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DC Public and Public Charter Schools
Coveted DC Public Charter School - Not so excited
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Anonymous
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Hey OP: I'm unclear--is your DC in a charter school offering immersion in Spanish? If so, than really, the issue of having a teacher not fluent in English isn't that big of a deal. As for the extras, I don't think its a secret that DC private schools will offer a far cushier experience than even the best DCPS or DC public charters--that's why parents shell out big bucks. If you expect the charters to compete on the extras, they can't.
I wouldn't switch schools until you see how your child does--take the cues from your kid. Is he or she happy at school? Is the administration responsive to your concerns? Is the teaching great? |
Anonymous
I am poster 14:46, and I appreciate this post. I WANTED a more diverse experience for my child, culturally, racially, as well as socio-economically and I REALLY tried to "get into" my DCPS. Couldn't do it. STILL was not worth it, but I appreciate other people placing those experiences above others! |
Anonymous
Unfortunately there's no guarantee. My DC was at a coveted NW private preschool but never really "understood" by lead teacher. I dont' mean his gifts. He's a pretty typical 3 year old. Class was small, but too chaotic and it made him anxious and cranky. Other classes didn't seem like that at all. Head of school said it was luck of the draw of having lots of rambunctious kids in one class. (Okaaaaaaay.....uh - isn't this a preschool?) Kids in the other classes didn't seem too docile. It mainly came down to luck of the draw on the teacher. I think that's why other parents seemed pretty complacent. We switched to a small NW private preschool with no "buzz" but some extras and it's night and day. Yup it's a lively group of kids with same small class size and teacher ratio. My DC is still pretty typical preschooler 6 months later but a lot happier. I'm not convinced private[i] in general[i] is worth the money at preschool level. Good luck OP. |
Anonymous
| IF OP is talking about LAMB, the teachers really do get to know your child very well, that is definitely one of their strengths. In fact, the principal and staff will all know your child -- it's a small, close knit school and a nurturing environment for the little ones. That said, I understand your concerns about their ability to successfully teach English in the upper grades (elementary on). Also -- keep in mind, their model is immersion, and that means they spend 80% of the time in the primary years (ages 3-5) on Spanish. For what it's worth, the parent community is excellent; committed, engaged, diverse, interesting, caring. |
Anonymous
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I just wonder if what I am feeling will be greatly different in private school?
It depends. Is this a bilingual pre-K? If so, the tradeoff is exposure to Spanish. 21 is not such a large class. Many privates have classes this size. Private schools are not utopias. They have good teachers and bad. Some teachers "get" your child, some do not. If you are wealthy, go for private. But you might want to give the school a few more years. As someone noted, pre-K is not really part of the curriculum. Why not look ahead at K and 1st Grade and see what the students are like? |
Anonymous
I think that 21 for a PreK program is large. The ones I am exploring in DC have class sizes in the teens. 21 students is on par for many of the DC Publics for the lower grades. |
Anonymous
| It is pre-k not pre-med. It is more important for your child to be playing, learning how to interact with others and how to follow directions vs. gracing the class with his "gifts." |
Anonymous
| isnt it interesting the posters who are negative about a parent referring to their child's "gifts"? All children have gifts. Why cant a parent say that? |
Anonymous
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I see this decision (private vs public) as largely a financial issue, obviously.
I think that public school teachers as a group are wonderful, hardworking, well-trained professionals that do their very best for as many of their students as they can given the environment, resources, and administrative support they are given to work in. I really have nothing bad to say about public schools or the professionals that work there. BUT ... I also think that private schools offer many, many advantages to any child whether "gifted" or not. These advantages include smaller class size, less school administrative interference rather than support, no NCLB, beautiful and well-maintained facilities, richer curriculum including arts, languages, science, social studies, PE, more recess time, and on and on. Some privates even offer superior diversity including socioeconomic diversity. One can end up with a less stellar teacher at a private every so often (luck of the draw, as a pp says), but over the course of a child's educational years, I feel it is safe to say that private is better. I sincerely wish that every single child could have such advantages and it is just one of those sad realities that it is not possible for all children to have a private education. Given MY belief that private is better, our family scrimps and pays for private because we can. It seems a simple decision to me, but I certainly respect others decisions for their own children. |
Anonymous
Because they dislike themselves. They will give you some blah blah about not wanting their child to consider himself the center of the universe or some such nonsense, but the truth is that they doubt their ability to raise happy, successful, well-adjusted kids. Lower the bar and you won't be disappointed. Either that or they really just don't care. |
Anonymous
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I'm sure I'll get jumped all over for this comment, but I truly believe that you get what you pay for...
By no means am I excited about the tuition I just shelled out for private school, as I doubt any parent is, but if you want quality on all levels, it makes it worth it. I went to every open house for the so-called coveted public & charter schools in DC, followed by the private schools. The best that DCPS or charter had to offer, didn't come close in comparison. |
Anonymous
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This is interesting because I was recently in the PP's situation...sort of. My DD was enrolled in PG County PS's pre-k program. Class size of 22 and 1 teacher and one assistant, very crowed class space, a teacher that did not respond to three emails I sent volunteering my time to help with setting up her classroom, and providing materials (at my own expense). Principal that never accepted my calls. Classroom was right next to an unsecured back door that led to the parking lot and the trailers (yikes!) in the back of the school. Teacher stated a goal of teaching the children to count to 10 before the end of the year. TEN!?! DD counts to 100.
I envisioned so many bad things happening. She only lasted two weeks before I yanked her out and sacrified ENORMOUSLY to reenroll her in the childcare center where she had been (and where infant DS is). I am so happy. Now she is still receiving Spanish immersion once a week, focuses on handwriting, reading sight words, and Jump Bunch (a wonderful recess program). For kindergarten, we are definitely applying to private schools. It is disheartening because DH and I are both pretty good products of PS. But I have to give me children the best opportunity to excel. So, I would say, follow your gut. If you're not happy after you've given it a fair chance, look for other options. |
Anonymous
I would totally disagree with that statement. But then, we know children at our school who left private schools to attend. |
Anonymous
| PP, the reasons for moving from private to public could be special needs, financial concerns, or a myriad of other issues that have nothing to do with objective educational quality. Having done both, I second that even the best public elementary school experiences (which are, frankly, by-and-large found in very wealthy enclaves with low socio-economic diversity) do not objectively measure up to the best private options. This is a shame, but true. |
Anonymous
I love how you highlight preferring a different experience. Folks don't always get that. I attended a somewhat mediocre intergrated public school. I wish that there had been more rigorous instruction in some areas, etc, but I would never trade away the social experience and how profoundly it shaped my life. Alas, I ended up settling in college: attended a demanding liberal arts college, but fairly homogeneous. It was a radical, and sad, departure from my great childhood. |