Reply to Cheh letter to OSSE on Ellington

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Reply to "Cheh letter to OSSE on Ellington"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Is it possible Duke Ellington had to find more students while they were in swing space so that it would be a full student body when they finally occupied?

Another comment, this one tongue-in-cheek: Antwan Wilson gave the parents of non-resident cheaters the perfect talking point: "We didn't make any demands, we were offered the spot.  We didn't know we were doing anything wrong..."[/quote]

The point is why should we be trying to come up with theories to explain why so many out of state students are at Ellington?  Let them tell us. Let them share their application and audition data and the process, etc. We are the taxpayers who pay for this PUBLIC school. We must demand much more transparency.  And it is unconscionable to me to build a palace to arts education for high school while at the same time DCPS has been undervaluing in under cutting arts education at the elementary and middle school levels for decades. [/quote]

There is a considerable difference between "arts education" and a school for the arts. Duke is a very demanding pre-professional program for kids who are serious about their craft. They lose a considerable number of kids after the first semester who really they just wanted an "arts education" but were not ready for either the work or the competition. And it's a very long day, 8;30-5;15 on a regular day, and long into the evening if you are in the performing (and rehearsing) majors. Talent can get you in, but you just can;t swing the door open to people who are not committed to the work.[/quote]

So with that insight, what does DCPS do to help DC elementary and middle school students be on track for a high school career at Ellington? If DCPS has made Ellington an elite school for DC STUDENTS, what does DCPS do to create the pipeline of students who will one day apply? And don't talk to me about how students "serious about their craft" take costly private programs outside of the school during their formative years (dance through one of the ballet troupes, private fine arts instruction, private instrument instruction, etc.). That's all good and fine and I can afford to do that for my kid but the Ellington's mission is to "nurture and inspire passion for arts and learning in talented students who might not otherwise have an opportunity to develop their artistic skills." This is clearly a nod at the idea that Ellington should help serve underprivledged kids, who typically don't have the resources to take years of music lessons at Levine or years of Dance at Washington Ballet or Joy of Motion. So what is DCPS (or OSSE) doing to develop the group of future Ellington students. Or do they just look to MD and VA to fill the school we DC taxpayers paid and continue to pay for?   [/quote]

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