Lottery Consultant?

[Anonymous]

I’m getting ready to enter my child in the DCPS lottery for pk-3. I’ve heard some mentions of consultants that you can hire. Has anyone worked with one? Would you recommend? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

There is one pretty commonly used one on Capitol Hill. It’s been a few years so I can’t remember the name. My mom’s group set up a session with her and she talked through the process with us and answered questions. I had already done a lot of research and am pretty good at understanding data so I didn’t feel that she added much to our thought process. If you were someone who didn’t want to do any of the leg work or research, it might be worth it but all the data is public so the consultants don’t have any inside information.

In the end, we put together a fine list but got a terrible lottery number for pre-K 3 and didn’t get in anywhere but our IB school. We went private.

[Anonymous]

EV Downey.

In my opinion you don't need a consultant unless your child has special needs. If it's one of those evening things where you pay $20 to drink wine and hear her presentation, fine. But I was pretty underwhelmed when I did that-- her understanding of our neighborhood school was really lacking because she assumed nobody would want to go.

You can just tell us your situation and we'll help you make your list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EV Downey.

In my opinion you don't need a consultant unless your child has special needs. If it's one of those evening things where you pay $20 to drink wine and hear her presentation, fine. But I was pretty underwhelmed when I did that-- her understanding of our neighborhood school was really lacking because she assumed nobody would want to go.

You can just tell us your situation and we'll help you make your list.

+1000

A lottery consultant CANNOT improve your odds of getting into the school you want, and also can’t decide for you whether you value test scores over commute, or if you want to do Montessori through 5th, or whether the by right middle school will be acceptable to you when your kids are that age.

It’s a waste of money, IMO.

[Anonymous]

A consultant can correct your understanding of the lottery process and stop you from screwing it up. But they can't actually improve your odds if you have understood it right. They can proofread your list to make sure you haven't confused different locations of the same school. But we can do that for you too, for free.

They sometimes have information like if a PTA reaches out to them-- I used to email EV at this time of year when I was doing PTA, because I thought she was kind of negative on our IB school and I hoped that sharing iReady scores and things about the kids' activities would be helpful. But it's nothing that you can't get here or by asking around. And working with a consultant means you're incorporating their own perspective, bias, assumptions, blind spots, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is one pretty commonly used one on Capitol Hill. It’s been a few years so I can’t remember the name. My mom’s group set up a session with her and she talked through the process with us and answered questions. I had already done a lot of research and am pretty good at understanding data so I didn’t feel that she added much to our thought process. If you were someone who didn’t want to do any of the leg work or research, it might be worth it but all the data is public so the consultants don’t have any inside information.

In the end, we put together a fine list but got a terrible lottery number for pre-K 3 and didn’t get in anywhere but our IB school. We went private.

I will not name her because she should not be allowed to take people's money. Her "business" predates the common lottery and the current My School DC website and structure. In her defense, she filled a gap that was there. The problem is that we are in an era of the common lottery. One online application. The other issue is her "impressions" were better than nothing, but now we have robust data and objective measures.

OP, do not pay a "consultant". Everything you need to know is available on MySchoolDC and on the data DCPS and PCSB publish. There are also some useful nuggets on DCUM. Here are my considerations:

1. How long do you plan to remain in DC and DC schools?
2. Do NOT underestimate the importance of commute. Driving across the city for years sucks.
3. What are the PARCC scores in upper ES? Yes, scores are not everything, but neither are they nothing. My guess is that someone who would consider spending money on a lottery consultant does not want their kid going to upper ES with only 15% of kids at grade level.
4. Is language immersion important to you? Seriously important. Not just as a way to make yourself feel better and/or to make it easier to explain to your family why you are staying in DC.
5. What's your IB ES. MS and HS? If you are good with your IB school then do not stress PK3 or PK4.
6. Take everything on DCUM with a massive chunk of salt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A consultant can correct your understanding of the lottery process and stop you from screwing it up. But they can't actually improve your odds if you have understood it right. They can proofread your list to make sure you haven't confused different locations of the same school. But we can do that for you too, for free.

They sometimes have information like if a PTA reaches out to them-- I used to email EV at this time of year when I was doing PTA, because I thought she was kind of negative on our IB school and I hoped that sharing iReady scores and things about the kids' activities would be helpful. But it's nothing that you can't get here or by asking around. And working with a consultant means you're incorporating their own perspective, bias, assumptions, blind spots, etc.

All of this. There are also several good videos on the lottery process on YouTube (put out through my school I’ll try to find the links but they are likely on the resources tab on the my school site) that will make the process very clear for you. I actually got a better understanding of the lottery from those videos than from Downey (I went to an info session sponsored by our daycare) because she has a vested interest in making it seem more complicated than it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A consultant can correct your understanding of the lottery process and stop you from screwing it up. But they can't actually improve your odds if you have understood it right. They can proofread your list to make sure you haven't confused different locations of the same school. But we can do that for you too, for free.

They sometimes have information like if a PTA reaches out to them-- I used to email EV at this time of year when I was doing PTA, because I thought she was kind of negative on our IB school and I hoped that sharing iReady scores and things about the kids' activities would be helpful. But it's nothing that you can't get here or by asking around. And working with a consultant means you're incorporating their own perspective, bias, assumptions, blind spots, etc.

The My School DC materials (Handbook, FAQ) are fantastic. They explain everything. There are no corner cases left unresolved. If you spend the time to read them you cannot screw it up. People who screw it up are the ones who listen to other people or neighbors (or consultants).

[Anonymous]

You can also call MySchoolDC and ask questions. They're amazingly helpful-- between them and the Fort Totten Transfer Station it's a tie for best government service in the city.

[Anonymous]

Here are the videos about the process.

Watch these and use the search function in MySchool to get a list of all the schools within the geographic distance from your house that you think is workable.

Look at the school profiles on MySchool for this list and eliminate any that are obviously not a fit for you, there will be some.

Do more research on the ones left. Look at websites, social media, check out DCUM threads (Grain of Salt! Always). Eliminate any others this way, though be open minded during this part of the process because it’s most subjective.

Do a gut check on commute. Often you start the process thinking you can deal with a 30 minute commute. By now you have a list that likely includes some nearby school, some 15-20 minutes away, and a couple longer commutes. Really think about what it means to have to drive 20+ minutes each way every day. Look at the schools’ calendars and see if they have any early release days. Investigate their aftercare situation because some schools have very limited after care spots. Now eliminate any schools that are too far. You likely have less than 12 schools on the list by now.

By now you have a sense of which schools excite you more than others. Rank your list from first to last choice. But you’ll have some groups where it’s hard ti decide which you prefer. For those, attend an open house.

Rerank your list based on open houses and sitting with it a bit. Now is a good time to fit check by talking to other parents or consulting DCUM. When I say gut check, that means: as what they think of a school and even if their impression is much better or worse than yours, do you feel comfortable with your ranking? This is the hardest part. If you are still feeling confused, easily swayed by off hand comments, etc., do more research and talk to your spouse. Get to a place of calm acceptance.

Remember you can list 12 schools, but you don’t have to, so if you feel negatively about a school, don’t rank it.

Oh, and a little word of encouragement of you get a terrible lottery number— many schools add seats at K, and there’s more churn than you think at a lot of popular schools in 1st and 2nd. If you wind up with your last choice school for PK, you will likely still get in to a school you like more by early elementary, and moving schools in ECE is really not a big issue for this age.

[Anonymous]

Ha, forgot the link!

https://www.myschooldc.org/resources/my-school-dc-videos

[Anonymous]

We found EV to be helpful in talking through private school options. FWIW, her kids are teenagers (or older?) and I believe are in private schools. She mentioned to us that she was pretty disconnected from DCPS and charter schools at this point.

The lottery is what it is….she can’t really provide much insight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are the videos about the process.

Watch these and use the search function in MySchool to get a list of all the schools within the geographic distance from your house that you think is workable.

Look at the school profiles on MySchool for this list and eliminate any that are obviously not a fit for you, there will be some.

Do more research on the ones left. Look at websites, social media, check out DCUM threads (Grain of Salt! Always). Eliminate any others this way, though be open minded during this part of the process because it’s most subjective.

Do a gut check on commute. Often you start the process thinking you can deal with a 30 minute commute. By now you have a list that likely includes some nearby school, some 15-20 minutes away, and a couple longer commutes. Really think about what it means to have to drive 20+ minutes each way every day. Look at the schools’ calendars and see if they have any early release days. Investigate their aftercare situation because some schools have very limited after care spots. Now eliminate any schools that are too far. You likely have less than 12 schools on the list by now.

By now you have a sense of which schools excite you more than others. Rank your list from first to last choice. But you’ll have some groups where it’s hard ti decide which you prefer. For those, attend an open house.

Rerank your list based on open houses and sitting with it a bit. Now is a good time to fit check by talking to other parents or consulting DCUM. When I say gut check, that means: as what they think of a school and even if their impression is much better or worse than yours, do you feel comfortable with your ranking? This is the hardest part. If you are still feeling confused, easily swayed by off hand comments, etc., do more research and talk to your spouse. Get to a place of calm acceptance.

Remember you can list 12 schools, but you don’t have to, so if you feel negatively about a school, don’t rank it.

Oh, and a little word of encouragement of you get a terrible lottery number— many schools add seats at K, and there’s more churn than you think at a lot of popular schools in 1st and 2nd. If you wind up with your last choice school for PK, you will likely still get in to a school you like more by early elementary, and moving schools in ECE is really not a big issue for this age.

All great advice.

Test the commute in the manner you plan to do it. Some schools require that you walk your child all the way in to their classroom. So if your plan is to be at work by X time, after having driven, found parking, walked to the school, dealt with separation anxiety, dropped your PK3 in their actual classroom, and walked back to the car, all while carrying a large baby, then test drive doing all of that and getting to work on time. This may help you develop enthusiasm for your IB school.

Be sure to talk with parents of older students-- and if you can't find any, there's your answer. You may think you want a cozy crunchy preschool with playtime and recess and music and art and all that, but you probably *also* want solid academics in upper elementary and a well-functioning school administration. At so many charter schools that are attractive to high-SES parents, they have the first thing but not the second. Beware!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are the videos about the process.

Watch these and use the search function in MySchool to get a list of all the schools within the geographic distance from your house that you think is workable.

Look at the school profiles on MySchool for this list and eliminate any that are obviously not a fit for you, there will be some.

Do more research on the ones left. Look at websites, social media, check out DCUM threads (Grain of Salt! Always). Eliminate any others this way, though be open minded during this part of the process because it’s most subjective.

Do a gut check on commute. Often you start the process thinking you can deal with a 30 minute commute. By now you have a list that likely includes some nearby school, some 15-20 minutes away, and a couple longer commutes. Really think about what it means to have to drive 20+ minutes each way every day. Look at the schools’ calendars and see if they have any early release days. Investigate their aftercare situation because some schools have very limited after care spots. Now eliminate any schools that are too far. You likely have less than 12 schools on the list by now.

By now you have a sense of which schools excite you more than others. Rank your list from first to last choice. But you’ll have some groups where it’s hard ti decide which you prefer. For those, attend an open house.

Rerank your list based on open houses and sitting with it a bit. Now is a good time to fit check by talking to other parents or consulting DCUM. When I say gut check, that means: as what they think of a school and even if their impression is much better or worse than yours, do you feel comfortable with your ranking? This is the hardest part. If you are still feeling confused, easily swayed by off hand comments, etc., do more research and talk to your spouse. Get to a place of calm acceptance.

Remember you can list 12 schools, but you don’t have to, so if you feel negatively about a school, don’t rank it.

Oh, and a little word of encouragement of you get a terrible lottery number— many schools add seats at K, and there’s more churn than you think at a lot of popular schools in 1st and 2nd. If you wind up with your last choice school for PK, you will likely still get in to a school you like more by early elementary, and moving schools in ECE is really not a big issue for this age.

All great advice.

Test the commute in the manner you plan to do it. Some schools require that you walk your child all the way in to their classroom. So if your plan is to be at work by X time, after having driven, found parking, walked to the school, dealt with separation anxiety, dropped your PK3 in their actual classroom, and walked back to the car, all while carrying a large baby, then test drive doing all of that and getting to work on time. This may help you develop enthusiasm for your IB school.

Be sure to talk with parents of older students-- and if you can't find any, there's your answer. You may think you want a cozy crunchy preschool with playtime and recess and music and art and all that, but you probably *also* want solid academics in upper elementary and a well-functioning school administration. At so many charter schools that are attractive to high-SES parents, they have the first thing but not the second. Beware!

Every school that offers late elementary grades *has* parents of older students, so if you can't find any, that says more about your research skills or neighborhood connections than anything else. But If you want to send your kid to school with families you already know, that could be a useful data point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here are the videos about the process.

Watch these and use the search function in MySchool to get a list of all the schools within the geographic distance from your house that you think is workable.

Look at the school profiles on MySchool for this list and eliminate any that are obviously not a fit for you, there will be some.

Do more research on the ones left. Look at websites, social media, check out DCUM threads (Grain of Salt! Always). Eliminate any others this way, though be open minded during this part of the process because it’s most subjective.

Do a gut check on commute. Often you start the process thinking you can deal with a 30 minute commute. By now you have a list that likely includes some nearby school, some 15-20 minutes away, and a couple longer commutes. Really think about what it means to have to drive 20+ minutes each way every day. Look at the schools’ calendars and see if they have any early release days. Investigate their aftercare situation because some schools have very limited after care spots. Now eliminate any schools that are too far. You likely have less than 12 schools on the list by now.

By now you have a sense of which schools excite you more than others. Rank your list from first to last choice. But you’ll have some groups where it’s hard ti decide which you prefer. For those, attend an open house.

Rerank your list based on open houses and sitting with it a bit. Now is a good time to fit check by talking to other parents or consulting DCUM. When I say gut check, that means: as what they think of a school and even if their impression is much better or worse than yours, do you feel comfortable with your ranking? This is the hardest part. If you are still feeling confused, easily swayed by off hand comments, etc., do more research and talk to your spouse. Get to a place of calm acceptance.

Remember you can list 12 schools, but you don’t have to, so if you feel negatively about a school, don’t rank it.

Oh, and a little word of encouragement of you get a terrible lottery number— many schools add seats at K, and there’s more churn than you think at a lot of popular schools in 1st and 2nd. If you wind up with your last choice school for PK, you will likely still get in to a school you like more by early elementary, and moving schools in ECE is really not a big issue for this age.

All great advice.

Test the commute in the manner you plan to do it. Some schools require that you walk your child all the way in to their classroom. So if your plan is to be at work by X time, after having driven, found parking, walked to the school, dealt with separation anxiety, dropped your PK3 in their actual classroom, and walked back to the car, all while carrying a large baby, then test drive doing all of that and getting to work on time. This may help you develop enthusiasm for your IB school.

Be sure to talk with parents of older students-- and if you can't find any, there's your answer. You may think you want a cozy crunchy preschool with playtime and recess and music and art and all that, but you probably *also* want solid academics in upper elementary and a well-functioning school administration. At so many charter schools that are attractive to high-SES parents, they have the first thing but not the second. Beware!

Every school that offers late elementary grades *has* parents of older students, so if you can't find any, that says more about your research skills or neighborhood connections than anything else. But If you want to send your kid to school with families you already know, that could be a useful data point.

It's more like not every school has parents of older students who are satisfied enough to validate the school. And if a school has high attrition, there might not be very many parents of older kids, period. like at a Montessori school or a new charter.