Anonymous wrote:I love Abbott Elementary and am wary of public schools run by multi-state private operators, and I have been wondering if the charter takeover thing is specific to Philadelphia or other districts where local or state laws cover that kind of thing.

I'm aware of DCPS taking over 2-3 failing DC public charter schools, but the idea of the reverse -- a school district wanting a charter operator to take over one of their schools -- was new to me. Public charter schools have taken over former DCPS buildings, but only after DCPS had decided to close them, is that correct?

Does anyone have experience with the Philadelphia school system or another place where hostile takeovers by charter operators happen?

I still love the show, but I fear people who are anti-charter will use the storyline to stir up a fear of something that isn't a universal threat. I do wish people will be informed and be vocal to prevent the spread of the legality of that kind of public school district/public charter school operator takeover activity. And support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't that.

Anonymous wrote:Test scores can also be a result of parental influence since children receive different levels of support at home. High test scores are not always indicative of better quality instruction.

Anonymous wrote:Test scores can also be a result of parental influence since children receive different levels of support at home. High test scores are not always indicative of better quality instruction.

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Anonymous wrote:Charter schools bleed money from the public schools. And, charter schools don't have the same requirements as public schools or any oversite. It's a crap shoot, could be amazing or a total disaster! More often than not, a disaster

New poster. Charters don’t actually take any money from public schools directly. All schools are funded per pupil. If a public school’s enrollment is suffering, I think they should do a better job of figuring out why people don’t want to send their kid there versus blaming the school they opted to send their kids to. I do agree that charters need more oversight and that many of them are absolutely terrible and not actually a better option than the public alternative. That being said, I think it’s clear that parents want something that isn’t necessarily offered in the traditional public school setting. It would be better for districts to offer those options rather than fighting against them.

For the parents that want something different, they should pay to send their children to private school, not use my tax dollars to support charters

Disgusting. You do understand that means damning people with the least financial or social capital to just put u and shut up with often abusive levels of school dysfunction, don’t you? Have you actually stepped foot in a non-ward 3 DCPS school?

DP but I do, every day. I'll be sure to show my kids families what you think of them

What I think of your kids and families? I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart. I’ve seen the DCPS system close up and if you work for DCPS you KNOW the dysfunction and dereliction. Why would you defend that system and deflect to the kids? As if…as if charters just went away tomorrow everything with DCPS would be fine. Hah! What a dream. Stop worrying about political slogans and school sectors and worry about how these kids are getting educated.

As a teacher in one of these schools, I do worry about them being educated. It's my job. I don't need your crocodile tears telling me that me or my students are lesser than you

Nobody. Said. That. Lacking financial or social capital does not equal “less than” but it does generally equal “fewer choices”. All respect for the work you do and for your students and their families. Enough respect to allow them the choice ( even if they don’t have the money for private or the ability to move ) to seek a public education elsewhere when and if they perceive their child is not being served by the SYSTEM.

This was you: "I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart" spare me your pity

Should have phrased it this way: I think they ( DCPS students ) often get an absolutely shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart that anti-charter people would have them stuck in it for some political purity test, false narrative bs.

Charters have in no way “ruined” public education in DC. They have strengthened it in the last 20 years. People need to acknowledge the nuance when they talk about charter schools.

How familiar are you with what actually happens in DCPS vs. charters? Because the truth is there really isn’t much of a difference unless you choose something so different from the standard (like Montessori, but that also exists in DCPS). The reason why some schools in DCPS are seen as “bad” has nothing to do with the quality of education, but rather the demographics of the school. It’s kind of hard to have high test scores when so many students enter elementary school not having been raised in the best environment and when they experience food insecurity, gun violence, etc.

Well, the test scores are indicative that a large percentage of resources will be focused on the kids that need remediation, potentially in large part due to their home circumstances. Wanting your non-remedial child to be challenged means you want a different setting for your child.

I’m not sure what “resources” you’re wanting that aren’t available. Do you mean curriculum? Because the curriculum for the next grade level(s) could be used for acceleration. And small group instruction addresses both remediation and enrichment/acceleration.

If your kid is accelerated, they get less small group time. Once a week is what I remember from when my kids were in elementary. I know why that is, but when a parent of an accelerated child compares that to the resources the kid would get in a gifted classroom in Fairfax, they aren’t wrong to say their kid is getting fewer resources.

They should be getting the same amount of small group time. If it’s not happening, address it with the teacher, then admin. If that doesn’t work, take it to central office.

How this would look if the parent is white and the school is predominantly black? Or the parent is MC and the school is predominantly kids in poverty?

It's fine if it's based on facts. Teachers do assessments, they know how well the kids are doing, and they can plan work accordingly. That's teaching. If you are a parent coming in with vibes ("my white kid needs harder work because I just feel like they do"), that sounds like a problem.

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Anonymous wrote:Charter schools bleed money from the public schools. And, charter schools don't have the same requirements as public schools or any oversite. It's a crap shoot, could be amazing or a total disaster! More often than not, a disaster

New poster. Charters don’t actually take any money from public schools directly. All schools are funded per pupil. If a public school’s enrollment is suffering, I think they should do a better job of figuring out why people don’t want to send their kid there versus blaming the school they opted to send their kids to. I do agree that charters need more oversight and that many of them are absolutely terrible and not actually a better option than the public alternative. That being said, I think it’s clear that parents want something that isn’t necessarily offered in the traditional public school setting. It would be better for districts to offer those options rather than fighting against them.

For the parents that want something different, they should pay to send their children to private school, not use my tax dollars to support charters

Disgusting. You do understand that means damning people with the least financial or social capital to just put u and shut up with often abusive levels of school dysfunction, don’t you? Have you actually stepped foot in a non-ward 3 DCPS school?

DP but I do, every day. I'll be sure to show my kids families what you think of them

What I think of your kids and families? I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart. I’ve seen the DCPS system close up and if you work for DCPS you KNOW the dysfunction and dereliction. Why would you defend that system and deflect to the kids? As if…as if charters just went away tomorrow everything with DCPS would be fine. Hah! What a dream. Stop worrying about political slogans and school sectors and worry about how these kids are getting educated.

As a teacher in one of these schools, I do worry about them being educated. It's my job. I don't need your crocodile tears telling me that me or my students are lesser than you

Nobody. Said. That. Lacking financial or social capital does not equal “less than” but it does generally equal “fewer choices”. All respect for the work you do and for your students and their families. Enough respect to allow them the choice ( even if they don’t have the money for private or the ability to move ) to seek a public education elsewhere when and if they perceive their child is not being served by the SYSTEM.

This was you: "I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart" spare me your pity

Should have phrased it this way: I think they ( DCPS students ) often get an absolutely shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart that anti-charter people would have them stuck in it for some political purity test, false narrative bs.

Charters have in no way “ruined” public education in DC. They have strengthened it in the last 20 years. People need to acknowledge the nuance when they talk about charter schools.

How familiar are you with what actually happens in DCPS vs. charters? Because the truth is there really isn’t much of a difference unless you choose something so different from the standard (like Montessori, but that also exists in DCPS). The reason why some schools in DCPS are seen as “bad” has nothing to do with the quality of education, but rather the demographics of the school. It’s kind of hard to have high test scores when so many students enter elementary school not having been raised in the best environment and when they experience food insecurity, gun violence, etc.

Well, the test scores are indicative that a large percentage of resources will be focused on the kids that need remediation, potentially in large part due to their home circumstances. Wanting your non-remedial child to be challenged means you want a different setting for your child.

I’m not sure what “resources” you’re wanting that aren’t available. Do you mean curriculum? Because the curriculum for the next grade level(s) could be used for acceleration. And small group instruction addresses both remediation and enrichment/acceleration.

If your kid is accelerated, they get less small group time. Once a week is what I remember from when my kids were in elementary. I know why that is, but when a parent of an accelerated child compares that to the resources the kid would get in a gifted classroom in Fairfax, they aren’t wrong to say their kid is getting fewer resources.

They should be getting the same amount of small group time. If it’s not happening, address it with the teacher, then admin. If that doesn’t work, take it to central office.

How this would look if the parent is white and the school is predominantly black? Or the parent is MC and the school is predominantly kids in poverty?

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Anonymous wrote:Charter schools bleed money from the public schools. And, charter schools don't have the same requirements as public schools or any oversite. It's a crap shoot, could be amazing or a total disaster! More often than not, a disaster

New poster. Charters don’t actually take any money from public schools directly. All schools are funded per pupil. If a public school’s enrollment is suffering, I think they should do a better job of figuring out why people don’t want to send their kid there versus blaming the school they opted to send their kids to. I do agree that charters need more oversight and that many of them are absolutely terrible and not actually a better option than the public alternative. That being said, I think it’s clear that parents want something that isn’t necessarily offered in the traditional public school setting. It would be better for districts to offer those options rather than fighting against them.

For the parents that want something different, they should pay to send their children to private school, not use my tax dollars to support charters

Disgusting. You do understand that means damning people with the least financial or social capital to just put u and shut up with often abusive levels of school dysfunction, don’t you? Have you actually stepped foot in a non-ward 3 DCPS school?

DP but I do, every day. I'll be sure to show my kids families what you think of them

What I think of your kids and families? I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart. I’ve seen the DCPS system close up and if you work for DCPS you KNOW the dysfunction and dereliction. Why would you defend that system and deflect to the kids? As if…as if charters just went away tomorrow everything with DCPS would be fine. Hah! What a dream. Stop worrying about political slogans and school sectors and worry about how these kids are getting educated.

As a teacher in one of these schools, I do worry about them being educated. It's my job. I don't need your crocodile tears telling me that me or my students are lesser than you

Nobody. Said. That. Lacking financial or social capital does not equal “less than” but it does generally equal “fewer choices”. All respect for the work you do and for your students and their families. Enough respect to allow them the choice ( even if they don’t have the money for private or the ability to move ) to seek a public education elsewhere when and if they perceive their child is not being served by the SYSTEM.

This was you: "I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart" spare me your pity

Should have phrased it this way: I think they ( DCPS students ) often get an absolutely shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart that anti-charter people would have them stuck in it for some political purity test, false narrative bs.

Charters have in no way “ruined” public education in DC. They have strengthened it in the last 20 years. People need to acknowledge the nuance when they talk about charter schools.

How familiar are you with what actually happens in DCPS vs. charters? Because the truth is there really isn’t much of a difference unless you choose something so different from the standard (like Montessori, but that also exists in DCPS). The reason why some schools in DCPS are seen as “bad” has nothing to do with the quality of education, but rather the demographics of the school. It’s kind of hard to have high test scores when so many students enter elementary school not having been raised in the best environment and when they experience food insecurity, gun violence, etc.

Well, the test scores are indicative that a large percentage of resources will be focused on the kids that need remediation, potentially in large part due to their home circumstances. Wanting your non-remedial child to be challenged means you want a different setting for your child.

I’m not sure what “resources” you’re wanting that aren’t available. Do you mean curriculum? Because the curriculum for the next grade level(s) could be used for acceleration. And small group instruction addresses both remediation and enrichment/acceleration.

If your kid is accelerated, they get less small group time. Once a week is what I remember from when my kids were in elementary. I know why that is, but when a parent of an accelerated child compares that to the resources the kid would get in a gifted classroom in Fairfax, they aren’t wrong to say their kid is getting fewer resources.

They should be getting the same amount of small group time. If it’s not happening, address it with the teacher, then admin. If that doesn’t work, take it to central office.

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Anonymous wrote:Charter schools bleed money from the public schools. And, charter schools don't have the same requirements as public schools or any oversite. It's a crap shoot, could be amazing or a total disaster! More often than not, a disaster

New poster. Charters don’t actually take any money from public schools directly. All schools are funded per pupil. If a public school’s enrollment is suffering, I think they should do a better job of figuring out why people don’t want to send their kid there versus blaming the school they opted to send their kids to. I do agree that charters need more oversight and that many of them are absolutely terrible and not actually a better option than the public alternative. That being said, I think it’s clear that parents want something that isn’t necessarily offered in the traditional public school setting. It would be better for districts to offer those options rather than fighting against them.

For the parents that want something different, they should pay to send their children to private school, not use my tax dollars to support charters

Disgusting. You do understand that means damning people with the least financial or social capital to just put u and shut up with often abusive levels of school dysfunction, don’t you? Have you actually stepped foot in a non-ward 3 DCPS school?

DP but I do, every day. I'll be sure to show my kids families what you think of them

What I think of your kids and families? I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart. I’ve seen the DCPS system close up and if you work for DCPS you KNOW the dysfunction and dereliction. Why would you defend that system and deflect to the kids? As if…as if charters just went away tomorrow everything with DCPS would be fine. Hah! What a dream. Stop worrying about political slogans and school sectors and worry about how these kids are getting educated.

As a teacher in one of these schools, I do worry about them being educated. It's my job. I don't need your crocodile tears telling me that me or my students are lesser than you

Nobody. Said. That. Lacking financial or social capital does not equal “less than” but it does generally equal “fewer choices”. All respect for the work you do and for your students and their families. Enough respect to allow them the choice ( even if they don’t have the money for private or the ability to move ) to seek a public education elsewhere when and if they perceive their child is not being served by the SYSTEM.

This was you: "I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart" spare me your pity

Should have phrased it this way: I think they ( DCPS students ) often get an absolutely shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart that anti-charter people would have them stuck in it for some political purity test, false narrative bs.

Charters have in no way “ruined” public education in DC. They have strengthened it in the last 20 years. People need to acknowledge the nuance when they talk about charter schools.

How familiar are you with what actually happens in DCPS vs. charters? Because the truth is there really isn’t much of a difference unless you choose something so different from the standard (like Montessori, but that also exists in DCPS). The reason why some schools in DCPS are seen as “bad” has nothing to do with the quality of education, but rather the demographics of the school. It’s kind of hard to have high test scores when so many students enter elementary school not having been raised in the best environment and when they experience food insecurity, gun violence, etc.

Well, the test scores are indicative that a large percentage of resources will be focused on the kids that need remediation, potentially in large part due to their home circumstances. Wanting your non-remedial child to be challenged means you want a different setting for your child.

I’m not sure what “resources” you’re wanting that aren’t available. Do you mean curriculum? Because the curriculum for the next grade level(s) could be used for acceleration. And small group instruction addresses both remediation and enrichment/acceleration.

'Resources' meaning teacher attention and class time, largely. If teachers have to direct the level to kids that are behind grade level, then there's not going to be much for the kids that don't need that attention. I agree that small group instruction may help, but from what I've heard, in DCPS that largely means giving the on-grade-level kids some worksheets, or getting them to be the 'pseudo-TA' to the kids that need more help.

Teachers on this board discuss all of the time that they do not have the bandwidth to address a range of kids' needs, but have to focus on kids needing more help.

I was a teacher and had the bandwidth to do it. The issue is teachers need to be taught how to do it. There’s no reason students who are advanced can’t get the same differentiation that students below grade level get. It’s very easy to do when small group instruction should already be happening and the curriculum spans different grade levels. If your child isn’t receiving the appropriate instruction, please speak to the school about it.

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Anonymous wrote:Charter schools bleed money from the public schools. And, charter schools don't have the same requirements as public schools or any oversite. It's a crap shoot, could be amazing or a total disaster! More often than not, a disaster

New poster. Charters don’t actually take any money from public schools directly. All schools are funded per pupil. If a public school’s enrollment is suffering, I think they should do a better job of figuring out why people don’t want to send their kid there versus blaming the school they opted to send their kids to. I do agree that charters need more oversight and that many of them are absolutely terrible and not actually a better option than the public alternative. That being said, I think it’s clear that parents want something that isn’t necessarily offered in the traditional public school setting. It would be better for districts to offer those options rather than fighting against them.

For the parents that want something different, they should pay to send their children to private school, not use my tax dollars to support charters

Disgusting. You do understand that means damning people with the least financial or social capital to just put u and shut up with often abusive levels of school dysfunction, don’t you? Have you actually stepped foot in a non-ward 3 DCPS school?

DP but I do, every day. I'll be sure to show my kids families what you think of them

What I think of your kids and families? I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart. I’ve seen the DCPS system close up and if you work for DCPS you KNOW the dysfunction and dereliction. Why would you defend that system and deflect to the kids? As if…as if charters just went away tomorrow everything with DCPS would be fine. Hah! What a dream. Stop worrying about political slogans and school sectors and worry about how these kids are getting educated.

As a teacher in one of these schools, I do worry about them being educated. It's my job. I don't need your crocodile tears telling me that me or my students are lesser than you

Nobody. Said. That. Lacking financial or social capital does not equal “less than” but it does generally equal “fewer choices”. All respect for the work you do and for your students and their families. Enough respect to allow them the choice ( even if they don’t have the money for private or the ability to move ) to seek a public education elsewhere when and if they perceive their child is not being served by the SYSTEM.

This was you: "I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart" spare me your pity

Should have phrased it this way: I think they ( DCPS students ) often get an absolutely shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart that anti-charter people would have them stuck in it for some political purity test, false narrative bs.

Charters have in no way “ruined” public education in DC. They have strengthened it in the last 20 years. People need to acknowledge the nuance when they talk about charter schools.

How familiar are you with what actually happens in DCPS vs. charters? Because the truth is there really isn’t much of a difference unless you choose something so different from the standard (like Montessori, but that also exists in DCPS). The reason why some schools in DCPS are seen as “bad” has nothing to do with the quality of education, but rather the demographics of the school. It’s kind of hard to have high test scores when so many students enter elementary school not having been raised in the best environment and when they experience food insecurity, gun violence, etc.

Ummmm, no. Their test scores are atrocious . Name me the DCPS school that has good test scores and it viewed as "bad" due to demographics. You are delusional. I'll wait.

Test score proficiency is not a way to evaluate schools. In fact I'd call it atrocious

No. What you mean to say is that test scores alone are not determinative. If you think that schools with 10% of kids at grade level are "good" schools then you are delusional. You are an unserious person with whom there is no point in having a reasonable conversation because you are repeating tropes and talking points without even a thought to what the words actually mean.

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Anonymous wrote:Charter schools bleed money from the public schools. And, charter schools don't have the same requirements as public schools or any oversite. It's a crap shoot, could be amazing or a total disaster! More often than not, a disaster

New poster. Charters don’t actually take any money from public schools directly. All schools are funded per pupil. If a public school’s enrollment is suffering, I think they should do a better job of figuring out why people don’t want to send their kid there versus blaming the school they opted to send their kids to. I do agree that charters need more oversight and that many of them are absolutely terrible and not actually a better option than the public alternative. That being said, I think it’s clear that parents want something that isn’t necessarily offered in the traditional public school setting. It would be better for districts to offer those options rather than fighting against them.

For the parents that want something different, they should pay to send their children to private school, not use my tax dollars to support charters

Disgusting. You do understand that means damning people with the least financial or social capital to just put u and shut up with often abusive levels of school dysfunction, don’t you? Have you actually stepped foot in a non-ward 3 DCPS school?

DP but I do, every day. I'll be sure to show my kids families what you think of them

What I think of your kids and families? I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart. I’ve seen the DCPS system close up and if you work for DCPS you KNOW the dysfunction and dereliction. Why would you defend that system and deflect to the kids? As if…as if charters just went away tomorrow everything with DCPS would be fine. Hah! What a dream. Stop worrying about political slogans and school sectors and worry about how these kids are getting educated.

As a teacher in one of these schools, I do worry about them being educated. It's my job. I don't need your crocodile tears telling me that me or my students are lesser than you

Nobody. Said. That. Lacking financial or social capital does not equal “less than” but it does generally equal “fewer choices”. All respect for the work you do and for your students and their families. Enough respect to allow them the choice ( even if they don’t have the money for private or the ability to move ) to seek a public education elsewhere when and if they perceive their child is not being served by the SYSTEM.

This was you: "I think they get an absolute shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart" spare me your pity

Should have phrased it this way: I think they ( DCPS students ) often get an absolutely shitty educational situation and it breaks my heart that anti-charter people would have them stuck in it for some political purity test, false narrative bs.

Charters have in no way “ruined” public education in DC. They have strengthened it in the last 20 years. People need to acknowledge the nuance when they talk about charter schools.

How familiar are you with what actually happens in DCPS vs. charters? Because the truth is there really isn’t much of a difference unless you choose something so different from the standard (like Montessori, but that also exists in DCPS). The reason why some schools in DCPS are seen as “bad” has nothing to do with the quality of education, but rather the demographics of the school. It’s kind of hard to have high test scores when so many students enter elementary school not having been raised in the best environment and when they experience food insecurity, gun violence, etc.

Ummmm, no. Their test scores are atrocious . Name me the DCPS school that has good test scores and it viewed as "bad" due to demographics. You are delusional. I'll wait.

Test score proficiency is not a way to evaluate schools. In fact I'd call it atrocious