A test-in academy inside a school that's struggling?

"Hello, is this Snake Plisskin? Yeah, so here's the gig, Snake: I need your help to safely get my kids in and out of school. Each way, they have to pass through a zone controlled by gangs of out-of-control maniacs."

Improving school quality is about 80% determined by the students you have attend.

the other 20% is easy stuff which anyone can do its just that many don't do it.

included in that 20% are things which attract the achieving students and actually repel lower achievers

Some other interesting data - the new Dunbar building has a capacity, I believe, of 1,100 students. There are about 500 enrolled (as of 2012-13 school year). Of the 500 enrolled, fewer than half (46%) are in-boundary.

As it stands right now, there's room for a sort of 50/50 solution. Word in the neighborhood is that the new Dunbar is Gray's pet project, so I'll be interested to see how the autonomy discussion develops.

PP here-
Should have typed I would never send my kid to a school that had severe behavioral issues even with a test-in academy.

Anonymous wrote:Well then, what about a test-in academy at Dunbar? No neighborhood kids excluded from the school, some will test in to the academy and be joined by strong students from around the city. And perhaps with autonomy, an experienced administrator could hire excellent teachers and find success in all areas of the school.

If the school still has lots of behavioral problems, then a test-in academy within the school will have a hard time attracting students. I know I would never send my kid that has a lot of severe behavioral issues even with a test-in academy.

Well then, what about a test-in academy at Dunbar? No neighborhood kids excluded from the school, some will test in to the academy and be joined by strong students from around the city. And perhaps with autonomy, an experienced administrator could hire excellent teachers and find success in all areas of the school.

The academies at Wilson are not test-in and they are not a separate program. The academies allow students first priority to specific classes in their area of study, that's all.

What about an honors "test-in" teach within a school like Dunbar? I know this is done in many school systems that have wide gaps in achievement levels. Is this what happens at Wilson? Are those test in academies?

Replace the word autonomy with EXCLUSION b/c that is what the proposal is. They want to EXCLUDE undesirable and less than proficient children from attending just like School w/o Walls, Banneker, Duke Ellington, and Wilson's Academies do. They then want to claim the high scores you get when the less than proficient kids are not allowed to come to your school as a school turnaround or miraculous / innovative curriculum implementation just like these other EXCLUSION-BASED schools do. Not Impressed With any Of These School That Don't Have To Take EVERYBODY That Lives In Their Boundary!

Anonymous wrote:OP I get what you're saying but I think this proposal for Dunbar is a great idea no matter where it came from. However, I also understand that this proposal brings front in center the vexing challenge of schools in DC. With a rapidly changing demographic how can DCPS best serve all - the most challenging students and the high performers? It certainly would address the desire that I read on this board (over and over again) for a test-in high school.

I read the article today. I admit I have no idea how to run a school and what to do to improve it. but the solution proposed, making Dunbar an application only school able to select its students, does not sound really a solution to me. it does not make Dunbar a great school for the students who are there (and are clearly struggling). it simply kicks out the students and open the building to good students. this way, I can turn around any school in a day, kick the student out, bring WWS/Basis students in and voila', great school in a day

It's pretty damning that the most attractive option for improving a school is to have the central office stop "helping."

Anonymous wrote:OP I get what you're saying but I think this proposal for Dunbar is a great idea no matter where it came from. However, I also understand that this proposal brings front in center the vexing challenge of schools in DC. With a rapidly changing demographic how can DCPS best serve all - the most challenging students and the high performers? It certainly would address the desire that I read on this board (over and over again) for a test-in high school.

DC has several test-in HS's that still have room. Sending Dunbar's low-performers elsewhere isn't the solution.

Ending social promotion is one way to improve Dunbar outcomes, though that'll take time to work through the system. Fortunately DC has another 8-10 years before it sees significant growth in it's number of HS students. Until then, all the growth will be in ES and MS.

OP I get what you're saying but I think this proposal for Dunbar is a great idea no matter where it came from. However, I also understand that this proposal brings front in center the vexing challenge of schools in DC. With a rapidly changing demographic how can DCPS best serve all - the most challenging students and the high performers? It certainly would address the desire that I read on this board (over and over again) for a test-in high school.

Anonymous wrote:

I feel like Kaya Henderson is like a surgeon waking the patient up in the middle of surgery and saying, "What do you think we should do?"

^^this. She needs to be shown the door.

Washington Post story here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/autonomy-considered-as-way-to-improve-dcs-struggling-dunbar-high-school/2014/01/11/05c836d2-7a06-11e3-8963-b4b654bcc9b2_story.html?hpid=z2

Does anyone else get the feeling that DCPS is throwing in the towel and admitting that they have no idea how to run a school? That pretty much anyone could do a better job? That if you took the first 100 names in the phone book they would have as much or more expertise as the people currently manning the desks downtown?

I feel like Kaya Henderson is like a surgeon waking the patient up in the middle of surgery and saying, "What do you think we should do?"