Wilson HS engineering/math?

[Anonymous]

The engineering path at Wilson HS is a full set of rigorous Project Lead The Way courses. Separately, the robotics team is an after school activity that is very robust for those students who are interested. We stuck with Deal and Wilson for our budding engineer and have been satisfied so far.

[Anonymous]

There is also Banneker and McKinley Tech. I was impressed with McKinley Tech at High School night at Deal - but getting there is a deal breaker for our family.

We do have friends who went the Deal - Banneker route and are very happy.

But if you have a child who has the drive, Wilson has a strong math/engineering path. Is it the same as Bronx Science or TJ? No - but it is a solid option and your child will be well prepared for the college of their choice.

[Anonymous]

we have good friends whose engineering/robotics loving child is having a great experience at Wilson. Granted I'm not speaking first hand but i completely trust their judgement--the parents are discriminating education consumers and work in tech.

[Anonymous]

Wilson Engineering Program is ok, not great. Junior and senior level classes are pretty bad. Multiple kids including my own kid told me you have to self learn everything as the teacher does not really know the content. Robotics club is fine but very chaotic and disorganized. That doesn’t work well for some kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teaching concepts is much more important than the appearance of physical plant or equipment.

Don’t get sold by a robotics lab. Get sold by meeting the teachers.

+100, visit the schools. Check out the websites between DCPS vs MCPS. If a website isn’t updated with current information, that in itself is an indicator of many holes.

No, it isn't. The web sites are run by parents at most DC schools anyway.

You just proved my point, why are parents updating websites? Shouldn’t that be the role & responsibility of the media specialist or the school based staff?

Because school staff doesn’t have time, it isn’t an allocated position and it is a relatively easy task to give to parents to keep them busy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilson Engineering Program is ok, not great. Junior and senior level classes are pretty bad. Multiple kids including my own kid told me you have to self learn everything as the teacher does not really know the content. Robotics club is fine but very chaotic and disorganized. That doesn’t work well for some kids.

This is true, I might get flamed for this but Wilson struggles with specialty content areas and finding qualified people that want to work for DCPS, even if it’s a “good” school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any families have experience with Wilson HS for kid with strong interest in engineering? I see they have the academy but have been told it's just an interest organization tool, not really a set curriculum of courses. Also have been told that course bulletin doesn't reflect actual courses offered so not sure--is any kid who is interested able to take key courses in CS and engineering design/robotics? Any experience with quality of instruction? We are leaving our current charter at middle school b/c the math/science offerings just aren't strong, but trying to decide whether to go Deal/Wilson or MCPS. TIA!

The thing with suburban schools is that your kid has to be a strong applicant when compared to his suburban peers rather than his urban peers in DC. You are competing for a spot at Blair, TJ, Magruder or whatever other school for magnet programs because they want students who are academically strong and can handle the academic challenge.

I’m not saying that your kid cannot compete but rather I’m emphasizing that your child should have a strong background going from a charter to a sue urban magnet. Wilson’s program isn’t an application based program and seems to be loose courses and not a “real” program.

From DCPS’s website:
The only STEM schools are:

Beers Elementary School
Burroughs Elementary School
Langdon Elementary School
Langley Elementary School
Malcolm X Elementary School

Middle Schools and Educational Campuses
McKinley Technology Middle School
Whittier Educational Campus

High Schools
Nothing is listed

https://sites.google.com/a/dc.gov/stem-dcps/

[Anonymous]

^^ But OP’s kid is in elementary and they are co side ring moving for MS. Plenty of time to be ready to apply to a magnet for HS. MoCo’s MS magnets are really tough to get into because there are very few seats, but many students go into the HS magnets from outside the MS programs.

[Anonymous]

Engineer? Lololol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wilson Engineering Program is ok, not great. Junior and senior level classes are pretty bad. Multiple kids including my own kid told me you have to self learn everything as the teacher does not really know the content. Robotics club is fine but very chaotic and disorganized. That doesn’t work well for some kids.

This is true, I might get flamed for this but Wilson struggles with specialty content areas and finding qualified people that want to work for DCPS, even if it’s a “good” school.

Right - the teacher for the Engineering elective - and maybe other classes is out on maternity leave. Fine. Problem is they can't find a sub to teach the material so the kids aren't learning anything right now until March when she returns. May end up not counting so they will have to retake.

This drives me crazy...not sure if it's the principal or the way DCPS works but seriously??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any families have experience with Wilson HS for kid with strong interest in engineering? I see they have the academy but have been told it's just an interest organization tool, not really a set curriculum of courses. Also have been told that course bulletin doesn't reflect actual courses offered so not sure--is any kid who is interested able to take key courses in CS and engineering design/robotics? Any experience with quality of instruction? We are leaving our current charter at middle school b/c the math/science offerings just aren't strong, but trying to decide whether to go Deal/Wilson or MCPS. TIA!

The thing with suburban schools is that your kid has to be a strong applicant when compared to his suburban peers rather than his urban peers in DC. You are competing for a spot at Blair, TJ, Magruder or whatever other school for magnet programs because they want students who are academically strong and can handle the academic challenge.

I’m not saying that your kid cannot compete but rather I’m emphasizing that your child should have a strong background going from a charter to a sue urban magnet. Wilson’s program isn’t an application based program and seems to be loose courses and not a “real” program.

From DCPS’s website:
The only STEM schools are:

Beers Elementary School
Burroughs Elementary School
Langdon Elementary School
Langley Elementary School
Malcolm X Elementary School

Middle Schools and Educational Campuses
McKinley Technology Middle School
Whittier Educational Campus

High Schools
Nothing is listed

https://sites.google.com/a/dc.gov/stem-dcps/

Go to MCPS. The schools above are a joke. The majority of kids are way below grade level. There is no rigorous STEM teaching there. DCPS is very dysfunctional. The real rigor is not there. It’s all about equity and they are sacrificing any minimum rigor for it.

Just look at the abysmal math PARCC scores of any of the school. Even Wilson which is supposed to be the better school. DCPS just released the test scores for science. It’s not pretty.

[Anonymous]

*Correction*

The DCPS STEM website does list High Schools for STEM programs but Wilson is NOT included!

Those high schools are:

H.D. Woodson High School
McKinley Technology High School
Phelps Architecture, Construction & Engineering High School

https://sites.google.com/a/dc.gov/stem-dcps/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Go to MCPS. The schools above are a joke. The majority of kids are way below grade level. There is no rigorous STEM teaching there. DCPS is very dysfunctional. The real rigor is not there. It’s all about equity and they are sacrificing any minimum rigor for it.

Just look at the abysmal math PARCC scores of any of the school. Even Wilson which is supposed to be the better school. DCPS just released the test scores for science. It’s not pretty.

Not sure what your beef is - anyone with kids in DCPS understands the nuances of PARCC scores, DCPS websites, school websites, what is really happening at these schools.

There are some solid engineering prep programs across DCPS High Schools [example - the 3 girls who Finished 2nd in the NASA competition from Banneker!]
There are also great schools all across the country for engineering and math that will prepare your child a competitive college program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Go to MCPS. The schools above are a joke. The majority of kids are way below grade level. There is no rigorous STEM teaching there. DCPS is very dysfunctional. The real rigor is not there. It’s all about equity and they are sacrificing any minimum rigor for it.

Just look at the abysmal math PARCC scores of any of the school. Even Wilson which is supposed to be the better school. DCPS just released the test scores for science. It’s not pretty.

Not sure what your beef is - anyone with kids in DCPS understands the nuances of PARCC scores, DCPS websites, school websites, what is really happening at these schools.

There are some solid engineering prep programs across DCPS High Schools [example - the 3 girls who Finished 2nd in the NASA competition from Banneker!]
There are also great schools all across the country for engineering and math that will prepare your child a competitive college program.

We are in DC and agree with the first poster, go to MCPS if you want a rigorous STEM curriculum with a high performing peer group. DC doesn’t even come close. It is what it is and the people who are saying DCPS is just as rigorous have blinders on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Go to MCPS. The schools above are a joke. The majority of kids are way below grade level. There is no rigorous STEM teaching there. DCPS is very dysfunctional. The real rigor is not there. It’s all about equity and they are sacrificing any minimum rigor for it.

Just look at the abysmal math PARCC scores of any of the school. Even Wilson which is supposed to be the better school. DCPS just released the test scores for science. It’s not pretty.

Not sure what your beef is - anyone with kids in DCPS understands the nuances of PARCC scores, DCPS websites, school websites, what is really happening at these schools.

There are some solid engineering prep programs across DCPS High Schools [example - the 3 girls who Finished 2nd in the NASA competition from Banneker!]
There are also great schools all across the country for engineering and math that will prepare your child a competitive college program.

Wow that’s it. 3 girls from Banneker who won some NASA competition. That’s it. Why don’t you tell us how many students from Banneker, in fact from all of DCPS get into MIT vs kids from public schools in Md and VA like Blair, TJ, etc...

PP is living in an alternate reality to argue DC has equivalent schools or programs or even comes close. No, we don’t live in Md or Va either. We are in DC.