Anonymous wrote:I'm creating a new thread, because I was about to take another thread on a tangent.
Someone said:

Anonymous wrote:Deal is no big deal, it's just the best DCPS can do. That's what you should have said.

Can you, or someone else in the know, give me some insight into concrete "things", programs/processes/philosophy/amenities, that Deal does, making it "the best DCPS can do", other than the result, i.e. test scores?

Because whatever you tell me now, I will take to me EOTP neighborhood DCPS and ask then whether we can have it too.

The real question is not what the schools do. It is what the parents do.

As group, I am pretty sure WOTP parents tend to be married, and to stay married. To nurture their kids. To read to them. To do math. Probably to speak more languages. To be better advocates of their kids, to support them.

Anonymous wrote:The reason that a lot of these schools are putting focus on extracurriculars, athletics and on great sports facilities is that these appeal directly to the student, whereas test scores and overall academics etc, appeal to the parents of the students. It makes sense if you are looking for ways to keep the kids in the building, giving teachers someone to teach. This first step is necessary to encourage some kids to want attend school in the first place.

Exactly. Not having involved parents, even getting some students in the door and into the classroom is as issue. Students in most of the EOTP as an overall group have worse attendance than WOTP, sports and other extracurricular activities can be used as incentive tools. There has to be some buy-in or students are not coming. Is this the way it should be? NO, but this is a huge issue for schools. If you paid an unannounced visit to any EOTP school, you would be shocked at how many students are not at school especially during first period, when it is bad weather, and how many students "walk the halls" and are hanging around outside or near the school. Many of the students don't want to be in school but truthfully they don't really have anywhere else to go. Sad but true!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That can't be accurate...Eastern and Ballou have the largest marching bands in the city. Woodson and Eastern have the best athletic participation in the city...so if the wealthier kids are getting better opportunities then they are not producing winning results. If the poor kids at Ballou, Eastern, Woodson and Dunbar are participating in activities that the rich kids are not doing....guess who's winning.

welcome Eastern word salad lady?

Must be. And she's on drums now.

The reason that a lot of these schools are putting focus on extracurriculars, athletics and on great sports facilities is that these appeal directly to the student, whereas test scores and overall academics etc, appeal to the parents of the students. It makes sense if you are looking for ways to keep the kids in the building, giving teachers someone to teach. This first step is necessary to encourage some kids to want attend school in the first place.

English please.

The schools in question are more than drumlines and football... But again the thought that since the rich attend certain schools they have the monoply on academics and activities. I guess the high-school diploma one earns are not deciphered with $$ signs it make it more profound that free-public education is so pricey.