Transplant or Washingtonian?
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Anonymous
| Transplant. We bought here specifically because we liked the school options better than where we lived in NoVA. We are very happy with our DCPS elementary and cautiously optimistic about the middle school though we have a few more years before our first gets there. |
Anonymous
Oh my! I have heard good things about Burroughs and folks seem to like Langdon as well. I have also heard from families that are very pleased with Lee, Shining Stars, Creative Minds International, and Inspired Teaching School. What specific concerns do you have with these schools? |
Anonymous
Also, we are not looking into language schools at this time, but I have chatted with happy parents and staff at the Latin American Montessori Bilingual School and Elsie Whitlow Stokes Elementary. |
Anonymous
| Yeah, we are a couple of native Washingtonians in Ward 5 and we have no doubt that either we will be in charters, move, or go private. It's funny because I was born here and lived here until I was seven and then moved back soon after college, but my partner has lived here all of her life and she won't even consider a Deal feeder. Whereas I definitely would. So I guess we prove the OPs point. |
Anonymous
| Native. Attended private from K-12 and have children in charter. Live in Deal/Wilson feeder. Will do private for HS. |
Anonymous
YMBNH. When someone refers to schools in a ward, they mean by-right attendance DCPS, not the charters that happen to be nearby and accept 2 percent of non-sibling lottery applicants. |
Anonymous
| 39 y.o. Native Washingtonian that went private 7th-12th. Currently have three kids enrolled in a wars 5 charter that we all love. Hoping they expand to middle and then high school. |
Anonymous
| Native. Went to private school and now have kid in a charter school. Zoned for a JKLM and also would send kid there. Had friends in high school who had gone to Lafayette and did just fine (and I think JKLMs are better than they used to be).. I have more trouble imagining sending my kid to Wilson, though, based upon the horror stories that I heard about it throughout high school. |
Anonymous
| PP's reaction shows that you'll also have to ask what generation of transplant. I'd call myself a transplant (arr. 2000) but for sure did not find the DC then that we have now, including or even most notably the schools. Ward 5 schools are infinitely better now than our Ward 6 schools were then. Yet, our DCPS raised kids are doing exceptionally well. If schools matter, then just imagine how yours will fare! Though you can see the signs, it will take years for DC's school reputation (DCPS and DCPCS) to equate that of those around us, which frankly sustain themselves very much on a reputation that's proving sticky to evolve and reflect the new realities. |
Anonymous
| 4th generation Washingtonian. Parents and grandparents were teachers and administrators with DCPS. Last count...we have had over 80 family members attend schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. During the past 58 years we had over 20 family members employed with DCPS. There's a jewel in all the schools...it might be an oxymoron but there's success stories within our failing schools. Luckily our family have not felt the impact of a failing school. Highly recommend DCPS to anyone who will listen with the utmost in confidence. |
Anonymous
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Transplant who went to only private schools, married to a Native who himself attended DCPS elementary and then a "Big 3".
3 Kids in DCPS! |
Anonymous
| Moved to DMV area 20 years ago - and Capitol Hill 13 years ago. I have 2 kids in DCPS and one in a middle school charter. We have been fortunate to have good instincts about schools and good lottery luck. |
Anonymous
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Transplant who has been living here for 27 years.
In a charter, fought to get (and now keep) charters as part of the educational system here in DC. Live in Ward 6, have lived in Wards 1, 3, and 5. |
Anonymous
| Transplant who has lived in the city for 10 years. Have a kindergartner in our neighborhood school in Ward 1. I have very few delusions about the history of DCPS and its current problems. However, I think that even within shitty school systems, great educational experiences are possible. My child has had 3 really solid homeroom teachers and an amazing series of specials teachers and support staff. She has solid relationships with her peers - the ones whose background is similar to hers as well as the ones whose background is nothing like hers. I have some concerns about her long term future in this neighborhood because I'm not comfortable sending her to Cardozo, but she is 6, and we can move pretty much anywhere we need to when it comes time. |
Anonymous
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Recent transplant, with one year in dcps and one year in a charter. I don't actually know anyone in either school system who is "happy" with their choice. I think we are the closest. It is not ideal, it is not as good as what we had in another city, but it's working and our child is happy and that trumps everything. The thing I have found most damning in this place is that reputation seems to count for more than experience. And that although everyone is jockeying for the best situation for their child? It is some kind of Objectivist nightmare, where the poor single mom from anacostia jockeying for the best ends up being accused of residency fraud by the earnest young thing who works for a non profit, and finds her child "disruptive." It is not even anyone's fault, but there is an utter breakdown of communication between people, between classes, between lives.
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