Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 16:55     Subject: ludlow-taylor
We've been at Brent for 5 years - and had three principals during that time. None of them were status quo people - they were all very intent on improvement. The last two have been serious about checking to make sure that their students lived in the district. When I first went to an open house at Brent, the young, energetic balack principal, had a speadsheet up, she said, "This is where our test score are now, this is where they will be in 3 years." And she was right, even though she wasn't around to see it happen. I don't care much about test scores, but I liked that she had a vision for improvement and that she was welcoming to families of all races and educational backgrounds.

I think a new principal could do something really great at Ludlow!
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 16:53     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:Many of you should be ashamed and embarrassed by what you are writing on here. You can claim it is not racism if you need help sleeping at night but anyone with sense can see past it. If you want to complain about something being ghetto in your neighborhood why don't you target something else (read: Many establishments on H street, the subsidized old folks building on G street that always has ambulances outside...) instead of a building with CHILDREN and a HARD WORKING STAFF. Stop making up excuses ( children from Maryland...some children at LT have parents who are divorced and one parent might live in MD, no advanced classes, the principal doesn't say hi in the morning) for why you don't like the school. These are just things to help you convince yourselves you are not racists. This blog has gotten DISGUSTING. Many of you need to check yourselves.


You couldn't be more wrong. The LT parents are not racist. We want and deserve a school that serves our diverse IB community.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 16:35     Subject: ludlow-taylor
I don't think that's right pp (not an LT parent here.) I think the big concern for parents unwilling to send their kids there are the test scores and the attitude that the status quo is "just fine thank you" when someone that is new to the neighborhood has ideas or offers help.

I've heard numerous accounts of the principal just being flat out discombobulated and confusing to speak to. I don't think anyone's arguing the school should be white, I think they're arguing the school should be better. I can understand the sentiment that "these new folks just want to kick these kids out and take the school over for themselves" but I think the argument is that the school should be GOOD and look at the test scores, it isn't.

Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 14:47     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Many of you should be ashamed and embarrassed by what you are writing on here. You can claim it is not racism if you need help sleeping at night but anyone with sense can see past it. If you want to complain about something being ghetto in your neighborhood why don't you target something else (read: Many establishments on H street, the subsidized old folks building on G street that always has ambulances outside...) instead of a building with CHILDREN and a HARD WORKING STAFF. Stop making up excuses ( children from Maryland...some children at LT have parents who are divorced and one parent might live in MD, no advanced classes, the principal doesn't say hi in the morning) for why you don't like the school. These are just things to help you convince yourselves you are not racists. This blog has gotten DISGUSTING. Many of you need to check yourselves.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 14:19     Subject: ludlow-taylor
^^ but the first group of neighborhood kids was already in 2nd grade before the renovation. There was supportive administration and committed parents for at least 2 or 3 years before that.

Also FYI, nobody at Brent ever talked about " getting rid of OOB students" . That is really pretty ugly. It was about making it a functional, inviting place for all students who came through the doors. The consequence of more and more immediate neighborhood children using the school is that there are fewer and fewer OOB spots. But never was this set up as a goal
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 14:11     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So the difference between LT and Brent is that the parents who go to PK don't feel any concerns that might arise after PK will be addressed by the staff/administration because they don't give a crap about the high SES gentrifiers. And, unless you keep your kids in the school said staff/administration is just going to point out that they don't need to give a crap about your concerns since all the IB high-SES people bail after PK! It's a never ending cycle...

Was Brent's principal saying "hell yes! Help me get rid of these OOB kids!" when everyone decided to stay? Is that what it takes?


I would like to know this too. Was Brent's admin/principal interested in improving the school and retaining the neighborhood kids? I think this is one HUGE difference. It doesn't make it impossible, but when parents give their time and resources to LT only to be told by the admin/principal that they refuse to accept their efforts, it makes you decide to run and fast.


At Brent, I believe a new principal was brought in who got rid of some of the weaker teachers at around the same time as the renovation. It was controversial, and some parents protested and tried to rally around the dismissed teachers, then left themselves. A new school culture took hold, and those first EC classes then stayed through 3rd or even 4th.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 13:50     Subject: Re:ludlow-taylor
I do think the first thing the LT families need to do is get rid of the principal. This, IMO, must be done before any progress can begin. I know there is a group of parents who have been working toward this and I heard at one point that they had succeeded in having her 'relocated' but that it fell through. Not sure of the details but thats disappointing to say the least.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 13:40     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:So the difference between LT and Brent is that the parents who go to PK don't feel any concerns that might arise after PK will be addressed by the staff/administration because they don't give a crap about the high SES gentrifiers. And, unless you keep your kids in the school said staff/administration is just going to point out that they don't need to give a crap about your concerns since all the IB high-SES people bail after PK! It's a never ending cycle...

Was Brent's principal saying "hell yes! Help me get rid of these OOB kids!" when everyone decided to stay? Is that what it takes?


I would like to know this too. Was Brent's admin/principal interested in improving the school and retaining the neighborhood kids? I think this is one HUGE difference. It doesn't make it impossible, but when parents give their time and resources to LT only to be told by the admin/principal that they refuse to accept their efforts, it makes you decide to run and fast.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 13:25     Subject: ludlow-taylor
So the difference between LT and Brent is that the parents who go to PK don't feel any concerns that might arise after PK will be addressed by the staff/administration because they don't give a crap about the high SES gentrifiers. And, unless you keep your kids in the school said staff/administration is just going to point out that they don't need to give a crap about your concerns since all the IB high-SES people bail after PK! It's a never ending cycle...

Was Brent's principal saying "hell yes! Help me get rid of these OOB kids!" when everyone decided to stay? Is that what it takes?
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 10:15     Subject: ludlow-taylor
" I do agree that we have the numbers in the neighborhood to try and so something."

Folks have been saying that on Capitol Hill for over 20 years. Ya know?
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 09:52     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I agree it's bad for the neighborhood to have a school that's not used by neighborhood kids and is constantly defamed on DCUM. But it seems to me that the solution is for all the neighborhood kids who are there in pre-K to just stay for K and beyond. There are definitely enough kids in the neighborhood to fill the school. That's the simplest way for LT to become a neighborhood school.


Amen. And to the L-T families who reject this outright, what are your options? Yes, a new councilmember might be able to help at some point in the next few years. Chasing proximity preference for SWS is a pipe dream. It's clear that DCPS is not going to start putting in a track for advanced learners at Ludlow Taylor until there are some actual advanced learners in grades 2 and up who need those pull-out groups. You have the critical mass to make the changes you want, but it feels like a lot of complaining and no working. How about a neighborhood meeting with IB families who are finishing up PK4 and PS3 to talk about the future and what it would take to get people to stay? I keep hearing about how smart and wealthy the catchment is, and yet I haven't heard any ideas about how to change your situation for the better.


There are almost always other options, including getting in line at 5am for Yu Ying if necessary since thats the only lottery that parents can actually control to some degree. There are very few neighborhood kids there after K, so parents (us included) are finding solutions. I do agree that we have the numbers in the neighborhood to try and so something. But the reality is that we all have to get our kids out of there and once we do, our time goes to the new school. I would gladly sign a petition, etc but as most other parents who have left, don't have time for much else. Its a tough situation.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 09:44     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Let's not forget that Brent was 45% FARM--mostly middle class kids from PG county when the "turnaround" started.

Ludlow-Taylor has nearly double the FARM rate--again, mostly from PG county.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 09:38     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:I agree it's bad for the neighborhood to have a school that's not used by neighborhood kids and is constantly defamed on DCUM. But it seems to me that the solution is for all the neighborhood kids who are there in pre-K to just stay for K and beyond. There are definitely enough kids in the neighborhood to fill the school. That's the simplest way for LT to become a neighborhood school.


Amen. And to the L-T families who reject this outright, what are your options? Yes, a new councilmember might be able to help at some point in the next few years. Chasing proximity preference for SWS is a pipe dream. It's clear that DCPS is not going to start putting in a track for advanced learners at Ludlow Taylor until there are some actual advanced learners in grades 2 and up who need those pull-out groups. You have the critical mass to make the changes you want, but it feels like a lot of complaining and no working. How about a neighborhood meeting with IB families who are finishing up PK4 and PS3 to talk about the future and what it would take to get people to stay? I keep hearing about how smart and wealthy the catchment is, and yet I haven't heard any ideas about how to change your situation for the better.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 09:35     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I agree it's bad for the neighborhood to have a school that's not used by neighborhood kids and is constantly defamed on DCUM. But it seems to me that the solution is for all the neighborhood kids who are there in pre-K to just stay for K and beyond. There are definitely enough kids in the neighborhood to fill the school. That's the simplest way for LT to become a neighborhood school.


This is exactly what happened at Brent.


I agree that this makes perfect sense unless you are talking about your own kid. If the principal, pta and majority of the school was onboard with wanting improvements it would go a long way but thats simply not the case.
Anonymous
Post 06/07/2013 08:49     Subject: ludlow-taylor
Anonymous wrote:I agree it's bad for the neighborhood to have a school that's not used by neighborhood kids and is constantly defamed on DCUM. But it seems to me that the solution is for all the neighborhood kids who are there in pre-K to just stay for K and beyond. There are definitely enough kids in the neighborhood to fill the school. That's the simplest way for LT to become a neighborhood school.


This is exactly what happened at Brent.