Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So basically they are solving the 'by right' dc high school challenge by building a high ses school and having some opportunity for low ses to attend, and by default doing that at Wilson too. Its solving the wrong problems. And it's terrible to put a high school in such an inaccessible location. What happened to equity? This is akin to people sleeping out to get a spot at a charter school. You shouldn't be allowed to make something open for all and then build in barriers to make it not open for all.

The cynic in me says that this isn't so much about "having some opportunity for low SES to attend" as much as it is about creating another OOB lottery opportunity for higher income/higher educated households east of Rock Creek park. Back in the 1980s-1990s, when it was still possible to send 2 kids to Sidwell on a two fed salary, the residents of upper NW opted for privates instead of Wilson, leaving Wilson and Deal to be the OOB schools of choice for middle class families EOTP who wanted to escape their failing neighborhood schools. Over 30 years, the IB populations at the upper NW schools has ramped back up: first Deal, then Wilson, then Hardy. But there is still a desire to have an OOB safety valve for middle/higher income families east of the park, because there is not enough of a critical mass of them zoned for any particular middle/high school pyramid to cause the school to care about their concerns. The percentage of kids who attend DCPS MS and HS EOTP are disproportionately at-risk compared to the overall at-risk % of children in the city overall. That means that there is a middle class EOTP "drain" from DCPS MS and HS.

Yup - Shepherd and Lafayette would encourage buy-in to Coolidge by the hordes of young families in Brightwood/Takoma. Win-win.

there's two reasons why this won't happen: There is no political will to move Shepherd and Lafayette to Coolidge -- any politician who advocates and depends on those parents for votes for this would be writing their own electoral death sentence -- and Coolidge is not big enough to take in those school populations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So basically they are solving the 'by right' dc high school challenge by building a high ses school and having some opportunity for low ses to attend, and by default doing that at Wilson too. Its solving the wrong problems. And it's terrible to put a high school in such an inaccessible location. What happened to equity? This is akin to people sleeping out to get a spot at a charter school. You shouldn't be allowed to make something open for all and then build in barriers to make it not open for all.

The cynic in me says that this isn't so much about "having some opportunity for low SES to attend" as much as it is about creating another OOB lottery opportunity for higher income/higher educated households east of Rock Creek park. Back in the 1980s-1990s, when it was still possible to send 2 kids to Sidwell on a two fed salary, the residents of upper NW opted for privates instead of Wilson, leaving Wilson and Deal to be the OOB schools of choice for middle class families EOTP who wanted to escape their failing neighborhood schools. Over 30 years, the IB populations at the upper NW schools has ramped back up: first Deal, then Wilson, then Hardy. But there is still a desire to have an OOB safety valve for middle/higher income families east of the park, because there is not enough of a critical mass of them zoned for any particular middle/high school pyramid to cause the school to care about their concerns. The percentage of kids who attend DCPS MS and HS EOTP are disproportionately at-risk compared to the overall at-risk % of children in the city overall. That means that there is a middle class EOTP "drain" from DCPS MS and HS.

Yup - Shepherd and Lafayette would encourage buy-in to Coolidge by the hordes of young families in Brightwood/Takoma. Win-win.

Anonymous wrote:
Thanks for this smart, fair-minded, accurate and succinct but thorough analysis.


Agreed that this is huge for UMC EOTP families because it will provide them a DCPS option other than Walls.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are they putting a school in this area? The population does not justify it. The area around there is just parkland, big institutions, federal land, etc. That section of DC is classified as rural on maps. On top of that the traffic is bad. So it will be very hard for teachers and students.

Duke Ellington is already in the area and their athletic field is only used by dogs walkers. Seems like another build it and no one will use it.

Maps from the early 1900s?

DC needs another HS somewhere west of RCP. There is no more land to buy, so DC has to take whatever it can get. The school age population is absolutely on the verge of exploding, demographic projections for the latter half of this decade in Ward 3 and western part of Ward 2 are absolutely insane.

When we moved to Burleith five years ago, we were one of the few couples under the age of 35 in the neighborhood who were not associated with the university. There's been a crazy surge of young families with babies here in the last two years, pandemic be damned.

Why not lean into redistricting then? A number of high schools are under-enrolled. Lafayette and Shepherd to Coolidge, Oyster and Bancroft to Macfarland/CHEC, etc. Send some kids to Cardozo.
I know this will never happen but it’s frustrating to watch the mayor earmark money to build classrooms that already exist in other parts of NW. Especially in such a remote, inaccessible part of the city.

Good lord, stop calling it remote! Lots of people, with kids in DCPS no less, live here and would love this option! Our elementary schools, every single one, is bursting at the seams. I would just drive my kids to school like I have every day for 5 years, or make them ride their bike or take what I'm sure will be upped bus service. THIS high school is convenient for THESE neighborhoods, regardless of whether or not you have ever ventured out into the hinterlands...And I promise you, there won't be any problems filling seats.

Anonymous wrote:

So basically they are solving the 'by right' dc high school challenge by building a high ses school and having some opportunity for low ses to attend, and by default doing that at Wilson too. Its solving the wrong problems. And it's terrible to put a high school in such an inaccessible location. What happened to equity? This is akin to people sleeping out to get a spot at a charter school. You shouldn't be allowed to make something open for all and then build in barriers to make it not open for all.

The cynic in me says that this isn't so much about "having some opportunity for low SES to attend" as much as it is about creating another OOB lottery opportunity for higher income/higher educated households east of Rock Creek park. Back in the 1980s-1990s, when it was still possible to send 2 kids to Sidwell on a two fed salary, the residents of upper NW opted for privates instead of Wilson, leaving Wilson and Deal to be the OOB schools of choice for middle class families EOTP who wanted to escape their failing neighborhood schools. Over 30 years, the IB populations at the upper NW schools has ramped back up: first Deal, then Wilson, then Hardy. But there is still a desire to have an OOB safety valve for middle/higher income families east of the park, because there is not enough of a critical mass of them zoned for any particular middle/high school pyramid to cause the school to care about their concerns. The percentage of kids who attend DCPS MS and HS EOTP are disproportionately at-risk compared to the overall at-risk % of children in the city overall. That means that there is a middle class EOTP "drain" from DCPS MS and HS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are they putting a school in this area? The population does not justify it. The area around there is just parkland, big institutions, federal land, etc. That section of DC is classified as rural on maps. On top of that the traffic is bad. So it will be very hard for teachers and students.

Duke Ellington is already in the area and their athletic field is only used by dogs walkers. Seems like another build it and no one will use it.

Maps from the early 1900s?

DC needs another HS somewhere west of RCP. There is no more land to buy, so DC has to take whatever it can get. The school age population is absolutely on the verge of exploding, demographic projections for the latter half of this decade in Ward 3 and western part of Ward 2 are absolutely insane.

When we moved to Burleith five years ago, we were one of the few couples under the age of 35 in the neighborhood who were not associated with the university. There's been a crazy surge of young families with babies here in the last two years, pandemic be damned.

Why not lean into redistricting then? A number of high schools are under-enrolled. Lafayette and Shepherd to Coolidge, Oyster and Bancroft to Macfarland/CHEC, etc. Send some kids to Cardozo.
I know this will never happen but it’s frustrating to watch the mayor earmark money to build classrooms that already exist in other parts of NW. Especially in such a remote, inaccessible part of the city.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So basically they are solving the 'by right' dc high school challenge by building a high ses school and having some opportunity for low ses to attend, and by default doing that at Wilson too. Its solving the wrong problems. And it's terrible to put a high school in such an inaccessible location. What happened to equity? This is akin to people sleeping out to get a spot at a charter school. You shouldn't be allowed to make something open for all and then build in barriers to make it not open for all.

The cynic in me says that this isn't so much about "having some opportunity for low SES to attend" as much as it is about creating another OOB lottery opportunity for higher income/higher educated households east of Rock Creek park. Back in the 1980s-1990s, when it was still possible to send 2 kids to Sidwell on a two fed salary, the residents of upper NW opted for privates instead of Wilson, leaving Wilson and Deal to be the OOB schools of choice for middle class families EOTP who wanted to escape their failing neighborhood schools. Over 30 years, the IB populations at the upper NW schools has ramped back up: first Deal, then Wilson, then Hardy. But there is still a desire to have an OOB safety valve for middle/higher income families east of the park, because there is not enough of a critical mass of them zoned for any particular middle/high school pyramid to cause the school to care about their concerns. The percentage of kids who attend DCPS MS and HS EOTP are disproportionately at-risk compared to the overall at-risk % of children in the city overall. That means that there is a middle class EOTP "drain" from DCPS MS and HS.

Thanks for this smart, fair-minded, accurate and succinct but thorough analysis.

Anonymous wrote:

So basically they are solving the 'by right' dc high school challenge by building a high ses school and having some opportunity for low ses to attend, and by default doing that at Wilson too. Its solving the wrong problems. And it's terrible to put a high school in such an inaccessible location. What happened to equity? This is akin to people sleeping out to get a spot at a charter school. You shouldn't be allowed to make something open for all and then build in barriers to make it not open for all.

The cynic in me says that this isn't so much about "having some opportunity for low SES to attend" as much as it is about creating another OOB lottery opportunity for higher income/higher educated households east of Rock Creek park. Back in the 1980s-1990s, when it was still possible to send 2 kids to Sidwell on a two fed salary, the residents of upper NW opted for privates instead of Wilson, leaving Wilson and Deal to be the OOB schools of choice for middle class families EOTP who wanted to escape their failing neighborhood schools. Over 30 years, the IB populations at the upper NW schools has ramped back up: first Deal, then Wilson, then Hardy. But there is still a desire to have an OOB safety valve for middle/higher income families east of the park, because there is not enough of a critical mass of them zoned for any particular middle/high school pyramid to cause the school to care about their concerns. The percentage of kids who attend DCPS MS and HS EOTP are disproportionately at-risk compared to the overall at-risk % of children in the city overall. That means that there is a middle class EOTP "drain" from DCPS MS and HS.

Anonymous wrote:Any idea which of the current Hardy classes will be the first at this high school? Current 6th graders or 7th graders? The GDS space is not particularly well-suited for a 1000 student high school. Depending on the extent of the needed improvements, this might take a while.

So basically they are solving the 'by right' dc high school challenge by building a high ses school and having some opportunity for low ses to attend, and by default doing that at Wilson too. Its solving the wrong problems. And it's terrible to put a high school in such an inaccessible location. What happened to equity? This is akin to people sleeping out to get a spot at a charter school. You shouldn't be allowed to make something open for all and then build in barriers to make it not open for all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are they putting a school in this area? The population does not justify it. The area around there is just parkland, big institutions, federal land, etc. That section of DC is classified as rural on maps. On top of that the traffic is bad. So it will be very hard for teachers and students.

Duke Ellington is already in the area and their athletic field is only used by dogs walkers. Seems like another build it and no one will use it.

Maps from the early 1900s?

DC needs another HS somewhere west of RCP. There is no more land to buy, so DC has to take whatever it can get. The school age population is absolutely on the verge of exploding, demographic projections for the latter half of this decade in Ward 3 and western part of Ward 2 are absolutely insane.

When we moved to Burleith five years ago, we were one of the few couples under the age of 35 in the neighborhood who were not associated with the university. There's been a crazy surge of young families with babies here in the last two years, pandemic be damned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any idea which of the current Hardy classes will be the first at this high school? Current 6th graders or 7th graders? The GDS space is not particularly well-suited for a 1000 student high school. Depending on the extent of the needed improvements, this might take a while.

When they discussed this initially they thought one year. But if they need $45 million in improvements wonder if that is feasible, unless the plans are ready to go now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I, for one, am a parent at one of the presumed feeder elementary schools and am excited about the possibility of getting involved and helping to build a new high school. And advocating for the investments in transportation that are clearly needed to make this work in a remotely equitable way. Lots of potential here for DC kids to have better experiences than if 2500 kids were all crammed into Wilson.

I know! I'm also hopeful yet again that the conversation about Glen Echo Trolley Trail project (to add a bicycle trail into Georgetown) will be restarted. I was so bummed when they cancelled the project a couple of years ago. That could absolutely cover the commute question for the Hardy students zoned for Hyde-Addison.

Anonymous wrote:Why are they putting a school in this area? The population does not justify it. The area around there is just parkland, big institutions, federal land, etc. That section of DC is classified as rural on maps. On top of that the traffic is bad. So it will be very hard for teachers and students.

Duke Ellington is already in the area and their athletic field is only used by dogs walkers. Seems like another build it and no one will use it.