Forum Index
»
Schools and Education General Discussion
Has anyone noticed that this forum seems to think that DC is the "end-all, be-all" to educ. options?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| It could be just me, but as I research schools, it seems like the general postings here are "if you don't go to school in DC, private or public, then it's somehow deemed "lesser"? And, before you ask, I'm actually a DC resident. |
Anonymous
It's a DC-centric forum, no doubt. Most of the posters like living in DC, so the superiority of most of the local suburban school districts is, at best, an inconvenient truth. |
Anonymous
|
I think that the issue is just much more complicated in DC, so it warrants more consideration and discussion. My three-year-old is in a great daycare with a wonderful teacher. If I lived in Arlington, or Fairfax, or Montgomery County, I would probably just wait and go public for kindergarten. If I lived elsewhere in the suburbs, I would compare my local school to one or two local privates that made sense to me. In DC, it is so much more complicated and requires much more research.
For many of us, local public is not an option, so we have to determine if we do out of bounds, charter and/or private. And, you can't just pick one, you have to pick a bunch because it is highly unlikely you will get into one. For instance, I have a three-year-old. I have applied this year to 6 charters, 2 out-of-bounds schools, and 1 private. Before I did that, I went to open houses for all of those schools, plus many more. I applied separately to all the charters (most of which we have almost no chance of getting into) and decided on the out-of-bounds choices. Additionally, I had to get recommendations and bring my child in for a practice playdate (interview) and an actual playdate. Now I have to wait. There is a good chance she will be shut-out or accepted only to a school that ends up not working out (one of the schools to which we applied doesn't even exist yet, so it really isn't a sure thing). In that case, we will need to start over again for next year, and the options for four-year-olds are much greater than for three-year-olds, so the process would be even more complicated (many more out-of-bounds and privates). But, if you don't get in at the ground level of a school, your chances are even less that your child would be able to get in at all. I think that the overall superiority of the surbaban schools is not an inconvenient truth, but a wonderful truth. But, for some reason that I can't exactly pinpoint (or, actually, for a lot of individual reasons that may not pertain to everyone), for me it is worth the trouble to avoid moving over the line. But, not at the expense of my child, which is why we have to spend so much effort on the process. And why the forums end up focusing on DC. |
Anonymous
Weird. Not sure how you got that sense. You really get the sense that most DCUMers think DC schools are uniformly better than those in VA/MD? I was under the impression that what happens is someone from the 'burbs slags off on DC schools, and DC parents come back and say, "Actually, there are some great options. Here's my experience." You'd have to be pretty defensive to think that's an attack on suburban schools. Now, quite a few posters think the "suburbs qua suburbs" suck, but that's entirely different from the schools issue. |
Anonymous
| Have you looked at the posts on the DC Public and Charter school forum? I would not exactly call that boosterism. Instead you would see a lot of angst, stress, concern, panic about still being in DC. An awful lot of us feel very torn about the quality of life we have in DC and the quality of schools. What I do see that is different is that many MD and NOVA parents don't approach public schools with the automatic assumption their schools are failing. Most of us do in DC. |
Anonymous
|
No. I don't get that all---even from the DC residents. Of course you get the private school snootiness--but usu. that is confined to the 'private school forum'.
I get that even the ppl in DC publics acknowledge the DC school system is seriously flawed---esp in comparison to Arlington/Ffx/Montg., etc. There are pockets of decent schools but they are few and far between. I really have never seen anyone bragging about their merit other than to stand up for the school their child attends. |
Anonymous
|
I do kind of see what you mean. After all, I've started threads with the title, "Sending Your Child to DCPS Is Child Abuse; Why Do You Do It?" and have actually had parents respond that they *like* their child's DCPS school.
The nerve! |
Anonymous
|
It's typical. We've lived all over this country and overseas, including three separate three year DC assignments. Long-time residents always think their area is the best.
I chalk it up to lack of real life experience outside of the DC area. |
Anonymous
| PP -- I've actually travelled to every part of the world and have lived in many places. DC is one of the best cities anywhere in the world |
Anonymous
|
OP,
I live in DC and have read DCUM for several years and I see lots of praise for MD and VA schools. I mean, TJ? And Potomac? And Holton Arms? And Whitman? I actually think DC's privates are kind of provincial in their smugness. Wish my child could go to Hotchkins in New Haven or Harvard Westlake in LA! |
Anonymous
I agree with this - it's a very convenient truth. It means that, if school options in DC don't pan out (don;t get in where you want, get in but it doesn't work out, etc.), there are good options in several suburban districts. We love living in teh city, and will do whatever we can to continue to live here. The one thing that will drive us to the 'burbs is an inability to find schools we like/can afford. It's a nice safety net to have. |
Anonymous
Agreed. It's a testament to America's history of de facto racial apartheid. Hooray for us! |
Anonymous
| I definitley think there is a perception that DC and MD schools are the be all and end all but I tack it up to this being DCUM and VA isn't really factored in much. Oh well..I am not driving to Sidwell or St Albans--I would be more interested in the VA schools so when I see "big three" I think not for me. |
Anonymous
Yep, the reality is that the suburban schools in MoCo and NoVa are more diverse than DC public schools (mostly all black) or privates (mostly all wealthy). Who'd want that to be their child's experience if they had an alternative? No wonder this forum is all about the ways DC parents scheme and pray to get their kids into the handful of schools that offer both diversity and a good education. In the suburbs, it's right there for the taking. But, ooh, isn't Columbia Heights great? And the views from Cardozo are just fabulous! |
Anonymous
| Aren't DC public schools ranked dead last in the U.S.? And MD public schools are ranked first? Why would anyone choose dead last? |