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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If there are only a limited number of "good schools" the fairest way is that every student in DCPS gets the same chance at a slice of the pie -- until you expand the pie.[/quote]

And that explains why charter schools have gone from non-existent to almost 40% of public school students in about 10 years.  It turns out that poor people like education options too.  Charter schools offered compelling programs and curricula and environments and parents flocked to them.  The first wave of charter schools was mixed, some were good (mostly chartered by the PCSB) and some were not (mostly chartered by the then-still-existent DC School Board).  All of them mostly drew from lower-income families and they flourished east of the river.  Then, a second wave came through, when middle-class parents who didn't want to leave the District realized they could start charters and be successful.  As a result, you have Cap City and 2 Rivers and charters started to become a genuinely appealing option.  Some pretty ambitious schools opened like Washington Latin and Washington Yu Ying, and then you had parents actually leaving some desirable Ward 3 schools for charters.

The lottery ensures that everyone has the same chance at a slice of the pie.  Their rapid expansion in the market demonstrates that the pie is expanding, and maybe not fast enough.

Now there's a crying need for quality middle schools.  Many charters are already filling that gap by going to 8th grade, some even to high school.  They're a lot more nimble than DCPS and lot more able to respond to what parents want.  If DCPS doesn't react quickly and effectively, they will fill the void.  [/quote]

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