Reply to How many kids in Crestwood are going into middle school next year? How about the year after that?

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Reply to "How many kids in Crestwood are going into middle school next year? How about the year after that?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous]But if families don't mind the lack of an acceptable local elementary and they're willing to go all over the city to OOB and charters, why should they mind doing the same for middle and high school? [/quote]

The trend has been that families who are living elsewhere get into a charter or desirable DCPS elementary school. They then move to Crestwood, knowing that elementary is taken care of, in order to secure middle and high school. This trend will come to an abrupt halt.

More recently, even younger families have started moving to Crestwood because of Powell. [b]Deal and Roosevelt may have also been part of their equation[/b]. This is the group for whom a new MacFarland and revitalized Roosevelt might make sense. The problem is that the proposed transition is much too short.
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:roll:  Seriously???  I have NEVER heard any one of my neighbors or friends' neighbors on other streets who mention Roosevelt in their equation for selecting Crestwood.   I, for one, didn't even know that Roosevelt existed until this whole school thing started and it was mentioned on DCUM.  I was like, "Ohhh, that's what that big football field by the library is about..."[/quote]

Sorry, I confused presidents. I meant to write, "Deal and Wilson". But, I hope that you will take time to learn more about Roosevelt. A top notch high school three blocks from the edge of our neighborhood could only be good. It would certainly help property values far more than a tentative relationship with Wilson. We need a better understanding of how we get from where we are to where we need to be for Roosevelt to be realistic alternative to Wilson. Then, we will need time to see that DCPS is delivering on the promise. But, the day that happens will be a good day for Crestwood.
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Jeff, you are far more optimistic than I am.  I wonder if folks in Crestwood had simply put their foot down in protest rather than walk this optimistic fine line spirit of cooperation crap whether we would be in a better situation now.  City officials do not understand grey, they understand flat out NO WE WONT ACCEPT THIS!  Anything less gives them room to wiggle, manipulate and maneuver, which is what has happened here.  [/quote]

You are more than welcome to begin setting our strategy from here on out. But, I've seen no evidence that simply saying "no" would have had any impact. Who do you think would care if we threatened to scream and stomp our feet? We were screwed the minute the Committee decided to focus on feeder patterns. That was true no matter what we said. Do you really believe that our saying "NO WE WONT ACCEPT THIS" would cause the Committee to say, "okay, Crestwood will be the only neighborhood in the entire city to be exempt from feeder patterns"? I don't think so. The Committee did not find "wiggle room" in our reasonable proposal. It flat out ignored our proposal. There is no reason they wouldn't do the same to an unreasonable proposal. 
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It's my understanding there is a small group in 16th Street Heights that has made it their mission to reopen MacFarland (even though it was failing students) and add another middle school in NORTH Ward 4, even  there is no community support.  Good old DC politics--  fill the committee with people who have a personal agenda to fulfill rather get  real input from the community. It 's baffling how the DME and DCPS think that everything will be great once there is a new, shiny building and everyone will rush send their kids there. It just will not happen. [/quote]

Lets ne clear, McFarland wasn't failing the students. the parents were failing their kids.  By and large, I think "success" of a school is 90% the parents. their involvement and their values and expectations of their kids.  McFarland will fail only if it fails to attract gentrifiers basically.  Pessimistic? Yes. But its a fact.  I would not be in bounds for a reopened McFarland but its a non starter at this point unless they show real differentiated learning tracks, serious academics and more extracurriculars.  No exceptions.   And I need to see that more of my gentrifying neighbors are also buying in.  [/quote]

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