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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Frankly, I am more curious about the impressions that parents of older students in 4th or 5th grade had of the open house.

Parents of small children can be dangerous because they really have no idea unless they are in the education field of how to evaluate a secondary school. And they have absolutely no skin in the game.  Cheerful optimism from them can be dangerous because it maintains the status quo and doesn't fire bold action or change. Mostly they are thinking "well, it's fine for those kids". But when their own kid gets close enough to actually Go there it doesn't happen. Justifications abound.  [/quote]

Oh, the parents of young children absolutely have skin in the game. Their time horizon is just 3-4 years rather than 1-2 years. And for them, the highly desirable charters may not even be a dim possibility. There is definite skin in the game.[/quote]

Agreed. [b]Our kid will be in prek[/b] at Amidon (and most likely will stay for elementary) and guess where his middle school will be - Jefferson (gasp, it's not just Hill parents that feed to Jefferson). There's a bunch of middle class families in SWDC who are making the effort to send their kids to Amidon and want to see their neighborhood ES and MS succeed. We want our kids to go to the local schools and not have to be schlepped all over town to go to school. Jefferson will be the next focus and believe me, in 2-3 years time, I'm sure us prek/k parents at Amidon will be thinking about middle school and how we can feed into a good neighborhood school.

Also, with the construction going on at the Wharf, and all around SW, it is bound to bring in some families (not too many since they are mostly building studios and 1 bedrooms) but there's opportunities to have your voice heard at DCPS and let them know we want better options at Jefferson for our kids and the families that continue to grow (and stay) in the local neighborhoods.

The PARCC is a joke. [/quote]

So...  you presently have zero personal experience with DCPS, much less knowledge of what it takes to improve a school, or the proven intestinal fortitude to have withstood the slow drain of students with each passing year.

You'll have to patient and wait until you know whereof you speak before anyone takes you seriously, sweetie.[/quote]

+1.  You can have your voice heard and then promptly disregarded.  The Wharf will be a nice destination, but hardly a draw for families looking for somewhere to live with a middle school aged kid.  In the end, it's about the cohort, and most Hill families aren't buying the magic unicorn optimism that seems to be motivating some well-intentioned parents.  Too many at-risk kids (62%).  Too many kids testing at below proficiency (80%).  Too many suspensions (30%).  Declining enrollment (310 in 2014).  [/quote]

PP here -- all i'm saying is don't discount the parents with young ones either, as we can help make a difference too. I even said that not many families will be moving in .. but there are families that are already here and are staying and sending their kids to Amidon and who want a good middle school in the area to send our kids to. Also, why would you say that I have no knowledge of what it takes to improve a school? We've already been active with the existing parents in the school and have gone to several meetings about the future of the school. I've been living in DC for 13+ years and have friends with kids in the DCPS system and also friends that teach/are principals in the system as well. I'm pretty familiar with the school system. Good luck to those on the Hill -- all I'm saying is it might be worth working together with other parents in other ES to pull resources together and lobby for better schools. 
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