Reply to CHARTERS MAY MERGE AT WALTER REED (The DC International School, IB Diploma Programme)

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Reply to "CHARTERS MAY MERGE AT WALTER REED (The DC International School, IB Diploma Programme)"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]There is no reason for DCI to not allow bilingual kids to take advanced language classes once they lottery in.  The non-existence of a screening process for the language charters exists because 1) the charter board requires schools to either a) accept everyone or b) choose a cut off grade to not accept new students and consequently 2) the charters have to choose between possible attrition in the upper grades or making sure that all of the students enrolled have a similar foundation in the target language by the time the get to the upper grades and therefore meet their chartered goal of bilingualism for all students enrolled.

Now this could be controversial if kids that lottery in have no prior language instruction but for the low-SES kids that may already speak for example Spanish (maybe French) or were already enrolled at one of the 4 DCI schools, that wouldn't be an issue.  The question is how many low-SES kids without adequate language skills in the target language enroll through a lottery will they be able to catch up and enroll in advanced language classes?[/quote]

I'd like to think there is no reason, but there always seems to be a reason with DC Charter.  The chaters don't seem to be making sure that all the students enrolled have a similar foundation in the target language as much as they're making sure that native speakers and high-SES families providing the necessary inputs don't crowd out low-SES AA kids.  What other reason is there for a kid speaking and reading/writing appropriate level Spanish, Mandarin or French to be kept out of one these schools past around 2nd grade when spots go empty in the upper grades?  I see no way for low-SES kids to catch up, other than maybe those education hungry DC Chinese, because their parents can't afford the inputs (particularly literacy skills for bilingual Spanish kids).  The matter of bilingual kids from outside the feeders enrolling in advanced language classes may or may not net out in a positive way with high-SES white families potentially accruing almost all the benefit.  There will be hiccups and possibly road blocks.

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