best in-boundary potential for improvement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the most amazing thread ever - total school porn fantasy. It's the typical urban experience writ large: Wouldn't I make out like a bandit if other people behaved the way I want them to, so that my own neighborhood had decent public schools and my condo/rowhouse appreciated even more.

Thanks for the laughs.

lol. That's it in a nutshell. "Come to Cooke, Maury, Barnard (insert scary school here) now! Not because it's a good school on its own of course, but because it's better for my kid if you invest yours in this dogpile too!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With Cap City and Haynes' scores in the 60s, I fail to see why this is considered a superior choice. Yu Ying sounds great, but you are choosing a school that doesn't even have test scores yet to back it up.

A few years ago Haynes' forms asked how many books you had in your home. Think what that implies about the other families and their home lives/priorities. Their program is geared toward raising the scores of poor (minority in DC) kids and they do that really well. We have several friends who found it a poor fit for their on grade level child and who left. If you think the class is 20 something kids and many come from chaotic backgrounds, is that really the same or a better experience than Janney? Will your child have the same opportunities for playdates, sleepovers, bday parties and the like? People need to be realistic. My child attends a JKLMO school and came home reporting a classmates' family member had been on the news the night before for a crime he had committed. This is why people have always moved to the burbs when their kids were young, you can find housing in Arlington and decent schools for less than Dupont, Logan or Adams Morgan. Really short commutes in some cases too. Some charters may be better than some DCPS schools but the overwhelming number of kids attending most of both is poor and unprepared.

[Anonymous]

In the past, people moved out of DC with school aged kids, or it was easier to thread the needle by getting into JKLMO schools OOB. Now those slots are gone for the most part. Housing was cheaper so privates were a better option. People don't want to move, so they inflate the quality of education at schools which have been judged among the worst in the country, or in some cases, among the worst in DC. The new buildings help it all go down more easily. Adams Morgan vs. Loudon is a false choice. Maybe it's the quality of life in the city has gotten better or traffic has gotten worse, but people seem much more resistant to moving or to acknowledging the real tradeoffs they are making.

[Anonymous]

Ok, is there a middle ground? Is it really impossible to have a urban school system that has racial and economic diversity? Has it really come down to the nearly impossible choice of paying too much for your house and a often (though not always) long commute to have your kids get a decent education? Several of the postings have pointed to Ross as fairly good example of this compromise, but the reality of Ross is that its success has mirrored a demographic change that is whiter and wealthier. It is also so small that it could change much more rapidly. I care a lot about my child's education and I am switching schools, but I also care about a viable city and my individual choice feels like it is part of a whole lot of decisions that undercut a livable community. Do others feel this conflict?

[Anonymous]

People like Ross because it's mostly white at the lower grades so they think it's safer and acceptable. The quality of education isn't great and many of the familes, while white and professional, aren't as well educated as in other less reputable more minority schools. You need to look past skin color. It's not so black and white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With Cap City and Haynes' scores in the 60s, I fail to see why this is considered a superior choice. Yu Ying sounds great, but you are choosing a school that doesn't even have test scores yet to back it up.

A few years ago Haynes' forms asked how many books you had in your home. Think what that implies about the other families and their home lives/priorities. Their program is geared toward raising the scores of poor (minority in DC) kids and they do that really well. We have several friends who found it a poor fit for their on grade level child and who left. If you think the class is 20 something kids and many come from chaotic backgrounds, is that really the same or a better experience than Janney? Will your child have the same opportunities for playdates, sleepovers, bday parties and the like? People need to be realistic. My child attends a JKLMO school and came home reporting a classmates' family member had been on the news the night before for a crime he had committed. This is why people have always moved to the burbs when their kids were young, you can find housing in Arlington and decent schools for less than Dupont, Logan or Adams Morgan. Really short commutes in some cases too. Some charters may be better than some DCPS schools but the overwhelming number of kids attending most of both is poor and unprepared.

I know a double Ivy family, each parent has a law degree, and their children are thriving at Haynes. They can afford to be anywhere, and chose to not only attend Haynes, but join the Board of Directors. Think about what THAT implies about your assumptions.

(Hint: it rhymes with "zignorance")

[Anonymous]

I am new to DC, and with a 2 year old, in bounds school is pretty awful. But reading this thread has been pretty eye opening and at the same time supremely unhelpful. I would like to point out, though, for people not wanting to send their white kids to schools with a lot of black kids that his just feels strange to me. I went to a school that--once bussing began-- had about 90 percent black students, I was the only white girl in my 6th grade southern california school, since most white families in my neighborhood who could afford to leave did. Most of my friends were black (I also had friends from other places, all ethnicities). somehow I managed to get an education there and enjoyed it. My parents pulled me out for high school--they didn't feel it had a good program (although it was much 'whiter' than myelementary and junior high experience). I didnt think much about race then, though I do remember when my dad drove me to my friends' parties in the predominantly black/poor neighborhoods I could sense his discomfort. But his discomfort was his, not mine--so give your children credit for that. Especially if you're thinking of sending them to a fairly good school but hesitate because they might be in the racial minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am new to DC, and with a 2 year old, in bounds school is pretty awful. But reading this thread has been pretty eye opening and at the same time supremely unhelpful. I would like to point out, though, for people not wanting to send their white kids to schools with a lot of black kids that his just feels strange to me. I went to a school that--once bussing began-- had about 90 percent black students, I was the only white girl in my 6th grade southern california school, since most white families in my neighborhood who could afford to leave did. Most of my friends were black (I also had friends from other places, all ethnicities). somehow I managed to get an education there and enjoyed it. My parents pulled me out for high school--they didn't feel it had a good program (although it was much 'whiter' than myelementary and junior high experience). I didnt think much about race then, though I do remember when my dad drove me to my friends' parties in the predominantly black/poor neighborhoods I could sense his discomfort. But his discomfort was his, not mine--so give your children credit for that. Especially if you're thinking of sending them to a fairly good school but hesitate because they might be in the racial minority.

But only a handful of schools in DC can fairly be called a "fairly good school". Part of the problem is that the black middle class moves out of DC so you have mostly poor black kids and a small number of upper middle class (by education of parents if not income) white kids who tend to leave after the early grades. The problem is more socioeconomic to me than racial, but maybe that varies. My kid attends one of the few fairly well integrated DCPS schools, we are very happy that he has a very diverse group of friends. But in general the quality of DCPS is fair to poor and schools tend to skew heavily all black or all white. It's a shame. And the resources are very inequitable. The JKLMO schools raise literally hundreds of thousands to supplement the DCPS budget.

Many of the parents I know who are big Ross boosters live in Dupont or Logan, don't want to move and don't have cars, so the cross town OOB or charter commute isn't as much an option. The quality is ok, the test scores arent that great and there is a lot of principal turnover. And that is one of the better east of the park schools.

[Anonymous]

I know a double Ivy family, each parent has a law degree, and their children are thriving at Haynes. They can afford to be anywhere, and chose to not only attend Haynes, but join the Board of Directors. Think about what THAT implies about your assumptions.

(Hint: it rhymes with "zignorance")

No, it's just different people's experiences and values. It's wonderful that they are so involved in their kids school.

We got into Haynes by lottery but did not go. Several families in our neighborhood had left, some midyear, and we factored that in, not everything is the right fit for everyone. For people who live in Columbia Heights or Petworth and who value almost year round care/school, it's especially great. We made another choice. Everyone is doing the best they can for their kids. I wonder how much we are all looking for "hidden gems" in a pile of otherwise fairly unattractive options compared to MD or NoVA. It's a problem of urban school districts, and IMHO there is only so much any one family can do to impact it. Others may value a more urban pioneer stakeholder role.

Another Ivy 2 JD family here, not sure why that matters and not sure why you think name calling is enlightening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:With Cap City and Haynes' scores in the 60s, I fail to see why this is considered a superior choice. Yu Ying sounds great, but you are choosing a school that doesn't even have test scores yet to back it up.

Haynes's DC CAS scores for white students are second highest in the city -- after Murch, ahead of Mann. And, I think Haynes has more kids scoring advanced. I don't think test scores area great measure of the school, but if you are going to ride the test score horse, at least know your facts.

[Anonymous]

So you're saying Haynes is only doing well teaching the white kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you're saying Haynes is only doing well teaching the white kids?

No, I think she's saying that Haynes does a better job of teaching white kids than anybody other than Murch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PP who has never met anyone who sends their kids to Garrison, you should email the new PTA President [e-mail] and find out when you might be able to. Garrison really surprised me. I've been on quite a few school tours over the last few months and it is actually much higher on my list than I was expecting it to be.

What did you like about Garrison?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Reed, Garrison, Cooke, just like Ross, have oodles of well paid professionals who bought in and now want to stay in their hip, fun neighborhoods and walk to school. There are a lot of people who make decent money but not the crazy $400K HHI you read about on this board, they continue to be priced out of west of the park or even Dupont and Adams Morgan.

May I say it is so boring to keep hearing people talk about west of the park schools. For the 99% of the rest of us who are OOB and can't get in or don't want a crappy commute, that is.

May -I- say it amusing but ultimately tiresome to keep hearing this whine over and over? You and your partner made an eyes-open decision -- not under duress? -- to choose "hip, fun" over "sensible."

For the same money you spent in hipster Columbia Heights or similar, you could've chosen a smallish rental apartment OR condo in Van Ness South (Murch), the Kenwood (Murch). There are cheap, unattractive and even low-income apartments all over south Bethesda near Bradley that feed into Somerset Elementary or Bethesda Elementary -- probably two of the best ESs in the state.

So enjoy your hookah bars, Jamaican curries and vintage dress shops Some of us find it boring to keep hearing from you hipsters who won't give it up and move to an equally cheap place, and put your children first.

What is so wrong about wanting to have decent neighborhood schools to send your kids to? First of all, a lot of us bought houses/condos well before we had children. Second, these neighborhoods are ideal for a lot of working parents - a 15 minute commute (vs 45 minutes to an hour in the burbs) adds up to a lot more time spent with your kids. Third, what is wrong with wanting to live in a fun, hip place where you don't have to get in your car to go everywhere? I grew up in the burbs and it was so boring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
What is so wrong about wanting to have decent neighborhood schools to send your kids to? First of all, a lot of us bought houses/condos well before we had children. Second, these neighborhoods are ideal for a lot of working parents - a 15 minute commute (vs 45 minutes to an hour in the burbs) adds up to a lot more time spent with your kids. Third, what is wrong with wanting to live in a fun, hip place where you don't have to get in your car to go everywhere? I grew up in the burbs and it was so boring.

This thread is largely built on wishful thinking as to how life would be better if more of "our kind" sent their kids to the public schools and the spoken or unspoken correlary that lower-income kids no longer either had so many OOB options or, better yet, were shipped off to some other "out of sight, out of mind" jurisdiction like PG.

But it's OK, really. Lots of folks thought Sun City was a fun, hip place, too. And many Parisians are quite happy that the poor among them live in the banlieus, rather than the arondissements.