Parents of DCPS HS graduates - were your kids prepared for college?

[Anonymous]

For parents that this thread applies to - were your kids prepared for college rigor after public school in DC? Compared to our neighboring public school systems - MCPS/FCPS want to know how prepared DCPS kids are especially with some of the testing scores that get shared on here.

(Very helpful if you can include name of HS school in your response - thx)

[Anonymous]

Bump

[Anonymous]

I know folks who went to Walls and JR (when it was Wilson) and they seemed as prepared for college as my brother who went to a W school in MCPS...which is to say, it was an adjustment for all of them, and none of the high schools were good at teaching writing, but they all graduated from college and got jobs that allowed them to be self-supporting. However, these were all people who had college-educated, high-earning parents to provide emotional and financial support. I think the salient factor in college experience is family educational background more than it is any particular high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know folks who went to Walls and JR (when it was Wilson) and they seemed as prepared for college as my brother who went to a W school in MCPS...which is to say, it was an adjustment for all of them, and none of the high schools were good at teaching writing, but they all graduated from college and got jobs that allowed them to be self-supporting. However, these were all people who had college-educated, high-earning parents to provide emotional and financial support. I think the salient factor in college experience is family educational background more than it is any particular high school.

Good point

[Anonymous]

I was just with a group of former students who all went to an array of DCPS high schools, Banneker, Walls, Phelps. McKinley. All of them said that they were ready for college and have graduated and started careers or have continued to grad school. One of my former students graduated from Walls and recently defended her dissertation. A few students who went to Banneker said they felt over-prepared, especially for freshman and sophomore years.

So while not a parent of a DCPS high school graduate (my child attended a charter and the youngest is in a DCPS middle school), I have a fairly solid group of students who felt very prepared for school.

[Anonymous]

All depends on the kid, the family, and the luck they have in DCPS. What's taught in DCPS is so patchy, with so many weak admins, weak students and unmotivated teachers onboard, that outcomes vary widely. Honors classes in the better suburban schools districts are simply a much safer bet. If you're not tied down in DC as a homeowner, a commute, a spouse's job etc. moving for schools if you can't swing a private is often worth it.

[Anonymous]

My DC left DCPS for private HS but most of their ES and MS friends went on to Wilson (now JR) or Walls. Based on FB postings from proud parents, they have all just graduated (on time) from schools like USC, Wisconsin, Vassar, Michigan etc. I know at least one graduated PBK (parent posted). I very much agree that SES plays a large part in facilitating college readiness and success.

I also take test scores at the HS level with a grain of salt. At best, kids know there are no personal stakes involved; at worst, they understand that the tests are a referendum on teachers and take the test as an act of sabotage.

[Anonymous]

I think as a general rule, kids who were successful in High School are successful in college. Many colleges require freshman to take writing seminars to make sure they all have the skills to succeed in higher classes. Those are important and useful.

Both my DCs were A students at J-R and remain A students in difficult colleges in difficult programs. One had issues with time organization and structure in J-R, and had the same issues in college, but was able to get help from their counseling office. J-R did not address these issues. But the help later made a world of difference. My point is, they were academically prepared, significantly ahead in some cases, and colleges are structured to help kids make sure they have the tools they need to succeed, if the kids take advantage of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All depends on the kid, the family, and the luck they have in DCPS. What's taught in DCPS is so patchy, with so many weak admins, weak students and unmotivated teachers onboard, that outcomes vary widely. Honors classes in the better suburban schools districts are simply a much safer bet. If you're not tied down in DC as a homeowner, a commute, a spouse's job etc. moving for schools if you can't swing a private is often worth it.

So...to summarize, you are not a parent of a DCPS graduate who is at or graduated from college. Thanks for an outsider's $.02 that nobody requested.

To answer the question, I have a JR grad attending a Top 10 school in the Fall. I feel my kid is well-prepared for their intended area of study. My kid took several dual enrollment classes at GW and earned As without much trouble, so has a decent amount of confidence heading into the Fall.

A neighbor's kid (JR grad) just graduated with honors from an Ivy in a STEM field. Have no idea if there was an adjustment period Freshman year, but certainly finished well overall.

[Anonymous]

Highest predictor of academic success is education level of mother. That's why J-R is called "Yale or Jail." Parents who can supplement - supplement from an early age with weekend language classes, tutors, summer camps, internships. Those kids are prepared for college and would be prepared anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Parent of two recent DCPS grads. One graduated a year ago from a prestigious public college. Was prepared from the start, hit the ground running and never stopped, and is now in graduate school at a top science program. My child and all their peers that they have kept in touch with were very well-prepared. All - or nearly all - graduated from college in four years.

Younger child just finished sophomore year, also at a large public college. Same story - was prepared for college on day one, could easily handle the workload and responsbility.

Both of my children have pointed out that one very important thing that DCPS taught them was how to advocate for themselves and be problem-solvers - they know how to fix problems rather than rely on others to fix things for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of two recent DCPS grads. One graduated a year ago from a prestigious public college. Was prepared from the start, hit the ground running and never stopped, and is now in graduate school at a top science program. My child and all their peers that they have kept in touch with were very well-prepared. All - or nearly all - graduated from college in four years.

Younger child just finished sophomore year, also at a large public college. Same story - was prepared for college on day one, could easily handle the workload and responsibility.

Both of my children have pointed out that one very important thing that DCPS taught them was how to advocate for themselves and be problem-solvers - they know how to fix problems rather than rely on others to fix things for them.

Same poster here - just adding that both of my children graduated from Wilson/Jackson-Reed.

[Anonymous]

My experience is dated, FYI. SWW alum of 20 years and undergrad was a breeze, comparatively speaking. I really struggled my freshman year of HS, however. I'd caught up to peers and had a 4.0 in several DE courses at GW by freshman year of college. Fwiw, I was first gen, low SES background, and URM. When schools fight for kids from low performing MSs to be considered for magnet programs, their talking about kids who were like me.

[Anonymous]

My experience is dated, FYI. SWW alum of 20 years and undergrad was a breeze, comparatively speaking. I really struggled my freshman year of HS, however. I'd caught up to peers and had a 4.0 in several DE courses at GW by freshman year of college. Fwiw, I was first gen, low SES background, and URM. When schools fight for kids from low performing MSs to be considered for magnet programs, they're thinking of kids who were like me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Highest predictor of academic success is education level of mother. That's why J-R is called "Yale or Jail." Parents who can supplement - supplement from an early age with weekend language classes, tutors, summer camps, internships. Those kids are prepared for college and would be prepared anywhere.

I work in college admissions, have a kid at J-R and don't think it's quite that simple. Yes, the "Yale" or "Jail" phenomenon is real. But there's a good-sized group of bright but not terribly motivated potential "Yale" students in the ES feeders and Deal who would do better in better-run and more demanding schools than DCPS, schools that would have pushed them harder from the upper ES grades. UMC parents can't always compensate for what schools aren't doing by supplementing extensively. All of these parents aren't going to find the time, resources, stamina or working relationship with a child to get and stay on track for "Yale" from DCPS. My do-the-minimum older kid wouldn't have worked hard at Deal or J-R (so attended parochial schools after ES), while my younger one has thrived in DCPS as a pre-teen and teen.