Reply to No more Cardozo Middle; feeders to go to FS

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "No more Cardozo Middle; feeders to go to FS"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
As someone whose kid is already headed for FS, I worry that these families will petition to stay and it will change the character of the school.

It's a ton of disruption for FS, all to appease some wealthy families in center city when kids all over DC are stuck in failing middle schools, with no Euclid on the horizon for them. Why do parents in Logan Circle get this kind of attention and an out to a much better middle? 
[/quote]

Believe me, if you are at all representative of the kinds of parents at FS, we will not want to stay long. [/quote]

Current SWWFS parent here. This attitude is not representative of the parent community. And PP appears to think that Garrison, Seaton, and Cleveland are full of wealthy white students, which is incorrect, as others have already pointed out.

I think this temporary move will probably be fine, but it’s true that absorbing kids from three additional schools is going to be a big change for the middle school, even considering the added space from the renovation. I don’t think it was projected that all of the extra capacity would go to middle school students, or that those seats would be filled so quickly. It would be good for everyone if DCPS communicated plans for implementing and supporting this.[/quote]

It will definitely be a big change. I will note that increased enrollment tends to be a good thing for middle schools, bc it means that they can hir more teachers and then have differentiated classes. That's why Stuart Hobson, for example, is able to  offer Geometry and advanced English classes, and SWWFS is not. So this could be a positive thing. Agree that we need to know more about the details.[/quote]

The SWWFS principal was consulted and apparently signed off on this arrangement, and I think this has to be a big part of her reasoning.

I’d be less worried about the population jump at the beginning and thinking more about what happens when Euclid opens and the three temporary feeders start sending 6th graders there instead. That could mean pretty substantial enrollment drops for SWWFS over at least three straight years as the final class of the temporary pattern move through, and enrollment/budget drops seem to be a lot harder to manage than gains.

That doesn’t make this decision bad (I think it’ll ultimately be good for FS, the feeders, and Euclid all), just something everyone involved needs to think ahead about.[/quote]

I agree that this will require real preparation, and I’m not sure I trust DCPS to manage that well. Whatever benefits come with larger middle schools, SWWFS is an education campus, not just a middle school, and its population has been split about evenly between elementary and middle school. A significant temporary expansion and then contraction of the middle school is going to have effects on the elementary school too. Again, that’s not to say it’s bad or won’t work—I hope it is successful all around—but it’s not simple. And I wouldn’t take the principal’s “sign-off” as any indication that DCPS has thought about this carefully, or that real choice was offered, but I have no knowledge of that. [/quote]

As the parent of a kid who will be at FS middle right after Euclid opens, I share these hopes and concerns. On the one hand, it's great for the feeders that Cardozo MS is closing - it's the kind of school no child should have to attend and it can only help central city remain desirable.  It may be wonderful for FS to have all these additional resources and staff, and the support of a parent community who clearly knows how to get things done in DCPS.

On the other hand, I liked the idea of a small but diverse middle. FS was just beginning to get more buy-in from Ross families and I wonder if this helps or hurts. And I wonder where all these new FS middle school teachers will come from - Cardozo? Surely there must be some good teachers there, but I imagine there are also many who couldn't find work elsewhere. I know it will be awhile before my kid gets there and there could be a ton of turnover in that time, but I'd like FS to maintain its reputation as a place for strong teachers.

I also hope that if this is successful, DCPS doesn't forget about the kids still at FS while it pours resources into Euclid. There aren't many quality middle schools in DC - could DCPS direct another strong elementary school to FS to fill the gap? Give feeder parents a choice between the two schools for a few years to smooth the transition? Find another use for the Euclid building and make this the FS population permanently if it really is working that well? Last one seems very unlikely I know!

I really hope they are thinking it through and that the feeder parent communities who had the clout and determination to make this happen won't forget about FS once Euclid opens.

[/quote]

I’m the current SWWFS parent from above and I’m sure they’ll find strong teachers. Not worried about that at all. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics