Whittle School

[Anonymous]

Look, one teacher moving does not a migration make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard the Whittle School acquired the two best teachers from Sidwell Friends School and another from Maret. If they are willing to make the move --that is saying something something.

Also, the teachers’ kids will be attending Whittle (probably because it will be cheap for them)

Maybe they pay better.

Two of “the best” SFS MS teachers are retiring this year. Another good teacher, but not “the best” is going to Whittle next year.

Umm no one leaves Sidwell on their own

[Anonymous]

I bet Whittle is paying those SFS teachers a huge increase in salary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard the Whittle School acquired the two best teachers from Sidwell Friends School and another from Maret. If they are willing to make the move --that is saying something something.

Also, the teachers’ kids will be attending Whittle (probably because it will be cheap for them)

Maybe they pay better.

Two of “the best” SFS MS teachers are retiring this year. Another good teacher, but not “the best” is going to Whittle next year.

Umm no one leaves Sidwell on their own

...oh yes they do, it is the only way. Sidwell fires no one. Those that leave, do it because they actually can. Those that stay --have no other option but to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have gone to the open house, the tour and met some of the teachers-( no this is not scam promotion..we are a real family) and are both skeptical and very impressed. Two of our three kids really resonated with the pitch---and the aspirations of the school are absolutely spot on for how one might prep kids for the future. The staff seem smart and sophisticated and VERY committed. This enterprise should not be underestimated. It has shaken the local top private top schools to the core with its spending and luring of teachers, with it's innovative approach that no one in town is even close to. And yes its scary to think of the Chinese oversight that might be hovering, but I think the whole educational community is going to be a bit shocked when they open, at how robust and well designed the institution is..don't dismiss it..but do ask the hard questions...is there an exit plan since its a private entity?..who is in charge, really?...as for Chris Whittle himself, something might be off--very hard to discern... but Avenues (it's NYC predecessor of sorts) is the farthest thing from a failure and impossible to get into now..and no one took it seriously when it was in in pitch mode... education is in dire need of reinvention so even if you hate the concept at least respect the boldness of the effort.

I am an educator who read their site. I saw bells and whistles but nothing innovative really...what are you referring to that can not be found elsewhere?

Another educator here. Beyond the website's "bells and whistles" the school is offering 'personalized education' for every student. Where else can you get that? This is the absolute definition progressive education. I would pay top dollar to have some of the best teachers in the world personalizing my child's education.

[Anonymous]

There is so much misinformation in this thread. If you want to know the model and motivation, go to the school’s promotion center at Mazza. They are very upfront - their goal is to create a Chinese/US partnership program where US families who want to be ready for cultural fluidity and integration are studying side by side with students from Chinese families willing to pay top dollar for the American education model. In terms of what US families would be interested - the characterization that only blind affluence or misfits would be interested is categorically wrong. We’ve had very open conversations with them about our rising 9th grader. True, they hope to attract the affluent looking for the international exposure, but it quickly became apparent to us they are also looking to incentivize families with strong students to help them start with strong class profiles. Ours is an entrepreneurial family and we know a good deal when we see it. For the strong US candidates Whittle is offering the same quality as the elites at negotiable rates in the form of incentive funding of American students to build the brand and attract the foreign investment. It’s not a done deal for us and we are applying to the elites but also giving Whittle serious consideration. Folks, stop conjecturing from ignorance, go talk to them...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have gone to the open house, the tour and met some of the teachers-( no this is not scam promotion..we are a real family) and are both skeptical and very impressed. Two of our three kids really resonated with the pitch---and the aspirations of the school are absolutely spot on for how one might prep kids for the future. The staff seem smart and sophisticated and VERY committed. This enterprise should not be underestimated. It has shaken the local top private top schools to the core with its spending and luring of teachers, with it's innovative approach that no one in town is even close to. And yes its scary to think of the Chinese oversight that might be hovering, but I think the whole educational community is going to be a bit shocked when they open, at how robust and well designed the institution is..don't dismiss it..but do ask the hard questions...is there an exit plan since its a private entity?..who is in charge, really?...as for Chris Whittle himself, something might be off--very hard to discern... but Avenues (it's NYC predecessor of sorts) is the farthest thing from a failure and impossible to get into now..and no one took it seriously when it was in in pitch mode... education is in dire need of reinvention so even if you hate the concept at least respect the boldness of the effort.

I am an educator who read their site. I saw bells and whistles but nothing innovative really...what are you referring to that can not be found elsewhere?

Another educator here. Beyond the website's "bells and whistles" the school is offering 'personalized education' for every student. Where else can you get that? This is the absolute definition progressive education. I would pay top dollar to have some of the best teachers in the world personalizing my child's education.

This is parody, correct?

[Anonymous]

Incentive funding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Look, one teacher moving does not a migration make.

The teacher that is leaving for Whittle is a wonderful teacher, but her upward mobility as an Administrator is dead given current leadership (who are around the same age and no going anywhere anytime soon) - as such, for personal development and for the money grab, it makes perfect sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard the Whittle School acquired the two best teachers from Sidwell Friends School and another from Maret. If they are willing to make the move --that is saying something something.

Also, the teachers’ kids will be attending Whittle (probably because it will be cheap for them)

Maybe they pay better.

Two of “the best” SFS MS teachers are retiring this year. Another good teacher, but not “the best” is going to Whittle next year.

Umm no one leaves Sidwell on their own

The two teachers retiring have been there a LONG time. It was time for them, particularly one of them, to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much misinformation in this thread. If you want to know the model and motivation, go to the school’s promotion center at Mazza. They are very upfront - their goal is to create a Chinese/US partnership program where US families who want to be ready for cultural fluidity and integration are studying side by side with students from Chinese families willing to pay top dollar for the American education model. In terms of what US families would be interested - the characterization that only blind affluence or misfits would be interested is categorically wrong. We’ve had very open conversations with them about our rising 9th grader. True, they hope to attract the affluent looking for the international exposure, but it quickly became apparent to us they are also looking to incentivize families with strong students to help them start with strong class profiles. Ours is an entrepreneurial family and we know a good deal when we see it. For the strong US candidates Whittle is offering the same quality as the elites at negotiable rates in the form of incentive funding of American students to build the brand and attract the foreign investment. It’s not a done deal for us and we are applying to the elites but also giving Whittle serious consideration. Folks, stop conjecturing from ignorance, go talk to them...

So they are offering to charge you less than $51,000 to send your kid there? Face it, anyone who has a choice to do Whittle and Sidwell, with its longstanding Chinese Studies and Chinese Language programs that has exchanges with schools in Shanghai and Beijing and has summer programs in Shanghai and in the rural areas and is full pay isn't sending their kid to be "the first" at a new, for profit school run by Whittle, if Chinese is the main priority. I suppose I can see it if your kid got into another school that didn't have the Chinese opportunities and it is a priority.

[Anonymous]

As an educator, I find myself transfixed. The school seems very glossy and flashy. My biggest concern would be the scale - 2,500? Starting small and adding on is wise. For comparison, I'm curious
..how large is Potomac?
Btw, this is a good, informative thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Incentive funding?

Inventive funding are resources used to reduce tuition that come from funds specifically budgeted to round out classes with students who have specific qualities - could be academic, gender, musical, artistic, community service, etc. - or to build out a class of the school is challenged filling spots. These funds are budgeted and made available outside the financial aid pool and have nothing to do with financial profile. Use of incentive funding is common at many of the local independents, even the elites. The challenge is they are inconsistently shared. Sometimes they are offered with admissions and at other times only offered if a family declines an admission and used as a follow up to encourage matriculation. At Whittle they are open about incentive funding if you ask. The only other school we found open about it this season is Field but others may be after the March 1st admissions decision date.

[Anonymous]

PP here. We want our kids to be first in line. There is no school like it. It will completely blow away the Big Three. It's aiming higher, and its name will soon be said in the same breath with Andover and Exeter. DC hasn't seen anything like it. Get in on it now!

[Anonymous]

Because for-profit education has worked so well in the postseconday space. At best this is dubious. Go to the website and look at their ‘team’ and all the people looking to make money off this.

But Godspeed, pp. hope it works out for you all.