public vs. charter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who! 18 kids in a prek? And more then 1 teacher? Where is this magical school?

Yu Ying. For K, it was 17/18:3. We chose YY because we really wanted Mandarin and it's the only school in the area that offers Chinese immersion. If DC had not got in, it would be private school. YY was the only public school or charter we applied to.

I'm the original 18-kids poster - we are at Cap City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe that our charter is a better fit for our family than any of the DCPS schools you mention.

+1. Also, many new charters (Basis, IT, MV) are brand new schools. Lastly, you've got to take scores with a grain of salt. JKLM schools have almost zero FARM schools. I know my high SES kid will have the sane test scores as LAMB, IT or MV than he would at Janey plus he'll have exposure to more creative learning, possible language, diverse friends and much more. To each his own.

\

Allow me to retort: my high SES kids do well at both charters and DCPS schools. Success is not limited to kids from high SES backgrounds. Neither myself nor DH came from high SES backgrounds. We were both from poor families. The test is whether families of any SES can get their kids to read and do math. Teachers and schools are an element, too, but frankly are far less important than parental influences.

PP you quoted. I agree. My spouse and I are also both from poor families. We had free lunch all the way through school. However, our families valued education, taught us to read before we started school etc. Unfortunately, the schools that have high FARMs are more of a toss up whether they have supportive families. Regardless of our current income, our son will score advanced at any school he attends.

[Anonymous]

Charters are a great option if you are looking to specialize, for example language immersion, IB, AP exams and so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who! 18 kids in a prek? And more then 1 teacher? Where is this magical school?

Mundo Verde too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buying in the right area does not mean a million dollars- have you heard of apartments? What is a high SES to you?

If II had to choose between a wotp apartment or a house in moco I'd go with the latter. The monthly payments are comparable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who! 18 kids in a prek? And more then 1 teacher? Where is this magical school?

Mundo Verde too.

MV isn't the only school who does this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible for a charter school to be a better school then a public school JKLM (and oyster)? I ask this because the test scores all indicate that it is not happening - and though they don't paint the full picture - what is all the hype about Inspired, YY, MV etc. Why do some parents choose to take a risk for these schools when there are so many other good options?

I don't understand it either. Charters should be kicking the public school's asses in test scores. For one reason only, parents who are engaged enough to lok around and try to ge the best available education they can for their child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who! 18 kids in a prek? And more then 1 teacher? Where is this magical school?

Mundo Verde too.

MV isn't the only school who does this.

Right. That's why I said "too." Prior posters said that. Capital city and yu ying do too, and I believe others do as well.

[Anonymous]

which charters fare better then the top jklm publics? some may be better "fits" smaller rooms etc but which ones would actually perform better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:which charters fare better then the top jklm [DCPS] publics? some may be better "fits" smaller rooms etc but which ones would actually perform better?

None*

You cut right to the heart of the matter here. Let's say it again: none.


* this answer is for elementary schools only. I do think in a few years, BASIS will surpass Deal in quantifiable results --- depending on which faction wrests control of BASIS (ie, the common sense founder types, OR, the litigating dreamers who think it makes sense for kids with four LDs and an IQ of 89 to apply to BASIS in the first place and demand a watered-down experience once they're in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If a charter is better- then why? As a parent of a child in Janney (1st grade) we are happy but al1wys curious!

If you're happy at Janney, I understand the curiosity but don't worry, it's likely you don't prioritize many of the same things most charter parents with choices prioritize. Even though we are a high SES family, my spouse and I both went to good public schools in challenged neighborhoods (not in DC) and ethnic, racial AND class diversity is crucial to us for our kids. A huge part of our openness and broad exposures to different cultures is from our elementary-high school exposure to diverse friends, diverse cultures, and diverse communities. and we know what happened in the classrooms thrived from that diversity as well.

And of course quality of teaching is essential too, but as hard as that can be for a school to consistently provide, it's a lot easier to find if you can afford private. We can, but we think our kids educations would suffer from the severely limited economic diversity (and greatly reduced ethnic diversity, although DC is better than many cities on that).

In DC there are a few regular DCPS schools that fit the bill (we LOVED Eaton!!), but there are more charters that do right now and that's where our kids are. Then if you value a bilingual program (which we do), it's much more likely you'll get into a good/great bilingual charter than DCPS school, if your priorities look similar to ours.

But if you're thrilled with the school you're at, no matter what other people value, that means your current school matches your values. For me the JKLMM's do not, even though we are IB for one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:which charters fare better then the top jklm publics? some may be better "fits" smaller rooms etc but which ones would actually perform better?

Take away JKLM which has zero FARM and charters kill DCPS. Also charters for 6th grade and up are better than DCPS no matter location.

[Anonymous]

Charters have to operate at a financial disadvantage compared to public schools-less money for capital expenditures, have to provide for SN/LD students and of course, the fundraising can not make up the difference. Amazingly, despite this significant disadvantage, after a few years many charters are able to offer "specials" and have beautiful facilities, and as others wrote, many are doing better and better on DC CAS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:which charters fare better then the top jklm [DCPS] publics? some may be better "fits" smaller rooms etc but which ones would actually perform better?

None*

You cut right to the heart of the matter here. Let's say it again: none.


* this answer is for elementary schools only. I do think in a few years, BASIS will surpass Deal in quantifiable results --- depending on which faction wrests control of BASIS (ie, the common sense founder types, OR, the litigating dreamers who think it makes sense for kids with four LDs and an IQ of 89 to apply to BASIS in the first place and demand a watered-down experience once they're in.

This is unbelievably offensive. EVERY public school/public charter school, INCLUDING BASIS, must a) expect to have students with disabilities enroll b) plan for those students c) serve those students. How dare you think that a charter school can have a mission that says "we're for high performers only"??? This is what gives charters (unfairly) a bad name. BASIS must serve all kids who lottery in. Their model must fit the students, rather than students having to fit their model. Yu Ying, Stokes, LAMB, etc could all do what you're suggesting BASIS does, BUT THEY DON'T. They make immersion work for all kids by expanding/altering their models to meet the needs of the students who walk through their doors. If you think anything otherwise, then you should go to a private school or turn BASIS into a private school. But as long as BASIS accepts public funding, it must comply with federal and state law (or risk investigation by both which is apparently what is happening now).

[Anonymous]

blah blah blah.

What are you going to do when your kid is college-aged and the mandatory accommodations taper off and evaporate? Demand that the SAT become a take-home test and MIT craft an all-new track to be inclusive?

Not every education is appropriate for every student. My children, for example, will not be applying to either Roots or St. Coletta. Maybe certain other kids ought to self-select away from a program that demands 25 AP courses. Just a thought.