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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]nch of kids over for a 3rd grade sleepover the other night, all from the same DCPS school.  When I did a head count, I realized that most of them won't be returning for 4th grade.  Parents are already moving to the burbs, and elsewhere in the country and the world, or privates because they know our assigned middle school won't work for them, not by a long shot, and wouldn't be satisfied with BASIS or Latin (particularly for HS), even if they could get in.

Our politicians have really let us down and Bowser and Henderson and co. could absolutely care less if they lose these families, all of whom started DCPS in PreK3 or PreK4. Most of these kids' parents have been very involved in the PTA from the get go. When I passed Charles Allen on a sidewalk the other night, it was all I could do to keep from yelling[b] "WHERE IS OUT TEST-IN PROGRAM![/b]  WHY DOES WARD 7 GET ONE BUT NOT WARD 6?!" at him. [/quote]

You'll be lucky to get a language immersion offer as a subtle test-in in masquerade/gimmick.  But yes, why not just a simple, serious school as you suggest where kids can learn without major disruptions?  [b]The Council throws a lot of money at developers to make projects happen;[/b] all they have to do is make quality DCPS schools and the market will handle the rest.  But that's too simple.[/quote]

Can you give an instance where this has happened recently, at least west of the Anacostia?  [/quote]

Nationals Park. The planned soccer stadium at Buzzard Point (and the willingness to do a below-market trade of the Reeves Center to get land for it). The streetcar. 
Not the council but DCHA spent a ton of money on the redevelopment of Capper/Carrollsburg into Capitol Quarter and surrounding buildings, and to a less-successful extent, redevelopment near Sursum Corda and Park Morton.

But PP misses an important point: it is simpler to give money (or discounts on property, bonds, or TIFs) to developers than it is to improve schools.  You say "all they have to do is make quality DCPS schools" like a quality school is something you can buy. Like there's some easy way to fix a situation where the majority of public school kids in the city are poor.  You'd have to fix parental education levels, how people parent, the criminal justice system (and crime in general), mental illness and how it's treated, housing conditions (lead causes learning delays; cockroaches contribute to asthma), transportation, disparities in early child care, income inequality, racism, etc.  You could make a test-in middle school and maybe help the few kids that got in, but that's not exactly the same thing.  [/quote]

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