Reply to Revised Boundary Recommendations to be released on or about June 13

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Reply to "Revised Boundary Recommendations to be released on or about June 13"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Can we agree that the goal is to get more "involved and motivated" parents choosing and investing in their neighborhood schools - as opposed to opting for OOB, charter or private?

Meeting that objective would require DCPS to match parental investment with funds and programming that raise quality.  One investment without the other - parents [i]and[/i] DCPS - just won't work.

IMO, that's what's missing in the DME policy examples.  I can see a choice set that includes SWS as appealing, because a smaller lottery pool would increase the chances of neighboring families who want in.  But then if  a family ends up with L-T, Miner or J.O. Wilson, they need more to know that their investment in a neighborhood school is worthwhile.  Significant changes, including middle school feeder predictability, are needed.

If that's the direction we're going in - and what other constructive direction can there be? - then parents need to say what they want - and need - to make it happen. What programmatic changes do you want?  What destination middle schools?

If we all throw up our hands and say start from scratch, we're going to get what we get.  I'm no fan of Bowser, but all those putting great faith in Catania to send us back to the Start Line make me nervous.  No matter what he's talked about up to this point, he can't come up with a plan to meet the broad and diverse needs of families who are now or soon-to-be-entering the schools race.  YOU are the ones who know what's needed, not the legions of new families who are counting on charters and reform.[/quote]

I think you're only partially right about what DCPS should be doing.  No one is going to disagree that DCPS should be inviting parental involvement, as that's perhaps the greatest factor connected with strong academic performance in kids.  But also, don't ignore the fact that there is absolutely nothing DCPS can do to encourage some parents to be involved.  Some parents are just going to be minimally involved in education.  So, DCPS should do all it can to help kids who are performing below grade level (because that's what you get with less involved parents).  That means special programming for under-performing kids, along with many other proposals that shouldn't be unfamiliar here.  So, I think DCPS should be doing at least two things:  inviting parental involvement for well-achieving kids (which if done correctly should result in better neighborhood schools) and at the same time providing services tailored to the needs of under-achieving kids.  I think for far too long DCPS has been doing the former, but without a focus on neighborhood schools (buck-passing, essentially), with very little of the latter.  If you pursue both goals at once then hopefully the result is better neighborhood schools.[/quote]

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