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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was pro-DCPS all through elementary school and up until April of the month we did the middle school charter lottery, got a spot at BASIS, and had a candid conversation with a DCPS middle school teacher who told me straight-up to take the BASIS spot because her DCPS did not meet the needs of advanced students. she wanted to, but the structure of the curriculum, her inabiity to fail students, her principal all kept her from adding enrichment and appropriate instruction for advanced students.

She was really unequivocal and I made my decision immediately after that conversation. She also said getting a seat at BASIS is like getting a prep school education for free, which I think it true about Latin as well. I'm very, very glad we took the spot.

[b]I'm sure I trash talked charters when my kids were young. But the middle school ecosystem in DC is very different than elementary. I recommend doing some research and allowing yourself some grace to change your mind.[/b] [/quote]

Truly appreciate this candor. The trash talking charters and "down with charters" mentality has created an environment in DC where politicians feel comfortable openly under-resourcing charters. It's not a little bit of money - it's estimated at $1,800 per student and that's money that a charter school doesn't have to improve teacher salaries, increase benefits, offer more athletics and clubs or fix sub-par facilities. Ask your charter school principal what they could do with that much more per kid. [/quote]

It's pretty shameful how the city systematically shortchanges charters. Enrollment in charter schools is growing way, way faster than at DCPS, and it won't be long before the majority of children in this city go to charter schools. [/quote]

Cite? It isn't! And the former PCSB leader Rick Cruz explicitly said it's better for the sector to stay under 50% to avoid having the responsibilities of DCPS. Oh nooo, responsibility![/quote]

This. And I'm fine with charters and will do the MS lottery. But we spent several years at a title 1 elementary in a not great part of town and if the city's charters had to do what those schools did, they'd all fail. Charters are crap at working with most at risk kids. Basically they can handle kids who are at risk but still have very supportive family networks, which is a tiny sliver of the entire at risk population. But our T1 had a large population of homeless kids as we as kids with really serious home issues. The school was amazing with these kids, basically offering a lot of social services on top of education. Charters don't have the connection to social services or, frankly, the will. They can't do it.

Right now though, charters are offering something for kids in a different underserved group -- high achieving kids.

That's why we need both DCPS and charters. It's too hard to meet the needs of the entire population in one system. [/quote]

This. I'm not really sure we need charters inevitably, because many cities are more successful with magnets, but I agree serving high achieving kids is necessary.

This idea that charters, who can kick out any underperforming or difficult kid, are doing the same work as DCPS is simply not true. And the charters aren't even preparing more or less hand selected kids all that well. If you look at risk pools they are not good.

By no means am I defending DCPS, but people are comparing apples to oranges. The charter system works for a handful of the aforementioned at risk but dedicated families, but it mostly works for a lot of wealthy and UMC families whose kids won't make it to a selective HS. It's safety schools for the already privileged who don't want to pay for private. It creates a terrible cycle where good DCPS schools in less affluent areas fight for their lives while mediocre charters rest of the laurels and parents being assured the problem kid in their child's class gets kicked out November 1 after the books close and the money for that kid doesn't follow them and stays at the charter.[/quote]

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