DC Bilingual VS Inspired Teaching?
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Anonymous
Not going to Macfarland this year. They will finish LAMB then go to Macfarland. We also have friends that left LAMB for ITS last year as they got a lottery spot and isn't want to do DCI. On the same token we know of a family that is leaving ITS middle for DCI. I'm sure there are dozens of these examples. OP, my advise is choose what feels right for you now as things change. Basis, DCI, even ITS or MV weren't wven here 5-6 years ago. |
Anonymous
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Well they won't get Spanish immersion at MacFarland but that may be down for them. DCPS has said they do not intend to allow students to test into the McFarland dual language program.
Hopefully that changes - before DCI quite a few LAMB kids lotteried and tested into Adams for middle school successfully. |
Anonymous
| You say your child would be "different" at DCB, which may be true (everyone I know there happens to be white middle class, but I only know four families there, small sample size). Anyway, he certainly won't be an "only." |
Anonymous
Nobody said they wanted Spanish immersion for middle. They are opting for non Spanish for middle. |
Anonymous
| My child is at DCB and we love it. Although I'm still in "wait and see" mode for DCI, I'm really excited about the potential community of parents I know from all the feeders. They all seem pretty dedicated to the idea. I haven't heard anyone talk MacFarland as an option. As for the choice, we see the diversity at DCB as a plus for now. But ItS gets great reviews from parents and honestly I think it is pedagogic ally more progressive. |
Anonymous
| No question we would choose Inspired, but it's our #1 choice. |
Anonymous
| I can't think about high schools yet, but I do know that I want a small, non-traditional middle school for my kids (I went to a large middle school and learned nothing - too much social pressure and teasing). So if I was thinking ahead, I'd choose IT rather than DCB. But that is preference. And the tech stuff for middle schoolers at DCI is bad news. I say this as someone whose colleagues kids at traditional public middle schools in virginia. Lots of cyber shaming and pressure to keep up social-wise with your online activity. DCI may be fine for high school, but I'm not going to risk those vulnerable middle-school years for a highschool. |
Anonymous
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I am the OP of this thread. I wanted to let people who provided feedback and ideas know how our story resolved, with the caveat that we made the decision that was best for our family and other families have different kids with different needs/locations/etc. Also, other OPs of threads asking for feedback rarely report back on decisions made, and I'd like to make a plea that they do so. Those of us who reply to these threads put in time trying to help you make a decision. We'd like to know how it turned out!
First of all, our son wasn't quite accepted to Inspired Teaching when I started this thread, but I could tell that he would be soon based on wait list movement. He ended up being accepted a week or so into the school year, so we've had the opportunity to try out both schools. I'll give pros and cons for each school as I saw it and unexpected takeaways in the hopes that other parents making a decision about the schools in question will have more information. The hardest part about choosing a school for our family is that we are making very quick decisions after we are offered a space and we have limited information. Even though we had toured both schools and done our homework, it is hard to know what the school will be like. Ultimately, we chose Inspired Teaching and so far are very happy with our choice as is our son. Our son was having a very hard time adjusting to DC Bilingual with tantrums before and after school which are not typical for him at this age. It became clear that he was miserable and even so the choice was hard because DC Bililngual really is a good school and we had wanted him to learn Spanish. DC Bilingual Pros: Dedicated Staff who are doing a great job of educating an often underserved community Excellent specials (dance, music, full library, community garden) Beautiful facilities that will only get better with renovations which are likely to happen in the next couple of years (light filled classrooms, adjacent playground, cafeteria separate from auditorium, library) Location - just off the metro so it's easy to get kid to school on the way to work. Cons for our family: Very long school day (8 to 4:00) Rigid discipline approach (just a general feeling that trying to keep kids "in line" for that long is hard for the kids). Boys don't do nearly as well on PARCC as girls We prefer a progressive educational approach. While DC Bilingual has a very effective, research based approach, it just didn't work as well for our son/mesh with our values as well. Location - turning to the school off of Riggs Road is very challenging. The traffic there is confusing, with lots of pedestrian traffic. It's farther from the metro than you would think by looking at a map, walking along Riggs is stressful. All around the location didn't work nearly as well for our family as we thought. Another family might really prefer a longer day, a structured approach, and a more "locked down" atmosphere. Inspired Teaching - Pros: Shorter day - 8:40 to 3:15 Very well organized drop-off line and pick up procedures Empathetic and caring staff Emphasis on emotional intelligence in curriculum and daily interactions Progressive approach to education Lots of same sex parent led families Cons: Some Spanish instruction, but not a lot. We don't know enough right now to say what the major cons of Inspired Teaching are. Give us a year and I'm sure I will, as all schools have negatives. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for updating us OP. What grade are you in? What is the drive time for you now that you're doing it? |
Anonymous
I will add that the area around DCI and Bridges has become a nightmare. There are no less than 6 crossing guards and it is a zoo. I imagine the drop off alone would take 15-20 minutes for someone driving. |
Anonymous
It's so bad that it is fucking up the commutes trying to get to the other side of the Green Line (both heading east and heading west) from the other access points as well. I'm hoping that things settle down as people figure out their routines and shortcuts. |
Anonymous
I honesty can't imagine a worse intersection in the entire city. It's messing up North Capitol, South Dakota, Riggs, Missouri, Kennedy. It was even bad when I went through it at 9:30am. |
Anonymous
ok that is crazy. DCI middle might be unproven but McFarland is going to be crappy based on the crappy feeders. |
Anonymous
At 9:30, the problem wouldn't have been either school -- DCB starts its day at 8, and Bridges opens its doors to kids at 8:20. By 9:30, anyone still arriving for either school would be very late. I think it's just a bad intersection, regardless of the schools being there. |
Anonymous
| I'd go with ITS because DCI is a no go for our family (do not want so much screen time in middle) and with ITS you get a middle school. HS is really far away. If you and yoru husband are both strong spanish speakers without being native or being in immersiona schools, your child will also likely inherit the ability to pick up a second language later in life.. |