Deal MS

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am a potential Deal dad. Currently my kids are in DCPS elementary and we have loved our school but we wanted to get more info on Deal.

We are still two years away from MS and I really want to keep my kids in DCPS. However, I haven't heard great things about Deal. Recently, a good (and I think sensible) friend of mine just moved away from DC to enroll her kids in another MS in MD. Her kids experience in Deal was bad (e.g., violence). Bad enough to move.

Any info from current Deal parents would be great. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

IME it is the kind of place where, when it's good it's very good, but when it's bad, it's move to MD bad. Different kids will have different experiences, and you go in hoping your will have the better of it.

[Anonymous]

We also know a few families who are leaving or have left Deal. Our middle schooler is having a great experience and thriving. Agree with PP that a large city public school works for some kids and it doesn't for others. You will likely hear vastly different experiences. Some like your friend and others like ours who are doing great. We thought our introverted kiddo might have a harder time but they have made lots of new friends and are really doing great in all ways - academically, socially, emotionally, participating in clubs and activities, and just coming into their own. We have been really impressed with teachers, staff, and administrators over the past 2 years. There are some gaps, like Spanish teacher on maternity leave and no long term sub, but that is a district-wide problem and not unique to Deal. The problems like that have far outweighed the really caring, engaged, and thoughtful teachers we have had across the past few years.

IMO, a lot of the behavioral issues right now are as a result of the after effects of COVID isolation from 16 months of virtual school, that has wreaked havoc across schools all over the country. For that reason, I also wouldn't base what is happening this year on what to expect two years from now.

[Anonymous]

Staffing is currently an issue. The teachers who show up are working during lunch and planning to try to cover for those who don’t. This however puts them behind in grading.

[Anonymous]

Our last child is finishing Deal this year, and we’ve been happy throughout. I do think staff shortages and other pandemic-related stressors can feel particularly acute at Deal because of its size; it’s just so big, and it can feel chaotic.

But our kids have had overwhelmingly good-to-great teachers, and the school’s size does mean that there are tons of activities and opportunities for kids to find their place.

I will say that over five years at Deal, neither of my kids ever mentioned violence or feeling unsafe. I am not discounting your friend’s experience, just saying that I don’t think it’s pervasive.

[Anonymous]

Overall the school has a ton to offer, with wonderful caring teachers, solid to strong academics, and ton of cool extra curricular opportunities. Not to mention a really great group of kids coming from a lot of the feeders. But there are bad eggs and some of these children can be very violent. It seems like normally they keep their drama to their “group” but this is not always the case, which means that the nicest kid with the best parents can sometimes be a random one-time target or a repeated target of a bully. I don’t wish this on anyone. The schools, in this political climate, are very limited in what they can do about their worst behavior problems. That said, I haven’t seen it heard or much cyber bullying or other social- emotional stuff. The problems seem very physical and very much in the open. They are unlikely to affect you if you aren’t the type to pick fights but if they do it is like Pp said- move to Maryland bad.

[Anonymous]

I have a HS kid who went to Deal and a current kid at Deal. This year kids are struggling due to the pandemic. It wasn’t a normal year. My HS kid loved Deal, got excellent grades, and made a lot of friends. My current Deal student is happier to be back in school but gets annoyed with the other kids’ behaviors. Deal is a great school for most kids.

But yes, the year and a half out of school caused profound issues for kids. Many HS are struggling with fights too. It makes sense too because look at our society; adults are fighting and short tempered. Our society is having problems and it’s reflected in our kids too.

[Anonymous]

You’re getting surprisingly reasonable responses here. My impression is that the right decision for your kid will depend on the kid — some kids thrive at Deal because of the size and the variety of academic/extracurricular offerings. A motivated, organized kid will do well. For others, a large city school dealing with pandemic social-emotional issues while short staffed is going to be a disaster. I think you just have to know your kid and make an assessment as to whether it may work for them.

[Anonymous]

I also depends on the luck-of-the-draw regarding what teachers your kid gets.

I've had 3 kids go through Deal. One had fabulous teachers for 3 years. One had his English teacher walk out in October of 6th grade and not be replaced until March and then had an 8th grade English teacher who essentially taught nothing (since fired).
So this kid basically had ONE year of ELA at Deal.

My third is currently at Deal and has a really solid team of teachers for 6th grade. Some of her friends do not. In a school with this many staff members the quality will naturally be uneven.
We have our fingers crossed for 7th grade. It is somewhat of a gamble each year. (it's also a gamble regarding which kids are on your child's team. It just takes a couple of really disruptive kids to turn a class or a team.

Over-all we are pleased with Deal---but opinions of the school will vary immensely because of the above factors which also vary immensely from kid to kid.

[Anonymous]

If you are really thinking of moving for schools, you should go tour both MS and HS. You should also hang out on the MD boards and see what the complain about as well.

[Anonymous]

I think it is hard at all schools right now. Our children are at DCI and while I don't hear about much violence, my daughter is frustrated by the behavior of some students in some of her classes. This NYT survey of school counselors suggests we shouldn't be surprised that school is not an easy place to be right now. This was sobering and enlightening: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/29/upshot/pandemic-school-counselors.html

OP, I would be surprised if the grass is greener at many other schools right now.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know where you can find info on how many kids are OOB vs inbounds at Deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know where you can find info on how many kids are OOB vs inbounds at Deal?

https://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Deal+Middle+School

IB 77%

[Anonymous]

I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know anything about pre-pandemic Deal, but we have been really disappointed in the school (current 7th grader). My sense is that students who are on grade level, don't need specialized support, and are generally well behaved are going to be fine. If your kid needs any special services, I would look at other options. We bought in to the Deal reputation, but have been really unimpressed...if this is really "the top DC MS" we have a lot more work to do as a City.

What are your child’s issues specifically? And/or could you elaborate more on what kind of needs are not able to be supported?