I am the parent of a former Deal student who went on a spring break trip abroad. The vendor for the trip was EF tours. They are a leading student travel vendor so I would imagine that DCPS will use them or a company like it. EF tours did not provide any security. In fact, the students are left to their own devices for several hours a day, particularly when they are on their own for lunch.

As for Deal students taking up the spaces, I don't think that will be much of a problem. Deal will continue to run its own tours and I'm sure that a number of parents would prefer for their kids to travel with friends and known teachers even if there is a cost associated with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

Exactly. You can't be a traitor to DCPS and then expect to feast on the DCPS goodies. If charters are so great, let them figure this out with their fancy foundation grants and whatnot.

I'm a charter parent, and I don't feel like a traitor at all. I also think charters would need to do this on their own, and I completely support DCPS in doing this only for DCPS students.

Anonymous wrote:Nicaragua? What was the justification for that? My SIL and some others I know well are from there or have lived there. One said, "hell no! Why do you think so many are trying to get out?" Another "what will they learn from there these days? Who will provide security?"

Does anyone know the vendor or specific program? Would you send your child?

I guess this is a newsflash for you: the views and experiences of people who live in a place can be VASTLY different from the experience of visiting there as a tourist. Just ask the residents of the Maldives. But unless you're privvy to a whole world of danger to tourists in today's Nicaragua (and can provide links/sources to this info), you should ask your relatives what dangers exactly lurk there where tourists would go that they think a tour group would need security for.

And if you or your relatives don't know what value/learning students studying Spanish would get from visiting a Spanish-speaking country... how bout you just promise all of us you won't send your kids. Because obviously there's no value there. Stick with WIS Spanish summer camp.

[quote=Anonymous]OP here, I was actually asking about security. Who will be providing security while they are abroad?[/quote]

Please OP, explain:

1. Why you think the group needs security
2. What examples you have of similar trips going badly because a school group had no security
3. Who exactly you think needs to be protected and from who?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

It isn't having it both ways. Unless DCPS students are funding their own trips, there is no reasonable way to demand charters self-fund. They already get less funding than DCPS as it is.

In short, you're totally and completely wrong.

Not the PP you're responding to, but please, give us a break. Try to break out of your entitled charter mindset and see reality: DCPS worked up these relationships and priorities on their own. I have kids in a charter and there is NO WAY that charters should somehow be included in a program that DCPS has arranged for DCPS students. If charters want to individually work up relationships or band together and try to apply in a group of charters for similar funds, cool, I wish them luck and hope my charter does too (I'd help!). But there are tens of thousands of DCPS students who get the short end of so many sticks... this is theirs. They should have this and I wish them luck, especially since they are looking at "equity" in their criteria. I hope these trips allow many students to totally expand their world views.

And no, charters should for once take a cue from DCPS and do their own version, not expect to get in on DCPS's program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a charter school parent, great news DCPS! I still don't think a chance at an international trip would lure me away from our amazing school to the shit-Show that is DCPS, but free bikes and free trips overseas are bright shiny objects to make people look away from a crappy school system.

Whatever, nothing to see here.

Free bikes and free study abroad looks great from my WotP neighborhood schools. My youngest kid walks to our fantastic elementary school, and the other child will be in 8th at Deal next year. I'll take the fantastic experience they've had with DCPS any day over the experiment going on at DC charters (I.e., inexperienced teachers, discipline issues, swing space, frequent moves, etc). You're right, nothing for charter parents to see on this thread. You need to start focusing on fundraising for your kids' study abroad trips...right now!

This is actually offensive. You were able to BUY INTO your cozy neighborhood elementary school that is able to rise above DCPS dysfunction by virtue of its WEALTH. Then to gloat about your non-need to use a charter school is disgusting.

The global ed rep at Eastern last night said the there will be one chaperone for no more than 10 kids. I'm not worried about security issues. And agree with other posters re: charters being able to pay for this with their own foundation money. It's a separate non-profit fundraising arm for DCPS that has raised the funding, and it's a great thing for DCPS to offer for their kids. Maybe if some charters (like Friendship) didn't pay their Exec Directors $300K or more a year, they could fund things like travel abroad for their kids too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are right, I do not have security when I travel alone or with my family, but it is not absurd that in some places with a large group of noticeably young tourist, that security may be needed. Not to mention who will deal with some of these kids who may get out of hand? If they need security in the schools then why would they not need it with a large group of kids from different schools abroad?

Maybe this is what's wrong with the schools in this city: from 8:45 until 3:15, these kids are under constant "security", then 3:15 pm they're let out of buildings and all hell breaks loose. (The schools to prisons pipeline as it's called.) How about we start removing some of that "security" so they may all grow up to behave responsibly without someone nearby about to whack them over the head if they so much as step two inches away from the brown tile on the wall.

And you know what: These kids absolutely need to go abroad, even just to learn that there are entire societies out there that will treat them with respect without all that "security" bearing down on them. The sad part: I bet the person calling for all that "security" does not know any better.

No, you don't know any better! It's obvious you have not spent a lot of time in DCPS middle or high schools, because if you did, you would not make such a silly remark. You are right that DCPS runs many of their schools like a prison, but you are wrong if you think that being abroad is going to change kids so quickly that there will be no need for security. Especially if you put the wrong students together for an extended period of time. Security does not necessarily have to be a guard, but a teacher or administrator that is accustomed to dealing with all kinds of students is a must!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

Exactly. You can't be a traitor to DCPS and then expect to feast on the DCPS goodies. If charters are so great, let them figure this out with their fancy foundation grants and whatnot.

Actually this program is being paid for by grants from the same "fancy foundations" that support some of DC's charter schools.

Nothing wrong with that in my mind.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope they open it up to charter students as well. This would be great for the immersion charters where students have spent years learning another language.

I think the charters will need to create and fund their own study abroad programs. DCPS students don't get to enjoy charter-schooled funded programs. You really can't have it both ways.

Exactly. You can't be a traitor to DCPS and then expect to feast on the DCPS goodies. If charters are so great, let them figure this out with their fancy foundation grants and whatnot.

Anonymous wrote:You are right, I do not have security when I travel alone or with my family, but it is not absurd that in some places with a large group of noticeably young tourist, that security may be needed. Not to mention who will deal with some of these kids who may get out of hand? If they need security in the schools then why would they not need it with a large group of kids from different schools abroad?

Maybe this is what's wrong with the schools in this city: from 8:45 until 3:15, these kids are under constant "security", then 3:15 pm they're let out of buildings and all hell breaks loose. (The schools to prisons pipeline as it's called.) How about we start removing some of that "security" so they may all grow up to behave responsibly without someone nearby about to whack them over the head if they so much as step two inches away from the brown tile on the wall.

And you know what: These kids absolutely need to go abroad, even just to learn that there are entire societies out there that will treat them with respect without all that "security" bearing down on them. The sad part: I bet the person calling for all that "security" does not know any better.

Anonymous wrote:You are right, I do not have security when I travel alone or with my family, but it is not absurd that in some places with a large group of noticeably young tourist, that security may be needed. Not to mention who will deal with some of these kids who may get out of hand? If they need security in the schools then why would they not need it with a large group of kids from different schools abroad?

Goodness lady! No "security" will be provided. However, there will be teacher/possibly parent chaperones. Please try to relax a bit.

You are right, I do not have security when I travel alone or with my family, but it is not absurd that in some places with a large group of noticeably young tourist, that security may be needed. Not to mention who will deal with some of these kids who may get out of hand? If they need security in the schools then why would they not need it with a large group of kids from different schools abroad?

[quote=Anonymous]OP here, I was actually asking about security. Who will be providing security while they are abroad?[/quote]

What a ridiculous question! Who provides[b] you[/b] with security when you vacation abroad? Same answer.