Saturday, 10 November 2012

[WardFive] Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures

Good Morning Robby,
 
 
Going with your theory, Why do you think that DCPS highly paid Administration can't get our public schools to perform? 
 
Do you think that the teachers in the Charter Schools are that much better?
 
Do you think that by putting the same kids into other schools changes the actual variables that are affecting them being able to accept the information being taught?
 
Are you aware of any different information that says that Charter Schools are doing better than DCPS?
 
Rob


 
On Sat, Nov 10, 2012 at 10:28 AM, RobbyCU <RobbyCU@yahoo.com> wrote:
 


Brian:


You're confusing education with schooling. I would like you to dispassionately read what I wrote. If you have, then your rant here is simply intellectually dishonest. It is more rhetoric than substance. Schools serve a purpose, but the system that is the public school may have out live it's purpose.  Organizations, like organisms and products end. Ending public schooling as we know it isn't something that is comfortable to many. It is felt like a blow to the kidneys.  It isn't really. Endings are normal, transitions are required, and change is constant.  While there are arguments for the sate's responsibility for supporting an educated citizenry, the method of implementation should not be confined to a singular application, the public school system.   

We need to actually take a hard look not at the process but the outcomes we are seeking.  Do we care if Johnny and Sandy go to a good DCPS, or do we care they are educated to their highest potential?  To me it dosen't matter if the student learns in a home school, private school, religious school, charter school, Montessori school, vocational school, or an experimental/experiential/alternative school.  We should not prescribe the method of implementation. We should allow parents to decide. They, not any instrumentality of government, are the ones most responsible for their children's education. 

To suggest the above is an assault on any educational theorist, educational psychologist, parent, or student is plain silly. My suggestion that we take stock of what we are trying to achieve vs tweaking a prescribed solution to achieve what we think we want is a good one. We can live w/n our box and maybe we'll craft a 70% solution, or we can be aspirational and stop focusing on the toil, and instead focus on the future. 

To simplify it's as if  we continue to fix our broken car because it used to run well in our memory and we need it to run to take our kids to where they need to go. We will spend time and treasurer all the while our children are getting older. It may fit or start, but  despite our best efforts we don't quite get it running well. Our children have aged out now, never fully gotten to where they needed to go.  If only we realized or admitted there are other methods we could have employed. There were other cars, bikes, hikes, walks, runs, sails, rides, and flights that could have gotten them to where they needed to be and perhaps beyond. Instead, we chose to confine them to a broken car while we maddeningly insisted on fixing it at their peril.  



___________________________________________

"In everything you do. Always be yourself"- Lee Hall, Billy Elliot

From: Brian Bradford <brianbradford42@yahoo.com>
To: ward5@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, November 10, 2012 7:49 AM

Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures



Horace Mann was a fool. He should've met RobbyCU so we wouldn't have wasted 200 years studying pedagogy. We could just "focus on education" and a "wide array of opportunities are before us". Genius! I don't think you would be this flippant if you had a kid or if you were a PTA member, a volunteer or active in any way in the education of our kids besides listserv jabs at the system.

From: RobbyCU <RobbyCU@yahoo.com>;
To: ward5@yahoogroups.com <ward5@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures
Sent: Sat, Nov 10, 2012 9:27:18 AM

 
We need to end our love affair with school buildings and even school systems, and focus instead on education. If we do that a wide array of opportunities are before us.


 
___________________________________________

"In everything you do. Always be yourself"- Lee Hall, Billy Elliot

From: "Mobleyjnet@aol.com" <Mobleyjnet@aol.com>
To: ward5@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, November 9, 2012 5:27 PM
Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures



I agree, moreover, we need to solicit more "males" to personally get involve in the school system's truancy problems, therefore, I am suggesting that those interested, please let me know. 
 
Folks, I think we can do a Ward 5 initiative, first under the Councilman's leadership.  Remember, there is nothing wrong with CHANGE if we can see it benefited other's progress...................moving FORWARD.
 
Pierpont
-----Original Message-----
From: Brian Bradford <brianbradford42@yahoo.com>
To: ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Fri, Nov 9, 2012 11:02 am
Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures



I don't think we should spend more money per pupil. My junior and high schools have been torn down and rebuilt. Both are better buildings. There are so many new buildings that I barely recognize my college campus now. Change is fine but don't tell me that a major city should do away with the traditional public school system.

From: Eric J. Jones <ejjones.threed@gmail.com>;
To: <ward5@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures
Sent: Fri, Nov 9, 2012 3:17:14 PM

 
Brian,
That is the problem with a background in education can't solve/fix the problems. Yet they want the folks who they feel aren't qualified to discuss it to pay increasingly more and more for it.
It is time to stop holding on to emotional ties to buildings and names and have a real discussion on education.
Eric J. Jones
- ejjones.threed@gmail.com
On Nov 9, 2012 7:42 AM, "Brian Bradford" <brianbradford42@yahoo.com> wrote:
 
No one in education thinks charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools by "leaps and bounds". Today is "count" day. That means charters schools will audit and verify their enrollments in the morning, get paid for each head and then start expelling "problems" at 1pm. Most discipline problems (especially if they come with a learning disability and hurt test scores) will be expelled from charter schools today.

Education is one of those issues that is too important to be debated by people with no background in education. There is a very small percentage of charter schools that are better options than traditional public schools.


From: RobbyCU <RobbyCU@yahoo.com>;
To: ward5@yahoogroups.com <ward5@yahoogroups.com>;
Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures
Sent: Fri, Nov 9, 2012 5:36:06 AM

 
Why do we fight school closings?  Why exactly do we have DCPS to begin with? I 'm actually asking a very fundamental question. If educating students can occur outside of the traditional school system (Charter, Voucher, Home School, Distance Learning), then is there a place in the public square for a school system that despite much needed reform isn't still quite excellent of nimble enough to compete system wide? There are some very good individual schools. On the whole however, it seems based on the data DCPS is lackluster. 

Reality dosens't quite jive with the rhetoric. Politicians here have to say they want better public schools and a middle school. It's just as mandatory as saying they are for DC statehood.  


However, if DCPS isn't up to par to the point that a Charters are by and large seen as a leeps and bounds better, then why do we keep the DCPS? 


If the rhetoric stopped at just political double speak I would not really mind, but we are spending millions on schools that people will pull their kids out of at the first sign of a better alternative. There are a few exceptions, but the token love of DCPS seems to do more harm than good. 

Would there be a problem with an all Charter or all voucher program?  Instead of having to give a large educational organization DC property to teach kids with DC tax dollars, would it be a sin to give a parent a voucher and let them educate their kids however they saw fit ( to include sending kids to Fairfax county paying out of state tuition)?
 
Would the demise of the DCPS, have any impact on students? Could the possibility of the city setting graduating standards a la NY for the schools be more effective than the status quo?

I submit these are very open ended questions, and I further posit that politically the concept of axing DCPS is a non-starter. I'm just looking across the  street at a $30M school renovation, and knowing most of the young parent's here will try to send their kids to the new Kipp School or Two Rivers or elsewhere. Maybe we could have invested that time and treasure on other projects.  It's almost like we built  an amusement park that people only visit when they don't have anything better to do. That park would and should close. Maybe it's time we took a hard look at the goal of schooling in DC, is it about education or nostalgia. 


-Robby



 

 
___________________________________________

"In everything you do. Always be yourself"- Lee Hall, Billy Elliot

From: KPW <WKPW3@aol.com>
To: ward5@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, November 8, 2012 9:05 PM
Subject: Re: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures



Funny how this list comes out after the November election and barely in enough time before the Council's hearings on school closures.  If one didn't know better, one would think that this timing was on person to keep people from being disruptive during elections and mobilizing for the Council hearings.  

Also, it's interesting to see Spingarn on the list as the community debates the car barn at Spingarn.  And I know something is wrong when Roosevelt is mentioned.  So many influential people came through that school.  How close is it to the Petworth Metro?
KPW


-----Original Message-----
From: Clark, Timothy (Council) (Council) <tclark@dccouncil.us>
To: ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>; trinidaddc <trinidaddc@yahoogroups.com>; brookland <brookland@yahoogroups.com>; BrooklandGLBT <BrooklandGLBT@yahoogroups.com>; eckington <eckington@yahoogroups.com>; edgewooddc <edgewooddc@yahoogroups.com>; woodridgesouth <woodridgesouth@yahoogroups.com>; Brentwood List <brentwooddc@yahoogroups.com>; strongholdcivicassociation <strongholdcivicassociation@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, Nov 8, 2012 7:50 pm
Subject: [ward5] Message From Councilmember McDuffie On School Closures

 
I met with Chancellor Henderson this week to discuss the proposed school closures. DC Public Schools (DCPS) has scheduled an official announcement on Tuesday, November 13, where the Chancellor will announce the list of impacted schools. I look forward to scheduling and fully engaging the W5 community and the W5 education stakeholders -including parents, students and teachers to hear their concerns.

Kenyan R. McDuffie













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