Reply to Charter reviews scheduled for Feb 23: LEARN, Rocketship, Thurgood Marshall

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Rocketship has never truly understood the DC families it serves. While it's a national charter, they cut their teeth in California  - predominantly the San Jose region, with Hispanic families. They seemed to think they had a cookie cutter approach that could be applied anywhere, but DC's Ward 8 demographics weren't like anything they'd experienced up to that point. Not sure how their Tennessee and Texas expansions are doing. [/quote]

Rocketship Infinity is by the Fort Totten metro, which is not doing well but not as badly as Rocketship's lowest-performing school EOTR. Just to run a quick comparison with a nearby DCPS LaSalle-Backus, LaSalle-Backus is doing way better-- quite impressive on some metrics such as MGP and CAPE scores. LaSalle-Backus actually has a *higher* rate of economically disadvantaged students. Friendship Ideal is a nearby similar charter (though only goes through 3rd) and also outperforms Rocketship Infinity despite having a higher percentage economically disadvantaged.

There are two Rocketship schools EOTR: Legacy and Rise. They're 2.4 miles apart by car, yet their performance is significantly different. Perhaps there's a reason for this, I dunno. DCPS school Anne Beers Elementary, which is roughly between the two Rocketships, is doing better than both.

I don't know what one could conclude from this other than Rocketship is an outlier. And I don't know if one or more Rocketship campus closes, how area schools are going to cope with an influx of children who have been so poorly served.[/quote]

It's so strange that Legacy Prep is struggling now, as it was originally considered "the good one". Rise was the flagship, but Legacy had better facilities and better teachers. Infinity was a weird situation, in that they weren't really in a place for more expansion, but it was more of a real estate grab. A site became available, and they switched priorities. I know almost nothing about Infinity since it opened, but if Legacy is in danger, then Rise is most certainly in danger. [/quote]

You seem so knowledgeable! I really don't know much, but it seems to me Legacy is struggling more than Rise at the moment. But Legacy has the most kids-- about 500. I'm not sure Rise can absorb that many. [/quote]

So, I've got a philosophy on Rocketship that will make me not so "Anonymous" to folks who know me: Rocketship is basically a tech company masquerading as a charter school. It's based in San Francisco, in the same spaces as every other tech giant. The difference is that the "innovation" it's marketing is Education. When you work for them, it's like working for a startup. Insane expectations, and no work/life balance. The children and families are basically seen as consumers. And they have a bunch of technology that they swear will meet your children where they are, and have them above grade level in no time. Then, they'll award them some proprietary grades that don't mean anything outside their walls. When the kids transfer, the receiving schools don't know what to do with the transcripts. It looks really sleek on the surface, but there's very little substance underneath it all.[/quote]

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