Mundo Verde Public Charter: Failing on Its Most Basic Mission

[Anonymous]

Move often, but not an expat and not interested in private. Any actual answers? We’re in through the lottery but not sure if we want to take the spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move often, but not an expat and not interested in private. Any actual answers? We’re in through the lottery but not sure if we want to take the spot.

Take it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you put your kids in Mundo Verde knowing you will only live in DC until the end of first grade? How stable have the prek to 1 teachers been? Are these classroom management issues and bullying present at those young ages?

Yes, but I would also put them in a DCPS Spanish immersion too. You are always taking a gamble with teachers which is the most important thing at that level. Even a totally awesome great experience teacher can get pregnant and go out on maternity leave they year your kid is there. It's always a gamble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move often, but not an expat and not interested in private. Any actual answers? We’re in through the lottery but not sure if we want to take the spot.

Can you ask neighbors or friends already at the school? I wouldn’t decide based on advice from an anonymous forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move often, but not an expat and not interested in private. Any actual answers? We’re in through the lottery but not sure if we want to take the spot.

What are your other options and where are you located?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move often, but not an expat and not interested in private. Any actual answers? We’re in through the lottery but not sure if we want to take the spot.

What are your other options and where are you located?

Yep--depending on your IB, I might opt for that in your circumstance. Your kid will have a better chance to know the neighborhood families in your time here. Also, I can confirm that MV's internal struggles impact the lower elementary as well (on our case it wasn't bullying, but we left for 1st grade to a school more interested in meeting our kid's needs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move often, but not an expat and not interested in private. Any actual answers? We’re in through the lottery but not sure if we want to take the spot.

What are your other options and where are you located?

Yep--depending on your IB, I might opt for that in your circumstance. Your kid will have a better chance to know the neighborhood families in your time here. Also, I can confirm that MV's internal struggles impact the lower elementary as well (on our case it wasn't bullying, but we left for 1st grade to a school more interested in meeting our kid's needs).

Depending on your IB there might be very few neighborhood kids there because so many are at charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what you describe is so alarming, traumatic for your daughter, and a dereliction of duty from MV on their basic duty to keep their students safe. Clearly the teachers are in over their heads and don't have institutional support. Disregard anyone on DCUM who argues otherwise.

I think you need to escalate this above the school administration. Maybe your daughter is safe now but I don't feel any assurance that other kids are uniformly safe. The charter board, your city councilmember (we brought a DCPS facilities issue to the attention of our councilmember and they fixed it almost immediately), the press, a personal lawyer. Don't try to litigate it on DCUM or directly with the school -- clearly that isn't working. time to escalate.

I would add doing a power analysis of the board. How might you persuade each member?

This is a soft skill that many people don't have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would you put your kids in Mundo Verde knowing you will only live in DC until the end of first grade? How stable have the prek to 1 teachers been? Are these classroom management issues and bullying present at those young ages?

Most important q is what is your IB? People can quickly tell you which is a better bet. If Seaton or Langley, definitely go with your IB.

[Anonymous]

We don’t have one yet— it will depend where we can rent. Let’s say Powell— which would you choose?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have one yet— it will depend where we can rent. Let’s say Powell— which would you choose?

Powell 100%. If your child will be on 4th or 5th and you really want DCI, then do MV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have one yet— it will depend where we can rent. Let’s say Powell— which would you choose?

Powell 100%. If your child will be on 4th or 5th and you really want DCI, then do MV.

+1. But remember (for others), that DCI won’t be guaranteed, so consider what you’d do if you opted out of Latin and Basis in fifth, were past the private school application deadlines, then got a poor lottery draw in 6th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have one yet— it will depend where we can rent. Let’s say Powell— which would you choose?

Powell 100%. If your child will be on 4th or 5th and you really want DCI, then do MV.

Do you know if Powell use a traditional curriculum? We will probably get an offer from MV and we put on our list for the Spanish and the expeditionary learning since I believe my child will do better with expeditionary learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have one yet— it will depend where we can rent. Let’s say Powell— which would you choose?

Powell 100%. If your child will be on 4th or 5th and you really want DCI, then do MV.

Do you know if Powell use a traditional curriculum? We will probably get an offer from MV and we put on our list for the Spanish and the expeditionary learning since I believe my child will do better with expeditionary learning.

Kindly, expeditionary learning is window dressing. Talk to parents in middle/upper elementary. I’ve heard it really comes down to a few more field trips per year. It’s such a light concept that it would be silly (IMO) to choose a school on that basis. Plus, if undertrained teachers are struggling to keep the classrooms under control, how effective do you really think an expeditionary model would be?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have one yet— it will depend where we can rent. Let’s say Powell— which would you choose?

Powell 100%. If your child will be on 4th or 5th and you really want DCI, then do MV.

Do you know if Powell use a traditional curriculum? We will probably get an offer from MV and we put on our list for the Spanish and the expeditionary learning since I believe my child will do better with expeditionary learning.

Kindly, expeditionary learning is window dressing. Talk to parents in middle/upper elementary. I’ve heard it really comes down to a few more field trips per year. It’s such a light concept that it would be silly (IMO) to choose a school on that basis. Plus, if undertrained teachers are struggling to keep the classrooms under control, how effective do you really think an expeditionary model would be?

Totally this, especially at MV where they have so many balls in the air and so many struggles that they aren't really doing the full expeditionary thing. What you really want, PP, when it comes down to it, is probably kids performing on grade level and classrooms mostly free of violence. And if you don't have that, "expeditionary learning" isn't going to make up for it.