Hardy IB Population

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
How did they get rid of the pre-2010 faculty with the "old DC" attitude? Are they all gone ?

In 2011 I was told by a Hardy teacher, to my face and quite forcefully, that as an in-boundary parent I had no right to try and change the direction of the school. That teacher is still listed on the staff directory at:
http://www.hardyms.org/apps/staff/

Name the teacher, or it did not happen!

I served on the committee that helped select Mary Stefanus to be Hardy principal in 2011, and we were sworn to confidentiality about the proceedings. So I can't name the teacher. In that process I heard and saw a lot of crap from Hardy teachers, and they're all still at the school. I can tell you that none of the teachers named by initials in an earlier post were involved.

In the life of a middle school, 2011 can be considered ancient history -- no student who was at the school then is still there, very few if any parents remain. The school has had five principals since 2010. But in the career of a teacher, three years is nothing. If a teacher makes it clear that she is willing to use children to press her adult grievances, I don't want that teacher ever having anything to do with my kids, and I don't believe someone like that is going to change her stripes.

The process was led by an Instructional Superintendent, one of the Chancellor's deputies. If he could sit and listen to that crap, and three years later those teachers are still employed, it's hard to believe that DCPS is serious about improving the school.

Or tell us the subject she teaches.

[Anonymous]

OMG people. Let it go. Yes, in recent years IB families have not opted for Hardy in large numbers. But that is changing. Can we please stop rehashing ancient history? It's stupid to keep harping on things that happened even four years ago. The principal, parents and students have all turned over since then. If there are a couple of teachers with bad attitudes, that is not good, but we are not talking about a pervasive, evil culture that should be scaring prospective parents off.

And to the person who keeps asking the same question about why IB parents have not flocked to Hardy but preferred Deal, stop playing dumb. Deal is bigger, richer, whiter, more prestigious and in-boundsier. But Hardy is *becoming* richer, whiter, and in-boundsier every year, and the advanced offerings have been enhanced, by a LOT. In-bounds parents continue to report on positive experiences and outcomes for their Hardy grads.

And please stop the nonsense about a new Ward 3 middle school. There's zero chance of Hardy feeders going elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG people. Let it go. Yes, in recent years IB families have not opted for Hardy in large numbers. But that is changing. Can we please stop rehashing ancient history? It's stupid to keep harping on things that happened even four years ago. The principal, parents and students have all turned over since then. If there are a couple of teachers with bad attitudes, that is not good, but we are not talking about a pervasive, evil culture that should be scaring prospective parents off.

And to the person who keeps asking the same question about why IB parents have not flocked to Hardy but preferred Deal, stop playing dumb. Deal is bigger, richer, whiter, more prestigious and in-boundsier. But Hardy is *becoming* richer, whiter, and in-boundsier every year, and the advanced offerings have been enhanced, by a LOT. In-bounds parents continue to report on positive experiences and outcomes for their Hardy grads.

And please stop the nonsense about a new Ward 3 middle school. There's zero chance of Hardy feeders going elsewhere.

Voice of sanity. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

Why should the city invest tax payers money to procure land and build a new school, when the residents of that ward fail to utilize a fully functioning school geared for that ward. You are basically asking the city to be fiscally irresponsible.

Because the school over many years has demonstrably not met the expectation of its surrounding population, yet serves an overwhelmingly OOB population that apparently strongly feels the school works for them. When you think about it, it's kind of a no-brain-er

How has the school not met the needs of the surrounding population? It serves an overwhelnning OOB population because the IB population chooses not to attend. The OOB slots wuld not be available if the IB students attended. Should the city leave the school vacant and/or underenrolled and not allow OOB students. The more IB students who chose to attend, the fewer OOB slots will be available for OOB students. It really is not rocket science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I've asked myself a lot why DC ousted Fenty. Sure, he could be brash and obviously didn't kiss the backsides of those who felt they should be kissed, but he got things moving and got things done. And then we got Gray and soon we will be stuck with a palert shade of Gray, an empty suit. Sigh!

In all honesty, what do you think Gray has failed to do for the city, that Fenty would have done better. And I don't want to read your post about his election woes, Fenty had his own corruption scandal. I am talking about as the mayor, what has he failed to do. He has given over more vacant schools than Fenty. He has increased the surplus budget. He has increased bike lanes. Public saftety is about the same as it was under Fenty.

[Anonymous]

"Real" interested prospective Hardy parents: please stop by the 35th St school entrance tomorrow morning from 8:30 to 9:00 for a coffee with current Hardy parents from the neighborhood hosted by the PTO (it takes place every first Friday of the month).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Real" interested prospective Hardy parents: please stop by the 35th St school entrance tomorrow morning from 8:30 to 9:00 for a coffee with current Hardy parents from the neighborhood hosted by the PTO (it takes place every first Friday of the month).

It's an occasion for Hardy parents to gather, socialize and have a nice start of the day together. But prospective and interested parents are always welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

Why should the city invest tax payers money to procure land and build a new school, when the residents of that ward fail to utilize a fully functioning school geared for that ward. You are basically asking the city to be fiscally irresponsible.

Because the school over many years has demonstrably not met the expectation of its surrounding population, yet serves an overwhelmingly OOB population that apparently strongly feels the school works for them. When you think about it, it's kind of a no-brain-er

How has the school not met the needs of the surrounding population? It serves an overwhelnning OOB population because the IB population chooses not to attend. The OOB slots wuld not be available if the IB students attended. Should the city leave the school vacant and/or underenrolled and not allow OOB students. The more IB students who chose to attend, the fewer OOB slots will be available for OOB students. It really is not rocket science.

I am not the previous poster, but I think what she/he was trying to say is that Hardy, at least until now, has not offered the kind of program that would be appealing to its IB population. The school, for example, did not offer advanced math until this year. I believe Chinese is also a relatively new addition to the curriculum. The athletic program, which is important to many IB students, did not come close to that at Deal. And finally, the uniforms create the impression that the school has disciplinary issues. I remember driving by there and asking myself why on earth those kids were wearing uniforms when I am not aware of a single other public school in the area that requires uniforms. That may be unfair, but it's my perception and perception matters when choosing a school.

I do not have a dog in this fight. My children are in high school. I will say that I have looked at the website and there are some good things going on at Hardy. Some sort of gimicky, like SEM, but others that are interesting. If I were the principal, I would put more information about academics on the website (many pages are blank), invite parents to visit, and . . . gasp . . . lose the uniforms! Like it or not, the uniforms send a bad message and keep people from looking at the school. I think you are unlikely to attract Eaton parents in large numbers until the grandfathering expires, but if Hardy is a strong option by then, more IB parents will try it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

Why should the city invest tax payers money to procure land and build a new school, when the residents of that ward fail to utilize a fully functioning school geared for that ward. You are basically asking the city to be fiscally irresponsible.

Because the school over many years has demonstrably not met the expectation of its surrounding population, yet serves an overwhelmingly OOB population that apparently strongly feels the school works for them. When you think about it, it's kind of a no-brain-er

How has the school not met the needs of the surrounding population? It serves an overwhelnning OOB population because the IB population chooses not to attend. The OOB slots wuld not be available if the IB students attended. Should the city leave the school vacant and/or underenrolled and not allow OOB students. The more IB students who chose to attend, the fewer OOB slots will be available for OOB students. It really is not rocket science.

I am not the previous poster, but I think what she/he was trying to say is that Hardy, at least until now, has not offered the kind of program that would be appealing to its IB population. The school, for example, did not offer advanced math until this year. I believe Chinese is also a relatively new addition to the curriculum. The athletic program, which is important to many IB students, did not come close to that at Deal. And finally, the uniforms create the impression that the school has disciplinary issues. I remember driving by there and asking myself why on earth those kids were wearing uniforms when I am not aware of a single other public school in the area that requires uniforms. That may be unfair, but it's my perception and perception matters when choosing a school.

I do not have a dog in this fight. My children are in high school. I will say that I have looked at the website and there are some good things going on at Hardy. Some sort of gimicky, like SEM, but others that are interesting. If I were the principal, I would put more information about academics on the website (many pages are blank), invite parents to visit, and . . . gasp . . . lose the uniforms! Like it or not, the uniforms send a bad message and keep people from looking at the school. I think you are unlikely to attract Eaton parents in large numbers until the grandfathering expires, but if Hardy is a strong option by then, more IB parents will try it.

Ok, since you do not have a dog in this fight, and apparently you are not even well-informed about the school (you just happen to drive by it), then please refrain from writing on this thread.

Just to mention one point from your email, advanced math was offered since the first year of Principal Pride's tenure. My son, now in 7th grade, was in that class last year (and is heading to the geometry class for next year which will give him the credit for Wilson) . Difference from last year is that this year the advanced 6th classes are two, not one, as the number of advanced kids has increased.

7th grade Hardy parent (IB)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think people get suspicious when you tell them to go to the (new) neighborhood school to improve its academic quality. Middle school is only three years, so parents want to send their kids to a school of good quality, not necessarily have their kids be the ones to work through the problems.

Yes, and I want the middle school to improve my child's "academic quality." That is the job of the faculty and administrative leadership. The school should not depend on my child and other heretofore well-prepared kids for superficial paper gains (standardized test score increases) which are no substitute for real and tangible improvements in academic quality.

You're right. You shouldn't send your child there. My well-prepared child did fine there but it obviously wouldn't work for your child.

Agreed. My well-prepared kid did great, but if you don't think your child is right for Hardy you are free to send him elsewhere, and should do so.

Exactly - which is why Ward 3 wants another middle school that will push and pull and fully challenge their kids to reach higher academically, not a school that looks their kids to goose the school's test scores.

Why should the city invest tax payers money to procure land and build a new school, when the residents of that ward fail to utilize a fully functioning school geared for that ward. You are basically asking the city to be fiscally irresponsible.

Because the school over many years has demonstrably not met the expectation of its surrounding population, yet serves an overwhelmingly OOB population that apparently strongly feels the school works for them. When you think about it, it's kind of a no-brain-er

How has the school not met the needs of the surrounding population? It serves an overwhelnning OOB population because the IB population chooses not to attend. The OOB slots wuld not be available if the IB students attended. Should the city leave the school vacant and/or underenrolled and not allow OOB students. The more IB students who chose to attend, the fewer OOB slots will be available for OOB students. It really is not rocket science.

I am not the previous poster, but I think what she/he was trying to say is that Hardy, at least until now, has not offered the kind of program that would be appealing to its IB population. The school, for example, did not offer advanced math until this year. I believe Chinese is also a relatively new addition to the curriculum. The athletic program, which is important to many IB students, did not come close to that at Deal. And finally, the uniforms create the impression that the school has disciplinary issues. I remember driving by there and asking myself why on earth those kids were wearing uniforms when I am not aware of a single other public school in the area that requires uniforms. That may be unfair, but it's my perception and perception matters when choosing a school.

I do not have a dog in this fight. My children are in high school. I will say that I have looked at the website and there are some good things going on at Hardy. Some sort of gimicky, like SEM, but others that are interesting. If I were the principal, I would put more information about academics on the website (many pages are blank), invite parents to visit, and . . . gasp . . . lose the uniforms! Like it or not, the uniforms send a bad message and keep people from looking at the school. I think you are unlikely to attract Eaton parents in large numbers until the grandfathering expires, but if Hardy is a strong option by then, more IB parents will try it.

Ok, since you do not have a dog in this fight, and apparently you are not even well-informed about the school (you just happen to drive by it), then please refrain from writing on this thread.

Just to mention one point from your email, advanced math was offered since the first year of Principal Pride's tenure. My son, now in 7th grade, was in that class last year (and is heading to the geometry class for next year which will give him the credit for Wilson) . Difference from last year is that this year the advanced 6th classes are two, not one, as the number of advanced kids has increased.

7th grade Hardy parent (IB)

This is why IB parents feel unwelcome. I tried to write a constructive post and got shot down. Yes, admittedly, I do not have a middle school child, but I am IB for Hardy, drive by every single day, have done research, and have spoken with many, many IB parents about why they would/would not consider the school. If you and others at the school are unwilling to consider some gently-offered constructive criticism, then Hardy is likely to remain in the same position it is now. Constructive criticism is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

I think the difference is that kids used to go to Ellington for advanced math. Now it is actually at Hardy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
How has the school not met the needs of the surrounding population? It serves an overwhelnning OOB population because the IB population chooses not to attend.

This neatly summarizes the Alice-in-Wonderland world of DC School politics. In any normal place, the fact that the IB population chooses not to attend would by itself be proof that the school isn't meeting the needs of the IB population. No other proof would be necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am not the previous poster, but I think what she/he was trying to say is that Hardy, at least until now, has not offered the kind of program that would be appealing to its IB population. The school, for example, did not offer advanced math until this year. I believe Chinese is also a relatively new addition to the curriculum. The athletic program, which is important to many IB students, did not come close to that at Deal. And finally, the uniforms create the impression that the school has disciplinary issues. I remember driving by there and asking myself why on earth those kids were wearing uniforms when I am not aware of a single other public school in the area that requires uniforms. That may be unfair, but it's my perception and perception matters when choosing a school.

I do not have a dog in this fight. My children are in high school. I will say that I have looked at the website and there are some good things going on at Hardy. Some sort of gimicky, like SEM, but others that are interesting. If I were the principal, I would put more information about academics on the website (many pages are blank), invite parents to visit, and . . . gasp . . . lose the uniforms! Like it or not, the uniforms send a bad message and keep people from looking at the school. I think you are unlikely to attract Eaton parents in large numbers until the grandfathering expires, but if Hardy is a strong option by then, more IB parents will try it.

Ok, since you do not have a dog in this fight, and apparently you are not even well-informed about the school (you just happen to drive by it), then please refrain from writing on this thread.

Just to mention one point from your email, advanced math was offered since the first year of Principal Pride's tenure. My son, now in 7th grade, was in that class last year (and is heading to the geometry class for next year which will give him the credit for Wilson) . Difference from last year is that this year the advanced 6th classes are two, not one, as the number of advanced kids has increased.

7th grade Hardy parent (IB)

This is why IB parents feel unwelcome. I tried to write a constructive post and got shot down. Yes, admittedly, I do not have a middle school child, but I am IB for Hardy, drive by every single day, have done research, and have spoken with many, many IB parents about why they would/would not consider the school. If you and others at the school are unwilling to consider some gently-offered constructive criticism, then Hardy is likely to remain in the same position it is now. Constructive criticism is a good thing.

Ha, ha, ha, you do realize you're responding to another IB parent, right?

[Anonymous]

To the writer who chased away the PP because he or she does not have children of middle school age: don't you think that all residents have an interest in ensuring Hardy becomes an excellent middle school? First, every involved citizen has a general interest in seeing that the public-school offerings are rigorous. Second local residents have a more pecuniary interest, because a second rate local middle school can be a drag on property values. If a prospective buyer questions the quality of the local public school offering the buyer may go elsewhere. Anyone who doubts the strong connection between top-quality public schools and real estate values needlook no further then in AU Park and Tenleytown, where even small brick colonials on tiny lots fetch substantial price premiums because they feed to Janney, Deal and Wilson. Clearly residence of upper Northwest want Hardy to improve but the unwillingness of those more directly connected to the school to entertain suggestions for change or disheartening.

[Anonymous]

"Is" disheartening.