Brent rebuild details to know before you accept that lottery spot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were at Brent for a decade, for two kids, wrapping up just last year. I agree with some of the above, but PP is painting with too broad a brush and I don't know how to separate out Covid school closure issues from the Brent issues form the DCPS issues when I reflect on our experiences. I never thought that the curriculum was a problematic but agree that uneven instruction was in the upper grades was. Almost everything was peachy for us at Brent until 2nd grade. After that, the kids found most of their math challenge at Mathnasium, a couple blocks away, and we hired writing tutors. We've only heard negative things about folding the 5th graders into 4th grade classrooms.

+1. We are at the Capitol Hill Mathnasium too, but not from Brent. Hardly anyone from our Hill elementary is there, but there are a ton of Brent kids there.

Are you sure that's not an income-level thing? Mathnasium is expensive. Folks IB for Brent are, on average, substantially better off even than there solid Hill ES counterparts.

I can’t be sure of course, but just based on the families I know at my kids’ school, it’s not an income thing.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:
This. No easy answers if you've been at Brent for years and your kid doesn't get into Latin or BASIS, or if you have plans to move on to a DCPS or private MS that starts in 6th. I wish there was much more pressure on Norah to improve the 5th grade experience. She claims it's wonderful. It's not.

+1000 from Brent 5th Grade Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were at Brent for a decade, for two kids, wrapping up just last year. I agree with some of the above, but PP is painting with too broad a brush and I don't know how to separate out Covid school closure issues from the Brent issues form the DCPS issues when I reflect on our experiences. I never thought that the curriculum was a problematic but agree that uneven instruction was in the upper grades was. Almost everything was peachy for us at Brent until 2nd grade. After that, the kids found most of their math challenge at Mathnasium, a couple blocks away, and we hired writing tutors. We've only heard negative things about folding the 5th graders into 4th grade classrooms.

+1. We are at the Capitol Hill Mathnasium too, but not from Brent. Hardly anyone from our Hill elementary is there, but there are a ton of Brent kids there.

Are you sure that's not an income-level thing? Mathnasium is expensive. Folks IB for Brent are, on average, substantially better off even than there solid Hill ES counterparts.

I can’t be sure of course, but just based on the families I know at my kids’ school, it’s not an income thing.

Mathnasium isn't cheap, but it's manageable for many UMC families at under $300/month for hour-long twice weekly sessions, less for once a week. My kid likes going partly because she sees Brent pals there. I think about poor kids who can't afford what has started to seem like essential math support for an upper grades Brent student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We were at Brent for a decade, for two kids, wrapping up just last year. I agree with some of the above, but PP is painting with too broad a brush and I don't know how to separate out Covid school closure issues from the Brent issues form the DCPS issues when I reflect on our experiences. I never thought that the curriculum was a problematic but agree that uneven instruction was in the upper grades was. Almost everything was peachy for us at Brent until 2nd grade. After that, the kids found most of their math challenge at Mathnasium, a couple blocks away, and we hired writing tutors. We've only heard negative things about folding the 5th graders into 4th grade classrooms.

+1. We are at the Capitol Hill Mathnasium too, but not from Brent. Hardly anyone from our Hill elementary is there, but there are a ton of Brent kids there.

Are you sure that's not an income-level thing? Mathnasium is expensive. Folks IB for Brent are, on average, substantially better off even than there solid Hill ES counterparts.

I can’t be sure of course, but just based on the families I know at my kids’ school, it’s not an income thing.

Mathnasium isn't cheap, but it's manageable for many UMC families at under $300/month for hour-long twice weekly sessions, less for once a week. My kid likes going partly because she sees Brent pals there. I think about poor kids who can't afford what has started to seem like essential math support for an upper grades Brent student.

Don't think it's under $300 unless you got in VERY early. For folks with 2 kids, we're talking $600+ a month. That... rules out 50%+ of the population of probably every Hill ES except Brent.