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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
East of the Park parents have left their DCPS elementary schools pre-5th grade for decades, and it is still the case today.  The only thing different now is that charters are an option unavailable ten years ago.  When kids hit 2nd 3rd and 4th their parents want a better school with a more promising feeder pattern, and they look towards schools like Eaton and Murch that feed into Deal.  Other parents leave DCPS for privates and some leave DC altogether.  This is not a new phenomenon.

There is a lack of historical context to assert that charters, which opened five years ago, unfairly recruit.  It is wrong to claim all/most families stay enrolled in East of the Park DCPS elementary schools through 5th - that neither was nor is the case.

The reason I say nefarious is that you used the word poaching.  (POACHING – “Illegally hunt or catch (game or fish) on land that is not one's own or is under official protection.”)
[/quote]

given that "poaching" in this context is obviously slang, you could substitute recruit, advertise, promote, solicit. . . whatever.  Nowhere did I say "unfairly" recruit either -- they just exploit a system with weak controls.  And they recruit at all levels regardless of years in operation.  Families with strong MS feeders are more likely to stay through 5th (ie Deal) than those without (most everyone else)

Charters largely (but not entirely) attract families dissaffected with their public education alternatives, whether that entails offering specialized programs or attracting families away from underperforming public schools.  DCPS could counter by offering competing programs, improving the quality of neighborhood schools, etc.  Charters are nimble and many are independent, which provides great lattitude in structuring programs to exploit systemic weaknesses (espcecially at MS level).   Then again, I don't see a big difference between the very real achievement gap at charters vs traditional public shools.

It's like any successfull investor who exploits market weakness.  The public education system is essentially a free-for-all, and DCPS is a bloated beauracracy.  Charters just have an advantageous market position.  I have no fundamental issues with (most) charters, but many parents would prefer quality neighborhood schools.[/quote]

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