Anonymous wrote:I went to Walls open house last night and walked away extremely unimpressed.

Why?

I you double the size of Walls you remove those motivated students from other DCPS schools. That just leaves the kids who are left behind in an even worse situation. It's not as simple as making enough Walks spots for everyone who pursues them. There will be smart kids left behind, alone in absolutely bad cohort because they didn't have a parent advocate for them, they don't have a ride to school, etc. etc.

Anonymous wrote:I have a child at Walls in 10th grade now. They said last year it seemed like about 15% of the student body seemed like they landed at the wrong school. They said their parents made them apply and they didn't want to be there, or they really struggled with the academics. I think a few -- but not many -- left by 10th grade.

I don't know if the essay will help, but that 15% of slots could have been better allocated.

Seems to always be the case as well as the ones that are really going private. They are just going thru the paces. Shifting to a more holistic process will give more freedom in selecting kids. A kid shouldn't be penalized for having a bad marking period.

I have a child at Walls in 10th grade now. They said last year it seemed like about 15% of the student body seemed like they landed at the wrong school. They said their parents made them apply and they didn't want to be there, or they really struggled with the academics. I think a few -- but not many -- left by 10th grade.

I don't know if the essay will help, but that 15% of slots could have been better allocated.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC could create another Walls/Banneker. But that would mean putting more resources toward the smart motivated kids.

They have added options recently. The early college program at Coolidge is very new, selective, and students attend real college classes.

Why in the world would sending unprepared kids to “real college classes” (at a low stats college) be considered a good idea? It reeks of an inability to actually face the fact of what it takes to teach HS kids to study hard and learn. “Oh it’s ok that they get 1s/2s on AP calculus because they can take Sociology 101 at Trinity.” Please!

If enough prepared students (of all backgrounds) apply to the program it will not be full of unprepared students. The cohort is not large. There are plenty of potentially qualified students to attend.

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Anonymous wrote:Not sure why adding an essay would water down the applicant pool. Or was this an attempt at a (bad) joke?

Tests are objective. But they didn't yield the demographics desired. So they moved on to subjective measures like interviews and essays.

Want me to explain it with smaller words and slower?

Haha. you need to test something in yourself. Standardized tests are not necessarily objective -- unless you mean testing, sometimes, who can afford to get their kids better prepped or afford to live in a better school district etc etc. Having a more diverse school filled with kids who want to be there is a good thing. And if it means my white upper class kid doesn't get in, so be it.

How old is your kid and where do they go to school?

I’m pretty tired of this holier-than-thou attitude about the virtues of decreasing academic expectations. It doesn’t do anyone any good, especially not promising disadvantaged black kids.

I'm not sure why anybody thinks that Walls' new approach will decrease quality of students. I had a child at SWW under the old principal and I think the school has only gotten better with the new administration and the new approach to bringing in students (hence my interest for my other child). It's an imperfect approach no matter what, so I don't understand why doing more to bring in kids who may not have the same advantages vis a vis a standardized test is bad. I have had kids at different schools in DC and I can tell you, if the kid is motivated they will do well at JR, at SWW, at McKinely etc. Walls isn't the only route to success.

Anonymous wrote:
Equity is literally the opposite of merit. And used in the way it is used now, it actually reduces opportunity for black kids because it covers up the actual deficits of the system. Open access to Walls wouldn’t do anything for DC kids except remove academic preparation for the kids who need it - including black kids. Somehow Banneker doesn’t shy away from expecting a lot from DC black kids …

I disagree. True equity means ensuring outcomes are fair. This means affording opportunities to those who work just as hard (sometimes harder) but do not have the same privileges as others. It is common knowledge that many DCUM families pay for private tutors, psychologists, math classes, science camps, etc. for their children to help them grow but also help them get ahead. I think that is wonderful. But for the kids who don't have that support or those means, I do not think they should be penalized. If given the opportunity, many times they will far surpass the wealthier trained kids.

I personally know several incredibly smart kids who have had little to no training. Given the chance, they would easily outshine anyone. People who work with a diverse group of kids know this to be true. We want to ensure that those kids are not overlooked. It is fairness. And even more it seems unjust to bypass the more capable kid.

What you negatively refer to as equity, I see as opportunity. If your child is affected by it, know that there are many smart, capable, brilliant incredible kids on the sidelines who are thrilled to be offered an opportunity to play the game. Instead of feeling small about it, you should help your kid appreciate their own talent and smarts WHILE applauding the talents and smarts of others.

No one should be using "equity" as an excuse for any negative educational outcomes for their child. That is the ultimate scapegoating.

They should just allocate slots by ward or feeder middle school and be honest about that rather than creating a system with that goal but not admitting it.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC could create another Walls/Banneker. But that would mean putting more resources toward the smart motivated kids.

You’re saying that if DC was willing to put more resources into college-prep programs for smart motivated kids, they could build a brand-new campus for Banneker and expand enrollment.

What makes you so certain that DC would never do that?

LOL..Banneker is not even full yet!

Actually, I hear they overenrolled last year and have a larger-than-expected 9th grade class this year.

They expanded without watering down academics.

Banneker has never had a GPA req-just suggested! They are still under enrolled while SWW is overcrowded. I know the plan is to grow gradually so there is room at Banneker.

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Anonymous wrote:Just sounds like an anxious parent of an eighth grader trying trying to figure out what to tell her kid to help him get ready for the essay test. Maybe grab a little intel from DCUM or crowdsource a halfway decent guess.

Nope. Just a DCPS parent sick and tired of watching DC destroy the few good schools we have in the name of equity.

NP. Wow, overt racism. Really? I pray I don't know you IRL. Whatever privilege you were handed in life and subsequently handed that privilege over to your child, does not mean you or your child are better than anyone else. I get it. You are afraid of equity because it means you can't just use your privilege to succeed. You actually have to use merit.

Your child was allowed to start the race before the flag went down. Now, a referee is saying "Wait, the race was rigged. It is not fair that your kid started to run before the race actually began. We need equity. You are furious. But even still neither you nor your child will be penalized. Just stay where you are, but I'm going to stop the timer for a few seconds to try to let the other kids try to catch. Don't worry. I will not let them catch up because I can't start the game over, but they can try. " Now, your child is STILL in the lead but you are complaining that the race was slowed down to allow the others a "fairer" chance at a better score.

Equity is not a bad word. Racism is. Learn that now. Teach your child.

Serious question, I genuinely want to know, how do you think they "score" the interview? How much actual information about a kid can be obtained in a 10-minute interview?

I'm the PP. I think the interviewees understand that they have a smart cohort of kids that all are deserving. By the time they reach the interview, all that is left to discover is how interested the student is in the school. And how supportive are the parents. I think the interview is short because they are simply getting a feel for how committed the student/family is.

Are supportive parents a requirement? And is that "equity"?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just sounds like an anxious parent of an eighth grader trying trying to figure out what to tell her kid to help him get ready for the essay test. Maybe grab a little intel from DCUM or crowdsource a halfway decent guess.

Nope. Just a DCPS parent sick and tired of watching DC destroy the few good schools we have in the name of equity.

NP. Wow, overt racism. Really? I pray I don't know you IRL. Whatever privilege you were handed in life and subsequently handed that privilege over to your child, does not mean you or your child are better than anyone else. I get it. You are afraid of equity because it means you can't just use your privilege to succeed. You actually have to use merit.

Your child was allowed to start the race before the flag went down. Now, a referee is saying "Wait, the race was rigged. It is not fair that your kid started to run before the race actually began. We need equity. You are furious. But even still neither you nor your child will be penalized. Just stay where you are, but I'm going to stop the timer for a few seconds to try to let the other kids try to catch. Don't worry. I will not let them catch up because I can't start the game over, but they can try. " Now, your child is STILL in the lead but you are complaining that the race was slowed down to allow the others a "fairer" chance at a better score.

Equity is not a bad word. Racism is. Learn that now. Teach your child.

Serious question, I genuinely want to know, how do you think they "score" the interview? How much actual information about a kid can be obtained in a 10-minute interview?

I'm the PP. I think the interviewees understand that they have a smart cohort of kids that all are deserving. By the time they reach the interview, all that is left to discover is how interested the student is in the school. And how supportive are the parents. I think the interview is short because they are simply getting a feel for how committed the student/family is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC could create another Walls/Banneker. But that would mean putting more resources toward the smart motivated kids.

You’re saying that if DC was willing to put more resources into college-prep programs for smart motivated kids, they could build a brand-new campus for Banneker and expand enrollment.

What makes you so certain that DC would never do that?

LOL..Banneker is not even full yet!

Actually, I hear they overenrolled last year and have a larger-than-expected 9th grade class this year.

They expanded without watering down academics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC could create another Walls/Banneker. But that would mean putting more resources toward the smart motivated kids.

You’re saying that if DC was willing to put more resources into college-prep programs for smart motivated kids, they could build a brand-new campus for Banneker and expand enrollment.

What makes you so certain that DC would never do that?

LOL..Banneker is not even full yet!

Actually, I hear they overenrolled last year and have a larger-than-expected 9th grade class this year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just sounds like an anxious parent of an eighth grader trying trying to figure out what to tell her kid to help him get ready for the essay test. Maybe grab a little intel from DCUM or crowdsource a halfway decent guess.

Nope. Just a DCPS parent sick and tired of watching DC destroy the few good schools we have in the name of equity.

+1000.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC could create another Walls/Banneker. But that would mean putting more resources toward the smart motivated kids.

You’re saying that if DC was willing to put more resources into college-prep programs for smart motivated kids, they could build a brand-new campus for Banneker and expand enrollment.

What makes you so certain that DC would never do that?

LOL..Banneker is not even full yet!