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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If by "location changes" you mean they used a swing space during modernization, it's unlikely they would close a building they just modernized. More likely they would expand the boundaries whichever way possible.

If you care about your school and want to help it thrive, stop pinning everything on the location rationale.  In DCPS you have to have eyes wide open about everything. Even if you really like the school just as it is, you need to be looking for and addressing the concerns of others if you want it to grow. [/quote]

Thanks for the responses. Not a swing space. We are in a non-residential area of DC.

As a parent, my power to "address the concerns of others" in order for the school to grow is limited. I can make suggestions, sure, but I don't get to decide what the school does -it's up to the principal and staff to do what they think will best serve the kids already there, first and foremost, then figure out what might bring in other kids. At least that's how I understand it. Does it work differently where you are? [/quote]

Well, yes my experience has been different, you seem to be more on the passive side and some Title I parents are more assertive because they believe it's necessary to the functioning of the school. Ideally in a DCPS Title I you'd have a small but active parent organization that does its own efforts which may or may not increase enrollment (and that doesn't have to be a primary goal). These are things the school administration is okay with but doesn't actively manage, such as you might host social events or a uniform donation/giveaway. The parent group also provides feedback and partners with the administration on finding and implementing mutually desirable changes. So if, for example, you'd like to have a stronger sense of community, the PTO could host a picnic or something. If you don't have before-care and that's putting people off, the parents can provide that feedback to the school and do some of the legwork on finding a provider. Those are just some examples, maybe you're already doing those things. If the school is concerned about maintaining its enrollment, it should want constructive parent feedback.

It sounds like you're concerned about the future of your school, and you're putting the blame for declining enrollment on the location change. I'm suggesting to you that there may be other reasons, and that you should try to identify those reasons and take them seriously even if they aren't bothering you or your child as individuals. It's rare for a school with a strong principal and a decent middle school feed to have a decline in enrollment.[/quote]

Not OP but I get what she is saying about the location being an issue. Our DCPS elementary also struggles being in a location where not many people are moving because it's a commercial corridor (people do move there, but most of the available housing is condos so not a ton of people with kids) and this impacting enrollment. I don't think our school is in danger of being closed, but I can relate to the challenges this poses. We rely a lot on OOB students coming (my family is actually OOB) and a committed group of IB families who live in the small amount of SF housing in the boundary. And relying on OOB students can make it hard to gain traction in DC, because many prospective families view that as a mark of low quality. But in our case it's actually a compliment -- despite having few families within boundary, our school attracts students from nearby boundaries who prefer it to their IB.

It sounds to me like OP's school doesn't necessarily have glaring flaws, but many just be in a difficult boundary that as evolved more towards non-family residents. I think you may not understand the nature of the issue.[/quote]

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