Open house impressions thread

[Anonymous]

Facilities better than shepherd? And yet... Test scores.

It's like DC parents are just lining up to prove my ppints. I feel sorry for you, that you don't know how things can be better. You're so focused on having low voc flooring and whatever prek prgoram is trendy now-- you just really don't know
.

If you have anymore questions? I am the one in the corner asking all the education professionals I know how 30 million dollars only builds an atrium

[Anonymous]

By the way, I think if you'd like I could find you a few high scoring charters in our old city built from the ground up in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country for less than thirty million. And I'm sure I am not the only one, if you took a poll across our great nation

[Anonymous]

Please go back to your old city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Facilities better than shepherd? And yet... Test scores.

It's like DC parents are just lining up to prove my ppints. I feel sorry for you, that you don't know how things can be better. You're so focused on having low voc flooring and whatever prek prgoram is trendy now-- you just really don't know
.

If you have anymore questions? I am the one in the corner asking all the education professionals I know how 30 million dollars only builds an atrium

I'm the Shepherd parent from upthread. I'm not sure I understand what you're main point is. Are you saying that DC schools should not spend money on modernization/renovation efforts, and that instead schools should focus on expanding the size of their student population?

If so, a few thoughts on expansion:

1) I think the large city you come from (I'm guessing NYC) is really apples and oranges compared with DC, given DC's much lower density, more suburban feel, etc.

2) There's the issue of DCPS vs. charter. In the case of Shepherd, the catchment area is pretty tiny--as another poster mentioned, doubling the size of Shepherd would mean pulling from surrounding areas (e.g., Takoma), where residents there are working hard to build up their own schools and attract families there.

3) Part of the appeal of Shepherd is it's small size and community feel. I don't think expansion would be popular with current families, IB or OOB. Right now, more neighborhood families are opting in, and there are more kids walking to school, having neighborhood playdates on weekends, etc. For some parents, these things don't matter so long as their kids are getting a good education, but for others it does. I have a good friend who lotteried into a highly lauded charter in LA, but turned it down due to the crosstown commute and the large, impersonal feel. So, one size does not fit all.

4) Finally, getting back to all DC schools, the concern with expansion is that whatever the special sauce is that makes a school successful gets diluted if it doubles its size. Some school communities may not want to risk this, even if there are occasional accounts of this working for some schools.

Just a few thoughts about why expansion may not be desirable in many cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Public and charter are not the same.

Correct. This was a public school. A charter school, which does not need to stay within union regulations, could have an easier time expanding.

I'm sure ITS, which was just unable to add a few spots per grade would disagree with you.

You seem to know nothing about charters, so please stop talking with grown ups and go back to imaginary school that you doubled in size all by your self.

ITS wasn't not able to get the few more spots, the agenda got delayed a month or two. Can we all agree to stop arguing with this crazy person hay thinks all half way decent schools should go from 300 to 700? She's half baked, an idiot and has no idea how DC works. Thank God she doesn't have any position to do anything about it.

Completely agree, and I haven't responded again since page 7. Not worth the effort. It is always nice though when crazy folks like her bring out other people who are actually like-minded and get it; seen a few of them here responding to Ms. "I'm not naming the school but I swear it went from 300 to 700"

[Anonymous]

I am glad the good people of DC are fine spending thirty million dollars to renovate a school for 300 children, that was renovated before... In 2008.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am glad the good people of DC are fine spending thirty million dollars to renovate a school for 300 children, that was renovated before... In 2008.

I'm not at all good with that. I just don't know that to be true or whether that's the full story.

Meanwhile, most of this thread derailed when someone started insisting every good school should be made to expand or replicate. Because the people who have already done the right thing should be punished by being forced to risk the quality of their models by growing them past the point that is working, and by having to do double/triple duty running bigger/more schools, instead of other people stepping up to do their parts.

So another thing I'm not at all good with is people sitting at home telling everyone else how to do something they've never ever done themselves. Just "seen" done.

Bah humbug.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am glad the good people of DC are fine spending thirty million dollars to renovate a school for 300 children, that was renovated before... In 2008.

You really have no idea what you're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Can we all agree to ignore the crazy I hate Shepard and any school that won't expand lady?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we all agree to ignore the crazy I hate Shepard and any school that won't expand lady?

I like it in quotes and caps, but yes if we do it this way I can definitely go along with ignoring her:

Can we all agree to ignore the crazy "I Hate Shepard and Any School that Won't Expand Lady"?

Works for me!

[Anonymous]

Bumping now that open house season has started back up!

[Anonymous]

What's up with all of the open houses being scheduled on the same day? There are multiple schools I would like to see but now I'm stuck having to pick one :*(

[Anonymous]

Thursday seems to be a popular day for open houses.

[Anonymous]

I am so annoyed at the way the calendar is set up on Myschoolsdc.org Am I missing something? I don't want to search by days. I want to be able to just select a school-and then ALL the open house days for that school will display. Its also frustrating when the school websites make you dig for the information. . DCPS needs to reorg that page next year.

[Anonymous]

It is on the page for each school profile - see the top right-hand side of the page: http://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/192/