Dual Language Feeder School Feasibility Study Response by C4DC

Response to the Dual Language Feeder School Feasibility Study

From: C4DC Coalition for DCPS Schools and Communities

April 23, 2026

The Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities (C4DC) is a coalition of groups and organizations that share values and priorities essential to excellent and equitable District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). 

C4DC members believe that a publicly governed, managed and funded system for public education is a critical part of our democratic system of government. Here in Washington, DC, this is DCPS. This citywide system must guarantee education rights for every school-age child — in every corner of the city. This vision has been confirmed in the wide engagement with both Boundary studies in 2014 and 2023.

Thus, we do not support the conclusions of the Dual Language Feeder School Feasibility Study.  Instead, using the engagement and research presented, we support the re-opening of a DCPS middle school at the Winston site that would support dual language and rigorous programs with possible out of school options also located there.  Broad access should be explored.  We also recommend that DCPS initiate a strand program for Houston students at Kelly Miller as they have done for Chisholm students at Jefferson. 

We do not support the dual language feasibility study because it minimizes the need, ignores specific recommendations in the 2023 Boundary study, and prioritizes a charter school lottery option over solving for the larger, long-standing DCPS planning issues.  For years, we have consistently heard from East of the River communities that they need and want high quality dual-language programming in a predictable pathway in their by-right neighborhood schools; this feasibility study does not acknowledge this context and ignores that demand in East of the River DCPS will very likely grow considerably with systemic investment to that end.

Schools like John Thompson are built with capacity for students to travel long distances out of boundary.  As one of our members noted “‘It’s as if people in upper NW have every right to expect these programs but in SE you only get them close to home only if it’s immediately “feasible”.

The authors of the study state “This report does not recommend which options should be implemented nor dictate whether they will be implemented. Instead, the report explores the feasibility of each option.” However, with regard to a new school at Winston which the report notes is - the most popular option for equity and local access, multi-language; rigorous immersion, full program in one place. The report then states that “A more feasible option than opening an entirely new school to meet multiple language needs in an environment of modest demand may be an existing dual language public charter elementary school expanding into middle grades at the Winston site.” 

Further, the report’s author defines the demand that fueled this study for dual language programming, which is linked to robust and strong academic programming, as a niche need: “While this option faces significant hurdles, the public charter sector has the flexibility to meet niche needs and demands, of which this programming is a good example.”

This is not a niche need, as the report itself references on page 17 :Dual language programming fosters bilingualism, biliteracy, and global awareness---critical skills in today’s economy. The Century Foundation also highlights the wide array of cognitive benefits infants, youth, and adults gain from bilingualism alone.”

 In addition, the study’s “more feasible” option negates recommendation 9 and 17 in the 2023 Boundary and Student Assignment Study for DCPS:

#9 The plan should include steps to ensure every dual language DCPS elementary school has at least one dual language DCPS middle school feeder that is in relative proximity. This is not provided for Houston.

#17: Additional programming in elementary, middle, and high schools, particularly in but not limited to the Anacostia, Ballou, and H.D. Woodson feeder patterns would encourage families to enroll closer to home and reflect the city’s values of equitable investments. Examples of rigorous programming that should be available in all feeder patterns include dual language, International Baccalaureate (IB) at all grade levels, additional advanced placement classes, advanced middle school class offerings in math (e.g., 8th grade algebra or 8th grade geometry) or English Language Arts, and other middle school skill-based differential learning to support and prepare students for high school and beyond. An example of programming that could be explored at specific schools includes a new International Baccalaureate middle school at the currently vacant Winston EC in Ward 7 to receive students from a new IB program at Randle Highlands ES (and a high school IB feeder should also be considered).

The “more feasible option” in this feasibility study does not address the fiscal impact of modernizing and dealing with the toxic site issues of the Winston school building. It essentially assigns this to a charter LEA to raise private dollars for capital needs and use the charter facility allowance which obligates the District to a rising per-student cost with no cut-off.  It essentially passes to the private sector – banks and loans with their profits– what should be a public responsibility. 

The end-goal of the report then focuses on solving the problem of middle school instruction in Mandarin Chinese and French in addition to Spanish and the desire for an elementary charter school to expand (both charter schools noted are in shared space) to the exclusion of the issues that prompted this report. But the report came about from the advocacy of the Chisholm families for expanded middle school grades as part of their modernization.  They included the needs they could see East of the River. This echoed the requests of Houston families years ago for an expansion at their school so their students could continue the dual language instruction at the middle school level.  DCPS has responded to the Chisholm families with a strand program at Jefferson.  Yet instead of being addressed, the issues of trust in rigor and safety expressed with regard to Kelly Miller resulted here in minimizing the proposal  of a strand program at Kelly Miller to serve Houston, which could be initiated on a shorter timeline than what is considered the “more feasible” option.

The joint planning recommended in the 2023 Boundary and Student Assignment Study could explore part-time teachers available in the by-right middle schools or charter schools with expertise in world languages offered in any public elementary school. The SBOE Graduation Task force will consider competency-based credit for world language and an expansion of after school programming making this accessible across the city. 

In conclusion, we support the capital and program planning to start immediately for the re-opening of Winston as a DCPS school that would provide rigorous dual language programming and broad access.  We also recommend that DCPS respond to the safety and rigorous program needs at Kelly Miller and initiate a strand program for Houston students in the short term at least.  There are over 2,000 sixth through eighth graders living in the Kelly Miller boundary. There is significant potential demand for rigorous programming in wards 7 and 8.   https://edscape.dc.gov/node/175562

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