Powell has grown without feeding into Deal. The elementary schools will grow regardless of the feeder pattern changes, but we have an opportunity to make these work the way we want.

Can't Bancroft already feed to Oyster-Adams?

As a Bancroft parent, I'm thrilled to hear we're on an upward trajectory! Bancroft is becoming more middle class, but very slowly. We're still losing way too many families in early years to those shiny new, higher SES charters. (Can't wait for MV to move away from Mt. P.)

Anonymous wrote:See other current post on boundaries with links to articles. Now projected start date is 2015 school year. Some confusion about grandfathering in, though, so if you start in 2014, no guarantee if you get to stay if your boundaries change.

PP, stop trying to scare people. If your child gets into a school in 2014/15, that child will be able to stay in their DCPS. Please remember: this is DC and we do not live in the suburbs where children are routinely kicked out of schools when boundaries change. If DCPS were to kick those kids out, it would disproportionately affect poor(er) black and brown kids...a PR and legal nightmare. DC has a different history and different values from the burbs, so booting currently enrolled kids simply isn't going to happen here.

See other current post on boundaries with links to articles. Now projected start date is 2015 school year. Some confusion about grandfathering in, though, so if you start in 2014, no guarantee if you get to stay if your boundaries change.

Anonymous wrote:I bet they will. Brent and Maury have improved though they don't lead to good middle schools.

Yeah, but they have (or will) hit a glass ceiling. Brent is not a great school, and it's got to do something special if it wants to emerge as a great school. Maury is a few years behind Brent and it has the same issues.

The issue of family commitment is key. But why would middle class families commit to a decently improving school if it feeds into a terrible middle school?

Whats the story with the new middle school in Brookland?

I bet they will. Brent and Maury have improved though they don't lead to good middle schools.

There is a new Middle School being built in Brookland

When will the new boundaries be revealed? We will be moving this year and want to be in boundary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It won't happen. People move into Hardy fully expecting to pay for private schools. There is no middle class to do the dirty work and make it palatable to those people.

Nonsense. I'm one of "those people." I bought my house in 2003 when my oldest was 3, because my local elementary was unacceptable and no one in my family had ever gone to private school. I fully intended that my kids would go public through high school. This is not at all unusual, tons of kids who my kids went to elementary school with go to public middle school -- they just don't go to Hardy. A lot go to Basis or Latin. Quite a few moved to be in-boundary, either for Deal or one of the suburban jurisdictions.

Yeah, yeah. A "lot" usually means a couple of dozen kids at best compared with hundreds going to private.

Anonymous wrote:

It won't happen. People move into Hardy fully expecting to pay for private schools. There is no middle class to do the dirty work and make it palatable to those people.

Nonsense. I'm one of "those people." I bought my house in 2003 when my oldest was 3, because my local elementary was unacceptable and no one in my family had ever gone to private school. I fully intended that my kids would go public through high school. This is not at all unusual, tons of kids who my kids went to elementary school with go to public middle school -- they just don't go to Hardy. A lot go to Basis or Latin. Quite a few moved to be in-boundary, either for Deal or one of the suburban jurisdictions.

Anonymous wrote:a top notch school is built by the families and their commitment to it. Hardy will be the next middle school to turn around because it has the next largest pool of high SES families who would commit to it. Stuart Hobson after that. You can physically build a new school but if you dont have high SES parents it won't change a thing.

It won't happen. People move into Hardy fully expecting to pay for private schools. There is no middle class to do the dirty work and make it palatable to those people.

Wish I could believe that any other school can do it. SES is so determinent, that I have heard that even if all of the families in the Hardy catchment actually used it, it would still most likely be about half low income from around the city. To the exetent this represents parents that care, that might mitigate, but I am not seeing the elementary schools actually making the effort needed. Real issue is figuring out how to build a middle class in DC.

a top notch school is built by the families and their commitment to it. Hardy will be the next middle school to turn around because it has the next largest pool of high SES families who would commit to it. Stuart Hobson after that. You can physically build a new school but if you dont have high SES parents it won't change a thing.

Or crash and burn?

And on a related point, if the issue is that Deal is oversubscribed, why not put resources into building another top-notch middle school program in the District? Or would that just make too much sense?