how much will Mundo Verde and Inspired Teaching go into waitlists?

[Anonymous]

Will a number in the 20s or 40s get you in?

[Anonymous]

There really is no telling. My guess is that it will go pretty far (about 80-100) and then even further after school starts. This guess is more for Inspired than MV PS being that most PS spots for MV were taken by founders. Their PK and K could go to 100. Pure speculation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will a number in the 20s or 40s get you in?

Tough to say for the PS list since so many of those are founders, right? Anything else is wide open. Historically, first year charters generally go deep into their waitlists. 20s to 40s would get you in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There really is no telling. My guess is that it will go pretty far (about 80-100) and then even further after school starts. This guess is more for Inspired than MV PS being that most PS spots for MV were taken by founders. Their PK and K could go to 100. Pure speculation.

My understanding is that only 4 PS spots went to the founders at MV. They reserved a lot more spots than necessary for siblings from other grades, but those have been released. We should probably stop the rumor that the founders took all the spots, as it is untrue and unhelpful to the discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There really is no telling. My guess is that it will go pretty far (about 80-100) and then even further after school starts. This guess is more for Inspired than MV PS being that most PS spots for MV were taken by founders. Their PK and K could go to 100. Pure speculation.

My understanding is that only 4 PS spots went to the founders at MV. They reserved a lot more spots than necessary for siblings from other grades, but those have been released. We should probably stop the rumor that the founders took all the spots, as it is untrue and unhelpful to the discussion.

In that case, I would be surprised if they DIDN'T go into the 40s.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone tell me how they know what number they are on the Inspired Teaching wait list? We got an email from the principal that says "wait list" but doesn't provide a number. If DD gets anything under 150, she'll be doing better there than anywhere else! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I emailed the director, Zoe Duskin, and she sent me a very speedy and friendly reply. She told me we're 23 out of 70+ on the waitlist for PS3, which is a shorter waitlist than I would have guessed. I'm hoping 23 will get us in eventually... what do you all think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I emailed the director, Zoe Duskin, and she sent me a very speedy and friendly reply. She told me we're 23 out of 70+ on the waitlist for PS3, which is a shorter waitlist than I would have guessed. I'm hoping 23 will get us in eventually... what do you all think?

You posted this at 4:32am? I think the worry is keeping you up at night!

#23 is pretty good for a brand new charter. To broaden your safety net, go ahead and apply for Bridges, they haven't had their lottery yet.

[Anonymous]

ha, that does seem crazy of me, but I'm overseas right now so it's mid-morning here.

[Anonymous]

Folks, just a reminder to have very low expectations of these two schools in their first year. They are going to be looking for parents who are incredibly invested and willing to do a LOT of heavy lifting to make the school a success. If you are walking in thinking you will have a fully-formed school in place, think again.

I'm not trying to knock these two schools (it seems like they both are working really hard to develop strong programs), but it takes years for charter schools to stabilize. EL Haynes, LAMB, Stokes, etc. all went through organizational and growing pains at first. So please, if you are looking for a "finished product," please stay at your private schools or hold out for AppleTree or Bridges, programs that have been around and have had a chance to work out the kinks. Startups are highly adrenalized and exciting places to be, but restful and easy they are NOT.

If you are choosing between Inspired Teaching, Mundo Verde and your neighborhood DCPS (which has OK ratings and is a reasonable backup) think hard about how much you really want to invest next year. I would hope that you fully invest wherever you go, but we all have lives and pressures. If you can't handle ambiguity and a certain level of chaos in order to build something beautiful, then do not send your kid to these schools. They will desperately need supportive and committed parents to make this work.

Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

PP, good points. Otherwise, they won't succeed as well anyway so you would have done better at your DCPS. Most parents realistically don't have the time to work on a school no matter how much they want to.

[Anonymous]

I think that there are some charters that required a certain amount of volunteer hours per family in their first few years of operation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, good points. Otherwise, they won't succeed as well anyway so you would have done better at your DCPS. Most parents realistically don't have the time to work on a school no matter how much they want to.

I don't think that's necessarily true. It's not like a school is asking you to show up every day and read during storytime. All charters require their parents to put in volunteer hours, although some schools actually get more participation than others. In terms of enrolling at a new charter school, they won't have an established PTA to raise money so new parents will need to take on those roles. On the other hand, were you not planning on joining your school's PTA anyway?

New schools require patience and a tolerance for ambiguity. However, they also offer a much faster uphill climb and a greater pay-off if you're part of a good one.

[Anonymous]

I called Zoe and declined my space yesterday, so there will be movement. Trying to be considerate of all the DCUMers out there. Zoe emailed me right back so she received it.

[Anonymous]

14:43: In which class was the space you declined? Thanks!