Janney third grade parents--what do you think of the giant class sizes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if Mann fed to Deal, it would be overcrowded in less than 2 years.

Maybe the answer is for DCPS to sink some resources into improving the schools that AREN'T in the heart of upper Caucasia. The schools in NW are overcrowded because white flight, charter schools and a culture of neglect have decimated schools in other parts of the city. If people felt more comfortable with Hardy or other schools, maybe they wouldn't be leveraging themselves to the eyeballs and hocking grandma's teeth to pay to live in upper NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping the new principal cuts PK classes next year. I was not a fan of Norah (which I think most people feel is blasphemy to say,) and I hope some fresh blood comes up with some new solutions besides the co teaching model.

A few years ago there were 2 PreK classes. Imagine if they went back how class size would be more effectively managed. It is not as if the children who do not get a PreK spot through the lottery would not be ready for school due to lack of universal PreK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To put in perspective, there are schools outside of DC that have class sizes near or around this size with only one teacher and no aides.

and many of those schools do not have the challenges of an urban school.

Jannney doesn't really have the challenges of an "urban" school either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping the new principal cuts PK classes next year. I was not a fan of Norah (which I think most people feel is blasphemy to say,) and I hope some fresh blood comes up with some new solutions besides the co teaching model.

A few years ago there were 2 PreK classes. Imagine if they went back how class size would be more effectively managed. It is not as if the children who do not get a PreK spot through the lottery would not be ready for school due to lack of universal PreK.

DCPS gives twice the money per PK student as they so for K and beyond. This factors in to Janney's decison not
to cut PK slots to date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if some Janney children were moved to Mann it would relieve overcrowding, both at Janney but also at Deal. But it would make Mann overcrowded and make Janney parents upset after 5th grade. Still something to consider on the margin.

In the end this is all going to be steps on the margin. Lose a few PK4 classes; tolerate larger class sizes; reduce the boundary some, moving kids to Mann and Hearst; take fewer OOB children; and sadly, likely just make the school less attractive so families will not move in. Wish them well.

I can't for the life me figure out why Hearst hasn't attracted more NW bound families. Good school with great feed and reasonable size. They might be less IB centric, but they're doing well with the kids who attend.

You might say EVEN more NW bound families. The school is shifting fast. Though the school was under 20 percent IB a couple of years ago, the current PK class is around 3/4 IB. Now whether or not that is a good thing is another question and depends on your perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't if they still rezone to Murch and ask them to stop taking OOB?

Murch is designed for 400 students, has over 620, is very very full, with entire grades in trailers, and a building from 100 years ago. In addition to that, Murch will be renovated in the next two year and the over 600 Murch kids will have to go somewhere we do not yet know where. in short, Murch is not the solution for Janney's overcrowding.

Murch, Lafayette..they are all overcrowded, falling apart and being renovate in soon or already under construction. I understand Janney is pretty nice after the renovation (so be thankful for that because Murch is in some bad shape) but it does not sound like the new Janney facility was built for it's growing population as I'm no sure Murch and Lafayette will either. More families moving into the NW hoods and using the DCPS, new apartments being built along Conn Ave, and a brand new school causes an increase in the student population. Fact of the matter is that none of theses schools have enough space. Some could be gained by not allowing OOB kids but I understand DCPS holds a certain # of spots in these schools for OOB kids and then they stay on track to attend Deal and Wilson and the over crowding is perpetuated.

Mann is not overcrowded and they just got renovated-there are about 300 kids in the school and the peek-first grades at least (don't know the numbers in the older grades) have 18 to a class-half of the class you are speaking of.we also have a ft teacher and ft aide in every class.

DCPS lost an opportunity by not making Mann much bigger in its renovation. It has more land that either Janney or Murch and is less than half the size of each. They should have made Mann bigger and shifted all three boundaries toward Mann. Actually, they still could do this.

Too late for that. What DC should do, however, is shift boundaries toward Hearst. This is a newly renovated and expanded school in the heart of Ward 3. Yet it is still 80% or so OOB enrollment, which means a lot of surplus capacity currently used for OOB slots, which could easily become IB. In addition to its own facilities, Hearst adjoins a DC park, with a large field and tennis courts. And unlike Mann, it is a Deal feeder school.

I agree with this; just wanted to add that the IB % at Hearst was nearly 30% in SY 14 - 15. And from the indications in this years new PK class the IB % will continue to grow. nice class sizes in the low twenties at all grade levels (19 or 20 in PK) and just 2 classes per grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if some Janney children were moved to Mann it would relieve overcrowding, both at Janney but also at Deal. But it would make Mann overcrowded and make Janney parents upset after 5th grade. Still something to consider on the margin.

In the end this is all going to be steps on the margin. Lose a few PK4 classes; tolerate larger class sizes; reduce the boundary some, moving kids to Mann and Hearst; take fewer OOB children; and sadly, likely just make the school less attractive so families will not move in. Wish them well.

I can't for the life me figure out why Hearst hasn't attracted more NW bound families. Good school with great feed and reasonable size. They might be less IB centric, but they're doing well with the kids who attend.

Do you know anyone at the school? This has changed dramatically. If they adjusted the boundaries a little bit, it would be fully IB in lower grades pretty quick. Even the PoP moved directly into boundary planning to attend. With the new physical plant the school has changed a lot. Come to the Hearst playground and you will meet many families there!

[Anonymous]

I went to a school (not in DC) where standard class size was 35 kids and 1 teacher. It was actually the norm in the area. Good school, good education, etc. DC obsession with small class sizes is puzzling to me. If a teacher or teachers cannot control the classroom, that is a separate issue, and if there is a child who is so severely misbehaved that he can give another one a concussion at 8 years old, I don't think a small class size would make much of a difference - than it's time for some behavioral therapy or a school psychologist. It's not as if having 20 kids in class would prevent that sort of thing.

[Anonymous]

I've heard multiple bad stories about the kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a school (not in DC) where standard class size was 35 kids and 1 teacher. It was actually the norm in the area. Good school, good education, etc. DC obsession with small class sizes is puzzling to me. If a teacher or teachers cannot control the classroom, that is a separate issue, and if there is a child who is so severely misbehaved that he can give another one a concussion at 8 years old, I don't think a small class size would make much of a difference - than it's time for some behavioral therapy or a school psychologist. It's not as if having 20 kids in class would prevent that sort of thing.

This. The rest is just noise.

[Anonymous]

One pp said that OOB is not the problem. It is a problem at Deal. I don't know the figures, but if all OOB at deal returned to their middle school, would it mean Deal is still at capacity? How abt Wilson?

Janney needs a solution and unfortunately it means a boundary shift plus eliminating OOB at all grades

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard multiple bad stories about the kid.

This crosses a line. You can't come on here anonymously and bash the character of an 8-year-old.

[Anonymous]

Mann is not overcrowded and they just got renovated-there are about 300 kids in the school and the peek-first grades at least (don't know the numbers in the older grades) have 18 to a class-half of the class you are speaking of.we also have a ft teacher and ft aide in every class.

DCPS lost an opportunity by not making Mann much bigger in its renovation. It has more land that either Janney or Murch and is less than half the size of each. They should have made Mann bigger and shifted all three boundaries toward Mann. Actually, they still could do this.

No Mann has serious limitations with land and size because AU owns pretty much anything. They also really could not expand more without the neighbors making issues. Mann is not overcrowded now, the trailers are gone, but they have no room for more kids either. The schools that need to accept more kids are the ones who have room and a lot of OOB kids-Hearst, Eaton and Hyde. Everyone else is overcrowded. All but Hyde are in Deal district for now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think if Mann fed to Deal, it would be overcrowded in less than 2 years.

Maybe the answer is for DCPS to sink some resources into improving the schools that AREN'T in the heart of upper Caucasia. The schools in NW are overcrowded because white flight, charter schools and a culture of neglect have decimated schools in other parts of the city. If people felt more comfortable with Hardy or other schools, maybe they wouldn't be leveraging themselves to the eyeballs and hocking grandma's teeth to pay to live in upper NW.

wrong. maybe the answer is for DCPS to sink more resources into schools that serve thousands of students, after sinking so much on schools that sit half empty around the town. Lafayette is being renovated now and serves 700 students. Murch is 100 years old and still waiting (hopefully renovation will start next summer) and serves over 600 students. NW schools are not overcrowded because of white flight, if anything, it is quite the opposite, they are overcrowded because white flight (and actually it would be more correct to call it middle class flight, of any color) stopped and families are staying in DC and sending their kids to their IB school instead of moving to MOCO or Virginia.

I think upper NW needs another school, based on how many kids are living IB. Murch, Lafayette and Janney are already large schools. I think Mann should have being renovated into a school as large as Janney, and could have taken kids living in the North West quadrant of the Janney area. I am not sure if Hearst could have been made larger, but I think this school will be soon as overcrowded as the others, making it bigger and increasing its boundaries would probably make sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard multiple bad stories about the kid.

This crosses a line. You can't come on here anonymously and bash the character of an 8-year-old.

I don't think I should put the kids name on this forum.