W6PSPO Meeting Notes – October 15, 2019

W6PSPO Meeting Notes

October 15, 2019

Eastern High School

 

1. Eastern High School – Principal Brown

Dialogue on where we want to see Eastern 10 years. EHS is at phase zero of the planning – they are collecting information and want to hear from us.

Core values:

PRIDE of Capitol Hill: Passion, Respect, Innovation, Determination, Excellence

Academic and Other Programming

EHS is an IB World School diploma program for 11^th and 12^th grades. They are working on being authorized as a “MYP” (Middle Years Programme) for 9^th and 10^th grade that prepares them for the diploma program. Even if they aren’t in the IB diploma program, a student can take the challenging IB courses.  All 9^th and 10^th graders would be in the MYP.

EHS is also now a NAF-recognized health sciences school.

There are many extracurricular activities including band, choir, JROTC, sports, Mighty Greens, Chess Club and more.

Adding more pathways, like music, arts and humanities, to encourage more interest-driven programming during the school day to engage them throughout their years at Eastern. They also have a 9^th grade academy.

Outcomes

In ELA, 25% of Eastern students scoring at 4 or 5 (8% increase over last year). In math, 0% are at 4 or 5.

EHS graduation rate is 78%, at high end of the comprehensive high schools.

Enrollment is on the rise at 792 (target was 754). More feeders moving in and more in-boundary staying at EHS. (Feeders are: Brown EC, Stuart Hobson, Jefferson, Eliot Hine, Kelly Miller and CHML)

Challenges:

• Vertical articulation with middle schools is not something that is regularly happening. But, Eastern is starting to do more to understand the students coming from the middle schools, particularly with Stuart Hobson. Making feeder school engagement more intentional, focus on bringing in Eliot Hine and Jefferson students this year, and need to strengthen ties with Brown and Kelly Miller.
• Shifting curriculum and lack of training. Need stability and continuity for curriculum to make sure it builds all the way through high school.
• Students not getting support they need BEFORE coming to HS. Students need to learn early how to resolve conflict peacefully and cope with issues. They are not getting enough of that and it carries into high school – inside or outside the school. Eastern has partners to help including a restorative justice program. They also have weapons/mace abatement policy. The school also works closely with WMATA, MPD and resource officers to create strong relationships and understandings.

What can parents do?

• Notify EHS early whether your child is going to enroll.

Questions to parents: What should Eastern accomplish in the next 10 years? How should Eastern achieve it? How can we help?

• Promote more all that it is doing for kids
• Do more to ensure the students are safe and the culture is positive and safe
• Are there other types of academies or strands to ensure all kids are connected and focused, engaged during the day?
• Invite middle school kids earlier into Eastern activities – as classes – before 8^th Because they choose with their peers and the kids are making the decisions in many cases, not the adults, on where they go to school. And they are doing it in the 7^th grade.
• Performance should include safe, caring environment; stable leadership; and growth (we should look at the reading level of kids coming in here and selective schools). We should make that case with DCPS.
• Need to find the way to engage more parents at the high school level – and what are the best ways to do that? And what is the reason that parents should come when kids are much more self-sufficient?

2. Student Safety Task Force

Parent and W6PSPO member, Danica Petroshius, is serving on the DCPS Student Safety Task Force. The next meeting is October 30^th from 6-8 pm at DCPS where they will give input on policies and how to best implement them. Danica is asking for input on what recommendations she should bring to the Task Force. She has asked that you provide input to incorporate into the feedback by October 27^th. You can email her at dpetroshius@yahoo.com. The policies DCPS is asking for feedback on are:

• Prevention of Student Sexual Abuse by Staff Policy (Also linked alphabetically on the DCPS Policies page at https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-policies.)
• Local Law on Background Checks:
  • DC Official Code § 4-1501.01, et seq. (Criminal Background Checks for Government Services to Children.)
  • Specifically, DC Official Code § 4-1501.03 (Criminal background checks for certain individuals.)
• Volunteer Information:
  • Volunteer in Our Schools
  • DCPS Volunteer FAQs
  • School Program Provider Employee & Volunteer Clearance Process Guidance

 

3. Ideas for Future Meetings

Suzanne asked for quick-response ideas for future meeting topics. Members suggested the following topics:

Parent Advocacy

• Strategy discussion on how to recruit more members and what we want people to do with the information we all share
• How to advocate – training, discussion, effective strategies
• How can W6PSPO be more visible?

Feeder Patterns

• How do we help our feeder patterns be more successful and make more connections across our schools?

Budget

• Budget – updated schedule this year and the how-to’s of the budget process
• Discussion of At-Risk funds and how LSATs should understand and use the information
• Understand how central office supports programs within school and how it affects school budgets and budget planning

Sharing Information Among Schools

• Best practices, lessons learned in schools such as communications in schools, tools, school improvement, etc. Maybe get feedback ahead of time on schools that are struggling with certain issues to focus the discussion
• Discuss how to create a clearinghouse on tools or things that work well

How to Collaborate More with Other Groups

• Have EmpowerEd present on their work and discuss collaboration possibilities
• Have C4DC present on their work and discuss collaboration possibilities

 

Next W6PSPO Meeting: November 19, 2019

Upcoming Events

October 21, 11 am, Committee on Education, Dyslexia and Other Reading Disabilities Screening and Prevention Pilot Program Act of 2019.  Sign up to testify.

October 21, 11 am, Committee on Recreation and Youth Affairs, Public Oversight Roundtable on Access to the Public Field at Jelleff Recreation Center. Contact RYA@dccouncil.us to testify.

October 29, 4 pm, Committee on Education, Annual Youth Roundtable on Safe Passage and Other Issues Facing DC Youth.  Opportunity for students PK3 – 12 to testify.  Sign up to testify.

November 2, 2 – 5 pm, MoTH School at Capitol Hill Day School.

November 6, 10 am, Committee on Education, District of Columbia Public Schools Student Technology Equity Act of 2019.  Sign up to testify.