Brent parents: Give me the lowdown on the school

[Anonymous]

A couple parents? Please, 30 in one cohort alone. There will be dozens, even scores, as the years go by if Brent clings to PS3, swimming against a demographic tide.

[Anonymous]

You might be happier if you just get over it, staying bitter will just ruin the abridged brent experience you're entitled to (er your kid is) when they're in kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Brent needs to "get over" various issues, mostly in the upper grades, not parents. Those who defend the leadership and the school to the hilt are generally the parents of little kids. Brent needs an Assistant Principal but can't get one without 400+ students.

The main problem is that the upper grades curriculum is geared toward a demographic long since departed, and advanced kids aren't challenged, to help keep the low SES/AA-high SES/white and Asian achievement gap from becoming too great (keeping DCPS off Principal Young's back).

Lackluster test scores for the demographic served point up problems, including poor vertical integration of the curriculum - JKLM it isn't. When parents hit 3rd grade, middle school panic sets in, proving a big distration. Brent has its strengths, mostly found in the form of fund-raising savvy parents, but we are mired in relativism (so much better than Amidon, Tyler Traditional and Watkins!) in considering most of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent needs to "get over" various issues, mostly in the upper grades, not parents. Those who defend the leadership and the school to the hilt are generally the parents of little kids. Brent needs an Assistant Principal but can't get one without 400+ students.

The main problem is that the upper grades curriculum is geared toward a demographic long since departed, and advanced kids aren't challenged, to help keep the low SES/AA-high SES/white and Asian achievement gap from becoming too great (keeping DCPS off Principal Young's back).

Lackluster test scores for the demographic served point up problems, including poor vertical integration of the curriculum - JKLM it isn't. When parents hit 3rd grade, middle school panic sets in, proving a big distration. Brent has its strengths, mostly found in the form of fund-raising savvy parents, but we are mired in relativism (so much better than Amidon, Tyler Traditional and Watkins!) in considering most of them.

I agree with this statement, except for the part about needing an assistant principal. Brent needs an experienced and skilled principal. Of course this is DCPS, so that's a very rare thing indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brent needs to "get over" various issues, mostly in the upper grades, not parents. Those who defend the leadership and the school to the hilt are generally the parents of little kids. Brent needs an Assistant Principal but can't get one without 400+ students.

The main problem is that the upper grades curriculum is geared toward a demographic long since departed, and advanced kids aren't challenged, to help keep the low SES/AA-high SES/white and Asian achievement gap from becoming too great (keeping DCPS off Principal Young's back).

Lackluster test scores for the demographic served point up problems, including poor vertical integration of the curriculum - JKLM it isn't. When parents hit 3rd grade, middle school panic sets in, proving a big distraction. Brent has its strengths, mostly found in the form of fund-raising savvy parents, but we are mired in relativism (so much better than Amidon, Tyler Traditional and Watkins!) in considering most of them.

DCPS probably sees Brent as a feeder to a few strong charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The IB waitlist for PK3 and PK4 and the Principal allowing his teachers OOB kids to enroll in PK3 has divided the community.

What's the point of attempting to reopen a banal debate about principal discretion? I mean, wasn't this very topic beaten to death in its own thread a couple of weeks ago? Unfortunately, it seems you just dont get it. Brent is all about building a community of families, which should include teachers and their families. I might very well be pissed if my child didn't get in, even though I knew full well that the number of IB students was going to exceed the number of spaces available. But life is unfair and it's time for you to move on. The fact is that it is remarkably difficult to attract and retain highly-effective teachers like those now at Brent. If the cost is a couple of preschool or PK spaces from time to time, then so be it. In the meantime, perhaps you can reach out to the Rev. Jesse Jacksom to see if he can heal this purported divide. Better yet, just have the balls to stand up and say sometimg at the next PTA meeting, as opposed to trying to stir the pot anonymously on DCUM by singling out some three-year olds who happen to have a parent who teaches at the school. It's cowardly and shameful.

+1. Another idea, you voice your issue with teachers' kids at the school on the Brent Neighbors listserv, using your name.

[Anonymous]

Do you think the parents are cliquey at Brent? Or maybe I can't seem to get have that many friendly encounters with the parents. They don't seem too warm? Or perhaps I need to just give it more time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school made a short-sighted decision several years ago: to invest heavily in the Emilia Reggio-inspired early childhood curriculum, which promotes mixed-age classes of 3-5 year olds. This was done during a real estate boom in the little Brent District fueled by the parents of babies, which the school missed, hence the shock when 72 names went into the PS3 hat in 2013 (two dozen more than the previous year). Real estate is the problem - Brent is running out of classroom space.

So instead of making the tough decision to eliminate PS3 early this year, as the JKLM schools, Hearst and Eaton did when first pressed for space 15-20 years ago, Brent kept it at the expense of including all IB comers for PS4. The problem may be that parents who've been excluded for both early childhood years are unlikely to be predisposed to knocking themselves out for Brent later on, which is likely to hurt community cohesion and fund-raising efforts long-term. Unfortunately, Brent can't order parents to give generously of time and money.

This is quite an interesting rewrite of history. Setting aside the question of whether the decision to move to a Reggio-inspired curriculum was in fact short-sighted, the decision was made just prior to the 2013-14 school year, and the decision to move to exclusively mixed age classroom was not made until October 2014. I pretty sure the "real estate boom" -- one that you seems to believe was fueled exclusively by parents of babies -- predates these events by several years and was by no means restricted to the little Brent District. Just take a look at Capitol Quarter or nearly anywhere else across a broad expanse of the Hill. In any event, it is unclear what you think was "invested" in terms of the new PS/PK curriculum. It's not like Brent built a new common space, paid to send teachers to Italy, or hired a dedicated atelierista as at SWS. Rather, there seems to be a much greater focus on art, which enables students to pursue themes of their own choosing in greater breadth and depth. Compare this with Tools of the Mind or other more structured curricula. I would, however, love to hear more about the PS3 programs at Hearst and Eaton that were eliminated way back in 1994 or 1999. You do realize, among other things, that many DCPS elementaries were actually K-6 until relatively recently, right?

While I suspect many Brent parents couldn't care less whether or not you (and those who share your pissy weltanshauung) are predisposed to knocking yourself out for Brent, whatever you might think this means, in spie of the fact that it might very well meaningfully enrich your own child's experience at Brent, community cohesion, again whatever that means, seems just fine to many of us who are focused principally on the education and social development of our own children to worry all that much about malcontents who will forever remain aggrieved about not getting a space for PS or PK back in 2013. Guess what? There was a lottery and more applicants than spaces. And you lost out. If you can't male peace with that by now, and still want to send your child to Brent next year, you undoubtedly have the option to keep your precious money and not bother to show up and volunteer. Brent will continue to improve with or without your contributions. So what have you accomplished exactly aside from poisoning the well?

It's seems fairly obvious that you will never be able to get past the fact Brent didn't bend over backward to accommodate a sizable cohort of IB families for both PS and PK this year and this will never be truly happy at Brent. That's most unfortunate.

[Anonymous]

I neglected to addressed the issue of tbe supposed demographic tide. It's too early to say whether or not 2013 was anomalous. The WL dropped dramatically in 2014, evenin spite of the fact there were fewer PS3 spaces by virtue of the reconfiguration of the ECE program. It's my recollection that the number of PS3 seats decreased from 38 in 2013 to 26 in 2014, with a corresponding decrease in the number of IB three-year olds with sibling preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh my goodness, not this conversation again! I'm over it. We'll be there in Kindergarten. Just hope those who have been there the whole time will be inclusive of our newbies.

- Parent of a kid waitlisted for PS3 and PK4

I'm curious why you would think that your neighbors wouldn't be welcoming when you come to Brent for K next year. Some parents and teachers organize class playdates prior to the start of school so that parents and students can get better acquainted. There is also no reason the "excluded" parents couldn't reach out and much sooner and organize events in late Sprimg at Garfield or Yards Park. Just don't be the harpie posting endlessly about community cohesiveness. BTW, I'm a parent of one of the 40 or so who attend Brent this year and look forward to our child forming new friendships as part of his social-emotional development. Also, dont forget this year's PK cohort is divided among four classrooms which, as a result, means we have had minimal interaction with many other families already at the school. In the meantime, you are welcome at PTA meetings - I think the next one is on October 8 and free child is available. You should also plan on attending the Fall Festival later that momth.

[Anonymous]

The school doesn't invite WL'ed parents to events. Only a handful attend general PTA meetings, partly because they're unsure if their kids will be welcome. Some are busy w/PTA work at the early childhood programs where they've landed. We turn up at most Brent events anyway, with a view to easing the path to K for a kid who doesn't transition easily. We don't feel unwelcome.

[Anonymous]

Again this fear of some sort of ostracism. What exactly do these parents think will happen to their child if they attend a school-related event with other families who live in the surrounding neighborhood. Does anyone else find all of this very strange. Moreover, expecting to receive an invitation for each event strikes me as asking for too much. Setting aside the fact I'm pretty sure that Brent is not allowed to share your email and other contact info with the PTA, Brent maintains a calendar on the homepage of its website, which is where a variety of announcements are posted. You will also find a link to join the Brent Neighbors Group on Yahoo. Do what you want with these tools, but realize that sooner-or-later you have to take the bull by horns.

[Anonymous]

Wow, this is a long thread, lol. In response to the original request "Brent parents: Give me the lowdown on the school", It simply is a great school. It's the kind of school that most middle class/upper middle class families want in Capitol Hill and the Capitol Riverfront. If you have the opportunity for your child to get into Brent, you should take it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this is a long thread, lol. In response to the original request "Brent parents: Give me the lowdown on the school", It simply is a great school. It's the kind of school that most middle class/upper middle class families want in Capitol Hill and the Capitol Riverfront. If you have the opportunity for your child to get into Brent, you should take it!

Capitol Riverfront should have no access to Brent. They are OOB

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, this is a long thread, lol. In response to the original request "Brent parents: Give me the lowdown on the school", It simply is a great school. It's the kind of school that most middle class/upper middle class families want in Capitol Hill and the Capitol Riverfront. If you have the opportunity for your child to get into Brent, you should take it!

I agree that it's a fine school for high SES families, but only those with little kids and kids who aren't too far off to one side of the bell curve academically. If your kid has special needs or is "advanced" and above 2nd grade, not so much.

Many high SES kids still get bored in 3rd and 4th grades because the curriculum and teaching just aren't geared toward advanced learners, particularly those with parents who pay for enrichment (tutors, outside lessons, academic camps etc.). Bored tends to mean badly-behaved -there's too much mischief making in the higher grades, and not enough "on" for big kids (from appropriate library books to extra curriculars).

Also, Brent doesn't seem to have processed that MS starts at 5th grade--at BASIS, Latin and elsewhere---so 4th graders need to be ready to move on to tough math, multiple classroom teachers and so forth. Perhaps things will change with all the strategic planning in the air, but I wouldn't count on it.