feeder patterns

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CHPSPO Meeting Notes – April 23, 2014

Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization
Payne Elementary School, 1445 C St., SE
 April 23, 2014 – 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

  1. Bike to School Day (Jennifer Heffernan, DDOT)
  • ABCs of Family Biking on May 3, 11AM-2PM @ Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan (215 G St. NE) http://kidicalmassdc.blogspot.com/p/abcs-of-family-biking.html
  • Bike to School Day is Wednesday, May7. Lincoln Park event is on (7:30-8:30AM)!

o   Register your school (even if you’re not making the Lincoln Park event): http://www.walkbiketoschool.org/user/login?destination=node/add/event (Create the account, then register for goodies from DDoT)

o   US Department of Transportation’s Acting Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Victor Mendez will participate

o   National Center for Safe Routes to School will join us

o   How to get more low income families to participate?

o   WABA Bicycle Ambassadors to direct bike trains?

o   Golden Bicycle Competition – school w/ greatest percentage of cycling (and skating, scooting, tricycling) population in DC wins!

  1. Discussion of Homeless Children Attending Capitol Hill Schools and What Our Community Can Do to Help (Lauren Conley,  Homeless Children’s Playtime Project )

o   Playtime Project philosophy: Play is a human right. Playtime Project delivers structured play (snacks, art, movement) at shelters

o   Every DC school (by law) has a homeless liaison. DCPS contact list: http://osse.dc.gov/publication/dcps-homeless-liaison-contact-list

o   Law requires funds for field trips, uniforms, transportation, etc: application of the law depends on the school’s ability: schools automatically enroll homeless children.

o   How we can help

      • Uniform drives
      • Halloween costume drive (by playtime)
      • Holiday gifts
      • Backpacks filled w/ school supplies
      • Socks, underwear
      • Gently used books, outside toys
      • Baby things
      • Talk to your kids about empathy, teasing, etc
      • Mentorship program? Girls Inc? Girls on the Run, Big Brothers:
      • Capitol Area food bank (lesson + bag of groceries)
      • Weekend food; Backpack w/ food for the weekend. http://feedingamerica.org/
      • Advocacy
      • Ways to support Relisha Rudd

o   Set aside PTA funds for a general fund in her name

o   Washer/Dryers and pantries at every school

o   Letter-writing campaign

o   November Homeless Awareness Month

o   Next Steps: Cornelia Sigworth to assemble homeless families sub-committee to pursue support activities.

 

  1. School Boundaries/Feeder Pattern Discussion (Denise Forte & Marty Welles)

o   Discussion:

o   Next Steps:

    • CHPSPO to look to Working Group Data (to be posted on DME site) at the school level and to http://ourdcschools.org results at Ward level to put together a position on boundary review

o   You can provide feedback on the proposals on http://ourdcschools.org/ (created by Code for DC) through mid-May. All feedback will be made open, while protecting privacy data.

  1. Public Charter School applications and public hearing (Suzanne Wells)

o   Suzanne Wells and Laura testified

o   Two new middle schools could be approved

o   Written testimony accepted until April 25

 Next CHPSPO Meeting:  May 20, 2014

 

Upcoming Events

April 22 – May 5              CHM@L online auction (www.biddingforgood.com/CHML)

April 26          Payne Spring Festival and Bazaar (9am-3pm @ Payne)

April 26          DCYOP @ Eliot-Hine. 12:30pm performance on the blacktop. Stay tuned for the Fall 2014 DCYOP Petting Zoo at Eliot-Hine!

April 26          Ludlow-Taylor Spring Jubilee (2pm-5pm @ Ludlow Taylor)

April 29          Eliot-Hine Career Fair – Register here to present 15 min snapshots

May 5              Eliot-Hine Open Houses – morning and evening

May 7              Bike to School Day (Lincoln Park) – Register your school and join the Fun!

May 10           Laps Around Lincoln (Tyler Fundraiser) 9-11 AM @ Lincoln Park

May 14           Eliot-Hine PTO meeting for incoming families. How to get involved w/ PTO before you enroll.

May 18           Capitol Hill Classic 10K/3K/Fun Run

 

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CHPSPO Meeting Notes – February 12, 2014

Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization
Amidon-Bowen Elementary School

401 I Street, SW

February 12, 2014
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

  1. Update on school boundaries and feeder patterns – Abigail Smith (Deputy Mayor for Education (DME)); Claudia Lujan (Deputy Mayor for Education’s office); Denise Forte and Martin Welles (Ward 6 representatives to Advisory Committee) http://dme.dc.gov/book/student-assignment-and-school-boundaries-review-process
    • Abigail Smith delivered a powerpoint presentation with an update of the DC Student Assignment and School Boundary Review Process.  At the end of her presentation, the floor was opened for comments/questions.
    • Comment: At the focus groups that were recently held, participants were asked for feedback on school boundaries and feeder patterns, but were not provided data about how the current boundaries/feeder patterns are playing out. A: Data will be part of overall discussion, particularly with working groups. See policy brief #3: http://dme.dc.gov/node/776162
    • Misalignment of middle schools – Q: what is percentage of rising 5th graders enrolled in their designated middle schools (and elsewhere) and data around ‘out of feeder’ enrollment/trends around actual feeder patterns from ES to MS to HS? A: The DME’s office has not assessed that data, but the data will be pulled.
    • Comment: Process seems to lack a comprehensive plan around schools; how to utilize space, how system(s) want(s) to evolve. A: The process is meant to elicit ideas that could inform a comprehensive plan.  They are not making an assumption that comprehensive planning will happen prior to making decisions on school boundaries and feeder patterns.  There are discussions between the DME’s office, DCPS, and the PCSB, but there isn’t a “beautifully coordinated process.”
    • Q: How can planning take place when there is no predictability around the opening of charter schools/misalignment of middle grades (e.g., many charters enroll MS at 5th grade)? A: DME does not have authority over PCSB, but the goal of including them in the advisory committee and having the discussions is so that there is better coordination.  DME’s office wants to focus on things they have control over.
    • Q: Will committee make any recommendations about closing schools? A: No, this exercise will not lead to recommendations around closing schools but will make recommendations around strategically opening schools (like Van Ness).
    • Q.  Is it possible to get choice and equitable access simultaneously while looking at issue of income distribution across the city? What is definition of quality?  A.  Example of San Francisco was described, which incorporates a policy that guarantees a certain number of slots in high-performing schools for students from low income families.
    • Brainstorming around ideas to influence policy
      • Controlled choice (San Francisco example)
      • Colorado example of once in an out of boundary feeder pattern, cannot go back to ‘in boundary’ schools without going back through lottery
        • Expression of ‘too much choice’ today in DC leading to a lack of investment in feeder or destination schools.
    • Opportunity for better programmatic integration among feeder/destination via vertical alignment (foreign language consistency across ES/MS/HS, specialty programming like IB, museum, project-based learning…)
    • Address capacity issues by creating more ‘Cluster’ models that dedicate a building to early childhood, ES, MS, HS
    • Better sharing of data by PCSB and DCPS so that when schools open/closing decisions are made, they are done with strategic approach.

2. Adequacy Study Analysis – Soumya Bhat, DC Fiscal Policy Institute. Read detail of recommendations here: http://www.dcfpi.org/dcfpi-feedback-on-dme-adequacy-study

    • Question was asked about at risk funding, and how it is allocated at the school level?   Several examples of schools that do not receive the proportion of funds they should.  It was discussed that OSSE is accountable for the distribution of these funds.
    • Per pupil funding to include the facility funds… could underfund DCPS by $47M and overfund charters by $9M
    • Support around keeping maintenance costs outside school funding formula. Data does not exist around facility needs.
    • Moving resources allocated by outside agencies (like school nurses, etc..). Support keeping nurses outside.

3. Candidates Forum Update and Planning – PLEASE CIRCULATE WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITIES

  •  February 20     Ward 6 City Council Candidates Forum – Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church

-          Sponsored by Eastern Market Metro Community Association (EMMCA) and Capitol Hill Group Ministry

-          Spread the word

  •  March 6        Ward 6 City Council Forum at Stuart Hobson

-          Sponsored by CHPSPO

-          Assist in planning and spread the word

-          Article in Hill Rag

  • TBD    City-wide Mayoral Forum focused on education

 

Next CHPSPO Meeting:  March 18, 2014

 

Upcoming Events:

Candidates Forums

  • February 20     Ward 6 City Council Candidates Forum (CHPSPO co-sponsor) – @ Capitol Hill Prebysterian, 7-9PM
  • March 6           Ward 6 City Council Candidates Education Forum (CHPSPO sponsor)
  • TBD                Mayoral Candidates Education Forum (CHPSPO co-sponsor)

2014 Fundraisers

  • March 8           Tyler Alchemy of Great Taste
  • March 14         Cluster Rocks! Auction & Gala
  • March 22         Maury at the Market
  • March 29         Brent Taste of the Hill
  • May 18            Capitol Hill Classic 10K/3K/Fun Run

 

Ward 6 Parent/Community Meetings on School Boundaries/Feeder Patterns

  • Eliot-Hine Middle School – Thursday, Feb. 13 (cancelled due to snow)
  • Stuart-Hobson Middle School – Tuesday, Feb. 18
  • Jefferson Middle School – Thursday, Feb. 20

WARD 6 Community Forums On School Boundaries & Feeder Patterns

The mayor’s office is reviewing DCPS school assignment policies* – for the first time in 40 years. The Ward 6 representatives on the Deputy Mayor of Education’s Advisory Committee on Student Assignment – Denise Forte and Martin Welles – are interested to hear from you at three community forums:

Eliot-Hine Middle School – Thursday, Feb. 13
Stuart-Hobson Middle School – Tuesday, Feb. 18
Jefferson Middle School – Thursday, Feb. 20

All forums 6:30-8:00pm (6:00pm arrival)

Come to any or all of the forums to share your views and recommendations on:

  • Your experience with the current student assignment and choice policy (including lotteries)
  • School boundaries for elementary, middle and high schools for Ward 6 families
  • Feeder patterns for middle and high schools
  • Bridging student assignment and choice policies across DCPS schools and charter schools

* School choice and student assignment policies establish the access rights that students have to public schools in the District of Columbia. School choice and student assignment policies determine who gets to go to which school, where and how parents and students apply to school, what rights students have to remain in a school they have chosen, and what rights students have to transfer between schools.

For more information on the community meetings, contact: (ward6boundaryfeeders at gmail dot com)

More information and materials from the DME on the Boundaries and Feeder Review Process here.

CHPSPO Meeting Notes – November 19, 2013

Capitol Hill Public Schools Parent Organization
Ludlow-Taylor Elementary

659 G Street, NE

November 19, 2013
6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.

1. School Boundaries and Feeder Patterns – Open discussion

-          Background: DME’s press release and materials: http://dme.dc.gov/DC/DME/Initiatives+and+Priorities/Statewide+Commission+on+Children+Youth+and+Their+Families/Student+Assignment+and+School+Boundaries+Review+Process

-          ACTION: Sign up for focus groups and working groups

-          ACTION: Volunteers will work on survey for feeder with the help of Mary Filardo, 21st Century Fund, using this as framework (see preliminary discussion below): http://dme.dc.gov/DC/DME/Publication%20Files/Defining%20Principles%20Worksheet.pdf

-          ACTION: To be more intentional to give Chancellor feedback on middle schools, group is forming. For reference, the Ward 6 Middle School Plan: http://www.dc.gov/DCPS/Parents+and+Community/Community+Initiatives/Building+on+Momentum:+Ward+6+Middle+Schools

    • In boundary % (on school profiles) should change to indicate that school is in feeder pattern

-          Feedback on November 15 Council Hearing

    • Highlights: scrutiny around process, selection of advisory committee members, Chancellor expressed lack of strategy around middle schools,  Catania called upon Chancellor/DCPS to produce a middle school strategy within a month
    • Video: http://dc.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=30&clip_id=1966
    • Tweets: http://storify.com/CHPSPO/school-boundary-review-roundtable/

-          Preparing for Principles/Survey:

-          Q: What is working about your current in-boundary/in-feeder middle school?

  • Capitol Hill Cluster School:
    • Peabody feeding into Watkins feeding into Stuart (the cluster model is working)
    • Stuart Hobson students are enrolling following on feeder patterns based on their elementary schools (Ludlow-Taylor, JO Wilson, Watkins)
    • DCPS is setting enrollment numbers too high for Stuart Hobson
    • The communication to parents at Peabody and Watkins about activities at  Stuart Hobson helps families become familiar with their middle school and starts to set the expectation that Stuart Hobson is going to be their middle school.
    • Principal reaches out to all feeder schools to encourage participation with the middle school sports, events, etc.
  • JO Wilson:
    • Want to maintain current feeder pattern to Stuart Hobson.
    • Great local option supporting neighborhood schools and an established, reliable option for parents.
  • Ludlow Taylor:
    • Want to maintain current feeder pattern to Stuart Hobson.
  • Maury:
    • Want to maintain current feeder pattern to Eliot-Hine and to Eastern.
    • Seeing the progress around Eliot Hine and link w/ International Baccalaureate w/ Eastern and would like to see it continue.
  • Tyler:
    • Families like the choice of being able to attend the Spanish Immersion program.  Like that we live on Capitol Hill, and can still have choices in the neighborhood.
  • Amidon-Bowen:
    • Like Amidon-Bowen feeding into Jefferson.
  • SWS:
    • The school’s intention to keep cohorts together, beyond geographic boundary. Intent to keep neighborhoods together.

-          Q: What is NOT working about your current in-boundary/in-feeder middle school?

    • Cluster:
      • Boundaries for Watkins don’t match the size of the school.
      • Charters like Washington Latin are pulling most advanced students. If DCPS MS doesn’t offer advanced courses, it’s tough to keep the advanced students.
    • Ludlow Taylor:
      •  At Ludlow Taylor, students are not leaving at 5th grade, because parents see a clear path to Stuart. However, there is no connection with Eastern.
    • Maury:
      • Instructional Superintendents structure does not support vertical integration of programming or collaboration among schools within a feeder pattern.
    • CHM@L
      • The Ward 6 Middle school plan that DCPS approved has not been supported nor adequately funded.
    • Amidon-Bowen:
      • Jefferson is an important piece of puzzle – not successful in getting Brent or Thompson students
      • Capital/facility improvements have come about too slowly. It is a struggle by the school and community to get DC to fund renovations.
    • SWS:
      • Too much choice in the system. Choice came about because system was not servicing schools. There isn’t thought about the capacity of a school vs. cachment as a feeder – needs to take charters into account when thinking about decisions around boundary/feeder. Currently, there is no strategy.
    • General Comments
      • No strategic planning between Charter and DCPS.
      •  (former Ward 5 parent) Ward 5 has shut down DCPS schools and many neighborhoods are being serviced by charters.
      • Boundary discussion is an opportunity to ‘level playing field’ by introducing neighborhood preference and advocating for legislation that requires charters to take in-boundary students, regardless of time of year.
      • Catania’s refusing to outsource MS to charters creates an opportunity.
      • Boundary planning should happen w/ charters as part of discussion.
      • There is intentional misalignment of middle schools starting at 5th grade.
      • IB has been slow to get off the ground at Eliot-Hine, which hurt the implementation of the Ward 6 middle school plan.
      • DCPS’ competitive advantage on middle schools should be a predictable feeder pattern and path for students. Charters seem to be doing a better job of operating as a system than DCPS.
      • Charters seem to do a good job of showing the continuum of education among charter school feeder patterns.

-          Questions still to be answered:

    • What values do we hold that we believe should influence school boundaries and feeder patterns, e.g., proximity, diversity, choice, predictability?
    • What is our vision for school boundaries and successful feeder patterns, e.g., successful feeder patterns from elementary to middle to high schools?
    • How do middle schools influence school boundaries and successful feeder patterns?
    • How to ensure an open, collaborative and fair process for determining school boundaries and feeder patterns?  Ideas for getting broad input from Ward 6 parents – survey?

 

2.  “A Call to Action” event on December 9, organized by the Washington Teacher’s Union. Stay tuned via: http://www.wtulocal6.org/. Read Principles: http://chpspo.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/principlesuniteus2013.pdf

 

3. School Information “Night” – December 8, 2-5PM @ Capitol Hill Day School
Next CHPSPO Meeting:  December 17, 2013

Upcoming Events:

December 8     School Information “Night,” 2 – 5 p.m., Capitol Hill Day School

December 9     A Call to Action (TBD)

December 10   Deputy Mayor for Education’s Focus Group on School Boundaries and Feeder Patterns, Logan

Laura Hansen Marks – Student Assignment and School Boundaries Review Process Testimony 11/15/2013

Testimony of

 

Laura Hansen Marks

 

Council of the District of Columbia: Committee On Education

Councilmember David Catania, Chairman

 

Public Oversight Roundtable:

Student Assignment and School Boundaries Review Process

Friday, November 15, 2013, 9:00 am

Room 500, John A. Wilson Building

 

 

 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.  My name is Laura Marks.  I am a resident of Ward 6 and the parent of two young children, one in first grade at School-Within-School and one in third grade at Watkins Elementary.

 

I am grateful for your visit to Watkins last month and will look forward to seeing you at School-Within-School on Monday.  It is precisely because of your strong record of engagement with virtually every public school community in the city that I am particularly glad this Committee is focusing on the Student Assignment and School Boundaries Review Process.

 

I see this effort as a critical crossroads for public education in Washington, DC.  This review is long overdue, and will help shape the future of our schools and neighborhoods for many years to come.  I very much believe this process can and should be used to strengthen our neighborhood schools, providing a high-quality, predictable, by-right pathway from elementary through high school for every child in Washington, DC.  I’m much less concerned about how and where boundaries are drawn than that every DC Public School is fully resourced and supported, with high quality programs and outstanding school leaders who are empowered to innovate and respond to the needs of their school communities.

 

Without strong, by-right, neighborhood pathways through school, we cannot build the kind of excellent academic programming that keeps families committed to DC Public Schools and ensures students are prepared to succeed in high school and beyond.  Ward 6 elementary schools have experienced a tremendous resurgence of neighborhood involvement and enrollment in recent years.  At Eastern High School, we have one of the country’s top principals in Rachel Skerritt, a rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, and an absolutely beautifully renovated building – much nicer than any public school I ever attended.

 

But there is still a missing step on the road to Eastern.

 

We must build strong programs at the middle school level to attract students and families from our elementary schools and prepare them for success.  The Museum Magnet Program at Stuart-Hobson Middle School and the coming IB Middle Years Programmes at Eliot-Hine Middle School and Jefferson Academy are important steps in that direction.

But to succeed, they need the appropriate resources, both in terms of programming budgets and facilities funding, to support those efforts.  The full commitment of DCPS to strong neighborhood middle schools is absolutely essential.

 

I’m sure I join nearly every other parent in this city in hoping this process will be as transparent and collaborative as possible, with real and ongoing opportunities for community input and feedback.  I look forward to your engagement in this regard, helping ensure parents and school communities are able to be heard, and our hopes for ways to strengthen our schools considered carefully throughout.

 

As a parent at School-Within-School as well as a neighbor, I also want to note my strong support for the creation of a proximity enrollment preference for prospective students living near the school.  SWS has always valued its connection to the neighborhood, and the example of the rest of Ward 6 clearly shows how important community support is to the success of our public schools.  To me, a proximity lottery preference strikes the right balance between protecting the enrollment stability at neighboring elementary schools, offering neighbors reasonable access to a high quality public school, and SWS’s desire to continue its long tradition of engagement with the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

 

In conclusion, it’s my hope the Student Assignment and School Boundaries Review Process will move our city toward a fully resourced system of high quality neighborhood public schools that offer families a stable, predictable, by-right path from preschool through high school.  I welcome your engagement with this process and hope you continue to advocate for more parent and community voice throughout.