Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The DME cross sector task force looked at this issue and the data found that the overwhelming majority of children leaving DC schools at all grades are leaving the city altogether.

I think there's a lot of movement at a few schools that get a lot of attention here, but the data simply do not support the 'mass exodus' narrative.

It probably feels like a mass exodus though if you are at one of those schools.

Is there data on this somewhere?

Here is the DCPS data from 2015: http://wamu.org/story/16/03/02/5th_grade_dropoff/

Brent, Ross, and CHM@L each lost most of their 4th graders.

The following schools lost between a quarter and a half:

Browne EC
Key ES
Thomson ES
Stoddert ES
Wheatley EC
Malcolm X ES @ Green
Maury ES
Whittier EC
Randle Highlands ES
C.W. Harris ES
Houston ES
LaSalle-Backus EC
Tyler ES
Plummer ES
Watkins ES
School Without Walls @ Francis-Stevens
Hyde-Addison ES
Walker-Jones EC
Leckie ES
Powell ES
Garfield ES
Savoy ES
Aiton ES
Raymond EC

And that is just between 4th and 5th grade. Some of those schools will back fill or have new kids move into the area. Some do a combined 4th and 5th grade, or just have fewer 5th grade classes.

One solution to this is to end the OOB feed so people aren't switching elementary schools for the chance to get into better middle schools. Another is to restrict charters so they can't start in 5th--make them start in either PK3, 3rd, 6th, or 9th.

Anonymous wrote:As a former Brent mom whose child has just transferred to a charter school for 5th, I will say that it I snot easy. Many tears shed. Missing friends that have stayed on at Brent (gone are the days when hardly anyone would stay for 5th-- seems most kids stayed this year.) Missing teachers and opportunities at Brent -- school musical, etc. And middle school is a BIG change. Taking a bus to school rather than walking with parents and the whole set up have having more teachers and more classrooms and a bigger school.

But kids are resilient. Our child is actually happy for the change-- they felt ready for something new. It's a messy mix of emotions. Fingers crossed.

Anonymous wrote:The DME cross sector task force looked at this issue and the data found that the overwhelming majority of children leaving DC schools at all grades are leaving the city altogether.

I think there's a lot of movement at a few schools that get a lot of attention here, but the data simply do not support the 'mass exodus' narrative.

It probably feels like a mass exodus though if you are at one of those schools.

Anonymous wrote:Dear DC families who may not know --
Kids from higher SES homes experience no loss of educational outcome when in school and classes with low-SES kids. HOWEVER, low SES kids perform better when they're in classes that are mixed.

SO - send your kids to public school. If you don't like the school, find your neighbors with the same goals and FIX IT! Despite what you think, the District will help you.

VanNess, Amidon, Tyler, Maury ... parents made it possible for the district to get good leaders and teachers in those schools.

My opinion - you don't get to brag (?) that you send your kids to public school if you shelter them with elite charter schools.

Anonymous wrote:What I mean is, how much does attrition or influx of new kids affect your kid's experience? Interested to hear from parents of older children.

I remember losing friends who moved far away but nobody else ever changed schools where I grew up, so I don't know if this will be an issue (assuming we stay at our child's match school). I imagine at DCPS this may be a bigger challenge, but even at charters there seems to be a lot of moving around.
jujj jj jj jj jj j j nnnn

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear DC families who may not know --
Kids from higher SES homes experience no loss of educational outcome when in school and classes with low-SES kids. HOWEVER, low SES kids perform better when they're in classes that are mixed.

SO - send your kids to public school. If you don't like the school, find your neighbors with the same goals and FIX IT! Despite what you think, the District will help you.

VanNess, Amidon, Tyler, Maury ... parents made it possible for the district to get good leaders and teachers in those schools.

My opinion - you don't get to brag (?) that you send your kids to public school if you shelter them with elite charter schools.

That's only true within a certain percentage range. As in, once the low-SES student range gets above 25-30%, the academic quality of the school goes down for everyone. Yes, even the higher-SES children.

Don't believe me? Then ask yourself why 40% FARMS qualifies a school for free lunches for everyone.

Bottom line is that FARMS don't harm higher SES students as long as they're low numbers. Above 20% start to pay attention. Above 25-30 they can have an impact on school culture.

Sorry, bad posting should above.


What if you see good school culture at a relatively high poverty school?

Anonymous wrote:Latin does so much better than our DCPS ES did with both discipline, mental health support and actually special ed support in general. Even if my kid didn't need these services/help, having many kids with unaddressed issues impacts everyone. It's definitely hard moving your kid in 5th grade from a school your family loves, but DCPS isn't doing a great job with middle schools other than Deal. Also DCPS is ignoring mental health issues and denying IEPs to seriously disabled children, and this only gets harder as kids get older.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear DC families who may not know --
Kids from higher SES homes experience no loss of educational outcome when in school and classes with low-SES kids. HOWEVER, low SES kids perform better when they're in classes that are mixed.

SO - send your kids to public school. If you don't like the school, find your neighbors with the same goals and FIX IT! Despite what you think, the District will help you.

VanNess, Amidon, Tyler, Maury ... parents made it possible for the district to get good leaders and teachers in those schools.

My opinion - you don't get to brag (?) that you send your kids to public school if you shelter them with elite charter schools.

That's only true within a certain percentage range. As in, once the low-SES student range gets above 25-30%, the academic quality of the school goes down for everyone. Yes, even the higher-SES children.

Don't believe me? Then ask yourself why 40% FARMS qualifies a school for free lunches for everyone.

Bottom line is that FARMS don't harm higher SES students as long as they're low numbers. Above 20% start to pay attention. Above 25-30 they can have an impact on school culture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dear DC families who may not know --
Kids from higher SES homes experience no loss of educational outcome when in school and classes with low-SES kids. HOWEVER, low SES kids perform better when they're in classes that are mixed.

SO - send your kids to public school. If you don't like the school, find your neighbors with the same goals and FIX IT! Despite what you think, the District will help you.

VanNess, Amidon, Tyler, Maury ... parents made it possible for the district to get good leaders and teachers in those schools.

My opinion - you don't get to brag (?) that you send your kids to public school if you shelter them with elite charter schools.

What if you see good school culture at a relatively high poverty school?
That's only true within a certain percentage range. As in, once the low-SES student range gets above 25-30%, the academic quality of the school goes down for everyone. Yes, even the higher-SES children.

Don't believe me? Then ask yourself why 40% FARMS qualifies a school for free lunches for everyone.

Bottom line is that FARMS don't harm higher SES students as long as they're low numbers. Above 20% start to pay attention. Above 25-30 they can have an impact on school culture.