Reply to Switching Schools: Has the grass been greener?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How did this thread get off tangent with racism.  Let’s move on.  [/quote]

Because someone asked a relevant question.

[quote]If high achieving kids are doing so great at title 1 schools, then why can’t they keep them in the upper elementary? Why are they not going to DCPS middle schools EOTP?
Why is 50% of the kids in DC go to charter schools? If you break down this 50% to WOTP and EOTP, it will be much, much higher than 50%.[/quote]

The answer someone offered was that racism explains a lot of it.
[/quote]

I'm at an EOTP school that is fantastic and has a small minority of white folks -- racism truly explains a lot of the flight. The white people who stuck around are comfortable with their kids being a racial minority, many of those who left simply were not (and whispered their concerns about it.) I've seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears.[/quote]

This! Other parents ask me about the other students “slowing them down.” So tired of the gifted white student myth. [/quote]

We have a kid who tests way above grade level in mid elementary. So it isnt subjective or misguided. However unlike some we want this kid to stay with the kid’s friends. The issue is when middle school comes what should this kid be doing? Look at test scores at the destination school and there’s like 1 kid in each grade who tests at ‘Exceeds’ in Math and English.

How can my kid get a good education on Kid’s level when most teachers are struggling to get half their classes to meet standards and the rest done even get that far?

That is my real question and I don’t mean it rhetorically. If places like Brookland MS, CHEC, MacFarland have answers to this I want to know what they are. I want a reasonable approach to this. I’m willing to go along with anything plausible that teachers would do. But if there’s no approach to this, how am I not underserving my own kid? Should this kid take only classes above grade level in middle school? I can kind of figure out high school - there’s everything from Coolidge early college to Bard to Banneker and SWW. That makes some sense. But should I advocate for my kid to be in algebra in 6th grade? Take extra homework or something? Or just go with the flow and get the kid some YouTube videos on computer programming?

I want to stick with DCPS all the way through and help show what’s possible. But what standards do I have to judge by? We aren’t educators and we’re mostly just trying to not commit educational neglect.

[/quote]

Here's what you can do, PP.  As a parent of a middle elementary student, you're well-placed to be the PTO's liaison to the middle school if they don't already have one.  Step up and figure out what would be helpful.  Can the middle school offer a tour for feeder families of all ages?  Can the principal/AP come to an elementary school PTO meeting for a casual chat?  Would it be fun to bring the little kids to see a basketball game?  If there's a PTO at the middle school, can you get to know them, attend a meeting, promote their fundraiser to your families, or whatever would be helpful to them?  Do whatever you can to build out the relationship and help people feel a sense of caring towards the middle school.  As you go along, you'll be able to gather more information about how it works to have advanced classes.  This isn't going to mean that your child's needs will be met at the middle school.  But this is the kind of slow relationship-building that, over time, helps a middle school improve.  Take a look at the Brookland Village twitter account for an example of relationship-building, they have meetings for the whole feeder group: https://twitter.com/VoBTS5
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