How good are public schools for smart kids?

[Anonymous]

For those in DC and close in Mont. Co or maybe Arlington - how good -really- can public schools handle smart kids?

I fear my daughter being bored out of her mind and checking out if she doens't get enough stimulation.
She's 5 now and in k at a private school, but it's really a struggle to pay for it, though we LOVE LOVE the school. She's reading at an almost 3rd grade level and 2nd grade in math - but we thought it best to at least look into options for 1st grade. We don't want her to skip any grades and we're really focused on educating her whole self, not just academics.

Any sugestions/advice? (We live in DC now and she goes to a school in DC)

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I'm not really familiar with anything but MontCo (and even that I'm just at the early stages of learning about), but maybe you can look into the magnet school options . We have a close friend whose daughter was also not being fully challenged in her classes, but this school year she transferred to a magnet school focusing on science and maths, and she is much happier there. You can found out more about the MontCo gifted programs at the elementary school level at the following link: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/specialprograms/elementary/index.shtm

[Anonymous]

My son is smart (at least we think so), and he is doing fine in Arlington County. I know some smart kids in Montgomery County who are doing fine in public school, too.

[Anonymous]

We live in Bethesda and truly could not be happier with the way the schools have worked with my daughter. Going into kindergarten at age 5, she was already reading Nancy Drew chapter books and her math comprehension and curiosity were also way beyond her age. By Thanksgiving that first year, they had figured out that she really needed to skip to first grade. They tried to give her work at her level, but she wanted to do exactly what the other kids were doing, which is natural, but coloring in the letter A was so not what she should have been doing at that point. (She had already made several friends with the first grade girls because they had her in reading with the first graders instead of the kindergarteners, and she hadn't bonded with the kindergarteners, so the social stuff was not a problem at all with skipping her. We thought hard about it, but for our particular child, skipping was the right decision, and it has turned out fine.) Skipping a grade kept her challenged for her first three years, and then she got into the highly gifted fourth/fifth grades program. She also got into the gifted first/second grade program, but would have had to repeat first grade because she had skipped, so we did not do that. She and we are very satisfied with the gifted fourth/fifth grade program. I would say that Montgomery county can meet the needs of a highly gifted child like yours, and you should consider it.

[Anonymous]

Another satisfied Arlingtonian here. I'm always a little surprised that people think their smart kid won't be challenged in public school, at least public schools full of privileged children. If she goes to public school, your daughter is going to have plenty of classmates who are at least as bright as she is, and if there are any areas in which she's wildly ahead of her peers, there are gifted and talented programs to ensure that she's challenged.
I realize there are challenging private schools, too, but I'm married to a local who went to a prominent, expensive, private school that we both agree was not as good as the public school I went to (not here).

[Anonymous]

Will anyone name names of schools that have worked or are working?

Gifted and talented programs don't start until 3rd grade in Montgomery County, so I know that many of us with younger bright kids are curious about what they do before that. I have heard of some schools that do essentially no differentiating and rumors of others that do it well...

[Anonymous]

My father is a retired public HS teacher, and he generally taught at schools that were considered average at best in terms of the entire student body. But he always maintained that as long as a school had a core group -- say 10% -- of kids who were academically invested and had supportive families, those kids could get an excellent education. I went to a top public HS in the same school system, and so he and I were able to compare what was going on his gifted classes and what was going on in mine, and there was no difference. The kids my dad taught got into the same colleges my friends and I did.

There certainly are public schools in the District, where I live, that I would not have confidence in. But the schools in my neighborhood have a strong level of community and family investment, and I am excited to send my kids to them.

[Anonymous]

In MoCo you can get into a magnet program in first grade. Takoma Park Elementary (1st through 3rd) has one that is very highly regarded, I think in math and science, and I'm sure there are others. Then when gifted education kicks in at grade 3 you have that. But I know what you mean. I wonder the same thing. I didn't want to move somewhere that lacked diversity (both racial/ethnic and socioeconomic), like some areas of Montgomery, but I wanted good public schools. I am also concerned about the minimal focus on music, art, etc. in my local public schools. Maybe other MoCo schools do better in that area, but my sense is that the emphasis is on teaching with an eye on assessment.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Arlington and I have to say the schools were always accommodating to my needs.

I'm no child genius, but in kindergarten there was a group of us who could already read so we were sent daily to spend time with 1st graders while the kindergartners learned reading skills. The same occurred in 1st grade - we (same group) were sent to the 2nd grade class for "reading" instruction.

I also found myself in middle school (along with another student) ready for a foreign language class level that wasn't offered at my middle school so we were sent to the high school for first period to take the class there before returning to our school for the rest of the day.

I would find it hard to believe that Arlington schools have become any less accommodating now that they were in the past, especially with the wider range of magnet schools and curriculum offerings.

[Anonymous]

From my research, it looks like Takoma Park Elementary is doing major rebuilding and kids will be bussed (FAR!) to a holding school for a year, maybe 2009-2010?

As far as I can tell there are no other 1st-3rd grade magnets in MoCo, and the TPES magnet has dropped the "gifted" label anyway--not sure if that implies a change in actual curriculum or just a labeling change.

[Anonymous]

Yes, TPES is set to undergo a major expansion in 2009-2010 and the plan is to send the kids to a school in Grovesnor (sp?). Not sure what grade your daughter would be in then -- second? -- and not sure how I feel about the bus issue. Also unsure if there has been any actual change in the curriculum, but I haven't heard that there was. And while TPES is highly regarded, I think Piney Branch, were kids go after TPES, is less so. I didn't realize there were no other 1-3 magnets in MoCo. Even at TPES, there is less music, art, etc. than I would like. But there is also less "busywork" homework -- worksheets -- than at some public schools I'm familiar with here. Still, I'm in the same boat you're in, wondering what's best for my child.

[HrCreuzi]

I married into a family of teachers (MIL, FIL and SIL all teach, with a few generations before also teaching). I can attest that most teachers, if they see a child not being challenged, will go above and beyond to give that child what they need.

If you're looking into a school ask to interview the principal, a few teachers from the grade, and for a few families with current and past students. Be sure you get to see the classrooms too.

You could also look into a home school co-op. That way you can know that everything is tailored to your child's level.

Choosing a school should be the same process you use when choosing a daycare. Unfortunately not everyone gets that chance.

Good luck finding the right fit!

[Anonymous]

My sister teaches for MCPS and she says teachers push the bright kids the hardest b/c it helps boost test scores -- and thanks to NCLB it's all about test scores in MCPS. There was a recent Wash Post article on how kindergarten in MC is the new first grade b/c of the heavy focus on academics. I seriously doubt your kid will be bored. If she's as bright as you think she is, then she'll be put in the top groups for math and reading (which is pretty much the focus since those are the two areas that are tested). If your kid is bored, then you have more of a voice in public schools than you do in private school (where they will try to appease you but remind you that if you aren't happy you can leave).

[Anonymous]

I was a gifted kid and my mom was a teacher. She handpicked the schools I went to after 4th grade. (why so late, I don't know..)

Anyway, I went to magnet schools from 5th-12th grade and it was like going from black & white to techno-color! I would highly recommend magnet schools beginning in elementary for gifted kids. I have yet to encounter other people my age reflecting on their middle school years recalling a completely independent self-paced education in math, language arts, and foreign language. In most classes, your pace is exactly what you make it. I LOVED having no limits on how fast I could learn things. I was/am a highly independent person though. The only downside was the bussing across town - a 1 hour bus ride each way. And none of my friends lived close enough to just play without parents having to drive us.

My sister's sons are also highly gifted, and she's a teacher in the same school district as my mom. Her sons didn't want to give up their friends and were not as independent as I was, and so they chose to stay in their home school district. I think they did fine, but I wish she'd encouraged them to try it for a year. Neither of them is interested in moving out of the city for college nor has plans to ever leave the 'nest' and relocate.

I heartily endorse magnet schools over public with limited G&T programs.