Is your LO at Key?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

Thanks, this is helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We put three kids through Key, oldest is in high school now. As hard as it is to believe now, when we started Key was under-enrolled. The #1 issue for the PTA was getting enrollment up, because the school was under-resourced and in periodic danger of being closed. The PTA had to raise money for a lot of basics. It only took few years for the situation to reverse, now crowding is the issue.

Throughout our time at Key middle school has been the issue, Hardy is a few years away as it has been for the past decade! The difference was 10+ years ago it was easy to get into Deal, now it's basically impossible. So just about everyone either goes private, goes charter, or moves for middle school. The most popular privates and charters have admission years for fifth grade or lower, sixth grade admissions are rare, so there is a steady erosion in students in third grade and beyond.

Which is sad, because Key is a lovely community. Because it is a neighborhood school you will see the families from school all the time. My kids are still friends with their Key friends even though they don't go to school together any more.

Thanks -- if the same great teachers have been there the whole time, why has the reputation just changed in recent years? What made it more desirable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

[Anonymous]

to two of the q's above... The enrollment increase is following trends across the city (esp in NW/WOTP schools), there are more families with kids in the Palisades, and the reputation of the school has become very solidified as a fantastic place (and as the school has grown and families have invested in the school it is a self-rising-spiral effect), attracting more families that might have otherwise gone to private or moved for elementary (to also answer 11:54).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

Why pay for apples when apples are there for the picking? We are a Key family and thus far have seen no reason to spend college tuition on a product equivalent to what the school is giving us for the price of our already-paid tax dollars. Our children's experience has ranged from "similar to" to "a significant improvement over" my own early childhood private school experience.

Hardy may be a different calculus. For that, we may be willing to pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

The same is true of Janney. A very typical HHI is $300-450K and I know many families (dozens) with incomes >$500K. Several over a million.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Why do you feel the need to bash Janney parents unprompted, and then in this Trumpian way of casting them as too poor to afford private? The nice thing about AU Park is that it is pretty free of this sort of snobbery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

The same is true of Janney. A very typical HHI is $300-450K and I know many families (dozens) with incomes >$500K. Several over a million.

Just a perfect Janney response. Never change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

The same is true of Janney. A very typical HHI is $300-450K and I know many families (dozens) with incomes >$500K. Several over a million.

Just a perfect Janney response. Never change.

NP (and no Janney parent). Isn't his exactly the response you wanted to elicit with your nasty, trolling dig? Just bask in your success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We put three kids through Key, oldest is in high school now. As hard as it is to believe now, when we started Key was under-enrolled. The #1 issue for the PTA was getting enrollment up, because the school was under-resourced and in periodic danger of being closed. The PTA had to raise money for a lot of basics. It only took few years for the situation to reverse, now crowding is the issue.

Throughout our time at Key middle school has been the issue, Hardy is a few years away as it has been for the past decade! The difference was 10+ years ago it was easy to get into Deal, now it's basically impossible. So just about everyone either goes private, goes charter, or moves for middle school. The most popular privates and charters have admission years for fifth grade or lower, sixth grade admissions are rare, so there is a steady erosion in students in third grade and beyond.

Which is sad, because Key is a lovely community. Because it is a neighborhood school you will see the families from school all the time. My kids are still friends with their Key friends even though they don't go to school together any more.

Thanks -- if the same great teachers have been there the whole time, why has the reputation just changed in recent years? What made it more desirable?

The school is the same, the neighborhood has changed. Just a lot more families with kids.

[Anonymous]

So what exactly should Principal Pride at Hardy be doing differently in order to attract parents at Key to send them to Hardy?

As has been said for years, if most of the 4th grade at Key went on to Hardy, it would drive the average test scores up immediately. The same can be said of the other feeder schools to Hardy. Would advanced classes help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what exactly should Principal Pride at Hardy be doing differently in order to attract parents at Key to send them to Hardy?

As has been said for years, if most of the 4th grade at Key went on to Hardy, it would drive the average test scores up immediately. The same can be said of the other feeder schools to Hardy. Would advanced classes help?

They have honors classes and advanced math but parents report they are very crowded. Hardy, like all DCPS middle schools, will be getting additional funding for STEM activities and clubs (assuming hte Council funds it.

It is just a very slow process. For 2016-17 Hardy offered fewer round 1 seats for OOB students (25-6th /10-7th /10-8th) in the lottery but for 17-18 it has offered 25/30/30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what exactly should Principal Pride at Hardy be doing differently in order to attract parents at Key to send them to Hardy?

As has been said for years, if most of the 4th grade at Key went on to Hardy, it would drive the average test scores up immediately. The same can be said of the other feeder schools to Hardy. Would advanced classes help?

They have honors classes and advanced math but parents report they are very crowded. Hardy, like all DCPS middle schools, will be getting additional funding for STEM activities and clubs (assuming hte Council funds it.

It is just a very slow process. For 2016-17 Hardy offered fewer round 1 seats for OOB students (25-6th /10-7th /10-8th) in the lottery but for 17-18 it has offered 25/30/30.

Stoddert and Mann have been bigger adopters of Hardy so far. Not this fall, but next fall (this year's 4th grade cohort), when the Eaton feeds to Hardy, it is expected to be a game changer. With grade sizes of 70 kids, even if half go to Hardy, that will be around 1/3 of the class size, if all went, it would be 1/2 the current class size. And Eaton has strong PARCC scores, 14% FARMS. Will likely force the addition of more advanced classes (ie. more sections with lower class sizes of advanced offerings) and some other adaptations faster quickly. Right now, there's been a chicken & egg situation - where some of the adaptations can be asked of the Principal, but some of the flexibility is based on performance - the coming shift could contribute to the push of Hardy a higher DCPS performance category where the school gets more ability to make adaptations and changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Why do you feel the need to bash Janney parents unprompted, and then in this Trumpian way of casting them as too poor to afford private? The nice thing about AU Park is that it is pretty free of this sort of snobbery.

Obviously it is not. Somebody posted a brag thread about Janney raising over $1M at the PTA auction. (No, obviously I didn't read it, but it was apparently 14 pages long - so you can if you like).

It's beyond tacky. And OF COURSE it's a Janney thread. No other school (even those that raise more money) are so desperate to talk about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Why do you feel the need to bash Janney parents unprompted, and then in this Trumpian way of casting them as too poor to afford private? The nice thing about AU Park is that it is pretty free of this sort of snobbery.

Obviously it is not. Somebody posted a brag thread about Janney raising over $1M at the PTA auction. (No, obviously I didn't read it, but it was apparently 14 pages long - so you can if you like).

It's beyond tacky. And OF COURSE it's a Janney thread. No other school (even those that raise more money) are so desperate to talk about it.

That wasn't a brag thread, it was a thread that was clearly posted by someone who just wanted to stir sh*t about Janney, which was obvious after the first page.

And this thread here isn't about Janney, it's about Key. Not sure why you would think otherwise. Are you this desperate for opportunities to bash Janney?