Reply to Are we fools not to play lottery for our 3 y o?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote] Because you are either a troll or delusional if you think the PUBLIC education system, set up to serve families who either cannot afford to send their kids to school or value/prioritize factors that make them choose a public school even if they could afford private, [b]PUBLIC schools are NOT set up to serve higer SES families, nor are the kids of higher SES families "just as deserving" of free quality schools as Ward 7 and 8 kids.[/b] [/quote]

NP to this particular rant, but I have to point out that the bolded part is just ridiculous.  Public education is for everyone, not just a select few, whether they be high SES or low SES.  The notion that the public school system should ignore the needs of high SES families because they can "just go private" is really offensive.  I'm not saying that the schools need to cater to high SES families, but dismissing them with a wave of the hand isn't the answer either.  [/quote]

Different PP but then what are you saying?  Some people here are complaining about[b] basically wanting public dollars to support family choices they are making that the majority of working class people couldn't make use of even if they wanted to (I.e. partial day pre-s)[/b].  And yes, I agree with PP that this is a public school system that needs to focus on educating those most challenged in getting educations.  If that can be done while making it look enough like a private school for you or other posters to stay in DC and want to go, fine, join in, but NO public schools should NOT equally weigh the desires of those who could easily choose other options for their kids with those who have no other options.

What are you specifically saying is equally important that public schools consider on behalf of high SES parents?[/quote]

OMG. Please find one instance where I said that. FIND ONE. You people do not get it. I do not, and not one other poster that I noticed wants, FREE PART TIME PS / PK for my kids. I do not want that! I am happy to pay for and use a private school. What I DO want is for the lottery system not to be set up so that I cannot enter the public school system in a tenable way at kindergarten. Do you seriously not know how to read? The current system basically forces you to either enter the system at PS3 or 4 (whatever the first program of a particular school is, that is where you must enter, to seriously have a shot at getting your kid in) regardless of whether you want to use it. My argument all along has NEVER been that I want free services. Nor did the OP of this thread. We simply do not want to enter the school system this soon. We are being forced to enter and use services we don't want. This is because despite all the hot air about improvements to DCPS that others have made, many-many-many kids have in-bounds schools that are fundamentally unacceptable. Not ONE of you posters would send a kid to my in-bounds school. Not one of you and I'm sure of it. We have one of hte highest percentages of non-reading kids. Parental involvement is zilch. Every score you could use the school demonstrates that it is sinking. The local, engaged families here don't give a shit about it because they don't have to - they can lottery out. The lottery system is fucked, though. It presents parents like me, in communities like mine, with two realistic choices. 1. send your kids across town to whatever lottery you get into, at whatever age that particular school starts. And it WILL BE at four or younger. Full time. OR 2. skip preschool (again, we're not rich or "choosing" to live on one income - DH works evenings) and try to compete for the 14 slots city wide that happen to open up at kindergarten. Since this is highly unlikely to be a successful strategy, that leaves one with the option of sending kid to a school where the word "underperforming" is the understatement of the century, or, I don't know. Homeschooling, I guess. In fact, a growing number of people are homeschooling for this very reason - because they are the losers in the winners and losers game of DC schools. Schools should not force parents to play musical chairs when there are not enough chairs. Charter schools have been the nail in the coffin of DCPS, and now all of you who are so damn happy about it should get over yourselves with suggesting that you're the good guys in this fight. You're not! You haven't helped the poor kids, you haven't lifed all the boats. You've served yourselves and a handful of people like you. The large majority of kids are still stuck in a sinking system. The only way out is to be forced into PS or PK before you want your kid to go. BECAUSE that's the entry point.

Do you not get it? NOBODY WANTS FREE PART TIME PK / PS on this thread. If it were available, fine. But I wouldn't push for it. I'd simply push for a fair entry point for folks who choose not to use those services. CAn you really not see how it's not fair to require something that should not be mandatory? And how that is limiting, not increasing, MY choice for the sake of yours?  [/quote]

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