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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Many of us on the Hill would care less what the overall proficiency rate of a particular neighborhood middle school might be IF said program offered a full menu of well-taught, at-grade level classes for 6th-8th grades for science, math, social studies and English.  Parents also want a full menu of above grade-level classes for 8th grade and foreign languages taught at appropriates levels for most students (with an opt out of policy for advanced language students receiving instruction outside of school).

With those academic offerings, supported by reasonable and transparent standards for admission to honors/intensified classes, IB parents would flock to those schools in short order.  That's what would be "helpful."  Anything less and most parents won't bite, indefinitely.  Really no more to say.[/quote]

This is all true. And has been true for at least the last 20 years that I've been paying attention.  The problem is that standing up these classes and complete slate of foreign language offerings, likely for a small number of students at first, is really expensive.  Where does that budget come from?  Something else in the school must then lose resources--intervention and small-group instruction for struggling students?  Special Ed support for students with IEPs?  Coaches for extra curricular teams and activities?     So if DCPS stands up these classes before they have the students to fill these classes, there is a loss somewhere. This is due to the per pupil funding model.  Once the students are there, the money is there, and if there are enough students to fill the "needed" honors classes, there is then funding to hire the teachers, buy the curriculum, etc.

How to solve this problem?  I'm not sure. There are ways that have been suggested by parent groups in the past---change the funding model, secure outside foundation funding, hold on to high performing elementary cohorts in a K-8 model at their elementary school until there is a critical mass that then moves on to middle together, one pan-Ward 6 middle school that then has economy of scale to do it all, for example.  But DCPS won't go there/can't go there.  And it sort of makes sense when you realize the competing priorities of the system as a whole and the multitude of  constituencies and the political climate[/quote]

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