The Washington Post’s Emma Brown revealed yesterday that DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson has a plan to retain within her school system 80 percent of the students who now attend one of the 15 traditional schools she has decided to close. Ms. Brown discloses that in a letter to Councilman David Catania, chairman of the education committee, Ms. Henderson asserts: “We are mounting an aggressive recruitment strategy at each receiving school in coordination with the closing school leaders to retain and attract students and families.”
The move comes as a result of the panic I’ve been reporting that has engulfed the city’s political leaders who are petrified that their government schools are about to become a thing of the past.
The article provides some details of the components of the strategy such as students from the receiving school producing upbeat videos to greet the new kids and parents. I’m really not impressed.
Charter schools also have a marketing plan and it does not involve hiring an expensive public relations firm. In fact, the entire package can be summarized in three words: high academic achievement.
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