Reply to Is the Charter Sector Filling Out?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think DCPS has improved, overall, at least at the elementary level EOTP and WOTR. And the underwhelming performance of many charter schools has definitely given the authorizers pause.

The PCSB, for all its faults, is not as lax and permissive as authorizers in some other states, and I think that makes expansion-happy charter chains not want to locate here.[/quote]

+1, this is what I was going to say. I live on Capital Hill. 10 years ago, everyone wanted a spot either at one of the DCPS all city schools like CHML or SWS, or at a charter like Two Rivers, Lee, ITDS, Stokes, etc. Even if most of those options meant a longer commute.

Today, the first choice school for elementary for pretty much every family I know with PK kids is a DCPS. Either their in-bound or a nearby school they hope to be able to attend OOB. And it's getting harder to get OOB spots at those schools. Meanwhile Two Rivers is shedding kids at both campuses, the desire to commute to Edgewood, Brookland, or the East End campuses of Stokes or Lee is much lower, and even CHML has lost a bit of it's luster (it still always has long waitlists because it's an all-city school right next to Union Station, so even if CH families are less interested, it pulls lots of students from outside the area).

I think especially 2R's Young expansion and those East End campuses for Stokes and Lee are looking like an overreach at this point. I've met families who have left all 3 the last few years. Sounds like Stoke EE has had a TON of teacher turnover to the point that it's very disruptive to students (lots of midyear turnover which is such a massive red flag) plus people are worried about math scores. Lee EE people seem to like more but it's tiny and really not a very easy commute unless you live in the surrounding neighborhood or right on the other side of the river.

Meanwhile, great review for Brent, Maury, and L-T, and people really seem to be warming to Payne and Tyler and are enthusiastic about what JOW is going to look like in 2 years post-renovation (amazing geographic location, fantastic staff with a ton of longtime teachers, decent administration, committed PTO -- once they get that brand new facility, I think that school is going to be really desirable to both IB families and OOB families coming from Miner and Wheatley catchments.

I think the allure of charters has really worn off in Ward 6, at least.[/quote]

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