Formative Years

Isn

We’ve got a new President, and the White House will soon have a new hypo-allergenic, adopted, puppy mill-rescued canine playing on the grounds.  Although determining what type of puppy to get Sasha and Malia is a task that will undoubted receive more scrutiny than his solution to the global economic crisis, President-Elect Barack Obama has substantially bigger fish to fry in the selection of educational institutions for his adorably sweet pre-Washington daughters.

A school for their daughters is probably the most difficult choice that the Michelle and Barack will have to make in the coming eight (that’s right, I said it) years.  Hopefully, when the family leaves the White House, Sasha will be 18 and Malia, 15.  These girls will not only be learning some of the most important lessons of their life at their new school, but they will grow into young women.  Thus, it is imperative that the President- and First Lady-elect read this review of the schools that the family should consider in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area.  As an educator and native of this city, I am certain that I can offer the Obamas the essential informed and unbiased  opinion of the area’s educational institutions of all types: public, private, parochial, and other.  Whether they listen is up to the omniscient intergoogleweb.

Despite Michelle Rhee’s efforts, the DC public school pickings are slim.  Thus, we will definitely disqualify them for the running.  Moreover, I don’t think that the Catholic and Christian schools in the area can hold a candle to the region’s independent schools, so that pretty much rules them out as well (except for some of the establishments serving male populations).  Thus, in no particular order (actually, my increasing endorsement), here is what I feel are the Obamas’ best choices of schools for Sasha and Malia.

3) Beauvoir & The National Cathedral School. This beautiful school has most recently been home to Nobel Laureate Al Gore’s daughters, with his son atteding the boy’s equivalent, St. Alban’s until he was “not asked back” due to transgressions related to a certain leafy green substance in middle school.  Beauvoir and NCS could be a good fit, as it is an environment that pushes students academically, while still allowing them to pursue their individual interests.

2) Sidwell Friends School. I would certainly put my money on the girls’ attending either Sidwell or the school that I feel would be the best fit.  Al Gore III and Chelsea Clinton graduated from this institution, just up the street from NCS.  In addition to an excellent academic reputation, Sidwell also offers tremendous athletics, should Sasha and Malia decide to follow Barack’s hoop-shooting footsteps.  With excellent facilities and the Quaker beliefs that make for tempered, tolerant, and intelligent young adults, the Sidwell Friends School would definitely provide the girls with a thorough education.

1) Georgetown Day School. In my heart of hearts, I hope that Barack and Michelle decide to send their daughters to this school, which I will always hold dear.  Having spent kindergarten through eighth grade at this haven of of learning on MacArthur Boulevard in Georgetown, I feel that I can speak effectively to the merits of the school.  Rather than forcing students to learn in a rigid environment that dictates learning, GDS reacts to the interests of the learners, allowing them to explore the content that interests them.  With a rich curriculum from which I draw knowledge to this day, GDS is an environment to which I send my children in a heartbeat, and I hope that Barack and Michelle choose to provide their daughters with the diverse, nurturing, and in-depth education that they deserve.

Now that we know that Sasha and Malia will become Mighty Hoppers in January, the only remaining question for the transition team is, “Who’s going to be their tutor?”  I’ve heard great things about a charter school science and math teacher. Highly recommended.  References available.  Representatives from the Obama  team can contact me here, I’ll clear my schedule.

What happened to antidisestablishmentarianism?

Bill Turque reports in his June 17 article, “7 Catholic Schools in D.C. Set to Become Charters“, that Assumption, Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian, Holy Name, St. Francis de Sales, Immaculate Conception, Nativity Catholic Academy and St. Gabriel have each been granted approval by the DC Public Charter School Board to reopen this fall as Public Charter Schools. These schools will be operated by the Center City Public Charter Schools, the charter school branch of Center City Consortium, an organization designed by the Archdiocese of Washington to help financially-struggling Catholic schools.

Beyond the problems with accountability that antagonists of charter schools cite as a major problem with the rapid expansion of the city’s charter schools, there are several deeper and more disconcerting issues with allowing schools that are ostentatiously religious to receive public funding. No matter how secular the schools claim they will be in the fall, that cannot change the fact that many of them are based in churches and on hallowed ground. These school will tacitly retain religious character no matter how much they sanitize their grounds.

I have no problem with Catholicism (I was raised Catholic), nor do I have a problem with parochial schools operating as private entities to fulfill a religious mission. The issue is that these failing and struggling schools were probably failing and struggling for a reason. Members of the Charter School Board stated that “their sole responsibility was to approve a responsible plan to help children who were at risk of losing their schools.” Since when is appropriating public funds to assist a privileged-few students who attend a school based on its religious principles considered “responsible”?

Responsible would be noting that private schools operate as enterprises that are subject to the market. When the market says something like, “this company is going out of business”, usually the company is selling a product that is not financially sustainable. These struggling Catholic schools were selling education, and it does not make sense for DC to use public funds to bail them out. Note that the proposal’s approval was accelerated “because the Catholic schools already have buildings, staff employees and students”. Thus, nothing is going to change, except the financial cushion that the DC Public Charter School board is providing.

Just as Video Killed the Radio Star, it seems that the DC Public Charter School Board killed the First Amendment: