Washington International School Decisions

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We were really surprised the admissions team and all school leadership seemed to be white Americans.[/quote]

HoS and Associate HoS identify as women of color[/quote]

And the Upper School principal is from Afghanistan. [/quote]

Aren’t they looking for a new upper school principal?[/quote]

No, they hired a new one this year who is a Muslim Afghan immigrant. The middle school principal is an out gay man. Diversity has more layers than just black/white at WIS. [/quote]

Newsflash. Diversity has more layers than just black and white EVERYWHERE. Let’s stop using internationalism as an excuse for the lack of black representation within the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s an international school. There are students from all over the world there from countries that have people of all races and who speak multiple languages. .

And yet somehow from all of these countries they can only find mostly white children? Also not sure you can say it reflects the world/global perspectives if there are barely any kids from Africa or Asia. This seems like a very white European definition of what international means. Also, the US is not the only country where conversations about diversity and representation are happening (it matters even in Europe! Look at France as one example) and it’s not about just counting the number of POC. Being an international school should put an even bigger burden on you to be a home for a student body that is a true array of cultures and ethnicities. Several moons ago, WIS used to manage this really really well so it’s not impossible. It’s a choice.

I would not enroll a child in the French program at WIS or in any French school if you did not want them subjected to the French perspective of race. There is no way to be immersed in a language and not be immersed in the parts of the culture where the culture is struggling. An American child struggling with being a POC in American society will only struggle more with the added confusion of the French philosophy on race. That said, black French families we know, especially those who plan to return to francophone countries, do not want the American perspective added for the inverse reason, that it will make their children’s lives more difficult.

It is not WIS’s fault that that both French and American cultures struggle with race in different ways. WIS is at the intersection of this struggle with different constituencies wanting different solutions. I simply would not enroll my own child and put my own child in this situation.

Well, you be you.

Plus, you have many schools offering the US-centric racial politics you're after.

It's refreshing that WIS offers something more diverse and more global.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WIS sounded like a hot mess to us when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and they tried to hide behind being “international.” Their admissions person actually says that they like to have some percentage of non-international kids for the benefit of the international students and families - so they can feel connected to DC/USA. We heard nothing about why that would be good/positive for the non-international kids. Sounded a lot like white people saying they want a few but not too many POC around for the benefit of white people. We were totally turned off. We are UMC African-American.

The HOS had to be dragged kicking and screaming to put up anything DEI related and then it was done just CYA check the box

The school was just fine for decades as a living within its means IB school for WB,IMF, IDB families, but then they joined the DC Private School version of the facilities " arms race", which necessitated that they start admitting more wealthy washingtonian types who might choose the school for aspirational reasons such as having a kid who is bilingual as an " edge" for future career. Ya know, WB Economists just weren't cutting it with annual fund donations. The problem they literally " bought " for themselves was that this put them in the bind of having to then cater to the expectations of those " regular American parents" that in return for 42K a year, you better be nice to my kid ( not racist ), complaints about French teachers being " too strict " ( read: FRENCH ) and a shit show over what to do with the constant need to admit kids who maybe had LDs because their parents can $$$$ eventhough their chance of ever doing well in a French or Spanish Immersion program was Nil

Could still be a good school, if they weaned themselves from the money addiction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WIS sounded like a hot mess to us when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and they tried to hide behind being “international.” Their admissions person actually says that they like to have some percentage of non-international kids for the benefit of the international students and families - so they can feel connected to DC/USA. We heard nothing about why that would be good/positive for the non-international kids. Sounded a lot like white people saying they want a few but not too many POC around for the benefit of white people. We were totally turned off. We are UMC African-American.

The HOS had to be dragged kicking and screaming to put up anything DEI related and then it was done just CYA check the box

The school was just fine for decades as a living within its means IB school for WB,IMF, IDB families, but then they joined the DC Private School version of the facilities " arms race", which necessitated that they start admitting more wealthy washingtonian types who might choose the school for aspirational reasons such as having a kid who is bilingual as an " edge" for future career. Ya know, WB Economists just weren't cutting it with annual fund donations. The problem they literally " bought " for themselves was that this put them in the bind of having to then cater to the expectations of those " regular American parents" that in return for 42K a year, you better be nice to my kid ( not racist ), complaints about French teachers being " too strict " ( read: FRENCH ) and a shit show over what to do with the constant need to admit kids who maybe had LDs because their parents can $$$$ eventhough their chance of ever doing well in a French or Spanish Immersion program was Nil

Could still be a good school, if they weaned themselves from the money addiction

Nailed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WIS sounded like a hot mess to us when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and they tried to hide behind being “international.” Their admissions person actually says that they like to have some percentage of non-international kids for the benefit of the international students and families - so they can feel connected to DC/USA. We heard nothing about why that would be good/positive for the non-international kids. Sounded a lot like white people saying they want a few but not too many POC around for the benefit of white people. We were totally turned off. We are UMC African-American.

The HOS had to be dragged kicking and screaming to put up anything DEI related and then it was done just CYA check the box

The school was just fine for decades as a living within its means IB school for WB,IMF, IDB families, but then they joined the DC Private School version of the facilities " arms race", which necessitated that they start admitting more wealthy washingtonian types who might choose the school for aspirational reasons such as having a kid who is bilingual as an " edge" for future career. Ya know, WB Economists just weren't cutting it with annual fund donations. The problem they literally " bought " for themselves was that this put them in the bind of having to then cater to the expectations of those " regular American parents" that in return for 42K a year, you better be nice to my kid ( not racist ), complaints about French teachers being " too strict " ( read: FRENCH ) and a shit show over what to do with the constant need to admit kids who maybe had LDs because their parents can $$$$ eventhough their chance of ever doing well in a French or Spanish Immersion program was Nil

Could still be a good school, if they weaned themselves from the money addiction

True.

Makes no sense to try to become one more US school. Celebrate the IB and the international community.

Maybe the HoS wasn't such a good hire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much outdated information and outright fiction in this thread. In particular, LOL at the comments about a “lack of diversity”at WIS. My child’s class of 14 has 3 American white kids and one Western European. The rest have Asian, African, or mixed-race backgrounds. As for the primary school faculty: at least in the Early Years program, more French teachers are from non-European Francophone nations (Cameroon, Algeria, others) than from France. The school’s graduating class of ~60 students this year represented 45 nationalities.

WIS has made progress and still has such a long way to go.

A long way to go in what way? 45 nationalities isn’t enough?

[Anonymous]

We are at WIS. We are plain vanilla American parents who are full pay. We have friends at Top 3 and other independents, all of whom have said that sometimes big donors and other very involved parents get special treatment or extra considerations. The extent to which this varies depends on the school. It is not pervasive at WIS by any
means but that is part of the dynamic at ALL independent schools.


We turned down Top 3 because we wanted something different than what other schools seemed to be offering in the DMV. We did not want an American-style education for our child; we wanted our child to be to manage opposing viewpoints and wrestle with uncomfortable and competing ideas and those that may not be popular in DC's progressive environment -- even though we certainly identify as Democrats.

For all their faults and potential contradictions, that largely happens at WIS. And when we think something needs further refinement because the explanation seems too simplistic, we discuss it directly with our child and possibly the school too. Our experience has been one where our discussions have been generally productive and engaging -- with our child, non-American parents especially, and administration.

I appreciate the previous posters' comments related to the perceived benefits or lack thereof for American families. We entered in Primary school and felt language acquisition and exposure to families and their international experiences would be helpful, and it certainly has been. But I also acknowledge there are other ways one could go about achieving this objective. I also acknowledge that I may have a different perspective if I were an UMC African-American, like the previous poster, and appreciate that feedback because it should have been able to be articulated fairly clearly why Americans choose WIS.

We also felt in hyper-political DC, a non-American style of education would be beneficial because these kids are perceptive enough to pick up on the environment and we did not want our children politicized at a young age. That certainly was our experience in the primary years , which we felt was developmentally-appropriate.

For some of our friends, having their kids be engaged in social justice activities and protests was important; others wanted a Top 3 or nothing else; and still others wanted a progressive style of education where the child leads the way and the environment is more relaxed. They all made different choices and are generally happy where they ended up.

Private school is a privilege and a choice for many. It is also about finding the right fit for your child and your family. I hope people find the best fit for their child and family and appreciate the constructive criticism about WIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at WIS. We are plain vanilla American parents who are full pay. We have friends at Top 3 and other independents, all of whom have said that sometimes big donors and other very involved parents get special treatment or extra considerations. The extent to which this varies depends on the school. It is not pervasive at WIS by any
means but that is part of the dynamic at ALL independent schools.


We turned down Top 3 because we wanted something different than what other schools seemed to be offering in the DMV. We did not want an American-style education for our child; we wanted our child to be to manage opposing viewpoints and wrestle with uncomfortable and competing ideas and those that may not be popular in DC's progressive environment -- even though we certainly identify as Democrats.

For all their faults and potential contradictions, that largely happens at WIS. And when we think something needs further refinement because the explanation seems too simplistic, we discuss it directly with our child and possibly the school too. Our experience has been one where our discussions have been generally productive and engaging -- with our child, non-American parents especially, and administration.

I appreciate the previous posters' comments related to the perceived benefits or lack thereof for American families. We entered in Primary school and felt language acquisition and exposure to families and their international experiences would be helpful, and it certainly has been. But I also acknowledge there are other ways one could go about achieving this objective. I also acknowledge that I may have a different perspective if I were an UMC African-American, like the previous poster, and appreciate that feedback because it should have been able to be articulated fairly clearly why Americans choose WIS.

We also felt in hyper-political DC, a non-American style of education would be beneficial because these kids are perceptive enough to pick up on the environment and we did not want our children politicized at a young age. That certainly was our experience in the primary years , which we felt was developmentally-appropriate.

For some of our friends, having their kids be engaged in social justice activities and protests was important; others wanted a Top 3 or nothing else; and still others wanted a progressive style of education where the child leads the way and the environment is more relaxed. They all made different choices and are generally happy where they ended up.

Private school is a privilege and a choice for many. It is also about finding the right fit for your child and your family. I hope people find the best fit for their child and family and appreciate the constructive criticism about WIS.

Thank you for the very thoughtful comment. We need more of that on dcum and everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think WIS needs to do a lot more in primary school. They are weak in Math and other subject areas. Their students do not do well on the state test because they are always behind. Some of their teachers at the PS are not the most qualified to teach and some staff are RUDE.

What state test? I didn't think WIS had to do any state testing because they are a private school and follow an international curriculum.

[Anonymous]

ERBs.

[Anonymous]

WiS parent here. I’m confused by the negative comments here. It’s clearly someone with some imagined axe to grind for no reason in my book. None of what the negative poster says is our experience at all. WIS is a wonderful school. We love the international community and experience with the IB our child is getting. It’s different than all the schools with an American focused lens. It’s global and we are proud to belong to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WiS parent here. I’m confused by the negative comments here. It’s clearly someone with some imagined axe to grind for no reason in my book. None of what the negative poster says is our experience at all. WIS is a wonderful school. We love the international community and experience with the IB our child is getting. It’s different than all the schools with an American focused lens. It’s global and we are proud to belong to it.

Using this as a selling point really rings hollow, particularly in Washington where 90% of the parents applying for their kids to Private have lived, worked or studied abroad, have 2nd homes in Europe and/or travel there or to SE Asia or Africa monthly for business. DC isn't Iowa...LOL What does that even mean to say " an education with an American focused lens"

Washington parents applying to Private all basically want the same things:

First and foremost, for their child to be accepted somewhere. They'd love for that to be their 1st choice school, but they will settle for 3rd choice if it means they don't have to move to FFX county.

Secondly, once admitted they want to see their kids doing well both in terms of the subjective praise from teachers and ERB results. Believe me, poor scores on ERBs and it doesn't matter what cool aid the school is serving or how much parents claim to " really like the parent community". Otherwise, we wouldn't have KUMON, private Tutors and switching schools

They also don't want their kid bullied. That trumps whether they are learning to speak French perfectly.

After 10-12 years at any DC Private all Washington parents want great results when their kids apply to college- admission to what they perceive as " top schools" which for WIS you might add Science Po and a few others, but its the same HYP craze as everywhere.

Lastly, the parent community at WIS is still largely WB, IMF types who may be originally from other countries, but most have arranged their careers to be in Washington for a decade or more and are basically, whether they want to admit it or not, as evidenced from the above " Americanized" - GASP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WiS parent here. I’m confused by the negative comments here. It’s clearly someone with some imagined axe to grind for no reason in my book. None of what the negative poster says is our experience at all. WIS is a wonderful school. We love the international community and experience with the IB our child is getting. It’s different than all the schools with an American focused lens. It’s global and we are proud to belong to it.

Using this as a selling point really rings hollow, particularly in Washington where 90% of the parents applying for their kids to Private have lived, worked or studied abroad, have 2nd homes in Europe and/or travel there or to SE Asia or Africa monthly for business. DC isn't Iowa...LOL What does that even mean to say " an education with an American focused lens"

Washington parents applying to Private all basically want the same things:

First and foremost, for their child to be accepted somewhere. They'd love for that to be their 1st choice school, but they will settle for 3rd choice if it means they don't have to move to FFX county.

Secondly, once admitted they want to see their kids doing well both in terms of the subjective praise from teachers and ERB results. Believe me, poor scores on ERBs and it doesn't matter what cool aid the school is serving or how much parents claim to " really like the parent community". Otherwise, we wouldn't have KUMON, private Tutors and switching schools

They also don't want their kid bullied. That trumps whether they are learning to speak French perfectly.

After 10-12 years at any DC Private all Washington parents want great results when their kids apply to college- admission to what they perceive as " top schools" which for WIS you might add Science Po and a few others, but its the same HYP craze as everywhere.

Lastly, the parent community at WIS is still largely WB, IMF types who may be originally from other countries, but most have arranged their careers to be in Washington for a decade or more and are basically, whether they want to admit it or not, as evidenced from the above " Americanized" - GASP

Lol, what a funny, bizarre rant. It is clear you don't know anyone in the WIS parent community nor much about the school but thanks for your non-sensical lecture on what "all Washington" parents want. Count me even more glad to not be at a school with parents who think like this.

[Anonymous]

I’m not sure how people are saying WIS is a diverse school. Walk around the campus, note the administrators, see who is on the board, who is allowed leadership roles and how many African-Americans and there are, it’s definitely not diverse. Having cultural things placed in the school doesn’t not mean one is open and welcoming. Like many private schools, the head of administration caters to the ones who donate the most Moreover only a handful were accepted into T20 schools. Considering it’s an IB school and tuition is high, other surrounding schools might be a better option.

[Anonymous]

Wow. The “LOlL…rant opinion” says a lot about the culture at WIS. Kids take the attitude of their parents and at WIS, it may be prevalent. For the rotten apples, one sees where it comes from. Too many good schools to deal with such negativity.