Anonymous wrote:I don't even understand the worry about space constraints. Our art class was done in a trailer without running water or a bathroom. What exactly is needed to teach children? A very creative art teacher who loves teaching and kids. Not a mediocre, overpriced program.

(cough!) when aaaah was a wee one, we walked fiiiiive miles in bare feet, over broken glass, to our's schoolhouse...one-room, dirt floor it was, with cardboard chopped-squirrel pizzas for lunch...and we did some learnin' jess fine!

I don't even understand the worry about space constraints. Our art class was done in a trailer without running water or a bathroom. What exactly is needed to teach children? A very creative art teacher who loves teaching and kids. Not a mediocre, overpriced program.

Fillmore must have improved in the past years it seems. When my child was there 8 years ago, the quality of instruction was not good.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of us understand the importance of an arts education. Some of us happen to realize Fillmore is an overblown and expensive way to provide it. Not supporting Fillmore doesn't mean we don't support arts education. There are elementary schools that don't have separate space for art or music. They provide it in the classroom. It's been done before, believe me.

You are incorrect here, at least in DC.

But you will correct once Fillmore ends for 5 schools.

2 of the 5 are about to start renovations that will resolve the arts space issue for their students. I think that parents can help their principals find creative solutions for the other three.

Ah, you seem to be knowledgeable about this issue. Then perhaps you would agree it was stupid to end the Fillmore program 2 years before (at least) the renovations will be complete for these two (out of the 5) schools? Does DCPS intend to provide additional "arts and music" trailers for those 2 schools during their periods of renovation, now that the Fillmore space is cut? Are you aware that DCPS voluntarily signed a $600,000 bus/transportation contract for the Fillmore kids last year, when they could have paid OVER HALF less for that same transportation? How much of the "price" argument you're so fond of citing is the result of DCPS negligence and poor planning?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of us understand the importance of an arts education. Some of us happen to realize Fillmore is an overblown and expensive way to provide it. Not supporting Fillmore doesn't mean we don't support arts education. There are elementary schools that don't have separate space for art or music. They provide it in the classroom. It's been done before, believe me.

You are incorrect here, at least in DC.

But you will correct once Fillmore ends for 5 schools.

2 of the 5 are about to start renovations that will resolve the arts space issue for their students. I think that parents can help their principals find creative solutions for the other three.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a little emotionally over-wrought, no?
Your kid is going to come home crying over much more important things in the future.

No. This is awful.

No. In the scope of things it really isn't. When high-strung entitled white families don't have access to the NPR of cheap and free arts programs in a city where a significant number of children can't read at grade level and SN students are underserved, this is not awful.

So, no.

Do you understand anything about education? Do you also think recess is a luxury for whiners? Arts and music and physical activity are absolutely necessary for performance in your precious "academic" studies. No wonder we're raising generations of visually illiterate and lazy kids.

Yes, I do "understand anything about education". Significantly, I also understand a thing or two about economics. This program is not the best use of limited resources in order to deliver the most opportunity to the most students. It's really that simple.

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of us understand the importance of an arts education. Some of us happen to realize Fillmore is an overblown and expensive way to provide it. Not supporting Fillmore doesn't mean we don't support arts education. There are elementary schools that don't have separate space for art or music. They provide it in the classroom. It's been done before, believe me.

You are incorrect here, at least in DC.

But you will correct once Fillmore ends for 5 schools.

Plenty of us understand the importance of an arts education. Some of us happen to realize Fillmore is an overblown and expensive way to provide it. Not supporting Fillmore doesn't mean we don't support arts education. There are elementary schools that don't have separate space for art or music. They provide it in the classroom. It's been done before, believe me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a little emotionally over-wrought, no?
Your kid is going to come home crying over much more important things in the future.

No. This is awful.

No. In the scope of things it really isn't. When high-strung entitled white families don't have access to the NPR of cheap and free arts programs in a city where a significant number of children can't read at grade level and SN students are underserved, this is not awful.

So, no.

Do you understand anything about education? Do you also think recess is a luxury for whiners? Arts and music and physical activity are absolutely necessary for performance in your precious "academic" studies. No wonder we're raising generations of visually illiterate and lazy kids.

Folks like to taunt Ward 3 residents, as demonstrated by responses on this board. Frankly, I think DCPS administrators enjoy taunting them, too, as the "explanation" they've provided for killing Fillmore holds no water once you look at it. DCPS no response to the reality on the ground that the 5 Fillmore schools have no classrooms for art education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. As a former Fillmore parent I'm not surprised this day has finally come for this mediocre, overpriced program. There are more financially responsible ways to deliver art and music to elementary schools. Your kid will be fine. You need to get a grip and start working with your ES to get art and music directly to your child's class.

+1000

I would be interested in thinking about what kind of arts/music etc could be delivered more directly via the impacted ES - ie. what could arts look like without Fillmore at those schools. I do not have the impression that the program is beloved by my or other kids. It seems like an interesting opportunity to rethink a better art program than Fillmore actually has been delivering. Space is cited as the key issue along with the staffing. I would think the digital arts stuff is probably the hardest thing to match on a school-by-school basis. &/or orchestra?

I am wondering how this will be managed going forward. Perhaps the five schools can share arts teachers who will visit the schools directly one day each week? Still, our school has no extra classrooms and pretty much no extra space for equipment storage.

The funky thing here is that we have a couple different arts education delivery models in DC, and you'd think we'd be in a position to judge between them at some point. It seems like the judgment keeps coming down against the Fillmore model again and again, but people keep rescuing it.

We all like music, etc., but is this the way to deliver it effectively to 50,000 kids?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. As a former Fillmore parent I'm not surprised this day has finally come for this mediocre, overpriced program. There are more financially responsible ways to deliver art and music to elementary schools. Your kid will be fine. You need to get a grip and start working with your ES to get art and music directly to your child's class.

+1000

I would be interested in thinking about what kind of arts/music etc could be delivered more directly via the impacted ES - ie. what could arts look like without Fillmore at those schools. I do not have the impression that the program is beloved by my or other kids. It seems like an interesting opportunity to rethink a better art program than Fillmore actually has been delivering. Space is cited as the key issue along with the staffing. I would think the digital arts stuff is probably the hardest thing to match on a school-by-school basis. &/or orchestra?

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. As a former Fillmore parent I'm not surprised this day has finally come for this mediocre, overpriced program. There are more financially responsible ways to deliver art and music to elementary schools. Your kid will be fine. You need to get a grip and start working with your ES to get art and music directly to your child's class.

+1000

Former Fillmore parent here as well. I never liked Fillmore. I am a former teacher and the thought of losing hours of possible instruction time having all those kids bused to Fillmore and back annoyed me and predisposed me to dislike the program. If it's not economically viable and not efficient for the school system then by all means they should have onsite arts instruction for the 5 local schools. If it's a superior model, let's have art centers across the city. But I doubt the economy of scale makes up for the cost and time loss of busing kids back and forth.

In general, I think kids have far too few minutes of arts instruction in public schools, DCPS or otherwise. So, I am supportive of maintaining or even increasing the amount and variety of arts instruction. I just don't happen to support the Fillmore model.

re: child crying, perhaps you could turn it into a bigger-picture lesson on advocacy. Honey, this is something we care a lot about, so let's work together on a letter to the editor, etc. etc. to express our opinions. If we can't change their minds, here are ways we can work with our principal to offer alternatives to Fillmore. Something along those lines. I definitely think acknowledging the loss for your child is crucial. I'd be thinking as a parent of ways to supplement if the Fillmore program were removed. I might brainstorm some of those ideas with my child. e.g. sometimes a public school system focuses on academic learning without realizing that the arts are not only supportive of academic success but have intrinsic value on their own. What are ways we can make sure you experience the arts outside of school? Lucky to live in a metropolitan area with lots of options to supplement.

Sorry your child is so upset -- and that you are too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh please. As a former Fillmore parent I'm not surprised this day has finally come for this mediocre, overpriced program. There are more financially responsible ways to deliver art and music to elementary schools. Your kid will be fine. You need to get a grip and start working with your ES to get art and music directly to your child's class.

+1000

This. That John Tesh music collection you got for supporting public radio doesn't make you culturally informed, and neither does your child's participation in the Fillmore program. It's a boondoggle for federal funding and grant dollars. Help create an actual program at your child's school, it will be far more worthwhile for your child and for the entire community.