Feedback on Eaton Elementary School in Cleveland Park, NW

[Anonymous]

OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A community is also the people who slog through nighttime ANC, local association and DC commission meetings, because they get the connections between what happens in a community and the neighborhood school. These connected issues can be negative -- like the traffic impact of nearby development on the the safety of kids walking to school -- or positive -- like pressuring DDOT to put in traffic calming to enhance student safety or getting Urban Forestry to plant street trees to shade a playground. These are some of the synergies that result from a strong neighborhood-school orientation.

This. Are the OOB people attending the ANC meetings? Are they negotiating with the dog owners over who should have use to the park and at what time? Are they considering what the impact of a proposed change in traffic flow will do to the local shops and parking? It's not all about making the school better - it's about the school helping to make the community better.

Well, I'm sure the hell not doing that at my IB school, and most of the IB parents there are also not doing that.

How would you know if you don't attend?

I cannot even believe that we are now somehow connecting school quality with the amount of IB parents who attend ANC meetings to discuss when dogs can use parks.

If you don't get it, you don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

So the folks who claim they bring diversity to Eaton were fleeing diversity in their neighborhood school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A community is also the people who slog through nighttime ANC, local association and DC commission meetings, because they get the connections between what happens in a community and the neighborhood school. These connected issues can be negative -- like the traffic impact of nearby development on the the safety of kids walking to school -- or positive -- like pressuring DDOT to put in traffic calming to enhance student safety or getting Urban Forestry to plant street trees to shade a playground. These are some of the synergies that result from a strong neighborhood-school orientation.

This. Are the OOB people attending the ANC meetings? Are they negotiating with the dog owners over who should have use to the park and at what time? Are they considering what the impact of a proposed change in traffic flow will do to the local shops and parking? It's not all about making the school better - it's about the school helping to make the community better.

Well, I'm sure the hell not doing that at my IB school, and most of the IB parents there are also not doing that.

How would you know if you don't attend?

I cannot even believe that we are now somehow connecting school quality with the amount of IB parents who attend ANC meetings to discuss when dogs can use parks.

If you don't get it, you don't get it.

Nope, I really don't. And I am someone whose kids go to our IB school and who occasionally attends ANC meetings, along with people who kids go to privates and people with no kids in school. I never once considered any connection between my school community and the ANC meetings just because a few other parents from my school are there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

We live in a tiny house in the Hearst boundary and I guarantee that quite a few of the OOB families make more money than us and live in more expensive houses than we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

We live in a tiny house in the Hearst boundary and I guarantee that quite a few of the OOB families make more money than us and live in more expensive houses than we do.

And some drive some pretty sweet sets of wheels with those low numbered DC license plates that shout "I have friends in high places in the District Building."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

So the folks who claim they bring diversity to Eaton were fleeing diversity in their neighborhood school?

You are clearly not a dc native.

Until the last ten years or so, most families living in mt p, petworth, and columbia heights, where many oob eaton kids were from, were Latino or afircan American. Not white families fleeing east of the park diversity. The east of the park crowd brought Latino and af am kids to the whiter CP area to go to eaton.

[Anonymous]

I'm done with this thread. Certain people will never be convinced of the value my family undoubtedly brings to our fantastic OOB school and I have no interest in trying to convince them. They can seethe about it all they want and repeat themselves ad nauseam on this board where their true self comes out, but it doesn't change my family's life and how content we are with the educational path we have. And OP, based on what I've read in your comments, I sincerely think you should just move to Maryland now. You're not going to be happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

So the folks who claim they bring diversity to Eaton were fleeing diversity in their neighborhood school?

Exactly. But when you point that out to them, they start to drown you with indignation and double speak like "choosing a school is a very personal decision" or "there are many factors", blah, blah, blah.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

So the folks who claim they bring diversity to Eaton were fleeing diversity in their neighborhood school?

Exactly. But when you point that out to them, they start to drown you with indignation and double speak like "choosing a school is a very personal decision" or "there are many factors", blah, blah, blah.

I don't know if "they" say the things you quote, but I said them. Do you deny the truth of my statements? Is it your position that school choice is not personal and involves very few factors? You quoted me but put my quotes in the context of a discussion of Bancroft and Eaton. My family has nothing to do with Bancroft or Eaton. Moreover, one thing that I would never claim is to have brought diversity to the OOB school my son now attends. I think others would appreciate your not putting my words in their mouths and I would similarly appreciate your not making me part of a discussion in which I'm not involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A community is also the people who slog through nighttime ANC, local association and DC commission meetings, because they get the connections between what happens in a community and the neighborhood school. These connected issues can be negative -- like the traffic impact of nearby development on the the safety of kids walking to school -- or positive -- like pressuring DDOT to put in traffic calming to enhance student safety or getting Urban Forestry to plant street trees to shade a playground. These are some of the synergies that result from a strong neighborhood-school orientation.

This. Are the OOB people attending the ANC meetings? Are they negotiating with the dog owners over who should have use to the park and at what time? Are they considering what the impact of a proposed change in traffic flow will do to the local shops and parking? It's not all about making the school better - it's about the school helping to make the community better.

Well, I'm sure the hell not doing that at my IB school, and most of the IB parents there are also not doing that.

How would you know if you don't attend?

I cannot even believe that we are now somehow connecting school quality with the amount of IB parents who attend ANC meetings to discuss when dogs can use parks.

If you don't get it, you don't get it.

Nope, I really don't. And I am someone whose kids go to our IB school and who occasionally attends ANC meetings, along with people who kids go to privates and people with no kids in school. I never once considered any connection between my school community and the ANC meetings just because a few other parents from my school are there.

I have attended quite a few ANC meetings (mostly 3E and 3F) and outside of outrage centered around the boundary changes and renovations, they have very little to do with schools. And judging by the age of most attendees very few other folks have school-aged children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Eaton is a great school. We love it there. Very welcoming community, lots going on, excellent outreach to parents and kids.

For In boundary preK, your chances are very good. Not 100%, but more likely than not. I have to believe it is more likely you will get into Eaton with IB preference than you will get in OOB at Mann or Stoddert. But at the same time, no guarantee.

And, let me just echo that Eaton's condition is really annoying. 1983 was 30 years ago!!! It's badly in need of an overhaul. That said, the school works with what it has and my kids both love it there. Eaton once again wa pushed down on the rehab list, os I don't think anything will be done before [b]2017[/b]. I would be so happy if it just had an interior paint job and new windows in the library!

Is an Eaton renovation actually slated for 2017? Have priorities been identified and what is being planned?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

We live in a tiny house in the Hearst boundary and I guarantee that quite a few of the OOB families make more money than us and live in more expensive houses than we do.

Until the past 5 years or so, this wouldn't have been the case.

-- lived in dc long enough to remember when mt. Pleasant, petworth and "14th st heights" we're where you bought drugs and went to parties in group homes full of Hill staffers who couldn't afford the Hill or AU park group homes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

We live in a tiny house in the Hearst boundary and I guarantee that quite a few of the OOB families make more money than us and live in more expensive houses than we do.

Until the past 5 years or so, this wouldn't have been the case.

-- lived in dc long enough to remember when mt. Pleasant, petworth and "14th st heights" we're where you bought drugs and went to parties in group homes full of Hill staffers who couldn't afford the Hill or AU park group homes

Sure, but that is not relevant now. The point is that there is not this big divide between IB and OOB based on wealth. For the most part, IB Hearst families live in duplexes, smaller single family homes, and McLean Gardens. There are many OOB families that choose Hearst from all parts of the city who are in the same HHI bracket as the IB families, if not higher. They just choose to live somewhere else. There are also families in lower brackets, but all of these families intermingle at school. No one pays attention to or cares how much money anyone has.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP---back to the question at hand. For many years Eaton was the OOB school of choice for Mt. Pleasant families who were not enamored with Bancroft, which historically (as in for the past 20 years) has been a Title I bilingual school focused on meeting the needs of immigrant ESL children. Eaton was also popular with DC politicos. Because the catchment area is small, and the housing stock consists of the apartments/co-ops of Connecticut Avenue and the Victorian mansions of Cleveland Park, there were not a sufficient number of IB kids to fill the school.

In my experience, the OOB parents at Eaton are in general as highly educated (though perhaps not as wealthy) as the IB parent population and every bit as invested in their children's education. My fellow parents have included foreign diplomats, journalists, economists, Hill staffers/lobbyists, university professors, museum educators, as well as the typical DC lawyer types.

We live in a tiny house in the Hearst boundary and I guarantee that quite a few of the OOB families make more money than us and live in more expensive houses than we do.

Until the past 5 years or so, this wouldn't have been the case.

-- lived in dc long enough to remember when mt. Pleasant, petworth and "14th st heights" we're where you bought drugs and went to parties in group homes full of Hill staffers who couldn't afford the Hill or AU park group homes

And now some of the "AU Park group homes" are at the $1 million price point bought by professional-income families seeking access to Janney.