Anyone want to share great experiences they have with their charter or magnet middle school?

[Anonymous]

I've heard from a number of neighbors good things about Brookland Middle. I've also heard good things about McKinley Middle. Neither of these are charter or magnet (though McKinley will let kids take classes at McKinley Tech, so is as close as you might get in DCPS). I've also heard good things about Deal and Hardy, but you've probably heard about those to death on this board, along with the draw backs there.

As for charters, people seem happy with DCI. Some are happy with ITS, though I hear complaints about it being small (FWIW). All of this is from word of mouth of people IRL (ie not dcum), but most people I know are dealing with smart-in-a-normal-way kids, with general interests, so, what works for one might not work for you.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like there aren't really any middle school parents on here. I know there are a thousand from Deal but no charter ones.

I've heard good things about: Capital Village, DCI, and Truth.

[Anonymous]

I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

We are at ITS for elementary and think the middle school there is our best option in the area. Yes, it is small, and there are pros and cons to that. But we like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

We are at ITS for elementary and think the middle school there is our best option in the area. Yes, it is small, and there are pros and cons to that. But we like it.

+1. Also there for middle. I have a happy, engaged kid with a great group of friends. Thats a huge MS win in my book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

We won't shoot you down, but I note that we walked away from Inspired Teaching because it was too hippie/granola crunchie, too intent on teaching our kid to advocate for liberal causes, too cruisey (hardly any homework), too black and white (we're neither), too OK with distance learning last year, and too limited in what it offered in terms of enrichment. Friendly, pleasant, well-meaning middle school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like there aren't really any middle school parents on here. I know there are a thousand from Deal but no charter ones.

I've heard good things about: Capital Village, DCI, and Truth.

DCI is just OK, particularly if you're not on the Spanish track. Partial "immersion" doesn't knock it out of the park without native speakers despite all claims to the contrary. Humanities classes aren't great without any academic grouping. IB Diploma track for all isn't what the curriculum was designed for post middle school. Charters don't get the resources from the City to offer robust extra curriculars. I could go on.

Just OK.

Capital Village and Truth, get real.

[Anonymous]

I’d like to hear more about why people have concerns for DCI for high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

We won't shoot you down, but I note that we walked away from Inspired Teaching because it was too hippie/granola crunchie, too intent on teaching our kid to advocate for liberal causes, too cruisey (hardly any homework), too black and white (we're neither), too OK with distance learning last year, and too limited in what it offered in terms of enrichment. Friendly, pleasant, well-meaning middle school though.

Not the PP, but our experience has been that there is an appropriate amount of homework in middle elementary. I was disappointed in the lack of distance learning. It seems like there's more academic differentiation this year, at least in my kid's class. I'm not entirely happy with it, but there isn't any other school that's significantly more appealing now that we're settled in at ITS. Where did you go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

We won't shoot you down, but I note that we walked away from Inspired Teaching because it was too hippie/granola crunchie, too intent on teaching our kid to advocate for liberal causes, too cruisey (hardly any homework), too black and white (we're neither), too OK with distance learning last year, and too limited in what it offered in terms of enrichment. Friendly, pleasant, well-meaning middle school though.

I hear you on homework. It is something that always gives me a little clench in the stomach, esp when I hear from friends with kids at Latin and Basis. but, they explained it in a pretty satisfactory way -- there are different pedagogical approaches to homework, and they'd rather kids do the work in school where teachers can guide them instead of adding on practice on their own where they might reinforce their own misunderstandings of content without a teacher to redirect. And, it's a lot of project based work and my kid does do more of that outside school than is required but they do it to make headway. It's more nuanced than that, but they also noted that they hear from graduates that they adjust pretty well in rigorous HS settings. DL was hard last year, but I know they were devoting a fair amount of space and staff capacity to kids who needed to be in person all week, so it made me more accepting (not happy, but accepting) of the change in plans to 1 day/week. There has also been a helpful change in the head of school. And, I'm personally totally fine with advocating for liberal causes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always fear getting shot down for being a naive booster, but my kid has been having a good MS experience at Inspired Teaching. As noted above, it's a small school experience-- about 45/48 kids per grade. But that works for my kid who is receiving differentiated, advanced instruction and getting some close support as they figure out what they are interested in and take some academic risks. High school placement support has begun and the principal seems very committed to helping each student find the right fit. My kid and I talk a lot about the social experiences there and over multiple years there I have yet to hear a story related to bullying. it's a positive, supportive culture, in our experience. But if you want a LOT of activities and a lot of kids from which to choose your friends, it admittedly isn't the right fit.

We won't shoot you down, but I note that we walked away from Inspired Teaching because it was too hippie/granola crunchie, too intent on teaching our kid to advocate for liberal causes, too cruisey (hardly any homework), too black and white (we're neither), too OK with distance learning last year, and too limited in what it offered in terms of enrichment. Friendly, pleasant, well-meaning middle school though.

I hear you on homework. It is something that always gives me a little clench in the stomach, esp when I hear from friends with kids at Latin and Basis. but, they explained it in a pretty satisfactory way -- there are different pedagogical approaches to homework, and they'd rather kids do the work in school where teachers can guide them instead of adding on practice on their own where they might reinforce their own misunderstandings of content without a teacher to redirect. And, it's a lot of project based work and my kid does do more of that outside school than is required but they do it to make headway. It's more nuanced than that, but they also noted that they hear from graduates that they adjust pretty well in rigorous HS settings. DL was hard last year, but I know they were devoting a fair amount of space and staff capacity to kids who needed to be in person all week, so it made me more accepting (not happy, but accepting) of the change in plans to 1 day/week. There has also been a helpful change in the head of school. And, I'm personally totally fine with advocating for liberal causes!

I am very happy with the new head of school so far. It's my hope that academic rigor will continue and that my DC will continue to be academically engaged and challenged. I like the small size because it makes it less likely that DC will skate by as a compliant smart kid without much attention. We don't mind about the lack of enrichments because we're already settled into certain enrichment activities elsewhere.

I strongly support the at-risk preference coming to ITS, but I hope the staff is ready and prepared to maintain high academic standards while also meeting the needs of kids who haven't been well-served by their prior schools. I don't think it'll make much difference at the middle school level because it's already pretty easy to get in for 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th. I get sick of the constant woke-talking so I'm excited for the school to to take some concrete action towards equity, and the new HOS has EOTR experience so I feel good about that.

And bottom line, living where we do (near the school), Two Rivers Young is too far, CMI isn't good, Brookland and McKinley and Cardozo middles are not going to provide appropriate academics, and Latin, BASIS, and DCI are a lottery maybe. There really aren't a lot of options for middle school that really appeal to me. It did not escape my notice that so many ITS 8th graders got into Walls last year (and I know it was a very weird admissions year but still).

[Anonymous]

We have a kid in 7th at Latin. Overall we've been happy with the school. The teachers are good to great and they do really engage with each kid to make sure they're getting it. I'm not sure how rigorous it's going to turn out to be since we spent most of 6th grade online with no homework, but 7th seems to be off to a good start.

We have a bunch of friends at DCI and Latin definitely doesn't have the discipline problems they see regularly at DCI, probably because it's much smaller.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a kid in 7th at Latin. Overall we've been happy with the school. The teachers are good to great and they do really engage with each kid to make sure they're getting it. I'm not sure how rigorous it's going to turn out to be since we spent most of 6th grade online with no homework, but 7th seems to be off to a good start.

We have a bunch of friends at DCI and Latin definitely doesn't have the discipline problems they see regularly at DCI, probably because it's much smaller.

Well, Mundo has behavior issue so it's really no surprise that DCI would too.

[Anonymous]

We have had a good experience in DCI’s middle school and an AMAZING one in its High School. Middle school is challenging everywhere. A lot of it is the kids are in the throes of adolescence. At DCI I would add that the middle school principal is less than stellar. High School teachers are wonderful overall.

[Anonymous]

We have a kid in 7th at BASIS and are thrilled with the school.