPS family, seeing as ours is.
It was just the first thing that came to my feeble mind. Not a conspiracy.
Stuff like the Cornerstones, etc. The folks at DCPS can tell you a lot about this, I can only mention a little.
I'll try to offer in unpolished form a few reasons why I think DCPS isn't particularly enamored of IB, some of which they might state publicly and some of which they might not. Some of these may be overstatements and some may just be off base, but they're what I think is going on.
1. It's apparently done very differently from normal courses, so you have to hire and train up a corps of teachers who are willing to put in the extra work and extra professional development time to do it, and they have to stay committed to one school for some serious time to make it really go. DCPS already has challenges getting and keeping staff.
2. While IB sounds great from a superficial first glance, it doesn't seem to add a tremendous amount of value within the context of DCPS. To be blunt, they put it into Eastern, etc., and for what? It's harder for everyone and it doesn't seem like any educational magic has happened.
3. There are the costs and ramp up time, as others have mentioned.
4. DCPS has other ideas for programmatic improvement to benefit student outcomes that don't involve making this radical a change in teaching and learning.
5. DCPS believes they can implement global education and dual language programming without having to sign up for the complexity of IB.
6. The people who are asking for it are a tiny minority who typically vote with their feet to not attend the schools where they suggest expensive, disruptive new programs of dubious benefit to the majority of students.
7. DCPS folks believe that parents and local homeowners asking for it are just looking for a proxy for quality, know little to nothing about the program, and DCPS teaching and learning is fundamentally sound (with the unstated implications that motivated students respond well to it in the right settings (i.e., Tenleytown) and unprepared students will fail or avoid IB, particularly where the gap between current student ability and challenge presented is yawning).
8. Those asking for it are effectively, if not openly, asking for school-level segregation/tracking instead of inter-school segregation, and possibly even magnet-type separation from the community. At minimum, they are seeking a way for some children to stay in an advanced track or tracks separate from the majority who are not at grade level and minimize interaction, at least on an educational basis.
9. Maybe - maybe - they think that niche educational programming at odds with the norms for DCPS is one of the reasons for charters and they should do that kind of thing, not DCPS, which has to shoulder the burden of educating those who don't want niche programming.
I'm trying to lay out other folks' thinking, so it's pretty likely some of this is not right. But I think these are all things people should recognize if they want to make IB a priority for new school programs. I think there are a lot of positives that can be said about IB - this article was inspiring to me - http://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/stunning-surge-in-graduation-rate-as-rainier-beach-gamble-pays-off/ but I don't realistically believe DCPS is going to go down the road to IB at MacFarland (or Roosevelt) of its own accord.
1. It's apparently done very differently from normal courses, so you have to hire and train up a corps of teachers who are willing to put in the extra work and extra professional development time to do it, and they have to stay committed to one school for some serious time to make it really go. DCPS already has challenges getting and keeping staff.
2. While IB sounds great from a superficial first glance, it doesn't seem to add a tremendous amount of value within the context of DCPS. To be blunt, they put it into Eastern, etc., and for what? It's harder for everyone and it doesn't seem like any educational magic has happened.
3. There are the costs and ramp up time, as others have mentioned.
4. DCPS has other ideas for programmatic improvement to benefit student outcomes that don't involve making this radical a change in teaching and learning.
5. DCPS believes they can implement global education and dual language programming without having to sign up for the complexity of IB.
6. The people who are asking for it are a tiny minority who typically vote with their feet to not attend the schools where they suggest expensive, disruptive new programs of dubious benefit to the majority of students.
7. DCPS folks believe that parents and local homeowners asking for it are just looking for a proxy for quality, know little to nothing about the program, and DCPS teaching and learning is fundamentally sound (with the unstated implications that motivated students respond well to it in the right settings (i.e., Tenleytown) and unprepared students will fail or avoid IB, particularly where the gap between current student ability and challenge presented is yawning).
8. Those asking for it are effectively, if not openly, asking for school-level segregation/tracking instead of inter-school segregation, and possibly even magnet-type separation from the community. At minimum, they are seeking a way for some children to stay in an advanced track or tracks separate from the majority who are not at grade level and minimize interaction, at least on an educational basis.
9. Maybe - maybe - they think that niche educational programming at odds with the norms for DCPS is one of the reasons for charters and they should do that kind of thing, not DCPS, which has to shoulder the burden of educating those who don't want niche programming.
I'm trying to lay out other folks' thinking, so it's pretty likely some of this is not right. But I think these are all things people should recognize if they want to make IB a priority for new school programs. I think there are a lot of positives that can be said about IB - this article was inspiring to me - http://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/stunning-surge-in-graduation-rate-as-rainier-beach-gamble-pays-off/ but I don't realistically believe DCPS is going to go down the road to IB at MacFarland (or Roosevelt) of its own accord.
So on the basic question of why some questions were asked but not answered, is that occasionally several questions were asked at the same time and not all were answered. This was discussion format, not a deposition.
On a more factual basis, these "show us the non-dual language program is awesome" requests don't have answers yet. First, the non-dual language school will open after the MacFarland building is renovated and this won't be until school year 2018-19. The programming of the non-dual language school is still taking shape years in advance, without a leader in place, and the community cabinet is supposed to be a way for the community to direct its views TO the DCPS planners, not just RECEIVE the school system's work and pronounce it good or bad.
The way I believe that the DCPS people want this to work is that they take community views through the cabinet and directly (see the contact for Andrew Katz-Moses above), draw up a mockup of the program based on everyone's input, see if the cabinet will buy in, and if/when we do, they expect we will try to talk it up in the Community.
There is plenty of room for people to share that they want advanced math or science options, language programs that start in 6th grade, social studies that are relevant to DC students, options for differentiation for students to be spelled out. Or what you want in a school leader, or in a marketing plan for the school, etc. So share those views.
On a sort of related point, the discussion in the last cabinet meeting seemed to reflect that DCPS has soured on expansion of IB, so (being kind of glib here) if that's your shorthand for "make the school more attractive to me" you will have to find another more direct way to express it.
Andy Rowe
On a more factual basis, these "show us the non-dual language program is awesome" requests don't have answers yet. First, the non-dual language school will open after the MacFarland building is renovated and this won't be until school year 2018-19. The programming of the non-dual language school is still taking shape years in advance, without a leader in place, and the community cabinet is supposed to be a way for the community to direct its views TO the DCPS planners, not just RECEIVE the school system's work and pronounce it good or bad.
The way I believe that the DCPS people want this to work is that they take community views through the cabinet and directly (see the contact for Andrew Katz-Moses above), draw up a mockup of the program based on everyone's input, see if the cabinet will buy in, and if/when we do, they expect we will try to talk it up in the Community.
There is plenty of room for people to share that they want advanced math or science options, language programs that start in 6th grade, social studies that are relevant to DC students, options for differentiation for students to be spelled out. Or what you want in a school leader, or in a marketing plan for the school, etc. So share those views.
On a sort of related point, the discussion in the last cabinet meeting seemed to reflect that DCPS has soured on expansion of IB, so (being kind of glib here) if that's your shorthand for "make the school more attractive to me" you will have to find another more direct way to express it.
Andy Rowe
Just to add on to what Christopher is saying, you should know that DCPS planners have a website where they post meeting notes from meetings with the MacFarland community cabinet (as well as the Roosevelt HS community cabinet, etc.).
They just put up [url https://dcpsplanning.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/102715-macfarland-community-cabinet-meeting-notes.pdf]the notes[/url] from the latest community cabinet meeting, which was October 27, as well as the reminder for tonight's MacFarland dual language middle school program meeting at Powell (5:30-7:30, 1350 Upshur NW).
Here are some highlights I think worth mentioning:
DCPS intends to open a dual language program next fall with 65 students modeled on Oyster-Adams at middle grades, using (separated) space at Roosevelt HS for now. They're also looking at models in Fairfax and Montgomery Counties.
The program is expected to start with two dual language courses based on national models of how to do dual language at middle school.
Course-level programming seems to be pretty much ready to go, just not officially/publicly announced. (There is some concern about trying to market a school that parents are going to have to lottery for this year/next year without a fully fleshed out program, so hopefully that will be taken care of soon.)
They are considering what kind of school leader to put in place and what decisions to leave up to that school leader. It seems like they are leaning toward having it be a promotion for an eager internal DCPS leader-in-waiting.
And can I just repeat that - if you are at all curious - the meeting at Powell tonight is a great opportunity to find out what they are trying to do, as the DCPS planning team is going to be there along with the folks who do language programming development. In short the people who have the best available answers to your questions will actually all be in one place with one major goal, which is to talk to you about the dual language program starting next year at MacFarland.
They just put up [url https://dcpsplanning.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/102715-macfarland-community-cabinet-meeting-notes.pdf]the notes[/url] from the latest community cabinet meeting, which was October 27, as well as the reminder for tonight's MacFarland dual language middle school program meeting at Powell (5:30-7:30, 1350 Upshur NW).
Here are some highlights I think worth mentioning:
And can I just repeat that - if you are at all curious - the meeting at Powell tonight is a great opportunity to find out what they are trying to do, as the DCPS planning team is going to be there along with the folks who do language programming development. In short the people who have the best available answers to your questions will actually all be in one place with one major goal, which is to talk to you about the dual language program starting next year at MacFarland.
On a personal level, I am someone who really enjoys other languages and cultures. If you have tried to learn another language, you might have the experience of getting to that point where you realize, "if I was ever going to speak this language well, I should have started as a young child."
I believe that at least some experience with other languages from an early age makes learning languages easier. I was probably quicker picking up Japanese as a teenager because I had learned some German as a young child, and I was probably a better Turkish learner because of my prior language experience. And my Spanish now fits into a well-worn language groove.
However, I know I won't get as far in any language as a child could who started at preschool in an immersion program. And I want that for my children.
In addition, my children have a bilingual parent (my wife) and they have an opportunity to gain and maintain a fluency that opens doors in culture, education and work opportunities.
In DCPS, I believe that the immersion programs are an indication that folks are trying hard to do something extraordinary. Cynics can say it is oriented toward addressing language deficits, but I really believe that bilingual programs benefit students, whatever their home and target languages are.
I believe that at least some experience with other languages from an early age makes learning languages easier. I was probably quicker picking up Japanese as a teenager because I had learned some German as a young child, and I was probably a better Turkish learner because of my prior language experience. And my Spanish now fits into a well-worn language groove.
However, I know I won't get as far in any language as a child could who started at preschool in an immersion program. And I want that for my children.
In addition, my children have a bilingual parent (my wife) and they have an opportunity to gain and maintain a fluency that opens doors in culture, education and work opportunities.
In DCPS, I believe that the immersion programs are an indication that folks are trying hard to do something extraordinary. Cynics can say it is oriented toward addressing language deficits, but I really believe that bilingual programs benefit students, whatever their home and target languages are.
I think we have an opportunity to work with DME Niles, Chancellor Henderson, Mayor Bowser, CM Grosso and others to make the school at MacFarland a good middle school.
The grandfathering set out here allows folks breathing room to want to engage. It's absolutely right, as many want to say, that we have a system of choice. Until a school is full at a given grade, parents basically get to choose that school, and people have absolutely made their choices to this point.
What changes that? You work to make a school a good choice.
I really believe that DME Niles, having brought EL Haynes to where it is, can tell when the mix is right to draw people or not to a school. We won't just accept the ordinary. Mayor Bowser is looking for achievements and ones at home. Chancellor Henderson wants success, though I hope DCPS has the capacity and fervor to tackle this school with the same spirit as a band of charter founders. Many new schools have succeeded in DC. DCPS is rolling out Brookland MS, and it's great to have lessons learned from that.
There are some points of engagement. The FAQ says that MacFarland is expected to open school year 2017 or 2018 depending on modernizations. That's a powerful though brief statement. It's budget season and we're expecting to have the Mayor drop something for our new Education Committee chairman. Get ready to get in there on funding, design, content, leadership.
It was stated today that the plans aren't changing otherwise. The Implementation Plans said that " By April 2015, DCPS and the Mayor’s Office will propose a schedule for the sequence of middle school openings along with relevant costs and other considerations. " Further that "To ensure a successful opening of MacFarland MS, DCPS will partner with the school community to focus on outreach and recruitment. Another important focus of this group will be to help
families transition from the education campus model to a standalone MS."
Our leaders want to succeed and partner with us and have made promises about this school. I think it will be a lot of work for a lot of people, and I've wished we were further along toward making this happen than we are now. So hopefully lots of us will get in there and help and fears about foreclosed choices won't hold us back.
The grandfathering set out here allows folks breathing room to want to engage. It's absolutely right, as many want to say, that we have a system of choice. Until a school is full at a given grade, parents basically get to choose that school, and people have absolutely made their choices to this point.
What changes that? You work to make a school a good choice.
I really believe that DME Niles, having brought EL Haynes to where it is, can tell when the mix is right to draw people or not to a school. We won't just accept the ordinary. Mayor Bowser is looking for achievements and ones at home. Chancellor Henderson wants success, though I hope DCPS has the capacity and fervor to tackle this school with the same spirit as a band of charter founders. Many new schools have succeeded in DC. DCPS is rolling out Brookland MS, and it's great to have lessons learned from that.
There are some points of engagement. The FAQ says that MacFarland is expected to open school year 2017 or 2018 depending on modernizations. That's a powerful though brief statement. It's budget season and we're expecting to have the Mayor drop something for our new Education Committee chairman. Get ready to get in there on funding, design, content, leadership.
It was stated today that the plans aren't changing otherwise. The Implementation Plans said that " By April 2015, DCPS and the Mayor’s Office will propose a schedule for the sequence of middle school openings along with relevant costs and other considerations. " Further that "To ensure a successful opening of MacFarland MS, DCPS will partner with the school community to focus on outreach and recruitment. Another important focus of this group will be to help
families transition from the education campus model to a standalone MS."
Our leaders want to succeed and partner with us and have made promises about this school. I think it will be a lot of work for a lot of people, and I've wished we were further along toward making this happen than we are now. So hopefully lots of us will get in there and help and fears about foreclosed choices won't hold us back.
I think it will be interesting to see what a step like this would have on neighboring elementary schools.
Hi - my family and I are really happy at Powell (which may come as no surprise if you know me or the school).
What makes me even happier is that there are many here who are embracing and enjoying having their children at schools that were not part of that "JKLM" conventional wisdom of a few years ago. It's at the point now where people who read these forums might say, "...but Powell is highly regarded on DCUM!"
I'm very happy views on many DCPS schools are changing as DCPS grows.
What makes me even happier is that there are many here who are embracing and enjoying having their children at schools that were not part of that "JKLM" conventional wisdom of a few years ago. It's at the point now where people who read these forums might say, "...but Powell is highly regarded on DCUM!"
I'm very happy views on many DCPS schools are changing as DCPS grows.
Hello DCUM friends!
Powell Elementary is having an open house this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. One of many you may experience as you head into schools lottery season, certainly, but we hope it will be informative.
Please come if you're interested and haven't heard everything you might want to know about our Tools of the Mind early education curriculum, modernization, or award-winning dual language program. Oh, and there's also our recently-named DCPS Principal of the Year, Janeece Docal!
Have a good week and hopefully we'll see you there.
Andy Rowe
andrewrowe@gmail.com
Also - if you can't come chat this Saturday, Tuesday morning tours (pretty much every week) are a great way to see what's going on at Powell.
Powell Elementary is having an open house this Saturday at 9:30 a.m. One of many you may experience as you head into schools lottery season, certainly, but we hope it will be informative.
Please come if you're interested and haven't heard everything you might want to know about our Tools of the Mind early education curriculum, modernization, or award-winning dual language program. Oh, and there's also our recently-named DCPS Principal of the Year, Janeece Docal!
Have a good week and hopefully we'll see you there.
Andy Rowe
andrewrowe@gmail.com
Also - if you can't come chat this Saturday, Tuesday morning tours (pretty much every week) are a great way to see what's going on at Powell.
I just came from Powell where in a brief ceremony with Mayor-Elect Muriel Bowser and Chancellor Kaya Henderson, Principal Janeece Docal of Powell was recognized as DCPS' principal of the year. It was a great recognition of years of hard work, perseverance, and to those of us who have been part of or even just witnesses to Powell's growth and success, a tremendous affirmation for her work and the possibilities of DCPS.
Wooo hooo!
- Andrew Rowe, Parents Organized for the Power of Powell
Wooo hooo!
- Andrew Rowe, Parents Organized for the Power of Powell
Christopher - we may have to take a road trip out to Howard County or Montgomery County to find out more about what they do.
Hello parents – I know there has been a lot of discussion of building quality programs into the DCPS school system we want for our families and our city. If you live in Ward 4, next Wednesday at 6:00-8:00 p.m. will be a major opportunity to talk about what you want for the schools in your Ward.
The Ward 4 Education Alliance (formerly ForWard4) wants to invite you to a meeting on DCPS Middle and High Schools in Ward 4 at Powell Elementary School with special guests from DCPS:
• Emily Durso, DCPS Chief of Planning and Post-Secondary Readiness
• Dan Gordon, DCPS Senior Advisor, School Design
We will present on draft concepts for middle school at the MacFarland middle school site;
Explain the need for middle school in northern Ward 4;
Receive a presentation by our DCPS guests on possibilities for a modernized Roosevelt Senior High School
and - most importantly - offer community input.
Child care and food will be available and we will have plenty of room in the Powell auditorium, just inside the front doors of the school. The Ward 4 Education Alliance would like to get to know you and have DC and DCPS know your views.
Powell Elementary School is located at 1350 Upshur St. N.W., between 13th and 14th Street on Upshur Street, N.W., just across from Upshur Park.
The Ward 4 Education Alliance brings together Ward 4 parents, students, educators, and community members to share information and advocate for continued improvement in the quality of education in Ward 4 DCPS schools. (Formerly ForWard4)
http://ward4ed.org/ and @Ward4Ed.
The Ward 4 Education Alliance (formerly ForWard4) wants to invite you to a meeting on DCPS Middle and High Schools in Ward 4 at Powell Elementary School with special guests from DCPS:
• Emily Durso, DCPS Chief of Planning and Post-Secondary Readiness
• Dan Gordon, DCPS Senior Advisor, School Design
We will present on draft concepts for middle school at the MacFarland middle school site;
Explain the need for middle school in northern Ward 4;
Receive a presentation by our DCPS guests on possibilities for a modernized Roosevelt Senior High School
and - most importantly - offer community input.
Child care and food will be available and we will have plenty of room in the Powell auditorium, just inside the front doors of the school. The Ward 4 Education Alliance would like to get to know you and have DC and DCPS know your views.
Powell Elementary School is located at 1350 Upshur St. N.W., between 13th and 14th Street on Upshur Street, N.W., just across from Upshur Park.
The Ward 4 Education Alliance brings together Ward 4 parents, students, educators, and community members to share information and advocate for continued improvement in the quality of education in Ward 4 DCPS schools. (Formerly ForWard4)
http://ward4ed.org/ and @Ward4Ed.