Why is SWS so white?

[Anonymous]

Tons of people for preK and early elementary list out a bunch of schools they like in roughly their order of preference. You maybe have to be somewhat in the know and also have some level of geographical proximity to list SWS as your #1. Otherwise, even w a great lottery number, you will get into one of the schools you listed ahead of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

They didn't express concern. They made a declarative statement that it wasn't hot. And then told other parents to go in with eyes wide open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

Was your kid is truly testing behind? Or they were on grade level and you felt like you had to push more?

If my kid is learning grade appropriate topics AND testing at or above grade level on standardized tests (which they are), I'm good.

Kid was testing above grade level pre Covid in math and ELA, testing at least a year behind afterwards. Now testing almost a year above in math and two years in ELA after a year or weekly tutoring. DCPS didn't seem to give a hoot that many SWS kids were behind. I saw no serious effort to catch kids up. But, yeah, the whiteness of the school is the real problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

They didn't express concern. They made a declarative statement that it wasn't hot. And then told other parents to go in with eyes wide open.

How does one trust one parent on DCUM, the website home of the pressure cooker parent? If your kid tests on grade level in DCPS, DCUM folks will still say you're behind and your kid is destined for community college or bust without extensive extracurricular tutoring

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

Was your kid is truly testing behind? Or they were on grade level and you felt like you had to push more?

If my kid is learning grade appropriate topics AND testing at or above grade level on standardized tests (which they are), I'm good.

Kid was testing above grade level pre Covid in math and ELA, testing at least a year behind afterwards. Now testing almost a year above in math and two years in ELA after a year or weekly tutoring. DCPS didn't seem to give a hoot that many SWS kids were behind. I saw no serious effort to catch kids up. But, yeah, the whiteness of the school is the real problem.

I don't think DCPS did a good job district wide post Covid with their tutoring programs. They flashed big numbers but the execution was awful. None of that is exclusive to one school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

The point is not whether teachers have more expertise. Teachers unions can also be very self-interested, often to the detriment of students. So we should be suspicious when teachers unions proclaim it's not their fault that students have fallen so far behind.

The real issue was whether parents[u] are also allowed to express legitimate concerns about their child's lack of academic progress. You appear of the view that parents are just too ignorant to form their own opinion and should just trust their teacher when they say all is fine, even when academic failure is staring them right in the face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

np: Teachers here love to tell patents that they are not qualified to have opinions. However, the truth is that a lot of parents also have relevant expertise. Some parents are or were teachers; some have expertise in the field; some work for educational suppliers; some have extensive experience working with children; etc etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

The point is not whether teachers have more expertise. Teachers unions can also be very self-interested, often to the detriment of students. So we should be suspicious when teachers unions proclaim it's not their fault that students have fallen so far behind.

The real issue was whether parents[u] are also allowed to express legitimate concerns about their child's lack of academic progress. You appear of the view that parents are just too ignorant to form their own opinion and should just trust their teacher when they say all is fine, even when academic failure is staring them right in the face.

I apologize if I missed it, but what were the legitimate concerns being expressed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

np: Teachers here love to tell patents that they are not qualified to have opinions. However, the truth is that a lot of parents also have relevant expertise. Some parents are or were teachers; some have expertise in the field; some work for educational suppliers; some have extensive experience working with children; etc etc.

But also, the mentality on DCUM is a lot more type A than average.

Curious if the PP's determination of their kid being below grade level was based on fall iready scores? My kid is always "behind" grade level on fall iready and ahead by end of the year. I swear that test's fall percentiles are designed to make parents panic, then kids seem "improved" by the end of the year - oh look, iready worked to get your kid to grade level!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

np: Teachers here love to tell patents that they are not qualified to have opinions. However, the truth is that a lot of parents also have relevant expertise. Some parents are or were teachers; some have expertise in the field; some work for educational suppliers; some have extensive experience working with children; etc etc.

From my perspective, this statement is purposefully vague and makes it difficult to have a real conversation. We're on an anonymous forum, so I have no idea if the exact person I'm speaking to has relevant experience. I can only respond based on what they shared, which was a dismissive statement of instruction without any specific references

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

np: Teachers here love to tell patents that they are not qualified to have opinions. However, the truth is that a lot of parents also have relevant expertise. Some parents are or were teachers; some have expertise in the field; some work for educational suppliers; some have extensive experience working with children; etc etc.

But also, the mentality on DCUM is a lot more type A than average.

Curious if the PP's determination of their kid being below grade level was based on fall iready scores? My kid is always "behind" grade level on fall iready and ahead by end of the year. I swear that test's fall percentiles are designed to make parents panic, then kids seem "improved" by the end of the year - oh look, iready worked to get your kid to grade level!

I - ready BOY scores are shared based on where students need to be at EOY. Being "behind" grade level is the age appropriate place

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

np: Teachers here love to tell patents that they are not qualified to have opinions. However, the truth is that a lot of parents also have relevant expertise. Some parents are or were teachers; some have expertise in the field; some work for educational suppliers; some have extensive experience working with children; etc etc.

But also, the mentality on DCUM is a lot more type A than average.

Curious if the PP's determination of their kid being below grade level was based on fall iready scores? My kid is always "behind" grade level on fall iready and ahead by end of the year. I swear that test's fall percentiles are designed to make parents panic, then kids seem "improved" by the end of the year - oh look, iready worked to get your kid to grade level!

DP to add, the parental panic can also be reinforced by going to a tutoring canter that uses tests designed to make your kid look like they really need help, so that they can get your $$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps, but Washington Teachers Union's opposition to elementary school re-openings for two years during the pandemic certainly didn't help, and SWS' middling academic program hasn't improve matters. These days, SWS students are routinely are given good grades in math and ELA although they work a year or more behind grade level. I've heard similar stories about Brent, and Maury and Ludlow to a lesser extent. UMC Hill parents run to tutors more than my suburban friends with ES-age kids seem to. Parents who fuss about how white the school is are missing the forest for the trees. Shaky DCPS ES academics are a problem dwarfing mild racial imbalances.

? Not a teacher, but where does this assertion come from? When I look at what topics my kid has learned this year - in math at least, every single topic is on the Khan topic list for that grade. Doesn't seem like Khan lists anything additional either that wasn't covered. The school covered appropriate grade level math (with periodic standardized assessments like iready plus unit based quizzes)

The math instruction at SWS just isn't too hot. Great in theory, not so much in practice. Writing instruction is far worse. We meet SWS pals at Mathnasium. We hire a writing tutor with SWS buddies. Go into the upper grades with your eyes open, folks.

As a teacher, it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work. It's analogous to me saying that the widget production at your work isn't that hot, despite actually meeting all industry standards

What a condescending bunch of BS. So does that mean you also don't get to judge the food at a restaurant because you're not a professional chef? Please don't belittle parents when it's plain to see that the academics are not that hot.

Yes, we all know when food tastes good and when it doesn't. This is not the same. You don't like the way your child is taught math; that's different than it being taught poorly or incorrectly.

Also, using a standard of "hot or not that hot" is more fitting for MySpace that educational evaluatoon

You keep lecturing parents how stupid we are and then wonder why teachers unions have lost so much public goodwill in recent years.

When my child comes home and says that 1+1=3, am I seriously supposed to pretend that I'm too ignorant to see the academic deficiencies staring right in my face?! Am I also supposed to pretend the low standardized test scores are all wrong and that only the teachers know best?

When your upper ES student comes back and tells you 1+1=3 report back

What do you mean when you say low overall test scores? Are you talking about the fact that not all students are testing on grade level? Because, as a teacher who inherited a class with students as low as K/1 in fifth grade this year, I know that's not a legitimate standard to measure my effectiveness.

I want to add, nobody is calling you or any parent stupid. You chose to call out teachers for bad instruction and are now upset that they are defending themselves.

Once again you're obfuscating the issue. The PP teacher literally said that "it's wild that parents think they can make assertions like this without being experts in the work." The PP parents basically expressed concern about their own kids' lack of academic progress while being told by teachers to shut up because only teachers know better.

Same poster: do you think it's wrong for teachers to believe that they know better? We're experts in the field. We went to college to do this work. I think it's a fair assumption that we would know better in regards to ES math instruction

np: Teachers here love to tell patents that they are not qualified to have opinions. However, the truth is that a lot of parents also have relevant expertise. Some parents are or were teachers; some have expertise in the field; some work for educational suppliers; some have extensive experience working with children; etc etc.

But also, the mentality on DCUM is a lot more type A than average.

Curious if the PP's determination of their kid being below grade level was based on fall iready scores? My kid is always "behind" grade level on fall iready and ahead by end of the year. I swear that test's fall percentiles are designed to make parents panic, then kids seem "improved" by the end of the year - oh look, iready worked to get your kid to grade level!

I - ready BOY scores are shared based on where students need to be at EOY. Being "behind" grade level is the age appropriate place

Exactly. But it isn't made clear so we also panicked when our kid eas "behind" grade level and had a low percentile score at BOY and magically they were at grade level and 90th percentile by the winter assessment. That's why I asked if the parent's determinate of their kid being behind was BOY iready.