A gold plated DC education
My friend Nathan of DC Education Blog is back and blogging and reports
here and
here, that DCPS spends about $28,000 a student. Not that each student gets $28,000 worth of school, books, facilities, teachers, as there is the court ordered Special Education which costs more.
I took a look at the numbers, which is almost pointless because I don't do math. The libertarian Cato Institute's look at the numbers are in
this Excel spreadsheet. Which somehow led me to the
audited enrollment for DC Schools because I wanted to know the number of students behind those numbers which I don't really comprehend. Something else I wanted to understand but didn't see numbers were comparisons of how much per student was spent in NoVa or PG or Montgomery counties.
Labels: schools
Charter Schools
I caught a ride with a neighbor/friend back home after running into her and her kids. We got onto the topic of Pre-K schools and a day-care co-opy thing at Kennedy Playground. Apparently, if you are going to raise kids in this city you gotta get plugged into the tribe of parents that live in your area. I was vaguely aware of some program at the Kennedy Rec center that some of the little (2-5 yrs)kids were involved in. Involvement requires one parent with a flexible schedule to volunteer and the great thing is the city (thank you city) provides a teacher or staff person.
Well someone will be graduating from the Rec Center co-op to 4 Pre-K, and so we started talking about schools.
Yu Ying was mentioned and I said I knew a kid at Yu Ying, and mentioned how happy the parents of said kid seemed to be with the program. However, my ride's concern was how would the language be re-enforced and wondered if Spanish would be a more useful language. So I mentioned another school that another kid (I know a few in the under 5 crowd) but wasn't sure if the school had an actual Spanish language program. So I said I'd check with a parent that I figured would know.
Well I checked and I got a whole list of recommended charter schools and one out of boundary DCPS school. I do not have that list in front of me, but I do remember the name of the DCPS school,
John Tyler, or as I found Tyler Elementary. They have a Spanish language program. For out of boundary DCPS there is only one lottery, good luck with that. Oh, and
Oyster has a great program but you'd have a better chance at the mega millions lotto than that lottery.
I'll take everyone's word for it that the lottery system is frazzling and you hold your breath until your kid is in one of the schools of your choosing. As far as I know, the parents I know, who do the lottery, do manage to get their munchkins into a satisfactory school.
Labels: schools
The kids are alright
One of my neighbors is a good neighbor. His goodness is in the fact that he actively does good, as opposed to the definition of "good" being "doesn't give trouble." He picks up trash on the sidewalk, not just in front of his house but on our whole block. When he is so inspired, he'll take the trash pick up to another adjoining block. He works for a non-profit do-gooder organization, that allows him to go to far off lands to spread the good. This winter he and I shoveled our block. He's a fascinating guy to talk with, good humored and most of the time good natured.
He's mentioned his father, when I've asked or we've talked about why he does what he does, in passing. And one day I came upon one of his dad's lectures on iTunes University, where his father speaks of my neighbor and his brothers as kids. Which is interesting, because many of us come from somewhere else, so we tend to only know our neighbors as their adult selves, with very little knowledge of what they were like as kids, teens, very young adults.
Anyway, my neighbors father is
Raymond Bakke, a professor of urban studies/urban ministry, who has some ideas about city living. One of the ideas (of several) that I found a bit hard core was raising children in a poor urban environment. No private schools, no home schooling. And so my neighbor went to the tough Chicago schools, including High School. Bakke advocates for strong parental involvement. As far as making up for what the public schools lack, he suggests extra enrichment classes. Taking what parents may have spent on private school, he points out, those same funds could go to family trips abroad, books, lessons and other experiences that would enrich their children.
The children that Prof. Bakke mentions in his books and lectures are grown now, and I am honored one lives on my block. My neighbor is a product of urban family living, and it seems that the kids are alright.
... next week more grousing from me about bad teenagers.
Labels: kids, neighbors, schools
Brief on BACA meeting
I left at 8.
Mayor Fenty arrived fairly early in the meeting and it was well attended with a long table of students on one side of the room. When I left, Cook School was still the topic and despite the kids presence, residents, and their elected leaders let it be known that the LAYC' dorm with some classroom's plan wasn't wanted. Residents told the mayor that the processes, which he kept focusing on, was flawed and someone failed in the process. The mayor tried to point out that in locations where LAYC was development wasn't hampered. I don't know if anyone pointed out that in those areas, the zoning and height restrictions are different and can accommodate the density that would make LAYC's impact unimportant.
I got a brief report of what happened after I left. Someone questioned the wisdom of having the LAYC students at the meeting where they would be exposed to opposition to their school. Jim Berry was very good at keeping the meeting moving. Yay Jim. And the mayor seemed open to making out community a part of NoMa. ??????!!!!
Labels: BACA, schools
Bundy
There is a fair amount of unhappiness on the Shaw Neighborhood Listserv. Part of me is a little detached as it's over in Ward 2, Jack Evans Land, and I am over in Ward 5 (dang Ward system separating us from the rest of Shaw), so as a voter I don't have Jack, I just got jack. But, Bundy is on the edge, close to the TC. I've not nothing useful to add but links.
DC Gov Responds on Bundy Parking Lot- from the BACA blog
One unhappy email on the
Shaw Listserv, and
a response from Jack Evans.
No surprise this happened as BACA had been surprised about the future use of the Cook School.
Labels: city services, schools
Latin American School for JF Cook
Anyone know anything about
this?
Labels: development, schools
Armstrong, New York Ave, and neighborhood charity
Those two have nothing to do with each other except they are the emails I have flagged in my inbox.
First Armstrong. I guess I'm on the mailing list for this subject because I attended the BACA meeting that covered it and I guess this is the 'getting back with the community' part of that discussion. Anyway here was the notice that was sent out:
Dear Community,
On Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 7:00 pm at Armstrong School, Kent Amos, founder of the CAPCS education campus, will met with community for follow up discussion on his recent decision permitting Metropolitan Baptist Church use of the school for Sunday services. Senior Pastor Beecher Hicks also plans to attend. Please make every effort to come out and bring your questions and alternative ideas for addressing this community dilemma.
Light refreshments will be available. For further information, please contact me at 55O-O619* or by e-mail at adbonds g mail com*.
I'm looking forward to seeing you,
Anita Bonds
There have been a couple of 'reply all' emails concerning the upcoming meeting. One, going on the separation of church and state thread is a fruitless one. The relationship between the charter school and the church is that of landlord and tenant and not unusual. My best friend's church rents out a PG County high school gym while they wait for their building to be done. Difference? High schools have way more parking than middle and elementary schools. And it is the parking that has raised the immediate resident's ire. Second, sticking to the point of the matter, parking, and using the threat of strong parking enforcement may prove fruitful.
This weekend being so nice I rode my bike to church, taking my old route by the old location of Metropolitan Baptist. I could see the difference. When Metropolitan was on R Street, the streets were congested and there was almost ALWAYS someone blocking the bike lane. And the Washington Post newspaper vendor dude used to be on the corner. But no more. The streets around 13th and R were 'normal', no more crowded than 9th and R.
New York Avenue. It is websites like
Stimulus Watch that make me think that the net was made for democracy. Apparently, the
intersection at Florida and New York Avenue is to take up 8 millllllllyon dallahs. There is another New York Ave project also included but no detail of what NY Ave bridge. Anyway, I need someone to define 'shovel ready.' Seriously there must be a treeful of paper of studies on New York Avenue NE and NW and it's various intersections that have never gotten past 'oh look we have a study.' After looking at the guts of some road studies (not New York Ave but other DC roads), the info in them goes bad quicker than a gallon of milk, which means after a few years...... you do another study (and the contractors who do studies say yay!). Seriously define 'shovel ready' because if it involves a study and community buy in and the other things that take up time and effort, it's only shovelin' manure.
Lastly, something good from the Eckington listserv:
Hi Neighbors,
Thank You!!! When members of our community were in need of support their neighbors stepped up to help out. The Stancil family has found an apartment to live in until repairs to their home are completed. Our efforts to raise funds and provide clothing was a great success. The community members, area churches and strangers that happened to read about the Stancil family at the Big Bear Cafe contributed $2,000 in cash, checks and gift cards. I had to make daily trips from the Big Bear to Emery with my Outback stuffed full of clothing donations. The Stancils were overwhelmed by the out pouring of support when they needed it the most. Any clothing the family can't use will go to area clothing banks. We all face uncertainties with the economic crisis yet this community opened their hearts to help. Thank You!
we all work together, ted
*I made changes here.
Labels: Bloomingdale/Eckington, charity, churches, schools, transportation
1950s School Map
I also have the High School map and I can't help but notice that 16th Street is a common dividing line.
This is from "Corning Sets Integrated School Zone Boundaries," by Marie Smith, Washington Post, July 2, 1954 p. 1, 25-26. It is the proposed school boundaries for schools that were to integrate. Wanna guess what big demographic change occurs east of 16th?
Also I want to mention that when I present stuff from the past, occasionally called 'history', I will try to cite it so you dear reader can find the information yourself. History is subject to interpretation, and I bring my own biases. Un-cited, history is subject to being made up.
Labels: history, schools
Congrats to Dunbar HS Band
Just a quick shout out to the Dunbar High School band for being picked as one of the inaugural parade bands.
Labels: schools
KIPP and the arts
I want to thank Neda for cc'ing me in an email inquiring about KIPP and FLUX, as it got me to get around to asking KIPP's Mr. Alex Shawe about more information
which he provided (PDF). It's the executive summary, there is a more detailed paper with diagrams and good stuff but it's a big file. Anyway in the diagrams you would see where a proposed arts space would be in relation to the school part.
Yes, I know it is cruel to talk about a picture you can see and I'm not providing. But when I first heard of the arts/ school combo I was thinking of a shared building like it would be a duplex, or townhouse with English basement, where each party has separate space in the same structure. After looking at the drawings it is more like roommates but where one roommate dominates. Shared space really looks shared. There are separate rooms, but it looks like shared hallways, entrances, exits and the artists and kids would not be able to avoid each other. This sparks a list of concerns in my head.
Like I mentioned before charter schools get first dibs on public school buildings. So if KIPP were to get Cook/Cooke it would be the primary roommate in this scenario who would set the tone. This may limit what an arts roommie can and cannot do or leave up/ lying around or perform during nap time. However, if the two parties can work something out in a way that the relationship is beneficial and enriching, the community will be changed for the better.
With the arts traditionally being on the bottom of public schools' agendas (probably because you can't put it on a standardized test), I think and active arts space would be great for kids. It is good for kids and adults to interact causally and formally with artists to make it more real.
What are your thoughts? (remember to ID your comments, anons will be eliminated).
Labels: Art, schools
Quick BACA review
In two paragraphs or less:
Mayor Fenty showed up after the police were happy to report that certain crimes were down. There was a big crowd and 1/2 of em disappeared after the mayor departed. KIPP presented a video and talked about the kind of school they would like to have and the improvements they would make to the Cook campus.
KIPP was talking mixed use and apparently they'd been talking to Paul Rupert (of Warehouse Theater) and seem open to a partnership with the arts community. Charter schools have first dibs supposedly, so if the arts group can ally with a charter school for the proposal than, win-win.
Labels: Art, BACA, schools
BACA meeting, Fenty might show
Once again, like every first Monday of the month there is a BACA (Bates Area Civic Association) meeting 7pm in the basement cafeteria of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church at the corner of Q & 3rd. Jim Berry says that Mayor Fenty will make a quick appearance. Also on the schedule is someone from KIPP to talk about their interest in the Cook School. Last time the KIPP person did not show.
I'm just happy there are two parties interested in the school. One being a collection of arts folk,
called FLUX, the other KIPP. I have concerns about both. The question I have about the arts group is how open they'd be with the surrounding area. There are about two places with artists down in the Hanover region of the TC and they periodically open their doors. Would this be another art fortress, and I completely understand the need for closed doors, or would the doors open more often for regular exhibits and performances? With the KIPP school the problem is traffic and the attraction of students from all over the city. P Street can be tight already, add that to the Armstrong charter school and other KIPP school on P.
Labels: Art, BACA, schools
Dunbar High School Band Dinner Show
If I only knew where the heck my camera was I'd have pictures.
Whilst sitting around the house this afternoon enjoying a post dinner fattening sweet, I heard. No, felt, drums and brass. It sounded very close. It sounded like it was getting closer, so I poked my head out the door and discovered a pleasant surprise. There was a casually dressed marching band coming down my street. It was like a mini parade. The sound brought out a few of my neighbors who looked on the assemblage of dancers, flag girls, brass, wind, and percussion.
As an occasional, once in a while, mobile thing, it was quite nice.
Labels: quality of life, schools
I went to community college
Just a quick mention, in relation to something I thought about while responding to a comment. I wonder why there isn't a stronger push for community colleges in the DC metro area?
A little info on me. I have about 12 or 20 (I have to look) credit hours from my hometown community college. At least 4 credit hours I took while still in high school. The county school system had this great program where we could get a head start with college by taking courses at the CC (comm. coll.) free of charge. Since a huge bunch of us were going to go to Univ of Florida, FSU, FAMU, or another state university it was a great way to knock out some required courses for free. Later, I went to CC during the summers so I could get Cs in classes I was going to do badly in anyway, so why not get a C for about $29 a credit hour, vs a D (these were weed out classes) at $45 a credit hour?
My mom got her Certified Nurse's Assistant (CNA) certificate from the CC, and that is what she's doing now in her semi-retirement. My sister is a CC drop-out, but she was aiming for something in the veterinary field. So I've experienced and seen how CCs are useful in a community in helping people get jobs by giving them specific training. When I hear about job training around here, it (and please forgive my ignorance) doesn't sound like more than advice on doing a job interview and introduction to a computer. And this goes back to another problem I mentioned before of the community trying or asked to support programs it has no direct dealings with, difficulty judging the efficacy of those programs. Basic skills have value, but I wonder how far it gets you in an environment where more workers have that skill set, plus this, that, and something else.
Labels: employment, schools
DC Education Podcast
Just a quick mention, my friend Nathan over at
DC Education has produced his
thrid podcast on what's going on with local school in the District. His main focus are public and charter schools, but not limited to public schools.
Labels: schools
There is nothing like a common threat to bring folks together
Under normal circumstances those of us in the room regarding what to JF Cook are disagreeing over the name of the neighborhood (or avoiding the naming fight altogether). However, last we were pretty much united against the idea of a food and clothing distribution and a city wide job training center. And strongly for a police substation, early child development and youth services/recreation.
Sadly, the MM Washington and JF Cook discussions were in separate rooms, despite the fact that the two schools are right next door to each other, so the same set of neighbors are impacted by what happens at either school. Our great BACA leader Jim Berry was there and later went to the next room where I guess he expressed the same background and concerns regarding the neighborhood, and the history of surplussed schools such as Armstrong. So, I have no idea what went on in the next room.
I can say what happened in the Cook room. There were several ideas about what the school could serve as in the interim and long term. The two ideas that got the room riled up came from two individuals who were pushing for services for the homeless and the nearly homeless. Because of the schools' proximity to S.O.M.E. and the residents' rocky relationship with the non-profit (and other near by social services) as a neighborhood entity, there was an uproar. It did not help those individuals' case when they opposed the idea of moving the early child development from Slater to Cook and opposed the police substation idea. There was a lot of people talking over each other and the Planning Office representative looked like he was on the edge of losing his temper with the group.
If you missed this meeting there is a follow up April 10th at I guess the same time 6ish, at McKinley Tech's Auditorium. But really, as someone mentioned, since these impact the local neighborhood these feedback sessions should be presented at the ANC meetings and to the civic groups.
Labels: government, schools
More on the empty schools
From the Truxton Discussion Forum:
Please see this idea from Jim Berry:
Please consider . . . the idea of making JF Cook School a police substation, the site of office space for ANC 5C and, perhaps, other appropriate community uses, as well as the idea of encouraging an Arts emphasis for the future use of MM Washington, should it eventually close. I think it safe to assume that none of us wants the buildings that now house JF Cook School and MM Washington to go the way of the former John Mercer Langston Elementary School or the former Armstrong Adult Education Center buildings -- essentially, abandoned by the city and languishing in our community as an attractive nuisance for drug dealers and users, homeless persons, and the like.
As for MM Washington... one possibility might be to turn it into a place for artists -- an idea that was floated by the local government and one which we endorsed, I believe, in the late 1980's/early 1990's. At the time, O Street, N.W. and Hanover Place, N.W. were already budding hubs for this kind of activity. Perhaps we could revisit some of those ideas. Also, we could give artists special consideration to locate their businesses there and require them to hold classes for interested children and adults, in return for that consideration.
I love the idea of artists studios. There are artists studios already in the hood and the more the merrier. What I would love is something linking the artists areas in the TC so we have this spot over in southeast Truxton for art professionals and amateurs. Excellent idea Jim.
As far as the substation at Cook... Sure, as long as the building can share with offices.
Labels: government, schools
What to do about empty schools
There will be a meeting (isn't there always a meeting about anything around here?) March 20th for Ward 5 from 6-8pm at McKinley Technology High School about reuse of school buildings like JF Cook (as seen in pix); Backus; Taft; Slowe; MM Washington and Young.
If nothing else pops up on my after work calendar (like another meeting for something else or emergency hair appointment) I'll probably attend. I have some ideas of what I'd like the two closing schools in the TC to be:
Not residential housing- Takes too long, requires too many committees, red tape, and people get all huffy when it's not affordable or it's not luxury.
Office Space.... for a non-social services branch of DC govt- I can't imagine it would take too much work to replace small desks with cubicles. I say non-social services 'cause folks get annoyed with the non-profit social service orgs around here and get into a tizzy when another one pops up (SOME and group houses).
Office Space-non-profits (non-social services)- for the same reasons stated above. However, it would require hoops and other pieces of red tape.
My main interest is finding someone, something that could move into Cooke or MM Washington as soon as the kids clear out. As when the city mothballs these buildings they allow for their slow destruction. The longer they are mothballed the more likely they will look like Langston or Armstrong and become de facto homeless shelters and crack ho bordellos.
Labels: government, schools
Sunday Ponderings
On the bus to Georgetown, going down P Street I gazed at the rear end of Shaw Jr. High, thinking, "gawd what an ugly building, tear that d@mned thing down." However, I don't think that will come anytime soon, as it is the school that gives our lovely hood its name. And regardless of the quality of the school people will fight to keep it open.
This weekend over on the Eckington Listserv frequent list contributer Ted McGinn made an excellent argument in support of some school closures. Here's just the start (because the rest is too long):
We cannot continue to postpone taking the bitter medicine of school reform. When an elementary school's enrollment falls to 200 or less students, the weighted student formula will not pay for all the bells and whistles of an excellent education. A trend of the declining school age population in many of our neighborhoods together with the draining of the pool of available students into charter schools has left us with grossly under enrolled schools. These schools in many cases have significant infrastructure issues including broken heating/AC systems, leaking roofs, poor plumbing and high maintenance costs. We fired Janey because he allegedly moved too slowly in addressing these pressing concerns. If you recall he had plans for closing schools as well, co-locating to fill buildings and creating school model programs such as K-8th grade to test which direction DCPS should head in for the future. Under Janey, we made our High Schools 9th thru 12th grade and redefined our middle schools as sixth grade thru eighth. There was such a backlash from the public and others about removing 6th grade from elementary schools that DCPS postponed it until the 08/09 school year.
I don't know the numbers for Shaw Jr. High, but I do know that the regular public schools give some parents and guardians pause for thought. The middle class parents I know have shuffled their school aged kids into some excellent charter schools or considered how nice the public schools are in MD or VA, and moved accordingly. I'm not going to demonize charter schools, because right now they are the thing keeping people I like from moving.
Anyway, back to the late mid-century building that is Shaw Jr. High. In my morning pondering on the bus, I imagined bulldozers going at it and leveling the land and replacing it with a park with a nice big statue of
Robert Gould Shaw in the middle.
Labels: schools
BACA meeting to address Armstrong
Tonight is the 1st Monday of the month so, it's BACA meeting time and one of the scheduled speakers is someone who can tell what's going on with Armstrong. Ya know it would be nice if Armstrong opened before Cook and Washington close. Also there will be someone from the organization housed in the Slater school building.
According to Jim Berry:
As indicated, the first half of our meeting on Monday will include presentations by Mr. Thomas W. Gore, President/Executive Director of Associates for Renewal in Education, Inc., 45 P Street, N.W., concerning the interesting mix of services that A.R.E. provides to children in the community, and Mr. Wendell Butler, Chief Operating Officer of the Community Academy Public Charter Schools network, who will talk about plans to develop the building that formerly housed the Armstrong Manual Training School at 1st and P Streets, N.W. There will also be a few brief committee reports. Importantly, the second half of the meeting will be devoted to the hour of fellowship that we sponsor annually during the holiday season. This is an ideal opportunity to meet and greet neighbors from all parts of the community and, as usual, feel free to bring a dessert or a covered dish to share.
Note: I'm getting all woo-woo in the head and that's nature's signal for me to get more sleep. So I'll be skipping tonight's meeting and taking a nap, 'cause I don't know how much longer I can last on auto-pilot today.
Labels: BACA, schools
