Middle Schools
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Anonymous
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We're in-bounds for Deal, happy to have it as our neighborhood school. However, we're very happy at Latin and couldn't imagine being elsewhere. We got in when it was not competitive--but the lottery is transparent and everyone has a chance.
To posters complaining about Deal--many DC schools have been modernized in the past few years and many more should be. I personally think it's great that not all high SES kids are opting out of public ed, and do not begrudge them nice facilities (which we certainly don't have at Latin). The more buy-in to public / charter in this city from all families--the more dynamic the educational landscape becomes. EVERYONE currently seems to have an opinion about Rhee, school reform, public dollars, improvements....and that is b/cause far more people actually have experience with or are considering all school options in DC. It would be hard for a Deal parent to not want good physical plants for kids across the city (I hope) and advocate for it.... At least the two communities (high / low SES) are not on COMPLETELY separate public/private tracks at this point. BTW, I support private education as well--but it is good to see some publics and charters making a compelling case. |
Anonymous
| I can't stand the "Upper Caucasia" bullshit that I've seen spewed on here repeatedly. Deal was, physically, a pit less than 3 years ago. It was bleak and depressing. It was scheduled to be rehabbed before Michelle Rhee took over. It has an active parent body and *that* is probably the difference between it and other middle schools. Get an active parent base and your school will be better. Every school in the city deserves to be improved, but there are schools all over the city that have been upgraded and/or totally rehabbed and they are certainly not all in Ward 3. |
Anonymous
Can you think of any in Ward 4? Or 5? Or 6? Or 7? Or 8? |
Anonymous
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I guess it depends on what you mean by upgraded. If I am not mistaken Deal was modernized and got a huge addition.
Off the top of my head in Ward 6 Miner Elementary has a brand new building and Brent Elementary had its phase 1 modernization as did Tyler Elementary. |
Anonymous
I agree with this in many ways. Taking drastic steps to attract and retain middle and upper class families in DCPS is necessary and a net good for the system in the end. But the disparity and inequity among schools is still outrageous and shouldn't be tolerated by anyone with a conscience. |
Anonymous
| Eastern HS, Ward 6. |
Anonymous
Hardy, Brightwood, McKinley Tech, School Without Walls ..... to name a few |
Anonymous
| No one has named, with pride, as the justifiably proud MS parents of Deal have, how they have similar fantastic facilities and learning environments, not to mention IB and great teachers...I know Rhee transferred her older child from the struggling Oyster MS to Deal because it was the natural better choice for HER....but Mommyness aside, did it occur to her that she should leave behind a markedly improved Oyster-Adams and better, a second Deal? |
Anonymous
wtf. |
Anonymous
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sousa, kelly miller, walker jones...
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Anonymous
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But I get what the "Upper Caucasia" poster is saying... my in-bounds middle school option is so.... what... third world, really, in comparison to Deal. It's not even on the same planet. It's not like Deal is just a bit better than other middle schools, it's so totally completely better than the rest. Even the ones that come closest, like Hardy (renovated recently) don't have the same IB program, the language options, the extras (fencing?) that you find at Deal.
Want to compare, say, what's available for Takoma's middle school years? It's hard to believe these two options are in the same school system. I'm not saying that middle/upper class families don't have to be retained, but geez! What about SOME parity? ! |
Anonymous
| FWIW, fencing has been around at Deal for YEARS. Really it is about leadership. Smartboards weren't "given" to Deal, Dr. Kim has been buying a few every year for 5 years. The extracurriculars at Deal are established because Dr. Kim expects it from each teacher (and of course the teachers are wonderful). As a former LSRT parent and I know that Deal actually gets LESS per pupil than any other middle school in the city. IB was also Dr.Kim's idea, not Rhee's or Janey's. It is about finding a great principal. |
Anonymous
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"It is about finding a great principal."
Yes, I would have to agree. I would also have to add that the majority of the principals Rhee appointed are underwhelming. I think the churn in the leadership on the school level and the low-quality of the leaders Rhee appointed is something that will hobble DCPS for years to come. |
Anonymous
| Deal should be an amazing school. So should every other DC middle school. In fact, I would assert, Deal's success will actually help the rest of DC improve its middle schools. Let's not be like crabs in the bucket. My children are not in bounds for Deal, and we are frightened by the options currently available to us. But I do not begrudge Deal its success. Rather, I think Deal offers us hope that we can succeed in improving our own neighborhood school. |
Anonymous
| I agree with 10:25. Deal is a success story that should inspire us. As an active pta parent at my school, I met with Deal's pta president a couple of years ago and it turns out that enrollment to Deal was falling before Principal Kim got there. The neighborhood JKLM parents were not sending kids in large numbers to Deal before she was the principal. That trend started changing pretty quickly. Since Kim's arrival, the enrollment numbers have been on a steady rise. She was a 1st time principal when she came to Deal and she has been able to build a great school. There has to be others like her out there. From what I hear, the candidates at principal panels have been disappointing. |