calexander wrote:New meeting scheduled for next week. Our homework is to get community feedback on the following questions:

What is essential for DCPS to know about the community surrounding MacFarland Middle School?

Christopher,

I'm sure that you don't need to be told most of what I have to say, but for the record, here it is. The community surrounding MacFarland is diverse and not easily categorized. Simple descriptions such as black/white, rich/poor, native/gentrifier, etc., fall well short of the reality. DCPS will not be trying to manage one group that wants one thing and another group that wants another thing. Rather, DCPS will face many groups with many different goals, some of which will overlap and some of which will conflict.

Obviously, the community has been in a state of transition for a number of years and will continue to be in such a state. However, I think it is an open question as to how long such change will continue. While it would be a mistake to ignore the changes that have occurred in recent years, it might be an equally big mistake to expect that rate of change to continue. On the other hand, the school itself could be a catalyst to various types of change and that is something else to consider.

calexander wrote:
What do you hope to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?

I personally hope to see a high-performing school with a diverse student body. A school that will rival the best middle schools in DC. I share the concern that has been mentioned in other threads that the school might focus on the bilingual program with the regular program being an afterthought. The programming should be designed in such a way that even if the bilingual component were removed, it would still be a great program. I hope that school will be a high-performing school that includes a bilingual program, not a bilingual middle school that includes an English-only track.

calexander wrote:
What do you hope NOT to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?

I don't want to see the school become a collection of separate programs simply existing under one roof. For instance, one group shunted off into remedial classes, another exclusively attending bilingual classes, and another isolated into some sort of magnet or gifted program. Some here would probably think that sounds great, but without something to bind these groups together, there will be endless conflict. Some very creative thinking will need to be done to develop ways to address a variety of needs and desires while at the same time maintaining a unifying foundation.

Anonymous wrote:

calexander wrote:New meeting scheduled for next week. Our homework is to get community feedback on the following questions:

What is essential for DCPS to know about the community surrounding MacFarland Middle School?

What do you hope to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?

What do you hope NOT to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?



Fair Warning: If your bright idea is create a scheme to exclude students from the neighborhood, save your keystrokes, as I will not relay that.

It's been quite grumpy around here lately; let's make this the thread where we try to brainstorm some actual solutions.

Christopher

Whoa, who brought that up / where? On DCUM?

Sorry, that is my own commentary on some of the threads that have been popping up lately (i.e.'Ward 3 and Charters Unite!', 'EOTP Real Estate/School Boundary Evasion, Part 75', etc.)

calexander wrote:New meeting scheduled for next week. Our homework is to get community feedback on the following questions:

What is essential for DCPS to know about the community surrounding MacFarland Middle School?

What do you hope to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?

What do you hope NOT to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?



Fair Warning: If your bright idea is create a scheme to exclude students from the neighborhood, save your keystrokes, as I will not relay that.

It's been quite grumpy around here lately; let's make this the thread where we try to brainstorm some actual solutions.

Christopher

Whoa, who brought that up / where? On DCUM?

calexander wrote:New meeting scheduled for next week. Our homework is to get community feedback on the following questions:

What is essential for DCPS to know about the community surrounding MacFarland Middle School?

What do you hope to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?

What do you hope NOT to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?



Fair Warning: If your bright idea is create a scheme to exclude students from the neighborhood, save your keystrokes, as I will not relay that.

It's been quite grumpy around here lately; let's make this the thread where we try to brainstorm some actual solutions.

Christopher

Honors classes or a test-in track would be a start.

New meeting scheduled for next week. Our homework is to get community feedback on the following questions:

What is essential for DCPS to know about the community surrounding MacFarland Middle School?

What do you hope to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?

What do you hope NOT to see in MacFarland as a neighborhood middle school?



Fair Warning: If your bright idea is create a scheme to exclude students from the neighborhood, save your keystrokes, as I will not relay that.

It's been quite grumpy around here lately; let's make this the thread where we try to brainstorm some actual solutions.

Christopher

calexander wrote:So, the planning team did report back on the question that was posted last week. There will be an English language meeting scheduled for the week of October 15th, location TBD. In addition, there will be meetings at every one of the feeders.

The Spanish language meeting was apparently scheduled long ago and is a collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Latino Affairs as an effort to increase participation from parents in that group. Seems like they are piggybacking on an existing meeting.

Makes sense to me. Spanish dominant families with kids nearing the end of elementary are probably already planning on Columbia Heights education campus, a school none of the white parents will consider.

So, the planning team did report back on the question that was posted last week. There will be an English language meeting scheduled for the week of October 15th, location TBD. In addition, there will be meetings at every one of the feeders.

The Spanish language meeting was apparently scheduled long ago and is a collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Latino Affairs as an effort to increase participation from parents in that group. Seems like they are piggybacking on an existing meeting.

Anonymous wrote:truthfully if we were looking to host a meeting at Bruce Monroe or Powell or several other dual language schools that were really for the bulk of the parents at those schools, advertising would be in Spanish, the meeting would be conducted in Spanish, and you and the five other monolingual English speaking parents at the meeting would have someone from the staff whispering to you a simultaneous translation as the meeting happened.

Instead, you are asking for the opposite, as a small minority in a mostly monolingual Spanish parent cohort. I don't say this to be harsh, but that is generally correct, yes?

I get the impression that the PS 3 class at Bruce Monroe this year is english dominant and white/gentrifier cohort. The "Friends of" group did a lot of outreach to neighborhood families who otherwise would not have considered thee school. I get that DCPS is focused on the incoming 6h graders next year but if they actually knew how to plan they would be targeting ALL the parents of preschoolers at the feeders to get them excited and working to make this a middle school feeder they will buy into. Otherwise they will do what is typcial, stick around for preschool, maybe K and try for lottery every year into a school that does feed to a middle school they want. Yes, parents are making middle school decisions for their kids by 1st or 2nd grade.

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible for DCPS to take back Paul and turn it into the new "North MS".

Their new addition looks great.

No they cannot. But what should be done is closing Coolidge and making that a middle school. Doubt it will happen though.

Is it possible for DCPS to take back Paul and turn it into the new "North MS".

Their new addition looks great.

Anonymous wrote:truthfully if we were looking to host a meeting at Bruce Monroe or Powell or several other dual language schools that were really for the bulk of the parents at those schools, advertising would be in Spanish, the meeting would be conducted in Spanish, and you and the five other monolingual English speaking parents at the meeting would have someone from the staff whispering to you a simultaneous translation as the meeting happened.

Instead, you are asking for the opposite, as a small minority in a mostly monolingual Spanish parent cohort. I don't say this to be harsh, but that is generally correct, yes?

If I were truly in the minority as an English speaker, I'd be fine being the one huddled around a translator.

truthfully if we were looking to host a meeting at Bruce Monroe or Powell or several other dual language schools that were really for the bulk of the parents at those schools, advertising would be in Spanish, the meeting would be conducted in Spanish, and you and the five other monolingual English speaking parents at the meeting would have someone from the staff whispering to you a simultaneous translation as the meeting happened.

Instead, you are asking for the opposite, as a small minority in a mostly monolingual Spanish parent cohort. I don't say this to be harsh, but that is generally correct, yes?

FWIW, one of the cmte members put in a question about this meeting and any plans for a follow-up. We'll see how they respond.

the meeting is hosted by DCPS. The impression I got is that its open to anyone but will be in Spanish Only. Bruce Monroe parents did request English translation and DCPS specifcially said NO and that this was meeting targeted to spanish dominant families. There is already a lot of concern raised by other parents on the BM listserve about why DCPS would have a meeting that willingly excludes families that might be interested in an immersion school. I know several families with young Bruce Monroe kids and they want McFarland to be the pathway for Middle School but already feel like DCPS is missing the mark. Hopefully they will get a second meeting in English scheduled asap. This was such an important community meeting and it feels like DCPS is already alienating some the parents who might be the most committed to it.

I'm confused about the meeting at Bruce Monroe. Who is organizing it? Is it the school itself or DCPS generally? And is it for Bruce Monroe parents only or is it targeted to all DCPS families in the new MacFarland boundary? I'm just confused because I haven't seen or heard anything about it and I live in-boundary for MacFarland.