Parent Essay critical of DCI

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No new news. It’s because it’s a school that has to serve all students like any DCPS or charter school in the city. And many are below grade level. Maybe not as much as the other middle schools in the city but still true.

If you don’t have tracking or very small class sizes like the private’s, the higher performing kids will not be fully challenged. Yes, more challenged than if they went to a DCPS middle EOTP but not fully challenged. Parents will have to supplement just like parents at DEAL supplement.

Lastly, kids in the article seem to want to do the bare minimum. Don’t accept it. Supplement and give them more work. Also as a parent in DC you have to be more actively involved in your kids education to monitor, assess, and push. Expecting all that of the teachers is not going to work.

Other option like in the article is go private which some parents do and are willingly and can afford 40k a year. There you will get small class sizes and the teacher knows and can work more with individual students

DCI is not the idea school but for EOTP, it’s the best available for a middle and non test in high school. I promise it’s probably 10 times worst at other DCPS middle and high school. Just do go in with rose color glasses that it’s perfect.

Meant don’t

Your assessment that DC parents have to be pushing their kids because the schools won't, pretty much sums up why we are moving to the suburbs. Our kids haven't started school yet, but at least there are accelerated programs if my kids are ready for them.

Yes I agree, you have to in DC. Burbs have better tracking but we love it in the city and raising our son here so we will supplement and if not enough lucky to be able to afford to go private.

[Anonymous]

This is depressing. If I ever heard a good argument for tracking, this is it. I would’ve died in middle school without it. Middle school is the land of the severely unmotivated even among high achieving kids. Why make it worse by expecting so little? Sorry we can’t all be tiger moms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

[Anonymous]

Holy. The First Rule of Punk by Celia Pérez was on the summer reading list for my rising 4th grader in DCPS. Yikes.

[Anonymous]

It's about a 12 year old. It's listed BY THE PUBLISHER as being for Middle Grades (ages 9-12). What's your problem with this being one option for a summer reading list for incoming 6th graders? Get a grip.

[Anonymous]

I feel sorry for any parent who has to send their kids there. Move if you cant afford private.

[Anonymous]

Our family loves DCI, is grateful for the IB program and higher-level language programming, and most important, grateful for the richness of diversity in this community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel sorry for any parent who has to send their kids there. Move if you cant afford private.

I feel sorry for you that you’re so easily swayed by a poorly written article.

Also not all private schools are equal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had the same question about the reading list. My rising 6th grader asked why DCI was listing a book for summer reading that she had read at her charter elementary in 4th grade. We can't afford private and she didn't get in anywhere else so I guess we will have to supplement.

I suspect they don’t want to make it too hard. Just read over the summer. They don’t know any of the incoming kids so will likely sort them out as the year progresses - below grade level, at grade level, above, etc... I would imagine.

She was referring to lists for rising 7th and 8th graders. The 'incoming kids' excuse doesn't apply. And since 95% comes from feeders, DCI asks for and gets information from the elementary schools about levels.

I've heard versions of this from 6 other families at DCI. Their kids are happy, socially, but not working that hard (rising 8th/9th and 10th grade). The students are still there because their inbound schools are worse and they can't afford private.

I think it will probably get better over time. But it doesn't help current students there now.

You also have to consider that these kids are coming from Mundo Verde, one of the weakest links, if not the weakest link.

[Anonymous]

I don’t like to shame working moms, but this woman seems asleep on her feet. If my kid mouthed off to me the way her kids did there would be consequences.

For instance “Still, I asked both boys if they saw anything on it they might want to read. Our older son not only said no, he said he wasn’t going to do the assignment because “all those books are basic.””

My response would have been well in that case I will expect you to read all of them, and we will discuss the first one by x date.

Instead she lazily throws up her hands and wonders why the schools doesn’t come to her house to force her kids to read.

Really?

[Anonymous]

No mention of what the dad is doing to motivate the kids to learn either.

How is it DCI’s fault that her children are rude and have zero motivation?

[Anonymous]

Also:

“Why are kids entering seventh or either grade being given a list of books for fifth-graders? We have to start asking these questions of teachers and administrators.”

I would not have waited until the end of the summer to ask teachers why the books were so easy. I would have emailed them the following day and asked them for a list for my specific children. By the weeks end I’d be texting with four other parents who were equally concerned and sending an email to the principal.

But this lady chooses to do nothing and it is DCI’s fault somehow? I’m confused.

[Anonymous]

In theory, you'd promptly push back, but in practice, tangling with a school constantly is exhausting and often pointless. '

I sympathize with the mom and think she makes valid points in her article. In fact, I thought that the article was brave, given that it's really easy to figure out that she's writing about experiences with a DCI education.

There's far too much whitewashing of glaring rigor issues in our public middle schools, other than at BASIS, with it hopeless facilities (no real gym, stage, outdoor space or even a school library).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In theory, you'd promptly push back, but in practice, tangling with a school constantly is exhausting and often pointless. '

I sympathize with the mom and think she makes valid points in her article. In fact, I thought that the article was brave, given that it's really easy to figure out that she's writing about experiences with a DCI education.

There's far too much whitewashing of glaring rigor issues in our public middle schools, other than at BASIS, with it hopeless facilities (no real gym, stage, outdoor space or even a school library).

DCI is printed right at the end of the article. I appreciated her willingness to publicly call out the school. Far too often parents are afraid of doing so.