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[quote=Anonymous]Below is text from the document Brent parents drafted and sent to the Chancellor regarding middle school changes/reform.
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Summary of Brent ES Community 
Recommendations to DCPS
re: Middle School
April 15, 2010

Brent Elementary Parents see a need for a radical change at the middle school level in Ward 6.  We have no confidence in the existing middle school programs available to us, but want to be a part of the solution to the problem. Our goal is to keep our children in DCPS not just through middle school, but all the way through graduation at Eastern High School.  As a way to create confidence that DCPS can meet the needs of our students and harness the momentum of families currently at Brent we are requesting:

STAGE I
• DCPS works in partnership with the Brent Community to develop and grow a top-notch, college preparatory middle school program starting immediately.  This program would feature an IB Middle Years Curriculum and a school community and climate that replicates what we currently have at Brent.

• Target size: minimum 300 students (may be smaller in first few years).

• A program immediately operating from a position of strength: from Day 1 has a population where a minimum of 75% of the students are entering already performing at grade level or above.

• Simultaneously, the Brent Community would collaborate on positive change in schools across Ward 6 - sharing resources, forming partnerships and sharing best practices - all with an eye on Eastern SHS as the goal.

STAGE II
• After a pilot period of 3-5 years we foresee this program becoming a core group of motivated, highly proficient students that could then be placed at one of the Ward 6 Middle School facilities, assuming certain baseline conditions at that facility are met (see Gallery Walk exercise).
 
BACKGROUND
Public elementary schools on Capitol Hill have seen remarkable and rapid revitalization over the last five years, a result of deep and sustained investment by the DC government in urban renovation, coupled with growing public confidence in DCPS.  This confidence in the public school system, though fragile, is the turnkey to continue DC's urban renaissance and build on the city's investments.

Hundreds of young families have decided to invest in their neighborhood schools, resulting in increased enrollment, vigorous fundraising and PTA involvement, rising test scores and broadening curriculum and innovative programming. At the same time, changes in school governance policies and facility improvements from DCPS have combined to create unprecedented success and forward momentum in our local elementary schools.

The renewal efforts at Eastern High School are seeing growing support by Capitol Hill families whose hopes are high that with the right administration and programming in place, our children will graduate from this historic school ready to compete among the best colleges and universities.  However, there is one truly bleak spot between our rapidly improving elementary schools and our hopes for Eastern High School:  middle school.

The Brent community understands that a successful, high-quality program at Eastern High School requires strong middle schools feeding into it and is prepared to be a large part of an effort to reach this goal.

However, the current situation at Eliot-Hine, Jefferson, and Stuart-Hobson Middle Schools is less than ideal from the perspective of Brent parents, many of whom are already exploring other options outside the DCPS system and even outside the District.

Stuart-Hobson Middle School, part of the Capitol Hill Cluster School, is currently the ONLY middle school in Ward 6 serving a significant number of students from Capitol Hill feeder schools. Stuart Hobson is filled to capacity and does not have the space to accommodate the eventual total of 40-50 rising 6th graders from Brent.  Stuart-Hobson, while widely considered a solid middle school, does not currently have the kind of academic rigor and opportunities for high-performing students that are an essential factor for a majority of the parents at Brent.

While Eliot-Hine is having success bringing academically low-performing students up to proficiency, Jefferson Middle School can be categorized as a failing school with crumbling infrastructure and plunging enrollment.  Chancellor Rhee and her representatives are in agreement with Brent parents that neither of these schools in their current configurations are appropriate destinations for well-prepared, highly proficient students who will be graduating from Brent Elementary and other high-performing students from across the city.

This untenable middle school situation in Ward 6 will result in a shuddering loss of momentum in the elementary schools of Capitol Hill as the first neighborhood parents to have engaged with the local schools scatter in all directions (private schools, charters, Maryland, Virginia, homeschooling) when faced with unacceptable educational options beyond the 5th grade.  This will make an impression on the hundreds of families coming up with younger children and negatively impact people’s commitment to DCPS and to Washington, DC.
 
A CONSENSUS IN THE BRENT COMMUNITY

Given the current situation at local middle schools as described above and given the need to attract a critical mass of families who have many other options available to them, we request that DCPS allows Brent to grow and develop a middle school program outside of the currently available (but currently unacceptable) middle school programs. This pilot and growth period would last for 3-5 years when this core group of at least 300 highly-proficient and motivated students could then be placed within an existing Middle School facility, assuming the presence of baseline conditions at those schools.

Brent parents have come to the conclusion that this solution will create the necessary confidence to retain current students, will not disrupt current feeder patterns and is the most viable way to create a successful program quickly within the DCPS system.  Parents have clearly expressed their ideas for what constitutes a successful middle school program including:

• A program operating from a position of strength: a student body made up of a minimum of 75% of students already performing on grade level and ready to soar higher.
• IB Middle Years Program (perhaps paired with an IB Primary Years program at Brent).
• Continuation of our current school community and climate: A high degree of control over the administration and operation of the program.
• "Whole child" development - academic, social, artistic and physical.
• Academic rigor, including summer bridge programs and accelerated learning opportunities to meet the needs of struggling and advanced students.
• A vibrant school life without the need for excessive control measures by staff.
• A strong partnership with the Smithsonian and other institutions incorporating aspects of a School Without Walls concept to capitalize on rich local resources.

Brent offers valuable resources to achieve these objectives:

• An experienced and visionary administration and top-notch teaching staff.
• The expertise and support of an active, educated, and engaged community of parents and guardians. Ability to raise funds from outside sources to meet one-time budget gaps.
• A cohort of well-prepared students who are ready to continue academic success.
• Respect and desire for diversity within our school - a school that reflects the city as a whole.
• Forward momentum as a school and a community.  A strong desire to keep our families involved in DCPS and living in Washington, DC.
• A history and goal of attracting and serving educationally ambitious families from other wards to grow program beyond Brent graduates.
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