Inspired Teaching?

[Anonymous]

Location is good and our IB isn’t great. Got the call today that we are off the waitlist - any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Go for it. If you don't like your IB, why not?

[Anonymous]

Which grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go for it. If you don't like your IB, why not?

+1 you can always go back to your IB if you don’t like Inspired.

[Anonymous]

OP — Teacher turnover and new principal are our concerns - 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

I think the teacher turnover is about normal. Are you talking about the Head of School, who has been there for a few years, or the one with the title of Principal? He's been there a year or more. I think both are great, personally, and I'm not someone who tends to be un-critical of schools.

Is your kid excited to be in the musical? The rising 5th graders are SO excited about it.

[Anonymous]

ITS somehow seems more stable than the other charters that hippie white parents like (MV, CMI, TR). Not sure why. We looked at it, but we have a good IB DCPS and stayed there. I would consider it for middle bc our IB middle is very bad.

[Anonymous]

How is your kid doing at your IB school, OP? If your kid is doing well even if the school isn't great I would stay there. I don't think ITS is great, particularly in upper grades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is your kid doing at your IB school, OP? If your kid is doing well even if the school isn't great I would stay there. I don't think ITS is great, particularly in upper grades.

It's not that it's really so great, it's that it's one of the best options in the area. I would say it's about the same quality as Stuart-Hobson, but its size and approach produce a very different experience for the kids. Which you like best is up to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is your kid doing at your IB school, OP? If your kid is doing well even if the school isn't great I would stay there. I don't think ITS is great, particularly in upper grades.

FWIW my kid had a great experience in the upper grades -- they are a pretty motivated learner, accelerated, and ended up with placement at top public and private high schools which was our main worry with a school ending in 8th. Important for us, too, it was a really positive social experience, with strong friendships, zero reports of bullying, and teachers who really cared about each kid. Science was not terrific but overall instruction was strong. Definitely fewer options for extracurriculars, etc but that wasn't a concern for them. It meant they were really ready and excited to try lots of options in HS.

[Anonymous]

OP, you can ask the school for the list of where kids are going for high school. I think the results this year are pretty impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can ask the school for the list of where kids are going for high school. I think the results this year are pretty impressive.

They were! Nine kids I think got into Walls, most of them going. A bunch going to Banneker. Some to Duke Ellington. Several to privates. (GDS, Maret, St. Johns and DeMatha that I know of) REALLY great outcomes. The 8th grade class was only 42-45 kids so super impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you can ask the school for the list of where kids are going for high school. I think the results this year are pretty impressive.

They were! Nine kids I think got into Walls, most of them going. A bunch going to Banneker. Some to Duke Ellington. Several to privates. (GDS, Maret, St. Johns and DeMatha that I know of) REALLY great outcomes. The 8th grade class was only 42-45 kids so super impressive.

Wow! that is really impressive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP — Teacher turnover and new principal are our concerns - 4th grade.

For 4th grade, one lead teacher is continuing on and another is moving up to from 3rd I believe. So they won’t really be new.

I have older kids so I have no idea what’s going on in lower school but I think they are making positive changes academically in middle school and my sense is that the new principal is at least partly behind that.

[Anonymous]

OP, I don't think the teacher turnover is worse than at any other school. And the model of having many student teachers means that when there is a need to hire someone, it often goes to someone who has just spent a year at the school as a student teacher and who is well-prepared, known to the kids, and had to prove themselves over the prior year. So while turnover is higher than I'd like, it isn't as disruptive because of that.