Hearst waitlist for K

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Hearst did not offer any lottery spots, so I'm not sure why there is even a question that they would offer any spots off the waitlist unless there are fewer than 20 students in a class in September, correct?


I don't think the magic number is 20 but rather 22 or 23 in early elementary. Janney in recent years has filled to 22/23 with OOB (current second grade would have been 20/class in K but they added OOB to make K classes of 22-24).


Do you have access to research that the experts have not read? Or, are you just spitballing it?

"The research has shown definitively that classes of under 20 students, in kindergarten through third grade, have all kinds of advantages. They increase the - both the academic and social engagement of students, and they increase learning. That's especially true for students at risk - that is, minority students from low-income homes, and students for whom English is a second language. In small classes, students' behavior changes even more than does teacher behavior."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113176988


I'm not saying that it's the GOOD or RIGHT thing to do, just that it's how DCPS thinks and what they do year after year. They fill classes to 22/23 students. Good luck changing it. Why should Hearst students have a ratio that DCPS doesn't enforce at Janney, Lafayette, Murch, etc? DCPS always fills early elementary classes up to 22/23 with OOB kids.


I am quite confused. None of this discussion is about DCPS adding OOB children. It is more about that IB numbers are increasing (in fact part of the issue is that the OOB is falling!). PK this year in the lottery initially had no OOB slots at all. And some future PK families who are IB indicated that they would arrive in the future. So the vast majority of this overcrowding would be the rise in IB children, not OOB. (And I am amused that you would blame overcrowding on OOB children at Janney, which has a ridiculously small number of OOB children.)

Now it is the case that some folks pointed out that IB families that turn down a slot in PK but show up in K will contribute to high class sizes. And that is mathematically true. But that information is also a little fraught with tension since it can mean different things to different people. OOB families naturally interpret it as not being wanted. IB families think they are working to keep class sizes down. You can understand the point of view of both, but also how both feel a little sensitive (OOB to feeling pushed out; IB to being accused of it not being sensitive enough when they just want what is best for their kids). I don't think that either means the worst, but it is not surprising on an anonymous forum that nerves get frayed and a few people say things that are a little out of hand.

In addition, some on this forum and elsewhere have noted the "amazing" changes with the rise in IB. It doesn't help, of course, that many people seem to equate higher IB percentages with "better". Personally, I've always thought this was stupid. And I know that many folks, both IB and OOB at Hearst, agree with me. I can understand it on some level -- why aren't IB families attending your school if it is so good? -- but quality of a school is not determined by the opinions of others.

But in addition to the misunderstandings above, you can also appreciate how OOB families feel when they hear this talk. They are not second-class families. And certainly I don't doubt that some people, hopefully not those at Hearst, actually feel like having fewer OOB families would be a good thing. But I suspect that part of the tension we are seeing here is people talking (or writing) past each other. Of course, the changes are startling because they are happening so quickly. In that sense they are amazing, rather than being "good" or "bad". But it is easy to use language that suggests that you are happy about something with the result that you give the wrong impression. Finally, I think there is some natural and understandable happiness on the part of some IB families, which isn't about OOB families at all, but rather a validation of their own choices. Since for years some neighbors did not choose to go to Hearst and either openly or subtly questioned anyone who attended, a turn-around where your neighbors are now asking you about the school and folks are actually moving to the area to attend the school, on some level feels good. Admittedly, it is an awkward feeling since you wonder how much of this turn-around is recognizing the school for the excellent place that it always was and how much is something else, but one is only human to feel a little validated. As other posters have noted, we all just have to be a little sensitive during these changes.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:^^We are at Hearst too but hat is BS - Hearst is no longer an NAEYC accredited school.


Yes, but why the change? To accommodate OOB kids? This designation sure seemed important for many years. You could not go to an open house without hearing about it ad nauseam. Then it disappeared with zero communication to the community. More than curious.


I suspect it's because it's not an ECE campus anymore and it's a lot of work to get accreditation.
I really dislike your attitude toward OOB students. Get over yourself.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:^^We are at Hearst too but hat is BS - Hearst is no longer an NAEYC accredited school.


Yes, but why the change? To accommodate OOB kids? This designation sure seemed important for many years. You could not go to an open house without hearing about it ad nauseam. Then it disappeared with zero communication to the community. More than curious.


I suspect it's because it's not an ECE campus anymore and it's a lot of work to get accreditation.
I really dislike your attitude toward OOB students. Get over yourself.


Read 8:50am. It was not the case that there was "zero communication". Perhaps you were not paying attention. But yes, we don't start every open house saying, "We used to be NAEYC accredited, but now we are not." Who would do that?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:

I am quite confused. None of this discussion is about DCPS adding OOB children. It is more about that IB numbers are increasing (in fact part of the issue is that the OOB is falling!). PK this year in the lottery initially had no OOB slots at all. And some future PK families who are IB indicated that they would arrive in the future. So the vast majority of this overcrowding would be the rise in IB children, not OOB. (And I am amused that you would blame overcrowding on OOB children at Janney, which has a ridiculously small number of OOB children.)

Now it is the case that some folks pointed out that IB families that turn down a slot in PK but show up in K will contribute to high class sizes. And that is mathematically true. But that information is also a little fraught with tension since it can mean different things to different people. OOB families naturally interpret it as not being wanted. IB families think they are working to keep class sizes down. You can understand the point of view of both, but also how both feel a little sensitive (OOB to feeling pushed out; IB to being accused of it not being sensitive enough when they just want what is best for their kids). I don't think that either means the worst, but it is not surprising on an anonymous forum that nerves get frayed and a few people say things that are a little out of hand.

In addition, some on this forum and elsewhere have noted the "amazing" changes with the rise in IB. It doesn't help, of course, that many people seem to equate higher IB percentages with "better". Personally, I've always thought this was stupid. And I know that many folks, both IB and OOB at Hearst, agree with me. I can understand it on some level -- why aren't IB families attending your school if it is so good? -- but quality of a school is not determined by the opinions of others.

But in addition to the misunderstandings above, you can also appreciate how OOB families feel when they hear this talk. They are not second-class families. And certainly I don't doubt that some people, hopefully not those at Hearst, actually feel like having fewer OOB families would be a good thing. But I suspect that part of the tension we are seeing here is people talking (or writing) past each other. Of course, the changes are startling because they are happening so quickly. In that sense they are amazing, rather than being "good" or "bad". But it is easy to use language that suggests that you are happy about something with the result that you give the wrong impression. Finally, I think there is some natural and understandable happiness on the part of some IB families, which isn't about OOB families at all, but rather a validation of their own choices. Since for years some neighbors did not choose to go to Hearst and either openly or subtly questioned anyone who attended, a turn-around where your neighbors are now asking you about the school and folks are actually moving to the area to attend the school, on some level feels good. Admittedly, it is an awkward feeling since you wonder how much of this turn-around is recognizing the school for the excellent place that it always was and how much is something else, but one is only human to feel a little validated. As other posters have noted, we all just have to be a little sensitive during these changes.


+ 1000
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:^^We are at Hearst too but hat is BS - Hearst is no longer an NAEYC accredited school.


Yes, but why the change? To accommodate OOB kids? This designation sure seemed important for many years. You could not go to an open house without hearing about it ad nauseam. Then it disappeared with zero communication to the community. More than curious.


The NAEYC accreditation is usually used by preschools. By having degreed, credentialed teachers in the classroom, as well as access to "specials", Hearst certainly exceeds the NAEYC standards by a large margin on a number of dimensions. The staffing ratios are just one criterion. My child isn't at Hearst, but attends another DCPS preschool. I, and a number of other parents, had our kids at NAEYC accredited schools prior to entering DCPS. Our consensus is that the DCPS preschool is superior.
Anonymous
Did anyone get into Hearst OOB for K this year?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Did anyone get into Hearst OOB for K this year?


No. Not that I can see. Bunch of new IB children came in.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Did anyone get into Hearst OOB for K this year?


No. Not that I can see. Bunch of new IB children came in.


correct. the principal didn't take any. totally full with IB kids.
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