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SEED PCS of Washington D.C.

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SEED PCS of Washington D.C.

posted at 12/13/2008 5:41 PM EST

leahcarliner

First post: 12/13/2008
Last post: 12/13/2008
Total posts: 24

Here's a place where you can discuss SEED PCS of Washington D.C.

Share your opinions, observations and more in this thread.

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question

posted at 12/14/2008 9:21 PM EST

letsbereal2

First post: 12/14/2008
Last post: 8/24/2009
Total posts: 2

How many students have graduated from SEED PCS? How many students who enter your school drop out or are forced out? I saw stats on this school two years ago and it was astounding how few students graduated especially when you looked at the number of students starting out there. Seems like there is a lot of weeding out of bad students.

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Re: question

posted at 12/15/2008 4:03 PM EST

SAS12

First post: 12/15/2008
Last post: 12/16/2008
Total posts: 3

Replying to:

I'm a former teacher of SEED, and it is true that a large number of students who start out in the seventh grade at SEED don't graduate six years later. Based on my experience there, it is due to a lot of factors, but I think that the main reason why students left was because students and parents are not prepared for the academic rigor and structure of the school. There is an academic "Gate" for the middle school; they must show mastery in a number of standards in math, science and language arts (at least that's what it was when I was) there, and failure to pass all standards will cause you to repeat that middle school grade. There are some students who repeat the 7th or 8th grade several times before passing on to high school, or leaving for another school.
Another factor (at least when I was there) was the level of structure and lack of perceived "freedom". Students wake up, eat meals, go to class and go to bed at specified times. There is little downtime for much else. Students are also expected to master various social skills in the dorms. For some students, this level of structure is foreign, and many choose to leave within the first year.
Finally, there is a fine line with parental involvement. Parents are asked to be a part of their students' learning environment, but are not allowed to visit their children unannounced.
Overall, although the school is touted as "college-preparatory" (which may bring another level of difficulty for students with learning deficiencies), there is not a lot in the way of 'weeding out'.

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Re: question

posted at 12/16/2008 2:51 AM EST

incredulous

First post: 12/16/2008
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Total posts: 4

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Re: question

posted at 12/16/2008 2:54 AM EST

incredulous

First post: 12/16/2008
Last post: 12/16/2008
Total posts: 4

Thank-you, former teacher. You have just described the various ways in which SEED was unable to promote students, holding tough standards and expectations. The result is exactly the "weeding out" the first questioner commented on.

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Re: question

posted at 12/16/2008 10:32 AM EST

SAS12

First post: 12/15/2008
Last post: 12/16/2008
Total posts: 3

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Re: question

posted at 12/16/2008 10:37 AM EST

SAS12

First post: 12/15/2008
Last post: 12/16/2008
Total posts: 3

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Posted by SAS12

Dear Incredulous:

Even though I am a former employee of SEED, I definitely can attest that it has its deficiencies. I would agree that although not obvious, there is an unintentional weeding out process at the SEED School. However, it is not by having high expectations and standards. It is by not having the appropriate support for students to meet those expectations.
From my perspective, the problem with not only SEED, but many other charter schools, is that they are run by former business people like a corporation. As a result, huge factors are ignored: the relevance of the students' home culture, poverty, the goals of the individual student. When charter schools are started and led by educators (i.e. KIPP), there is a marked difference. There is an 'over-the-top' effort placed on each student; the question is not "What's wrong with this student?", but rather "How can we work harder to support this student?".

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seed school

posted at 12/17/2008 12:20 PM EST

obxDCgrl

First post: 12/17/2008
Last post: 12/17/2008
Total posts: 1

I would like to know how many students Seed Foundation charter school graduated in 2007 and how many graduated in 2008?
I have read that 13 students graduated in 2006. This is a very small number considering the school has over 220 students?
The school has been in operation for 10 years now .
The Taxpayers have invested heavily ,this is a public school so these numbers should be available to the public
thank you blogers

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Maryland's Highschool Graduation Test

posted at 12/31/2008 2:17 PM EST

caxtontype1

First post: 12/31/2008
Last post: 1/27/2009
Total posts: 3

I am surprised that there has been so little public reaction to the state superintendent's plan to allow students who have not passed the required exams to graduate by completing a project.

Apparently there is an unacceptably large number of such students, and this pitiful substitute is a cover-up for a badly thought-out plan.

The superintendent states that the project will be the equivalent of passing the exams, but this so transparent that it deserves no credence.

We can hardly solve the many problems in public schools if we cover up the failures and mistakes in this deceptive way.

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"Weeded-out" SEED Students

posted at 1/6/2009 10:27 PM EST

StudentAdvocate

First post: 1/6/2009
Last post: 1/6/2009
Total posts: 1

The larger problem that we have to look at is what happens to the "weeded-out" students.

These students get dumped into DCPS.

This is why charter schools are not improving public education as a whole in DC. I work at a DC public school and I wish our school could set high standards that students are required to follow. However, we have to accept all students no matter how disinterested they are in their education.

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The True SEED

posted at 3/23/2009 5:28 PM EDT

SEEDStar

First post: 3/23/2009
Last post: 3/23/2009
Total posts: 1

Hey! I am a former student of SEED PCS. I recently graduated with the Class of 2008 and I attend Case Western Reserve University, one of the top universities in America. First in foremost, I would like to genuinely thank all of my teachers and staff that helped me to get where I am today. To bounce off of the idea of "weeding" out students --its deeper than just being able to meet the "academic" requirements set forth by the school. SEED, as much as I think is a good school, is mainly designed for those who are ALL about books. There were many people in my class that left because SEED failed to cater to other needs outside of the classroom, particularly extra-curricular activities. For students who were excellent student athletes, SEED was not a school for you, if you intended on going far in your athletic career. My class went from about 100+ in the seventh grade to only 20 walking across the stage. As a student athlete for a few years at SEED I noticed the difference between the athletic departments of other schools compared to the one at SEED. SEED most definitely has some growing to do seeing as tho it is just a decade old and one of those main improvements that SEED has to endure, to see an increase in the matriculation rate, is to better its Athletic Department, and I guarantee a lot of students, mainly students who play football and basketball, and even volleyball, will stick around. In addition to strengthening the sports department of the school, SEED also needs to work on strengthening the Arts offered there as well. When you have a school like SEED, which becomes home for a lot of students, you can't just offer ACADEMICS, even though that may be the main focus of the school. For example, Duke Ellington is a school dedicated to Arts and thats well-known, but what makes Duke different from SEED is the boarding aspect--there are students living at SEED and have interests far beyond what text books can teach and what can be taught in the border of four walls. Some students, like myself, can express ourselves through our reports by receiving high GPAs and high honors on graduation day, but some students need to be heard on the stage or at the end-zone. SEED NEEDS TO CATER TO ALL IN WHICH ENROLL, or at least TRY to offer more things that appeal to a wider array of potential students. Thank!!! :)

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