Deal parent finding DCPS curriculum so uninspiring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - what would you add or subtract to the curriculum?

--engaging with more complex texts
--readings that reflect diverse points of view
--projects and assessments that require students to synthesize concepts, think critically about ideas presented, and argue both sides of a question
--deeper discussions in social studies. Currently a mile wide and an inch deep.
--science has a great deal of memorization and canned "experiments" with limited tie in to application.
--change writing assignments to focus more on persuasion and structure (write a thesis and support it with three pieces of evidence) rather than an info quota (write five sentences about Asia).
--laughable language curriculum. Most days my child's French homework = drawing a picture.

Please note it's not that I want it to be more rigorous so my special snowflake gets into Yale. It's just that they're teaching kids to perform tasks but not to think. I'm grateful she happily goes off to school every morning. I think if I had a high - energy kid they'd be bored AF. I know I am just doing the mom component of her middle school education.

Aren't these things that Common Core is supposed to help improve? Our child (in DCPS for kindergarten) is already working on some of these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is reading Hunger Games in Geography (or read part of it for one lesson). I thought it was cool. He came home bubbling with info on command economies v free markets v traditional economies. I agree with the PP that said it doesn't sound like they are at the same school. My kid loves Deal and is inspired and engaged so far. It's not perfect but seems impressive to me on several different levels.

I know several fourth graders who are reading or have read Hunger Games. Not for Geography though, strictly for personal reading.

[Anonymous]

If you think the curriculum at Deal is uninspired/uninspiring, wait till Wilson! Worksheet after worksheet. I feel like my child is in 3rd grade, not 9th. (And before anyone asks, yes, he's in the top classes you can be in for 9th grade.) I keep hearing that 10th grade is better as long as your child stuffs his/her schedule with AP classes, but there is just no excuse for the Wilson freshman year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is reading Hunger Games in Geography (or read part of it for one lesson). I thought it was cool. He came home bubbling with info on command economies v free markets v traditional economies. I agree with the PP that said it doesn't sound like they are at the same school. My kid loves Deal and is inspired and engaged so far. It's not perfect but seems impressive to me on several different levels.

Yes, they read one chapter one day. It was used as a fictional model for the unit on economic systems and urbanization (probably to get the kids interested by using a fiction they are familiar with and loved). Obviously, it was not the only source used in the unit, lol.

[Anonymous]

join Kaya's parent cabinet and give your feedback straight to her. See if it helps.

Anonymous wrote:Daughter is in 6th grade at Deal. Teachers are smart and accessible; principal is an exceptionally competent leader. Facilities are lovely. Kids are nice and it's big enough for any kid to find her "tribe."

However, I'm just hating the curriculum. It's dull and formulaic. The assessments are barely better than rote.

I teach at the college level so I know firsthand how uninspired today's public school graduates are. They can explain what they read but not engage creatively with important ideas.

Deal gives me a window on how bright and creative little kids turn into the what I'm seeing.

She seems happy. She gets good grades. We have interesting and worthwhile conversations at home. At this rate her raw skills will be comparable to my students' by the time she leaves for college.

I just can't shake the feeling that this is a sad way to spend childhood.

Are there free public alternatives that aren't so tedious and unimaginative?

[Anonymous]

I think this thread is interesting since the IB MYP / curriculum has been cited by some parents in other parts of the city as an example of something that would keep them in the public schools (MacFarland, Capitol Hill).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this thread is interesting since the IB MYP / curriculum has been cited by some parents in other parts of the city as an example of something that would keep them in the public schools (MacFarland, Capitol Hill).

That's because they don't know anything about it, parents still don't realize that DCPS is still only just creating the curriculum and they don't really know about IB, just that the so called "good" kids go to Deal. Yes, standards and recommended texts is not a curriculum folks. Cornerstones, what is that? An activity or final product aligned with the common core standards, nothing earth shattering about that either. What is earth shattering is that DCPS is rolling this out as if it something amazing. Regardless, Deal is still a good school for those that are organized, like to do a lot of activities, and are not above or below grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this thread is interesting since the IB MYP / curriculum has been cited by some parents in other parts of the city as an example of something that would keep them in the public schools (MacFarland, Capitol Hill).

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Curriculum can't do much for a school without a cohort of both strong educators and students. You don't have that at MacFarland or in any of the by-right Capitol Hill middle schools, and aren't on track to getting it, even for tiny tots in the neighborhood. So when parents of little kids cite IB MYP as an example of something that would keep them on in DCPS schools, they aren't seeing the full picture for whatever reasons. They may be new to the neighborhood, don't know much about the politics of education or school feeders locally, don't have their heads around how poorly most low SES kids in DCPS schools perform relative to high SES kids, don't know that DCPS does not offer above grade-level classes in middle school etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this thread is interesting since the IB MYP / curriculum has been cited by some parents in other parts of the city as an example of something that would keep them in the public schools (MacFarland, Capitol Hill).

The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Curriculum can't do much for a school without a cohort of both strong educators and students. You don't have that at MacFarland or in any of the by-right Capitol Hill middle schools, and aren't on track to getting it, even for tiny tots in the neighborhood. So when parents of little kids cite IB MYP as an example of something that would keep them on in DCPS schools, they aren't seeing the full picture for whatever reasons. They may be new to the neighborhood, don't know much about the politics of education or school feeders locally, don't have their heads around how poorly most low SES kids in DCPS schools perform relative to high SES kids, don't know that DCPS does not offer above grade-level classes in middle school etc. etc.

One big reason that Capitol Hill parents asked for IB MYP at Jefferson/ Eliot Hine was to provide outside vigilance through the certification program that DCPS would provide a full array of subjects at that school, not just math and reading. If you look at curriculums back in 2010 you would see that very few middle schools besides deal even offered a full year of social studies, science and no language.

Asking the the school to implement IB MYP wasn't expected to be a full fix, but just an insurance policy that the bare minimum would even be offered and that an outside organization would be checking on teacher quality and range of offerings.

Deal parents have no idea how bad it gets outside their bubble

[Anonymous]

HOW you implement the IB MYP is a very different story. The implementation at DCI is drastically different (and better) than at Deal.

[Anonymous]

I agree that Deal could be so much more inspiring and rigorous. Just hearing the word "rubric" makes me want to tear my hair out. That said, it is a mixed bag. DD had some very fine teachers, including one creative science teacher who really sparked her interest. And she learned a lot more French than she realized. But she also had a few duds including another science teacher who just phoned it in. Her biggest complaint is about teachers who don't teach, who don't even seem that smart or well educated, who just waste time blathering on about unrelated crap, then tell the students to quit asking questions and just read the textbook. One big takeaway: if your kid complains about a teacher every single day, something is wrong and you need to take action.

[Anonymous]

Is the the thread where everyone pretend Deal is terrible so they can scare people away and cut down on the crowding?

[Anonymous]

Sounds a lot like Shepherd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the the thread where everyone pretend Deal is terrible so they can scare people away and cut down on the crowding?

No, just that no where is perfect for every child. The real deal, still means that overall it is best of what is available at DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Op, I hear you. I went to public school and then NY state public schools until i went to boarding school at Exeter in 10th grade. It blew my mind wide openand taught me how to really think. Public school for me was akways rote. We send our girls to dcps and this dismays me. But we cant afford private-- maybe for high school. We basically do as much as we can to engage their brains at home, which I know a lot of good parents in public school do. Encourage the level of reading and critical thinking you want to see at home. Expose your children to the amazing diversity in the dc area. Discuss politics, history, socioeconomics, science and philosophy froman early age. Most real learning happens outside of school.