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Is part of the Capitol Hill phenom that @20002 describes a function of the "organizing" that Mothers on the Hill (MOTH) did to get all those middle class parents, part of the changing demographic on the Hill to agree to all (or nearly all) put their kids into a public elementary school? I also understand that Capitol Hill was where universal pre-Kindergarten (for three and four-year olds) was piloted for the last 2-3 years. That is basically free, all-day day care for 3 and 4-year olds and this school year, DCPS has expanded it to be offered citywide, albeit perhaps with uneven availability.

I realize that many parents may be just as selective about pre-school, but it seems that the bar might be low enough, along with the "free" part - hey you can start that savings account for private school - to entice middle class parents to give it a try. To the extent that a widely available universal pre-K helps to "organize" middle class parents to throw in with each other and with lower income parents and the principal and teachers at neighborhood elementary school, that might effectively change the demographics INSIDE the public school in a very short time and give you the kind of results that @20002 experienced. DC is one of very few urban public school systems that is giving this a try and I think it has the potential to be transformative.

by AubreyO on Jul 17, 2012 4:07 pm • link • report