One of the things that our family has to come to like about Jefferson Academy is that students are coming to it from ALL OVER the city. It means the school is communicating to everyone in the same way. And all students start from the same blank slate, with a need to acclimate and become a cohesive Trojan-spirited body, learning to respect JA's ways of doing things, no presumptions. What may be agonizing for parents, having to make new friends, can be liberating for students, namely to break out of the 15-30 classmates they've seen and grown to be friends with since preschool. (It was for our child.)

On the parents' end, while I've had to learn a lot of new faces for sure, at JA I've worked with JA parents from Hill schools such as Brent, Tyler, Watkins, Amidon, Maury, and J.O. That's been nice because we have joint reference points. But there are parents from Garrison, Thompson, Hyde etc. who just as much share a common understanding about how parents can be involved, how to communicate, how to run events, what's important to them, what values to uphold and instill in students, what they want for their children. Some of them, I will tell you, feel just as "new" as any Brent family might when contemplating the deeper historical and community roots of Jefferson. (Fascinating stuff there by the way if you take time to listen.) To say: It would be nice to have more Brent families at JA, not least because it's a solid feeder, but it's not what makes JA. In fact, one may hope it won't be. JA is and should be its own thing, with a distinct history and spirit that kids pick up on very quickly, and so can parents.

Last but not least, consider that there are actually a lot of Brent families at JA. If you don't "see" that it's because you may have your eyes set mainly on white parents and children (let's make sure we count properly if counting is needed).

In the context of Jefferson's jumping the modernization queue once white, Brent families became interested and the talk about bus lines being shifted, I think this NY Time article is instructive - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/nyregion/a-principal-is-accused-of-being-a-communist-rattling-a-brooklyn-school.html

Particularly, these passages - FYI - Millenium was opened apparently at the request of white families -

She had been begging, for years for money to fix up her school. “You mean there is money? They’ve been sitting on money or they can find money if it’s for white students?” Ms. Bloomberg recalled thinking. “This was too much. It was right in our faces. It became clear to the students: ‘You’re not good enough.’”

AND

Then in January, Ms. Bloomberg sent an email to department officials accusing them of discriminating against the predominantly black and Latino schools at John Jay by allotting Millennium twice as many sports teams as the other schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I give this timeline because I've lived in-boundary for the Cluster since the 80s, when the three schools were grouped and I was a practice teacher in DCPS.

I remember how many neighborhood parents predicted that Stuart Hobson would "take off" in a few short years way back then, during the Reagan administration.

20 years later, and SH is only about 20% in-boundary, although the school supposedly differentiates madly.

This is a common refrain from Hill old timers who conveniently ignore the lack of viable charter sector in the 80s vs now. ~ 7K 6-8 graders and ~10K DCPS vs 9K PCS for 5-8. 6-8 grade PCS seats have grown 14% in the past 6 years alone. Most of that growth has occurred in the past 20 years

I don't get this post. You're arguing that a viable charter sector has provided the competition for DCPS to up its game by offering more challenging middle school classes in by-right schools? If yes, there's some evidence to suggest this. Hardy recently started offering 7th grade algebra, and SH introduced "honors classes" (taught at grade level) five or six years ago. These additions are nothing to write home about, but represent an improvement over the 80s situation to be sure.

Growth just doesn't do much for the majority of us on the Hill, where most parents lack confidence in DCPS MS options, and that's putting it mildly.

DCPS has built a trust deficit problem with Hill parents after elementary over a long period of time. Grosso perpetuates the problem as chair of the city council committee on ed with vigor. He's obsessed with promoting "equity" in education vs. providing appropriate challenge.

No but it sounds like you're arguing that. The 80s landscape is as irrelevant as the decade old put downs of some DCPS schools.

Anonymous wrote:What the Hill "old timers" understand that the Brent Jefferson boosters don't seem to is how slowly DCPS moves. This is the problem that torpedoed a nascent Brent-Jefferson nexus back in 2009. I attended some of the parent meetings.

DCPS remains very attached to 10-year school turnaround plans where a 3-5 year plan would do. Brent parents charge to Latin, BASIS, and get on the path to DCI early, because the better charters have proven much more nimble organizations than DCPS. As long as City Council members don't get voted in out because the traditional school system drags its feet, the system continues to march in the right direction at a snail's pace.

It will be very interesting to see if Charles Allen, good on many issues but a foot dragger on MS, gets through this year's election.

Proven? Maybe at being far more self-selective in students they attract (especially uber white Latin and 'we don't do SPED' BASIS). DCI - a little presumptuous, no? You also picked three MS serving 4 grades which combined don't even have the enrollment of Deal. The reality is that the charter options are not inherently better for MS. They may be more specialized.

And Charles Allen is a given for reelection

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I give this timeline because I've lived in-boundary for the Cluster since the 80s, when the three schools were grouped and I was a practice teacher in DCPS.

I remember how many neighborhood parents predicted that Stuart Hobson would "take off" in a few short years way back then, during the Reagan administration.

20 years later, and SH is only about 20% in-boundary, although the school supposedly differentiates madly.

This is a common refrain from Hill old timers who conveniently ignore the lack of viable charter sector in the 80s vs now. ~ 7K 6-8 graders and ~10K DCPS vs 9K PCS for 5-8. 6-8 grade PCS seats have grown 14% in the past 6 years alone. Most of that growth has occurred in the past 20 years

I don't get this post. You're arguing that a viable charter sector has provided the competition for DCPS to up its game by offering more challenging middle school classes in by-right schools? If yes, there's some evidence to suggest this. Hardy recently started offering 7th grade algebra, and SH introduced "honors classes" (taught at grade level) five or six years ago. These additions are nothing to write home about, but represent an improvement over the 80s situation to be sure.

Growth just doesn't do much for the majority of us on the Hill, where most parents lack confidence in DCPS MS options, and that's putting it mildly.

DCPS has built a trust deficit problem with Hill parents after elementary over a long period of time. Grosso perpetuates the problem as chair of the city council committee on ed with vigor. He's obsessed with promoting "equity" in education vs. providing appropriate challenge.

DP - I think PP was saying that stagnation in terms of IB students has to be seen in context of charter options. SH gets the same IB percent despite a significant increase in charter options. Suggesting that improvements at SH and/or the changing demographics of the Hill are driving increased enrollment at SH.

Also I don't think latin provides much differentiation, especially at the.middle school level.

Anonymous wrote:Sure, it all works out...15 or 20 years from now.

New to these issues and don't get why Brent's Jefferson boosters don't seem to play hardball with DCPS.

Why not say, we're not supporting the renovation, and we're not coming, without appropriate classes in place. We want at and above grade-level math courses, like the ones Wash Latin and BASIS offer. Most of our families enroll at those schools.

Since they've got tens of millions to throw at a building, why not a few million pinned down for appropriate classes?

You don't understand the difference between capital and operating budgets. You also assume dcps cares whether brent families come to ja. They may be happy to have a school with steadily increasing test results, above-average mgps, and some oob spots for motivated families whose ib options are less desirable. Jefferson has a solid reputation that precedes most brent families' residence in dc; one of Charles Allen's employees went there.

What the Hill "old timers" understand that the Brent Jefferson boosters don't seem to is how slowly DCPS moves. This is the problem that torpedoed a nascent Brent-Jefferson nexus back in 2009. I attended some of the parent meetings.

DCPS remains very attached to 10-year school turnaround plans where a 3-5 year plan would do. Brent parents charge to Latin, BASIS, and get on the path to DCI early, because the better charters have proven much more nimble organizations than DCPS. As long as City Council members don't get voted in out because the traditional school system drags its feet, the system continues to march in the right direction at a snail's pace.

It will be very interesting to see if Charles Allen, good on many issues but a foot dragger on MS, gets through this year's election.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I give this timeline because I've lived in-boundary for the Cluster since the 80s, when the three schools were grouped and I was a practice teacher in DCPS.

I remember how many neighborhood parents predicted that Stuart Hobson would "take off" in a few short years way back then, during the Reagan administration.

20 years later, and SH is only about 20% in-boundary, although the school supposedly differentiates madly.

This is a common refrain from Hill old timers who conveniently ignore the lack of viable charter sector in the 80s vs now. ~ 7K 6-8 graders and ~10K DCPS vs 9K PCS for 5-8. 6-8 grade PCS seats have grown 14% in the past 6 years alone. Most of that growth has occurred in the past 20 years

I don't get this post. You're arguing that a viable charter sector has provided the competition for DCPS to up its game by offering more challenging middle school classes in by-right schools? If yes, there's some evidence to suggest this. Hardy recently started offering 7th grade algebra, and SH introduced "honors classes" (taught at grade level) five or six years ago. These additions are nothing to write home about, but represent an improvement over the 80s situation to be sure.

Growth just doesn't do much for the majority of us on the Hill, where most parents lack confidence in DCPS MS options, and that's putting it mildly.

DCPS has built a trust deficit problem with Hill parents after elementary over a long period of time. Grosso perpetuates the problem as chair of the city council committee on ed with vigor. He's obsessed with promoting "equity" in education vs. providing appropriate challenge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In defense of the Brent parents who say these things, often their oldest kids are years from MS. It is hard picturing your 6 or 7 year old on the metro alone.

That being said, there are discussions about re-routing the Navy Yard Circulator route so it goes by the Wharf (and therefore Jefferson). So this wouldn't be a "special" bus but it would help connect Brent, Tyler, and VN with Jefferson but providing a one seat ride (hopefully) to Jefferson's front door.

Yes but they don’t seem to have an issue imagining their child commuting to Ft Totten for Latin.

Don't be obtuse, PP. That is because there is a dedicated school bus to Latin from Eastern Market.

All of the Deal Special Snow Flakes are on a metro bus to get to school. It is not a private bus.

It's not a private bus, but it is a special WMATA route that was created and runs just for Deal kids. Don't be obtuse. And it's absolutely appropriate for families who aren't zoned to Deal to be pissed that a small segment of DC DOES have direct bus access to school when the official city position - and the reality in all other parts of the city - is that DC does not offer "school bus" service.

Anonymous wrote:I give this timeline because I've lived in-boundary for the Cluster since the 80s, when the three schools were grouped and I was a practice teacher in DCPS.

I remember how many neighborhood parents predicted that Stuart Hobson would "take off" in a few short years way back then, during the Reagan administration.

20 years later, and SH is only about 20% in-boundary, although the school supposedly differentiates madly.

This is a common refrain from Hill old timers who conveniently ignore the lack of viable charter sector in the 80s vs now. ~ 7K 6-8 graders and ~10K DCPS vs 9K PCS for 5-8. 6-8 grade PCS seats have grown 14% in the past 6 years alone. Most of that growth has occurred in the past 20 years

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In defense of the Brent parents who say these things, often their oldest kids are years from MS. It is hard picturing your 6 or 7 year old on the metro alone.

That being said, there are discussions about re-routing the Navy Yard Circulator route so it goes by the Wharf (and therefore Jefferson). So this wouldn't be a "special" bus but it would help connect Brent, Tyler, and VN with Jefferson but providing a one seat ride (hopefully) to Jefferson's front door.

Yes but they don’t seem to have an issue imagining their child commuting to Ft Totten for Latin.

Don't be obtuse, PP. That is because there is a dedicated school bus to Latin from Eastern Market.

All of the Deal Special Snow Flakes are on a metro bus to get to school. It is not a private bus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In defense of the Brent parents who say these things, often their oldest kids are years from MS. It is hard picturing your 6 or 7 year old on the metro alone.

That being said, there are discussions about re-routing the Navy Yard Circulator route so it goes by the Wharf (and therefore Jefferson). So this wouldn't be a "special" bus but it would help connect Brent, Tyler, and VN with Jefferson but providing a one seat ride (hopefully) to Jefferson's front door.

Yes but they don’t seem to have an issue imagining their child commuting to Ft Totten for Latin.

Don't be obtuse, PP. That is because there is a dedicated school bus to Latin from Eastern Market.

Anonymous wrote:In defense of the Brent parents who say these things, often their oldest kids are years from MS. It is hard picturing your 6 or 7 year old on the metro alone.

That being said, there are discussions about re-routing the Navy Yard Circulator route so it goes by the Wharf (and therefore Jefferson). So this wouldn't be a "special" bus but it would help connect Brent, Tyler, and VN with Jefferson but providing a one seat ride (hopefully) to Jefferson's front door.

Yes but they don’t seem to have an issue imagining their child commuting to Ft Totten for Latin.

In defense of the Brent parents who say these things, often their oldest kids are years from MS. It is hard picturing your 6 or 7 year old on the metro alone.

That being said, there are discussions about re-routing the Navy Yard Circulator route so it goes by the Wharf (and therefore Jefferson). So this wouldn't be a "special" bus but it would help connect Brent, Tyler, and VN with Jefferson but providing a one seat ride (hopefully) to Jefferson's front door.