Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:40     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My kid has had amazing teachers at our Title 1 school. But again, I think they may have more influence on kids who aren’t getting anything at home. So teachers do matter but as the gap grows even the best teachers can differentiate. 2-3 grade levels of students in one class.


so you're ok with mediocre teachers for your kid? this is kind of a bizarro world now.


No I’m not ok. But not every teacher is going to amazing. The point is that kid can withstand that because she has so much parental support. Teachers are doing impossible work. Kids who have never been read to, don’t get enough food or have safe home environments are not coming to school ready to learn. These kids need massive social work wrap around services. We expect teachers to do too much and they are leaving the profession in droves.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:38     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?


NP. I think that if a teacher reaches a certain minimum threshold of being an adequate, decent teacher, the kids (especially if neurotypical) will do fine and thrive. They don't have to be amazing. However, if your kid is significantly behind due to deficits in the early years--parents who experienced trauma, rough neighborhood, parents not reading to kids or any other enrichment, general instability--I don't think even an amazing teacher can catch that kid up. For that task, wraparound services are necessary, and there doesn't seem to be the political will to provide this for these kids.


that's demonstrably untrue, both in my direct observation of teachers, common sense, and the actual research. teaching quality can make a huge difference. is there any other profession where you'd say quality doesn't matter past "adequate," especially for the most challenging cases?

https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/measuring-teacher-effectiveness/teachers-matter.html


PP here and you're right in that teachers have some measurable impact. I think demographics matter a whole lot more. From your link:

"Some research suggests that, compared with teachers, individual and family characteristics may have four to eight times the impact on student achievement."
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:30     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?


Your post is really an insult to Ivy grads. I have a hard time believing that one would write this.


Remember affirmative action.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:28     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


Teachers matter and the peers matter. DC is in 6th grade now and reads on 11th grade level. I don't believe it but school wrote so. The levels must be easy.
He plays violent video games, spends 6-7 waking hours watching youtube videos, each junk, I've never been to a museum with him and we only have 1 degree between us. He stays with father a lot and the neighborhood sucks. I left because there was shooting in front of the rowhouse and behind in section 8.We saw both from the window. HHI $36k maybe.
DC was on top of his high performing WTOP school because he fairly sharp kid surrounded by other sharp and smart kids. Teachers were great also, but it's easy to be a great teacher when the kids crasp the easy DCPS curriculum.
My vote goes to peers. I suck as a parent.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:27     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:My kid has had amazing teachers at our Title 1 school. But again, I think they may have more influence on kids who aren’t getting anything at home. So teachers do matter but as the gap grows even the best teachers can differentiate. 2-3 grade levels of students in one class.


so you're ok with mediocre teachers for your kid? this is kind of a bizarro world now.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:26     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?


NP. I think that if a teacher reaches a certain minimum threshold of being an adequate, decent teacher, the kids (especially if neurotypical) will do fine and thrive. They don't have to be amazing. However, if your kid is significantly behind due to deficits in the early years--parents who experienced trauma, rough neighborhood, parents not reading to kids or any other enrichment, general instability--I don't think even an amazing teacher can catch that kid up. For that task, wraparound services are necessary, and there doesn't seem to be the political will to provide this for these kids.


that's demonstrably untrue, both in my direct observation of teachers, common sense, and the actual research. teaching quality can make a huge difference. is there any other profession where you'd say quality doesn't matter past "adequate," especially for the most challenging cases?

https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/measuring-teacher-effectiveness/teachers-matter.html
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 12:14     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
My kid has had amazing teachers at our Title 1 school. But again, I think they may have more influence on kids who aren’t getting anything at home. So teachers do matter but as the gap grows even the best teachers can differentiate. 2-3 grade levels of students in one class.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:59     Subject: Re:How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Good teachers are heroes. They work hard for our children, and they definitely can substantial impact on the knowledge, the critical thinking, and the social-emotional skills of their students.

With that said, a teacher can’t spin straw into gold, and a lame teacher or two is not going to destroy a child that gets good teaching at home.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:44     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?


NP. I think that if a teacher reaches a certain minimum threshold of being an adequate, decent teacher, the kids (especially if neurotypical) will do fine and thrive. They don't have to be amazing. However, if your kid is significantly behind due to deficits in the early years--parents who experienced trauma, rough neighborhood, parents not reading to kids or any other enrichment, general instability--I don't think even an amazing teacher can catch that kid up. For that task, wraparound services are necessary, and there doesn't seem to be the political will to provide this for these kids.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:44     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?


Your post is really an insult to Ivy grads. I have a hard time believing that one would write this.


DP. Why?
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:40     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?


Your post is really an insult to Ivy grads. I have a hard time believing that one would write this.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:37     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.


That's really an insult to the excellent teachers we've encountered at DCPS. We're a duel Ivy family with an HHI of 250k, and I have no qualms in attributing my son's academic success to the amazing teachers he has had. I mean, even if you think your kid is the bees knees, the teachers still do the work of, you know, teaching. And it's not only academics -- my kid has special needs, and they've just been amazing at working with his weaknesses. I think you must not even realize what teachers do, because you just assume your kid is self-teaching?
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:34     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
It really is all about the parents. Not even the money they raise really impacts outcomes at the school as a whole. My kid attends a title 1 school EoTP, our HH income is over 300k. We just had a teacher conf and she is reading a grade level ahead already, she easily grasps math and Spanish. Why. She has parent with three advanced degrees who read and write and speak with her. We expose her to travel and museums and interesting experiences. She has never known a day of hunger or housing insecurity. We have never let her play or watch a violent movie or video game. Screen time is limited and monitored. She is living in a safe and healthy bubble compared to a lot of her peers quite frankly. The achievement gap is evident in K and will only get bigger and has nothing to do with the teachers or PTA funding.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:30     Subject: How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:“Best students”? Really?



Yes, rich, Ward 3, white children are the best. Look at the Ward 3 working group on overcrowding, they are advocating improving DCPS but rather making the best schools serve only the best rich white kids!


Not the OP and not defending his/her use of “best,” but OP is not a WOTP poster seeking “more” for WOTP students, the point of the OP was to (I think) advocate for more resources targeting high performing (what I think OP mean by “best”) students across the city.
Anonymous
Post 03/12/2019 11:29     Subject: Re:How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP you’re understanding of inequality is lacking. The inequality is not because of PTA funding. Sure PTA funding helps with some more resources but you take PTA fundraising out of the picture and you still would get inequality.



Really?! Because I don’t hear about Janet parents doing mold and rat abatement. There is a funding problem!


Mold and rats are problems all over DC.