Have you had a positive experience at a Title I school? What worked?

[Anonymous]

I posted this on the MD Public Schools Forum but received no responses. I'm hopeful that someone on this forum might have some insight.

We live in downcounty MoCo and our local elementary school (Glen Haven) is Title I and, unfortunately, fairly poor performing and test scores have dropped considerably between last year and this year. It's terribly disheartening, particularly as we don't have an option to go to privates or to move - we just can't afford it. We will certainly try for special programs (immersion, etc), but that seems like a total shot in the dark. The reality is that my DD will likely have to attend our local ES.

Any parents have positive experiences if faced with a similarly poor performing school? How did you make it work? Did you find that the quality of education was pretty good? Do you feel like your child has been sufficiently challenged and able to reach his/her potential? I realize that test scores are only part of the picture.

My fear - and this is based on conversations I've had with parents from similar schools in the area - is that much of the classroom time is devoted to getting kids up to grade level and those kids who are proficient or relatively advanced are left to fend for themselves and underchallenged. Further, at our local school, there are a lot of ESOL kids which is fine, but again, I worry about classroom time spent to get these kids up to speed with language skills while kids who are English proficient are sidelined.

I'd appreciate hearing from parents with any experiences in similar situations. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Any parents have positive experiences if faced with a similarly poor performing school? How did you make it work? Did you find that the quality of education was pretty good? Do you feel like your child has been sufficiently challenged and able to reach his/her potential? I realize that test scores are only part of the picture.

My fear - and this is based on conversations I've had with parents from similar schools in the area - is that much of the classroom time is devoted to getting kids up to grade level and those kids who are proficient or relatively advanced are left to fend for themselves and underchallenged. Further, at our local school, there are a lot of ESOL kids which is fine, but again, I worry about classroom time spent to get these kids up to speed with language skills while kids who are English proficient are sidelined.

My kids attend a Title I school in VA. We have had a very positive experience. We feel the quality of education is very good, and that teachers make a huge effort to teach to kids of all levels. Maybe someone else can chime in here, but my understanding is that schools that have a Title I designation actually get additional resources in terms of personnel/teaching specialists/materials (such as books) to try to bring students up to speed. At our school, there are enough ESOL kids that they actually pull together a full class per grade for K/1/2 as they are getting those kids' English up to a level where they can participate more equally with their English-speaking peers. In the regular classes they group kids according to ability and always have extra personnel (reading or math specialists) available each day as they are going through their grouped work in reading and math. I do feel my kids have been challenged and are doing the best that they can do. In reading, my oldest is consistently exceeding benchmarks and is also meeting or exceeding in math.

Most of the parents in our neighborhood support the school and send their kids there, understanding that they probably do well with good teachers at the helm no matter where they attend. A few share your concerns and have made other choices, like magnets or private. But we have always had the means and the option to choose other schools for our kids and we have stuck with our neighborhood Title I school.

[Anonymous]

We attended a title I (70% poverty) school in DC for 5 years k-4. I did not notice any significant deficits until about 4th grade. Before that point I noticed some issues like friends, playdates and birthdays were not easy and I think my daughter had a harder time making friends. Around 4th grade the test prep became overwhelming because the fear of not passing the tests. I also noticed that the majority of kids by that point had a real aversion to books. There just was not the peer support for encouraging reading or even aspiring to more. The parents that were more middle class also started pulling out and so that veneer of support for the PTA just collapsed. My daughter had a learning disability but they could not address it because so many other kids had real situational deficits and they knew we would seek outside supports.

If you do go into a title one school really look at the levels of parent support especially among minority parents, if they are involved it will be a better experience. They will be empowered to help their kids. If it is the same 10 parents that are the only middle class parents in the school doing everything I would steer clear. The majority of poorer parents will not feel very empowered and that will show up in all kinds of ways in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

I used to work in a Title One school (some years we were Title One and some were not so we were on the cusp from year to year). We did get extra personnel to help out which was great. We had support with the lowest readers who were pulled out everyday. We even had people doing Reading Recovery. I would say that the priorities and expectations were much different than the school I send my child to. The parents were mostly uneducated and didn't place much emphasis on education. This impacted the students' attitudes esp in the intermediate grades. Homework and studying for tests were not priorities. Many parents just wanted someone to watch their kids during the day. It was no big deal to skip homework when it interfered with sports and other fun activities. Even the parents were annoyed that homework (which was quite minimal) interfered with these other activities. Many were on public assistance and spend the funds on expensive shoes, clothing, etc for the kids while saying that they didn't have any money for school supplies. College was not on the radar for most of the kids there. I probably would look very closely at a Title One school before sending my child there. I would be fine with a school with a high percentage of ESOL students whose parents truly valued a good education as opposed to a school where parents see school as free babysitting.

[Anonymous]

My son is in a Title 1 middle school in Arlington and it is fantastic. The school has a great principal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is in a Title 1 middle school in Arlington and it is fantastic. The school has a great principal.

I think we are at the same school. I agree wholeheartedly!

[Anonymous]

We briefly had my son at a DCPS title 1 school for preschool. It was a very positive experience. I was surprised how little my son stood out at 3 academically and socially. We switched him to a better DCPS school when he came off the watch list. It was for the years ahead. We found the three year olds lovely at the title 1 school but knew differences would grow over time.

[Anonymous]

I'm pp - not watch list, waiting list!

[Anonymous]

When my oldest (now 4th grade) started K, despite having some misgivings about doing so, we chose to opt out of our neighborhood school, which is a Title I school. (and was under NCLB sanction at that time, hence our right to opt out). We were concerned that he would fall through the cracks, since he already had most of the K academic skills going in (social skills, that is a whole other story). Anyway, the school he ended up placed at had very good test scores. (and sadly in many ways , is the non-diversity extreme of our neighborhood school) I will say, after some years there, I found that they taught to the middle. Differentiation there was IMO, minimal. Then again, the classes have been huge too (29-30), so I do not entirely blame that on the teachers. Ds is still there in an AAP (advanced) class. Ds1 likes school, I would not say he loves it. He is a great student, grade wise, but I think feels a bit like he does not fit in since it is not his neighborhood school.

My younger ds started K this year. We mulled over the decision, and in the end, decided that we would not fight to send him to older ds's school. Our neighborhood school was no longer under sanction anyway, so we would have had to try to pupil place younger ds. Ds2 had some substantial social delays, but was academically in great shape. Our experience, thus far, at our neighborhood school has been great. Especially in younger grades, the small class size really appealed to us. There are countless resource teachers moving in and out of the classes (reading, math, advanced, etc.). A few months in, he was identified to get advanced pull outs. The teachers really seem invested in the school, and our principal, from what I have seen thus far is great.

I do have some concerns about social limitations, especially as they get older. There are handful of kids from our neighborhood, and one other SFH neighborhood, but my attempts to reach out to other families, have mostly gone unanswered. Ds 2 does have one really close buddy though, and they get together a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When my oldest (now 4th grade) started K, despite having some misgivings about doing so, we chose to opt out of our neighborhood school, which is a Title I school. (and was under NCLB sanction at that time, hence our right to opt out). We were concerned that he would fall through the cracks, since he already had most of the K academic skills going in (social skills, that is a whole other story). Anyway, the school he ended up placed at had very good test scores. (and sadly in many ways , is the non-diversity extreme of our neighborhood school) I will say, after some years there, I found that they taught to the middle. Differentiation there was IMO, minimal. Then again, the classes have been huge too (29-30), so I do not entirely blame that on the teachers. Ds is still there in an AAP (advanced) class. Ds1 likes school, I would not say he loves it. He is a great student, grade wise, but I think feels a bit like he does not fit in since it is not his neighborhood school.

My younger ds started K this year. We mulled over the decision, and in the end, decided that we would not fight to send him to older ds's school. Our neighborhood school was no longer under sanction anyway, so we would have had to try to pupil place younger ds. Ds2 had some substantial social delays, but was academically in great shape. Our experience, thus far, at our neighborhood school has been great. Especially in younger grades, the small class size really appealed to us. There are countless resource teachers moving in and out of the classes (reading, math, advanced, etc.). A few months in, he was identified to get advanced pull outs. The teachers really seem invested in the school, and our principal, from what I have seen thus far is great.

I do have some concerns about social limitations, especially as they get older. There are handful of kids from our neighborhood, and one other SFH neighborhood, but my attempts to reach out to other families, have mostly gone unanswered. Ds 2 does have one really close buddy though, and they get together a lot.

Thanks, PP. This is very helpful. To your last paragraph, what do you mean by social limitations? Do you feel that socio-economics or language barriers limit your DCs social circle?

[Anonymous]

All - thank you for your responses. I appreciate the thoughtful replies and insight. This gives me food for thought.

-OP

[Anonymous]

Further, at our local school, there are a lot of ESOL kids which is fine, but again, I worry about classroom time spent to get these kids up to speed with language skills while kids who are English proficient are sidelined.

My kids go to a Title I school in Silver Spring, but it is high-performing. I didn't even know what ESOL was until my son came home from kindergarten talking about his ESOL teacher and how much he loved ESOL. I checked around and finally asked his classroom teacher why my English-only son was in ESOL, and why wasn't I informed. She explained that he wasn't, but her class had so many ESOL students, that the ESOL teacher came in and taught lessons to the whole class, along with the regular teacher. So, for an hour a day, my kid's class of 18 had two qualified teachers working with students. To me, that reduced student-teacher ratio makes a difference, especially in kindergarten.

Now he's in 2nd grade and I have another kindergartner. My 2nd grader says that the ESOL teacher comes in and pulls a group aside (he's disappointed that he's not in it!) so again, it means that during that time, my son has to compete with few students for the classroom teacher's attention. As far as academics, both my kids are above grade level (this is DCUM, after all!) and I feel that they are getting the support they need to thrive. I'm a little concerned about what will happen in later grades, but DH and I can always find ways to supplement learning at home.

Playdates are not always very smooth, due to the language barriers with some parents, but what a gift to my children to let them grow up among so many different cultures. My sons have friends who are Hispanic, African, Vietnamese, etc. and are comfortable around children who look different and speak different languages.

I've had a LOT of people wrinkle their nose when I mention which school my boys attend, but honestly, they both love it and we love it. The smaller class size is fantastic--more ESOL and FARMS kids means more resources for the school, and higher standards for hiring new teachers, and that benefits all the students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Playdates are not always very smooth, due to the language barriers with some parents, but what a gift to my children to let them grow up among so many different cultures. My sons have friends who are Hispanic, African, Vietnamese, etc. and are comfortable around children who look different and speak different languages.

I've had a LOT of people wrinkle their nose when I mention which school my boys attend, but honestly, they both love it and we love it. The smaller class size is fantastic--more ESOL and FARMS kids means more resources for the school, and higher standards for hiring new teachers, and that benefits all the students.

My experience is similar to this. I've got three kids at a Title 1 school in FCPS and the PTA is pretty small but still active. It's the kind of school that would get beaten up by the harpies on DCUM but we're very very happy with it. We've not had the troubles in the upper elementary grades that some have spoken about but I think part of that is that my DH and I are well known at the school and we know many of the kids. When our oldest was having some social problems in school (nothing to do with it being a Title 1, it was all him), I started having lunch with him 2-3 times a month. I got to know the names of all his classmates. I've continued that tradition with his siblings and even if I don't know a kid, they know who I am. The teachers have been fantastic, supportive and caring - of course, there's always a bad apple or two but they don't make the school. The additional resources have been great and as the PP noted, the student/teacher ratios are great! It's also great for the kids to experience cultural, economic, racial diversity. I've also liked that when we tell our kids that we don't have money for X, Y or Z, they don't feel shame. They sure do want those things but have a better appreciation that we have money for the things we need, not always for the things we want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to work in a Title One school (some years we were Title One and some were not so we were on the cusp from year to year). We did get extra personnel to help out which was great. We had support with the lowest readers who were pulled out everyday. We even had people doing Reading Recovery. I would say that the priorities and expectations were much different than the school I send my child to. The parents were mostly uneducated and didn't place much emphasis on education. This impacted the students' attitudes esp in the intermediate grades. Homework and studying for tests were not priorities. Many parents just wanted someone to watch their kids during the day. It was no big deal to skip homework when it interfered with sports and other fun activities. Even the parents were annoyed that homework (which was quite minimal) interfered with these other activities. Many were on public assistance and spend the funds on expensive shoes, clothing, etc for the kids while saying that they didn't have any money for school supplies. College was not on the radar for most of the kids there. I probably would look very closely at a Title One school before sending my child there. I would be fine with a school with a high percentage of ESOL students whose parents truly valued a good education as opposed to a school where parents see school as free babysitting.

I have worked at three different schools- two Title One and one middle-class/low FARMS school. I would never send my child to a Title One school. Plenty of kids at the title one school were wonderful, sweet kids who had parents who cared deeply for them. However, a large percentage of the students were exposed to violence/inappropriate adult content at home or were neglected. As a result many of the students at the title one schools seemed much older/less innocent than the low-FARMS school. Often times this led to behavior problems in the classroom which affected the students who were trying to learn. Subtle difference were apparent in the lower grades, but by upper elementary the difference was really apparent. I felt sorry for the high achieving FARM students at the Title one schools because they seemed to wither because they weren't being pushed. They were high academically when compared to their classmates, but not compared to students at middle class schools. When an ESOL teacher comes in to teach the lesson to the whole class, the student who is really advanced verbally does not get anything out of it. The student wastes an hour where they could have been exposed to higher level vocabulary. Most of the money in extra resources went to students who were ESOL or below grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Thanks, PP. This is very helpful. To your last paragraph, what do you mean by social limitations? Do you feel that socio-economics or language barriers limit your DCs social circle?

Yes, and yes. For example, ds had a December birthday. The school has not had a directory in the past, so having contact is difficult. We are walkers, so that is a bit of an advantage. I happened be to be in class a few weeks before his birthday for a gingerbread activity, so I chatted with a few moms who were there to see if they would be around over break. All 3 said yes, and gladly shared their emails. We were just doing a very small thing at our home, said no gifts, etc. Only one replied to my email and phone call. It was the mom of the one other caucasian child in his class, who has become his best buddy. They play often after school, and even had a recent sleepover.

Actually, I am working with the principal now, to work out a way to get a directory together, to help have parents be able to reach out to each other. Heck, I am debating brushing up on my Spanish too. Ds talks often of his friends, so I know, in school, he is very happy. I am working out ways to get him together with his buddies outside of school. The small class size, and individualized instruction he is getting, so far have us very pleased though. I feel our school, and the advanced academic teacher in particular really work hard to make sure the higher performing students are challenged too.