Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Which came first: good schools, or engaged, motivated, educated parents?

This poster suggests good schools first, but the timing of higher test scores vs property values suggests the second.

If the entire teaching staff at Mann were moved to the lowest performing school in the district, I suspect test scores at both schools would barely budge.

Then why does the whole of Rhee and DCPS's current model rest on it being all related to teachers not economics or parents. I don't recall everyone being up in arms about the Rhee/Henderson reform model when it was implemented, only comments about lousy teachers hence lousy test scores. Seems we are all changing our tune now : (

OP, what are you going to do about your situation?

Wasn't the DCPS relationship with all schools effectively benign neglect. Some were just fortunate enough to have community resources to overcome corruption, malfeasance and indifference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Which came first: good schools, or engaged, motivated, educated parents?

This poster suggests good schools first, but the timing of higher test scores vs property values suggests the second.

If the entire teaching staff at Mann were moved to the lowest performing school in the district, I suspect test scores at both schools would barely budge.

Now would that make a good research paper. Instead of Wife Swap, there would be Teacher Swap. Send the entire faculty, admin, and support staff from the highest performing school to the lowest and vice versa. It would be very interesting to see the results at the end of a school year.

Volunteer your school! --Oh wait, just vote for option C. They will just swap the kids instead of the teachers, why ask the teachers to travel across town.

OP, what is DCPS providing to "rich families" that they aren't providing to poorer or middle class families?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

The metrics that we use to determine a "good" school track very closely with SES. I would argue that it's not so much that DCPS is actively providing for rich kids. Rather, it is a system that hasn't been able to figure out what to do with poor students. In that respect it is not alone.

Given that you live in a "poor" part of town, you're probably not familiar with DCPS's historic relationship with Ward 3 schools. In as much as there was any, it was benign neglect. DCPS left these schools to their own devices and the parents and community members picked up the slack. They volunteered, raised money and generally minded the hen house to keep DCPS dysfunction at bay. DCPS, in turn, exploited the willingness of Ward 3 communities to do DCPS's job for itself through its use of the OOB system as an escape valve for pent up demand for quality education in other parts of the city. This system worked very well as long as there was excess space in Ward 3 schools. However, as Ward 3 schools have become increasingly popular with new parents seeking to stay in the city, DCPS's abrogation of its responsibility to provide quality education has been exposed. This is really not an issue of Ward 3 parents' selfishness. Rather, it is an expression of their desire to retain what they built through hard work and determination in the face of a system that historically didn't give a damn about them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Which came first: good schools, or engaged, motivated, educated parents?

This poster suggests good schools first, but the timing of higher test scores vs property values suggests the second.

If the entire teaching staff at Mann were moved to the lowest performing school in the district, I suspect test scores at both schools would barely budge.

Now would that make a good research paper. Instead of Wife Swap, there would be Teacher Swap. Send the entire faculty, admin, and support staff from the highest performing school to the lowest and vice versa. It would be very interesting to see the results at the end of a school year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Which came first: good schools, or engaged, motivated, educated parents?

This poster suggests good schools first, but the timing of higher test scores vs property values suggests the second.

If the entire teaching staff at Mann were moved to the lowest performing school in the district, I suspect test scores at both schools would barely budge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Yes but the system was well established when you decided to have children that you could/would only raise at your current residence.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Alright OP, what is your suggestion? All you do is yell at people who you seem to feel have more resources. I dont get what your goal with this thread is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

You are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. Rich parents don't buy into good schools. They buy into neighorhoods with other like minded parents wo prepare their kids to learn and behave. Which results in good schools. Take the high SES kids away or dilute them with low SES kids and the test results will go down. It's sad, but true. Rather than breaking what works DCPS needs to devote the resources to fixing bad svhools.

from your description fixing good schools only happens when kids are coming from rich homes. The rest of us are pond scum to be eliminated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Have you said which school is your IB OP?

-another downtown parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

You are looking through the wrong end of the telescope. Rich parents don't buy into good schools. They buy into neighorhoods with other like minded parents wo prepare their kids to learn and behave. Which results in good schools. Take the high SES kids away or dilute them with low SES kids and the test results will go down. It's sad, but true. Rather than breaking what works DCPS needs to devote the resources to fixing bad svhools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.

Yes but the system was well established when you decided to have children that you could/would only raise at your current residence.

Anonymous wrote:Not sure that $1200 for family of four is realistic in downtown DC OP, I think that is the message here.

It's what I currently pay, hence I am not moving (and other reasons too, which are no-one else's business but are very valid). But really, it's beside the point. What's at issue here is a system that lets down the majority of the kids in the city and provides for those whose parents are rich enough to be IB for a good school and/or lucky enough to win a lottery.