Washington City Paper article on picking a school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the hell has happened to journalism? This self-indulgent crap where "writers" incorporate their families bug the crap out of me.

Pretty sure he doesn't think of himself as a journalist...

[Anonymous]

What is wrong with some of you people. This was an article written as letters from a father to his daughter, NOT a doctoral thesis on educational options in DC. sheesh!

[Anonymous]

I thought his two biggest targets were Garrison and MV, but he combined all the wrong information to come to very limiting conclusions for his family. Not exactly reporting, not helpful for new/prospective parents, and unfortunately not funny either. Honestly, if it were funny, I would excuse all else, but it failed there too.

[Anonymous]

I found it a little confusing, actually, even for someone who has navigated the same minefield twice already.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry but I don't particularly care if the facts match up with a particular school, that's way too prurient for me, but clearly not DCUM.

Having gone through school selection twice in recents years: First considering DCPS then Charter then Private...I have to say the spirit of the piece rings true. (We ended up in DCPS but re-evaluating every month or so and ready to jump if necessary...)

This is an essay. A thought piece. It does a good job at capturing middle-class angst about our school choices and doing the right thing in this city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I think the school he's referring to is Bancroft. Like other dual immersion programs in DCPS, OOB/w sibling comes before inbounds in the preschool lottery. This is to make sure the school has enough Spanish speakers (which wouldn't happen if the school mirrored Mt. Pleasant's demographics) and to make sure the families are committed to dual language and don't plan to leave after preschool (which still happens way too often). It doesn't mean you won't get in if you're inbounds (this year 29/42, or 69% of the PS-3 spots went to inbounds families). It just means you may be on the waiting list--low on the list. Those 20 or so inbounds families on the waiting list this year still have a good chance of getting in.

Does anyone OOB get into Bancroft for PS3? I will be applying next year and am not sure whether it's even worth wasting a spot on it. Would be super convenient (we don't get proximity preference but are pretty close), and we are very committed to dual language, but the #s from this year make it look like you're lucky to get off the waitlist if you're IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I think the school he's referring to is Bancroft. Like other dual immersion programs in DCPS, OOB/w sibling comes before inbounds in the preschool lottery. This is to make sure the school has enough Spanish speakers (which wouldn't happen if the school mirrored Mt. Pleasant's demographics) and to make sure the families are committed to dual language and don't plan to leave after preschool (which still happens way too often). It doesn't mean you won't get in if you're inbounds (this year 29/42, or 69% of the PS-3 spots went to inbounds families). It just means you may be on the waiting list--low on the list. Those 20 or so inbounds families on the waiting list this year still have a good chance of getting in.

Does anyone OOB get into Bancroft for PS3? I will be applying next year and am not sure whether it's even worth wasting a spot on it. Would be super convenient (we don't get proximity preference but are pretty close), and we are very committed to dual language, but the #s from this year make it look like you're lucky to get off the waitlist if you're IB.

We got into PS3 last year at Bancroft--oob with no preference. Their waitlist definitely moved--ib families will take charters when possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found it a little confusing, actually, even for someone who has navigated the same minefield twice already.

If you think this is bad, you should talk to someone from NYC or SF. Believe me, we're living in a field of clover!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I think the school he's referring to is Bancroft. Like other dual immersion programs in DCPS, OOB/w sibling comes before inbounds in the preschool lottery. This is to make sure the school has enough Spanish speakers (which wouldn't happen if the school mirrored Mt. Pleasant's demographics) and to make sure the families are committed to dual language and don't plan to leave after preschool (which still happens way too often). It doesn't mean you won't get in if you're inbounds (this year 29/42, or 69% of the PS-3 spots went to inbounds families). It just means you may be on the waiting list--low on the list. Those 20 or so inbounds families on the waiting list this year still have a good chance of getting in.

Does anyone OOB get into Bancroft for PS3? I will be applying next year and am not sure whether it's even worth wasting a spot on it. Would be super convenient (we don't get proximity preference but are pretty close), and we are very committed to dual language, but the #s from this year make it look like you're lucky to get off the waitlist if you're IB.

We got into PS3 last year at Bancroft--oob with no preference. Their waitlist definitely moved--ib families will take charters when possible.

Awesome, thanks. Did your child go there and, if so, how did it go?

[Anonymous]

The charter school was definitely Cap City, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The charter school was definitely Cap City, btw.

He could have been describing Two Rivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found it a little confusing, actually, even for someone who has navigated the same minefield twice already.

If you think this is bad, you should talk to someone from NYC or SF. Believe me, we're living in a field of clover!

This is nothing. I posted previously about being from NYC. We applied to a charter our #1 choice and a bunch of private schools. Got into all (unheard of in NYC) without standing in line since 12AM or recruiting everyone we know to work the phones/internet just to get an application before they ran out. Easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The charter school was definitely Cap City, btw.

He could have been describing Two Rivers.

I don't think 2 Rivers has a gym. Cap City does for sure. Plus someone on the Cap City listserve today said it was Cap City, someone who works for City Paper.

[Anonymous]

Dear Isadora,
Apparently your dad was too busy listening to Pandora classic rock to realize that public education is not compulsory in DC until age 5. Whatever spot he thinks you were competing for doesn't exist. But that's ok. Plenty of priveleged and/or white parents have made similar mistakes. And then ranted about it on DCUM because nobody reads City Paper unless they're waiting for the 43 with a cracked iphone screen.

By the time you can read this, which we all know will be in about 6.3 months, Sela charter school will be a bastion of secular and/or non-Jewish Jews of Jewish origin like your dad. It will make a Bennetton ad look like a Brigham Young University yearbook circa 1964.

[Anonymous]

Bancroft got a target library upgrade. 2011 DCCAS results match, as does the description of the playground / building.