Spots available at the new Charter School the Center for Inspired Teaching

[Anonymous]

I am just the messenger but a friend who got in for K and is very excited just let me know!

[Anonymous]

Is it just K with the available spots, or other grades as well?

[Anonymous]

I think it is all grades but you should check directly with them

[Anonymous]

Preschool and preK have waitlists. K had only 1 kid on the waitlist as of the lottery though you can still add yourself to those lists. Openings in grades 1, 2, & 3.

[Anonymous]

Double posting. Sorry if the above was indecipherable. Posting from phone while making dinner. Missing a period there. Only one kid was on the K waitlist so naturally they'll have spots (somebody is sure to turn down a brand new school). While PK and PS have waitlists, they're in the double digits, not triple digits like established hot charters. So they may move through them.

I applied to this school as kind of a lark (without having attended an info session) but now I think it sounds really great. Like the educational philosophy a lot. Quote (more or less) from the accepted students Open House: Our policy on homework is that a teacher should never assign homework s/he wouldn't want to do him/herself.

[Anonymous]

"Our policy on homework is that a teacher should never assign homework s/he wouldn't want to do him/herself."

I think my DS's teachers would enjoy doing his homework, my son and I do not enjoy it very much.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to add that we applied without having been to an open house as well - at that point we were just so discouraged by the DCPS lottery, etc. Tired of getting excited about a school and then getting a crappy waitlist number. Well our DC was accepted to Inspired Teaching for PK and we went last week to pick up the enrollment packet (couldn't make either admitted families OH). We got a chance to meet with the principal, Executive Director, and several other staff. We are now feeling so fortunate to be in, and will definitely enroll.

Yes, it is a risk enrolling in a brand new charter. But this group has 15 years of experience behind them, and has thought through very carefully all elements of launching this charter school. I think it has an excellent chance of success. We are very impressed with the people involved, their philosophy of teaching and the learning process at different developmental points, and how to engage students and families in the lifelong love of learning. Although we're not looking forward to the long commute the first year, they are actively looking for a more central location for 2012 and beyond. And we think it will be totally worth the effort for our DC to be a part of this school.

Good luck to everyone working out their 2011 options!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Our policy on homework is that a teacher should never assign homework s/he wouldn't want to do him/herself."

I think my DS's teachers would enjoy doing his homework, my son and I do not enjoy it very much.

Sorry to hear that (that's me who was quoted). For Inspired Teaching, this is part of a context where the emphasis is on truly great teaching that is creative, that is child-led, that teaches kids how to think, not just what to think. Their teachers are mostly people that have gone through their workshops (through the Center for Inspired Teaching) and put it into practice (most of them are hired already, though we couldn't meet them b/c many of them hadn't given notice yet).

Their Founding Group is the Center and it'll be a Demonstration School, putting their ideas into practice in a whole school, as opposed to specific teachers, as they've done for the past 15 years. The fact they're affiliated w/ a successful nonprofit is another good sign -- they're likely to have good access to the Center's donors, who will want to see their ideas put into practice writ large.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the information. I just added DS to the PS3 waitlist! It sounds like a wonderful program. I like the emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving.