OK. I'm game, what's so bad about Peabody/Watkins?

[Anonymous]

The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

[Anonymous]

Watkins teachers are so full of self-righteous attitude.

[Anonymous]

Watkins demonstrates a somewhat coarse culture in its upper grades. I'm pretty open-minded about these sorts of things, but it is a turn off for lots of families. That coarseness carries through and becomes more pronounced at Hobson.

[Anonymous]

The Watkins discipline situation was really bad under the previous principal (pre-2010), but the new one is starting to put some plans in place. The fact that his even happened is one of the differences between it and Brent. The culture needs to change, with more demanded of the students by the teachers nd administrations, instead of just assuming that the low-SES students will always be rowdy and can't learn because of thir bad home environments. The teachers have been worn down by years of this at Watkins and I'm hopeful that things are starting to get better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

Inspired Teaching? Really? That must be a fun commute from the Hill to Michigan Park with a 4 year old. Good luck with that.

[Anonymous]

Inspired Teaching is on Florida Ave NW near U St. Michigan Park was last year. Keep it straight!

[Anonymous]

OK, they moved I'd pose the same question -- not exactly an easy commute from the Hill to U St.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

Inspired Teaching? Really? That must be a fun commute from the Hill to Michigan Park with a 4 year old. Good luck with that.

I live on the Hill outskirts, and didn't apply to a single Hill school, in large part because of the nasty attitudes displayed many by Hill parents on this board.

Parents essentially make a school, and kids learn from their parents; I didn't want my DC exposed to ideas like those in this thread, and I didn't want to have to socialize or support a school with parents who can talk so freely about not wanting their kid to be "the one white kid in 200 AAs". Do you think your kids, growing up absorbing your ideas, would be so welcoming and wonderful if there's only one AA in predominately white class/activity group? Do you think your prejudices are any less ugly than the kid's behaviors you're trashing?

I make the drive to IT every day with my 3.5 year old, and thank my lucky stars we don't have to go to a Hill school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

Inspired Teaching? Really? That must be a fun commute from the Hill to Michigan Park with a 4 year old. Good luck with that.

I live on the Hill outskirts, and didn't apply to a single Hill school, in large part because of the nasty attitudes displayed many by Hill parents on this board.

Parents essentially make a school, and kids learn from their parents; I didn't want my DC exposed to ideas like those in this thread, and I didn't want to have to socialize or support a school with parents who can talk so freely about not wanting their kid to be "the one white kid in 200 AAs". Do you think your kids, growing up absorbing your ideas, would be so welcoming and wonderful if there's only one AA in predominately white class/activity group? Do you think your prejudices are any less ugly than the kid's behaviors you're trashing?

I make the drive to IT every day with my 3.5 year old, and thank my lucky stars we don't have to go to a Hill school.

NP here--If you are really allowing DCUM to inform your school choices that much, you are nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

Anonymous wrote:So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

Inspired Teaching? Really? That must be a fun commute from the Hill to Michigan Park with a 4 year old.[/b] Good luck with that.

Anonymous wrote:I live on the Hill outskirts, and didn't apply to a single Hill school, in large part because of the nasty attitudes displayed many by Hill parents on this board.

Parents essentially make a school, and kids learn from their parents; I didn't want my DC exposed to ideas like those in this thread, and I didn't want to have to socialize or support a school with parents who can talk so freely about not wanting their kid to be "the one white kid in 200 AAs". Do you think your kids, growing up absorbing your ideas, would be so welcoming and wonderful if there's only one AA in predominately white class/activity group? Do you think your prejudices are any less ugly than the kid's behaviors you're trashing?

I make the drive to IT every day with my 3.5 year old, and thank my lucky stars we don't have to go to a Hill school.

How can you make such a strident statement against prejudice and painting with broad brushes, imploring people to be open-minded, but then go ahead and make a categorical claim that Hill types are nasty? Can you see the irony in that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The OP asked what's so bad about Peabody and Watkins. Nothing is so bad. Yet, although its facilities are probably the best on the Hill, Watkins doesn't feel nearly as much like increasingly upscale neighborhood around it as either Brent or Maury.

Why not? The Brent and Maury PTAs have knocked themsleves out to reinvent their schools as institutions where upper-middle-class families are comfortable first and foremost, while Watkins hasn't kept up with the times. Brent now has a mostly white teaching staff and student body in a mostly white neighborhood. Watkins has a largely AA teaching staff in a mostly white neighborhood. Brent and Maury spend PTA money to hire aides to provide pullout differentiation. To my knowledge, Watkins doesn't. In-class differentiation is half-assed by comparision.

Brent no longer forces students to do structured DC-CAS test prep because the princpal won't play ball with DCPS on that score. What's the point when the school is mostly white, and white kids mostly score advanced? Watkins still does it. And Brent and Maury look a lot better outside than they did around 2005, while Watkins looks worse to me.

Watkins needs to adapt to thrive; it will survive by virtue of its location. It's losing more white kids in upper grades than it was a few years ago. Most of my Peabody/Watkins District friends are hoping to head to Inspired Teaching or language immersion schools, with the IB options as Plan B. Do some soul searching Watkins parents, what do you want to be five years from now? Plan C?

Anonymous wrote:So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

Inspired Teaching? Really? That must be a fun commute from the Hill to Michigan Park with a 4 year old. Good luck with that.

Anonymous wrote:I live on the Hill outskirts, and didn't apply to a single Hill school, in large part because of the nasty attitudes displayed many by Hill parents on this board.

Parents essentially make a school, and kids learn from their parents; I didn't want my DC exposed to ideas like those in this thread, and I didn't want to have to socialize or support a school with parents who can talk so freely about not wanting their kid to be "the one white kid in 200 AAs". Do you think your kids, growing up absorbing your ideas, would be so welcoming and wonderful if there's only one AA in predominately white class/activity group? Do you think your prejudices are any less ugly than the kid's behaviors you're trashing?

I make the drive to IT every day with my 3.5 year old, and thank my lucky stars we don't have to go to a Hill school.

Anonymous wrote:NP here--If you are really allowing DCUM to inform your school choices that much, you are nuts.

Agreed pp (except for the nuts assertion), you can't rely on DCUM to get an accurate picture of any given community. The DC schools thread has what, maybe a few hundred people who check in on it with varying degrees of frequency? The DC schools thread has a few dozen posters, and a smaller group who post frequently. I'm pretty sure are not a representative group in most respects.

[Anonymous]

To the PP on the outskirts of CH and at IT-- you know there are Hill parents there right? I mean really.....

Why did we leave Peabody/Watkins-- pretty easy, after years and years and years we were finally able to get out. I liken t to Stokholm syndrome. When you are there is doesn't seem that bad but when you get out you are floored by how a school should run! Peabody was fine, some great teachers (multiple kids). I will admit that I was never comfortable with the whole black/white divide so while IB for SWS we opted for traditional Peabody. Two moved on to Watkins. Looking back, we didn't have one good teacher -- they were fine, did their job (not well) and not enthusiastically. Administration was a downright nightmare. Lack of leadership, lack of direction, lack of intervention, etc. We began to play the lottery each year and gradually got the kids out. One year I had three kids in three different schools but have been able to get two into one and the other into a charter-- I think we are in a good place now though my commute sucks. But looking back, I can't believe I left my kids there as log as I did.

[Anonymous]

So you're talking 2nd grade and lower at Maury, because Maury's scores are higher than Tyler and Amidon Bowden. comparable to Miner, Payne and JO Wilson, and behind Ludlow Taylor, Watkins and Brent. DC CAS can be misleading, but it's hard to believe Maury is quite there yet when students produce so abysmally in the upper grades. How much pull-out could possibly be happening with Maury's upper grade scores?

All that Maury's upper grade scores show is that Maury hasn't attracted many high-SES families past 2nd grade yet. This year, around half the 3rd grade is high-SES for the first time, so the April scores will shoot up. Watkins has yet to field a 3rd grade that's mostly high-SES after a quarter century of the Cluster.

No DCPS school boasts very high results for AA kids (I'll go with more than 2/3 scoring proficient) while every DCPS school with enough white kids taking the test to post scores by race shows white kids scoring at least 80% proficient and 40% advanced.

Wait a few years. Once you see mostly high-SES kids in the upper grades at Brent and Maury, test scores will look much like those WotP (Janney, 90% proficient). If DCPS insists on keeping Watkins mostly OOB in the upper grades, as it's done since the Cluster's inception, not enough white and other high-SES kids to pull test scores up much. Not sure what's misleading about DC-CAS scores if you look at which kids are being tested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
No DCPS school boasts very high results for AA kids (I'll go with more than 2/3 scoring proficient) while every DCPS school with enough white kids taking the test to post scores by race shows white kids scoring at least 80% proficient and 40% advanced.

McKinnley and Banneker come to mind as proving your argument bunk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well maybe we'll go to Watkins and fill in the "social" gap - we are high SES and have a lot of religion and my son can't wait to play pee wee football. What an odd selection of "differences" PP.

New poster. Give me a break, you're not sending your kid out to play pee wee football as one little white kid with 200 AA kids being screamed at by a macho coach. You know just what the PP is talking about, bravely put and very true.

Yes it's so brave to type something out on an anonymous message board. PP is a true hero.