Reply to South Arlington elementary school boundary adjustments 2019

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Drew supporters tell me, an UMC family about to be zoned from Henry/Fleet to Drew, potentially why I shouldn’t freak out? Convince me that this school will not just survive but excel? [/quote]

I'll give that a go. Full disclosure, we are zoned for Drew but currently enrolled in Montessori.

As I understand it, Drew's FARMs rate is around 55% currently. That should be an aggregated rate, i.e., taking into account the Montessori program, which is 2/3 low income. The Montessori program is far and away the biggest part of that school, about 450 out of 600 kids, give or take. So, using the above assumptions, that means the neighborhood program should clock in at a much lower FARMs rate. (My math says 20%, but I acknowledge both that that seems optimistic knowing the neighborhood and that I'm bad at math.) I've posted this before, but I understand from working group materials that Drew is slated to receive kids currently zoned Henry and Oakridge, in addition to Randolph, Abingdon, and Hoffman-Boston. I'm not as familiar with the Oakridge PUs or what can be done there in light of "walkability" but I think influx from Oakridge is a positive. Same for Henry - I assume you're in the Glebe/Walter Reed/Pike triangle. So those numbers should help. Also, I understand that people will no longer be able to opt into Hoffman-Boston from the Drew zone, so those kids (and their parents who paid enough attention to education to choose Hoffman-Boston) will come to Drew. All of this seems favorable demographically. Also, the current Drew zone does not have committed AH that I'm aware of (correct me if I'm wrong). There are plenty of smaller SFH, undoubtedly many illegal rentals, and the older garden apartments, but I don't view those through the same lens as the CAFs that have gone up in, say, the Barcroft zone. I don't think they have the same effect of concentrating lower income families/students with limited hope for turnover.

Anecdotally, in my immediate neighborhood there are at least a dozen kids currently under the age of 5 in UMC families, some of whom have already missed the boat on the lottery (some are not old enough yet), who will likely wind up at Drew. I doubt we're alone, given the relatively rampant house flipping in the area.

Drew is getting focus from APS and pressure from the community. They have a new STEAM focus. Drew will be getting a new principal this year, a year ahead of the Montessori move, rather than continuing to share a principal. The teachers I've met at Drew are all great. Some are Montessori and will move, others are not and presumably will stay. We've been there 3 years now and I have yet to notice any significant teacher turnover issues (the assistant principal has turned over once during that time, she left to take a position with APS). My child has had the same teachers for art, Spanish, PE, and whatever they call the counselor's role when she does classroom things instead of counseling. The administrators are the same for the most part.

We go to school events as allowed by the schedules of two working parents with relatively long hours and they seem well attended. Movie night each semester is packed. The book fair is a zoo. They do concerts and performances and plays.

Drew's facilities are fine. I've personally been inside Henry, Campbell, Hoffman-Boston, and Jamestown and haven't seen material differences among them, inside or out.

All that says, who knows. I can't explain why a school suddenly flourishes or why another seems to founder. I've posted this previously too, but when I moved here Hoffman-Boston was no great shakes and now it's pretty well-regarded. I don't know why, but I also don't see why Drew can't be that in another couple of years. I think the split program did the smaller neighborhood program a real disservice over the years. Having a cohesive school on its own is a step in the right direction. [/quote]

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