any middle-class parents here send kids to schools focused on helping poor kids like KIPP, DC Prep?

[Anonymous]

I looked into KIPP for my rising 6th grader. Was totally turned off by the conversation I had with the person on the phone. The woman told me that there were no sixth grade slots but she would be happy to enroll him in 5th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the law firm I work in one of the secretaries in our office switched her kids in 3rd and 4th grade. She lives off Benning road. At that point her kids were quite behind. One has graduated from Banneker and the other is a junior. Her oldest daughter is off to college doing a pre-med program and on the honor role. I would consider her moving between working to middle class. If we had not lucked out in our OOB application, I was going to meet with Kipp to see if I could get into the one on Rhode Island. I could see some issues, but the school we were in was becoming a disaster for my kids.

Sorry, but secretary at law firm not the middle class the OP was talking about. The answer is a resounding HELL NO!

Actually a secretary is the middle class, you just don't have a real sense of the majority of people out there because rich people in DC live in such a crazy bubble.

Really!!! A secretary that sends her children to KIPP is definitely not in the middle class, even the OP notes she is an inbetweeny. Maybe she has a partner, but it was not mentioned, so one secretary salary in DC - I don't think so.

[Anonymous]

Our friends sent their kid to KIPP. She ended up at Exeter. It really prepared her.

[Anonymous]

I know a lawyer who has a kid at KIPP and likes it. Early grade though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the law firm I work in one of the secretaries in our office switched her kids in 3rd and 4th grade. She lives off Benning road. At that point her kids were quite behind. One has graduated from Banneker and the other is a junior. Her oldest daughter is off to college doing a pre-med program and on the honor role. I would consider her moving between working to middle class. If we had not lucked out in our OOB application, I was going to meet with Kipp to see if I could get into the one on Rhode Island. I could see some issues, but the school we were in was becoming a disaster for my kids.

Sorry, but secretary at law firm not the middle class the OP was talking about. The answer is a resounding HELL NO!

Actually a secretary is the middle class, you just don't have a real sense of the majority of people out there because rich people in DC live in such a crazy bubble.

Really!!! A secretary that sends her children to KIPP is definitely not in the middle class, even the OP notes she is an inbetweeny. Maybe she has a partner, but it was not mentioned, so one secretary salary in DC - I don't think so.

Wow, you are really out of touch. A secretary in a law firm can easily make $80,000. If that's not middle class, what is???

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. I have friends who teach at two different DC KIPP school, KIPP in Baltimore and DC Prep.

If you are comfortable with your child spending a SIGNIFICANT amount of time being drilled on how to sit up properly and pay attention in class, test prep to death, be yelled at regularly (I used to work in a DCPS school that shared space with a KIPP school and overheard a lot of yelling), then by all means, try it. Otherwise, stay away. You are not their target demographic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the law firm I work in one of the secretaries in our office switched her kids in 3rd and 4th grade. She lives off Benning road. At that point her kids were quite behind. One has graduated from Banneker and the other is a junior. Her oldest daughter is off to college doing a pre-med program and on the honor role. I would consider her moving between working to middle class. If we had not lucked out in our OOB application, I was going to meet with Kipp to see if I could get into the one on Rhode Island. I could see some issues, but the school we were in was becoming a disaster for my kids.

Sorry, but secretary at law firm not the middle class the OP was talking about. The answer is a resounding HELL NO!

Actually a secretary is the middle class, you just don't have a real sense of the majority of people out there because rich people in DC live in such a crazy bubble.

Really!!! A secretary that sends her children to KIPP is definitely not in the middle class, even the OP notes she is an inbetweeny. Maybe she has a partner, but it was not mentioned, so one secretary salary in DC - I don't think so.

Wow, you are really out of touch. A secretary in a law firm can easily make $80,000. If that's not middle class, what is???

Single parent has at least 2 kids, and that's middle class. Hmmmm

[Anonymous]

you are really saying that $80,000 with two kids in dc is poverty line?

you really have no clue. sad.

[Anonymous]

Well I am the poster that wrote about that person, she is married solid family. Your jump to the idea that she is single is part of the problem of so many of these assumptions. We have all sorted into these classes and frame everyone else by the perceived limitations of the others. For example your response about a secretary not being that type of middle class falls under my list of stupid things rich people say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't think many middle class families are interested in having their kids get KIPPsterized or turned into little Stepford Students

Don't think this remark says anything at all about KIPP. It says a lot about you and your agenda though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well I am the poster that wrote about that person, she is married solid family. Your jump to the idea that she is single is part of the problem of so many of these assumptions. We have all sorted into these classes and frame everyone else by the perceived limitations of the others. For example your response about a secretary not being that type of middle class falls under my list of stupid things rich people say.

I didn't jump to saying she's single, you mentioned her income as working-to-middle class, you are the one that quoted her income, if she is married then is her income as you quoted or more? If it is more due to the income of her significant other or spouse why didn't you say so? You also are the one that brought it up. If you think KIPP is a great school for middle class families and trying to convince us with the comments that other posters have pointed out are inaccurate, go right ahead. Don't get mad with me I don't even make as much as the secretary but I'm still not sending my children to KIPP.

[Anonymous]

Free public education and the talk is about if a child of middle class means is worthy to be with poor students. Then a discussion about a secretary at a law firm is happy with her children's outcome at KIPP, are y'all freaking serious? This statement about "target audience" is the only thing that I agree with in this reply. Merely because I see that DCPS has continually ignored the target audience and continually improving. A target is no damn good if the aim is off.

[Anonymous]

Schools popular with the DCUM crowd like IT and MV are actively recruiting low SES families not just KIPP. Their new locations should help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they focus on critical thinking skills at these schools. That's something that middle class parents value. So, you may not be happy there. Just be sure to ask lots of questions.

OP here. DC Prep's qualitative eval based on classroom observations included that teachers were asking good questions to promote critical thinking--not just teaching what the right answer is.

+1 don't listen to what some random DCUM who knows nothing about the school has to say, this is exactly why the DCPCSB does the qualitative reviews of the schools, so you can get a feel for them.

Hi. Actual DC Prep teacher here. Our curriculum, particularly in lower grades, does not focus that much on critical thinking skills. Also, we are heavily prepped by our administration on how we're supposed to conduct ourselves during the qualitative review. We focus on it for several weeks leading up to the review to make sure that we can get the best "score" possible (We also prepare our kids). This isn't to say that the general day to day teaching is drastically different, but during the review, there were certain classrooms that did not receive any visits from observers, and all of those particular classrooms had the students with challenging behaviors funneled into those rooms so that the observed classrooms would function better. I suppose my advice is to not let one specific document determine your perception of a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think they focus on critical thinking skills at these schools. That's something that middle class parents value. So, you may not be happy there. Just be sure to ask lots of questions.

OP here. DC Prep's qualitative eval based on classroom observations included that teachers were asking good questions to promote critical thinking--not just teaching what the right answer is.

+1 don't listen to what some random DCUM who knows nothing about the school has to say, this is exactly why the DCPCSB does the qualitative reviews of the schools, so you can get a feel for them.

Hi. Actual DC Prep teacher here. Our curriculum, particularly in lower grades, does not focus that much on critical thinking skills. Also, we are heavily prepped by our administration on how we're supposed to conduct ourselves during the qualitative review. We focus on it for several weeks leading up to the review to make sure that we can get the best "score" possible (We also prepare our kids). This isn't to say that the general day to day teaching is drastically different, but during the review, there were certain classrooms that did not receive any visits from observers, and all of those particular classrooms had the students with challenging behaviors funneled into those rooms so that the observed classrooms would function better. I suppose my advice is to not let one specific document determine your perception of a school.

Wow. Thanks. So the school knew ahead of time which classrooms were going to be observed and which weren't? I guess that casts some doubt on all other schools' positive qualitiative reviews.

Hope you're enjoying your spring break!