Anonymous wrote:One thing I'd love to see is a health specialty program where Ballou teams with United Medical Center (it's a 1.5 mile walk, but it could be shorter if they put a path to the back parking lot of UMC and there could be a shuttle). The hospital does not need all its space and it does need a lot more money. It could involve kids at various academic levels, from vocational training on medical coding, phlebotomy, CNA, etc. to AP math and science classes and biomedical/psych research. Electives could include psychology, anatomy, health policy, etc. Ballou is recently renovated, under capacity, and already has a strong evening adult ed program, so this would be a natural fit.

It is frankly going to take something amazing to get middle-class families to try Ballou, but I could see this working. They'd have to really work on it though--partnerships with a university, great lab equipment, perhaps recruiting teachers from TJ, Montgomery Blair, Bronx Science, or other places that have really good science research programs, etc.

I've mentioned the idea to BB Otero (Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services) and really need to email David Catania, as education is his focus now but he's been very involved with United Medical Center.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, time for next steps.

I believe we have two important tasks.

1) Write up "The Roosevelt (and/or Cardozo) Proposal" in a one page document. Something that we can PDF and email, tweet, etc to DME, Council, candidates, media, whomever.


2) Get the William F. Buckleys of DC (those standing athwart history yelling, "Stop!") out of their panic and onto this plan as an alternative. "Predictability" is a bad word here. If the current or future DME is willing to keep the boundary discussion open, we can shape it to get the middle school configuration and the plus curriculum that future Roosevelt needs. If DME goes cowering back into its corner, this is dead, maybe forever. This is a priority because both candidate's current positions would actually prevent this plan from coming to fruition.

Any thoughts?

Anonymous wrote:

Do people really want kids to start specializing that much this early? Very few kids are mature enough or well-rounded enough in core subjects in 8th grade to know they want to study health care or government as their specialized education niche from that point forward. How does such a program really work? This is something that turns many people off with STEM high schools (I entered college as a math major and came out with dual degrees in computer science and philosophy and then went to law school). Is there such a thing as too much specialization too early?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the dual-school approach mentioned several pages back could have the most legs: a city-wide academically specialized academy co-located with a traditional neighborhood program. I like the idea of the specialized program having an admissions floor that is at a predictable, medium level (e.g., proficient on the DC CAS or its equivalent on the PARCC tests), but also think there needs to be a particular academic focus to provide a thematic, differentiating anchor for the program.

Here are some thematic ideas for a specialized academy:

Health Sciences Academy (seemingly a perfect fit for Roosevelt):
-- All students complete a rigorous series of pre-AP and AP coursework including AP Biology and AP Chemistry
-- Real-world medical/health shadow experiences throughout high school
-- Capstone clinical experience either over summer before senior year or senior fall
-- Potential school partners: Washington Hospital Center, National Rehabilitation Hospital, George Washington Hospital

Government Academy (seemingly a perfect fit for Cardozo)
-- All students complete a rigorous series of pre-AP and AP coursework including AP US History and AP World History
-- Students complete History Day projects each fall and research papers each spring through junior year
-- Additional required curricular components include a Modern Legal Theory Seminar co-taught by Georgetown Law faculty and students, and a Contemporary American Politics seminar that includes guest speakers who are elected officials, leaders of government agencies, and community activists
-- Regular "field study" trips across the DC area - including visits to the White House, Capitol Hill, Supreme Court, and more
-- Students encouraged to complete an internship or semester-long volunteer opportunity with the school's partner organizations
-- Electives in: Rhetoric & Debate, Journalism, plus active Model UN club
-- Potential school partners: Georgetown Law, C-SPAN, American Bar Association

Open questions:
-- Could both of these be done concurrently (at Roosevelt and Cardozo), or would these need to happen one at a time? If one at a time, which one should come first?
-- What other schools might be good candidates for school-within-school city-wide academies -- eventually, could every school have one? I could also see a Computer Science Academy, National Security Academy, Environmental Science Academy, Business & Marketing Academy, etc. to fit various interests and needs.
-- What's the ideal size for the academies? My thinking would be to follow the charter model and start small and grow as demand increases: Start with 40-60 students in 9th grade, and then accept new students in 9th grade each year and potentially a few transfers in later grades after the academy "grows" to those grades. Admittedly, this has gotten mixed reviews at Eastern.
-- How can we message this as to reiterate that this is meant to grow the pie, and avoid the perception that this is meant to take away from low-SES families and disadvantaged students? There is enough building capacity at both Roosevelt and Cardozo to add enrollment without limiting the offerings for existing students. These academies need to be perceived as rigorous and prestigious, but also of benefit to the existing neighborhood student bodies. How can we accomplish that?

Full disclosure: I work for the DC government, but not at DCPS.

Do people really want kids to start specializing that much this early? Very few kids are mature enough or well-rounded enough in core subjects in 8th grade to know they want to study health care or government as their specialized education niche from that point forward. How does such a program really work? This is something that turns many people off with STEM high schools (I entered college as a math major and came out with dual degrees in computer science and philosophy and then went to law school). Is there such a thing as too much specialization too early?

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know of or about Cathy Reilly and S.H.A.P.P.E. (other than the James Bond villain acronym)?

S.H.A.P.P.E. stands for "Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators" and they have something of a website: htps://sites.google.com/site/shappesite/

They seem to be "in" on a lot of aspects, but I don't know if that would be a help or a hindrance. Actually, reading their meeting minutes shows that they've at least talked about a lot of the things that we've mentioned here.

Anonymous wrote:I think the dual-school approach mentioned several pages back could have the most legs: a city-wide academically specialized academy co-located with a traditional neighborhood program. I like the idea of the specialized program having an admissions floor that is at a predictable, medium level (e.g., proficient on the DC CAS or its equivalent on the PARCC tests), but also think there needs to be a particular academic focus to provide a thematic, differentiating anchor for the program.

Here are some thematic ideas for a specialized academy:

Health Sciences Academy (seemingly a perfect fit for Roosevelt):
-- All students complete a rigorous series of pre-AP and AP coursework including AP Biology and AP Chemistry
-- Real-world medical/health shadow experiences throughout high school
-- Capstone clinical experience either over summer before senior year or senior fall
-- Potential school partners: Washington Hospital Center, National Rehabilitation Hospital, George Washington Hospital

Government Academy (seemingly a perfect fit for Cardozo)
-- All students complete a rigorous series of pre-AP and AP coursework including AP US History and AP World History
-- Students complete History Day projects each fall and research papers each spring through junior year
-- Additional required curricular components include a Modern Legal Theory Seminar co-taught by Georgetown Law faculty and students, and a Contemporary American Politics seminar that includes guest speakers who are elected officials, leaders of government agencies, and community activists
-- Regular "field study" trips across the DC area - including visits to the White House, Capitol Hill, Supreme Court, and more
-- Students encouraged to complete an internship or semester-long volunteer opportunity with the school's partner organizations
-- Electives in: Rhetoric & Debate, Journalism, plus active Model UN club
-- Potential school partners: Georgetown Law, C-SPAN, American Bar Association

Open questions:
-- Could both of these be done concurrently (at Roosevelt and Cardozo), or would these need to happen one at a time? If one at a time, which one should come first?
-- What other schools might be good candidates for school-within-school city-wide academies -- eventually, could every school have one? I could also see a Computer Science Academy, National Security Academy, Environmental Science Academy, Business & Marketing Academy, etc. to fit various interests and needs.
-- What's the ideal size for the academies? My thinking would be to follow the charter model and start small and grow as demand increases: Start with 40-60 students in 9th grade, and then accept new students in 9th grade each year and potentially a few transfers in later grades after the academy "grows" to those grades. Admittedly, this has gotten mixed reviews at Eastern.
-- How can we message this as to reiterate that this is meant to grow the pie, and avoid the perception that this is meant to take away from low-SES families and disadvantaged students? There is enough building capacity at both Roosevelt and Cardozo to add enrollment without limiting the offerings for existing students. These academies need to be perceived as rigorous and prestigious, but also of benefit to the existing neighborhood student bodies. How can we accomplish that?

Full disclosure: I work for the DC government, but not at DCPS.

Anonymous wrote:^^You should really try to get buy in from Oyster people as well, and get a spanish program in Roosevelt to coalesce the DC bilingual elementaries as an "academy"

jsteele wrote:My primary concern at this point is to get input from current Roosevelt stakeholders. I emailed the principal, but have heard nothing back. I've also been in contact with the ForWard 4 group. Everyone may be tied up with Spring Break and/or Easter at this point. But, I think we would take a huge risk by presenting a document to the DME that blindsides the current stakeholders. That could understandably be understood as a takeover attempt by outsiders and create resistance and opposition that is not desired.

It is also possible that there are other initiatives involving Roosevelt about which we are uninformed. If so, it would be better for us to coordinate with those as much as possible. So, until we have more feedback from Roosevelt insiders, we probably need to relax a bit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with the current high school names? This is education not MTV-land!!! How about, as Dunbar has done, promoting the strong legacy and history of these schools. Unlike what reformers seem to think, in the past these schools were actually good schools. There has been a book and documentary about the noted alumni of Dunbar, why would someone want to wipe away history based on people's perceptions from recent times. Do new transplants value the legacy and history of this city so little?

It's not that. These schools' stakeholders have not done a good job illustrating why we should care about the schools' histories. All that "outsiders" saw was two rat trap buildings and one that looked like a prison, all with jaw-droppingly low test scores. Organizations rebrand all the time because it works, but I'll bet most, if not all, of the "reformers" will move past the notion pretty quickly if the real changes that are needed get implemented.

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, time for next steps.

I believe we have two important tasks.

1) Write up "The Roosevelt (and/or Cardozo) Proposal" in a one page document. Something that we can PDF and email, tweet, etc to DME, Council, candidates, media, whomever.


2) Get the William F. Buckleys of DC (those standing athwart history yelling, "Stop!") out of their panic and onto this plan as an alternative. "Predictability" is a bad word here. If the current or future DME is willing to keep the boundary discussion open, we can shape it to get the middle school configuration and the plus curriculum that future Roosevelt needs. If DME goes cowering back into its corner, this is dead, maybe forever. This is a priority because both candidate's current positions would actually prevent this plan from coming to fruition.

Any thoughts?

My primary concern at this point is to get input from current Roosevelt stakeholders. I emailed the principal, but have heard nothing back. I've also been in contact with the ForWard 4 group. Everyone may be tied up with Spring Break and/or Easter at this point. But, I think we would take a huge risk by presenting a document to the DME that blindsides the current stakeholders. That could understandably be understood as a takeover attempt by outsiders and create resistance and opposition that is not desired.

It is also possible that there are other initiatives involving Roosevelt about which we are uninformed. If so, it would be better for us to coordinate with those as much as possible. So, until we have more feedback from Roosevelt insiders, we probably need to relax a bit.

Anonymous wrote:Okay, time for next steps.

I believe we have two important tasks.

1) Write up "The Roosevelt (and/or Cardozo) Proposal" in a one page document. Something that we can PDF and email, tweet, etc to DME, Council, candidates, media, whomever.


2) Get the William F. Buckleys of DC (those standing athwart history yelling, "Stop!") out of their panic and onto this plan as an alternative. "Predictability" is a bad word here. If the current or future DME is willing to keep the boundary discussion open, we can shape it to get the middle school configuration and the plus curriculum that future Roosevelt needs. If DME goes cowering back into its corner, this is dead, maybe forever. This is a priority because both candidate's current positions would actually prevent this plan from coming to fruition.

Any thoughts?