Reply to Middle Schools - Ward 6 Centric

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Banneker or SWW are selective admissions schools.  SH is not.

Size is one element for making a great school in Ward Six - not the only element.  Dunbar needs more than size to make it strong.

DCPS is not selling this line - the facts making the case on their own.

WARD SIX ENROLLMENT/CAPACITY
SH – 428 / 460
EH - 284 / 850
Jeff – 279 / 900

TOTAL IN-BOUNDS STUDENTS
SH - 90
EH – 94
Jeff – 151

* Ward Six has capacity for 2,210 students in three middle schools.
* Ward Six middle schools use 45% of their capacity.
* Ward Six has 991 total middle school students enrolled.
* Ward Six has 335 in-bounds middle school students.
* Ward Six students fill 15% of the Ward Six middle school capacity. [/quote]

Yes, all of these point to the need for a larger MS in Ward Six in order to rationalize the costs.  They do not prove that size = quality.[/quote]
“Middle school is the age where kids figure out what excites them,” said Councilmember Wells. “Are they motivated by languages? By sports? By art? The more options you can provide in a middle school, the better. That’s why Deal is the ideal.” [/quote]

Deal is the best DCPS has to offer, that doesn't mean it's ideal.  Tommy Wells is DC Councilmember, not an expert on education.[/quote]
[b]Do you have an affirmative point to make?  Or are you just Johnny Negative? [/b] Can you lay out a vision where a small middle school works within the context of Ward Six?[/quote]

Neither.  I have a [b]cautionary[/b] point to make.  Namely, that we should be seduced by the promise of larger = better.  That is not empirically true.  What is empirically true, is that larger = better economies of scale.  And economies of scale may very well be [i]one[/i] ingredient in the recipe of a successful MS in DCPS.  However, if that's all anyone has to say or to offer for a Ward 6 MS, then Jeff-Eliot-Hobson is only going to be one big agglomerated mess of the current MS options.  This is not a compelling vision.

I would suggest that what's needed is:

A strong principal
A visionary and specialized program (IB, or an expanded version of SH's museum partnerships, or an MS-level immersion opportunity such as art taught strictly in Spanish/Chinese/French, - something to capture the attention of the inbounds families who are leaving for greener pastures)
A strong catchment area (more than one decent elementary feeder, so some combination of Brent, Watkins, and/or Maury)
A magnet offering to draw some good and under-challenged students from other Wards (such as Honors Math classes and a Robotics class) to create a destination appeal for the school

Is size good?  Yes, probably here it is.  But size in and of itself is becoming the talking point and frankly that sets the bar too low.[/quote]

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