How do private schools manage to get through everything?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:As others have mentioned private schools don’t get through everything. Do not believe anyone who tells you they do or that all privates result in better educational outcomes than public. Study after study has proven this untrue.

What private do: Private schools educate to a narrower band of abilities and a smaller class size making it potentially easier to move through material while limiting certain types of disruption or needs that arise for disability or mental health needs. Because they are not held to yearly state standards and standardization testing, they can choose to cover just the basics and then pick and choose which topics to apply greater depth. This can be good or bad. Since most view childhood as a time of exploration, if they go in depth on something your child is interested than it can be great. If not, it can be somewhat stifling and cause kids to miss opportunities to discover interest or challenge themselves in an area of interest. Also because the class sizes are smaller, it can limit the course selection each year, particularly electives, as students get to higher levels. To this end, their is a lot of tutoring and enrichment being funded by parents. Same is found in public by families of means. The difference being public school families are not paying tuition first.

Another difference is school day and where privates apply focus. Particular at the lower level the focus is less academic. Because of this kids have more fun, which makes parents feel good and feeds into the idea of youth being magical and all about play. This can however be quickly derailed as kids move through the levels and are forced to quickly catch up on academics and encounter academic intensity both in class and via homework.

Ultimately its a scale. You as a family decide which things are important/unimportant and if that balances in the end.

Nope. In our Catholic parochial, kids were working much harder than those in public. For one thing, my kid had homework in elementary school...homework that involved practicing multiplication tables, spelling, and grammar. None of that is happening in public schools. Public schools do not teach phonics, grammar, or spelling anymore. I think they expect parents to teach multiplication tables. I posted earlier that I had one go through W public schools and one through an inexpensive Catholic parochial. The difference was VAST. Worth every damn penny and I would pay more if they charged it.

There is no parochial school in this area that is superior to public. Parochial schools are low level privates and notoriously known for being low level.

Parochial have a reputation of being structured and rigorous and having a higher volume of work at the LS and MS school level than more progressive schools. They also take a much wider range of students, so the outcomes will be more varied than the more expensive independents.

There is no rigor at my son’s parochial. They also have a very limited range of students.

There are dozens of parochial schools in this area, it looks like you choose poorly

Choosing parochial is choosing poorly.

This poster is jealous that parochial schools are so affordable and he can't stomach sending his kid because they are Catholic/religious. We lucked out that we were also looking for a strong Catholic environment. It was certainly a win/win for us!!

Not jealous, wouldn’t even look at a parochial. You are jealous we hired an education consultant and selected an independent school. And I am Catholic. You lucked out that you got a low level school at a low level cost.

Yeah you're jealous AND insecure. You are bragging about wasting money on an educational consultant and overpaying tuition for elementary school. What a sucker.

You’re jealous you can’t pay for any of those things. You are bragging about your low level school you chose. Insecure people call others that, it would serve you well to stop projecting your insecurity.
Sorry for your financial struggles.

Nice. Except we have $8M net worth...so we're good. Thanks for your concern.

I wouldn’t brag about having $8M and sending to a low level school.
But it’s okay because similar to you pretending your school is good, you pretend you have $8M.

No pretending at all. Will add our annual income of 900K. We like the Catholic education and the price tag. We also got a great education for our kid. Sorry you overspent.

PS we also donated to the school and church generously. Still spent less than you. LOL

I don’t need to donate, my child does well without having to be bought.
Keeping bragging about your low budget school.

Oh!! LOL...I don't donate to give my kid a leg up. No. My kid is already doing just fine. We donate because we are so impressed by the school and want it to continue to grow and be successful. But, yeah, I realize people like you do stuff like that.

Are you the latest dcum“$8m net worth” showboater who keeps avoiding answering the question but continues to troll and fib?

What's your question?

Someone cannot read.

It’s because she went to parochial school.

Actually I went to public school...but I still don't know the question.

You asked what the question is right under the question. I know it’s much too difficult for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:As others have mentioned private schools don’t get through everything. Do not believe anyone who tells you they do or that all privates result in better educational outcomes than public. Study after study has proven this untrue.

What private do: Private schools educate to a narrower band of abilities and a smaller class size making it potentially easier to move through material while limiting certain types of disruption or needs that arise for disability or mental health needs. Because they are not held to yearly state standards and standardization testing, they can choose to cover just the basics and then pick and choose which topics to apply greater depth. This can be good or bad. Since most view childhood as a time of exploration, if they go in depth on something your child is interested than it can be great. If not, it can be somewhat stifling and cause kids to miss opportunities to discover interest or challenge themselves in an area of interest. Also because the class sizes are smaller, it can limit the course selection each year, particularly electives, as students get to higher levels. To this end, their is a lot of tutoring and enrichment being funded by parents. Same is found in public by families of means. The difference being public school families are not paying tuition first.

Another difference is school day and where privates apply focus. Particular at the lower level the focus is less academic. Because of this kids have more fun, which makes parents feel good and feeds into the idea of youth being magical and all about play. This can however be quickly derailed as kids move through the levels and are forced to quickly catch up on academics and encounter academic intensity both in class and via homework.

Ultimately its a scale. You as a family decide which things are important/unimportant and if that balances in the end.

Nope. In our Catholic parochial, kids were working much harder than those in public. For one thing, my kid had homework in elementary school...homework that involved practicing multiplication tables, spelling, and grammar. None of that is happening in public schools. Public schools do not teach phonics, grammar, or spelling anymore. I think they expect parents to teach multiplication tables. I posted earlier that I had one go through W public schools and one through an inexpensive Catholic parochial. The difference was VAST. Worth every damn penny and I would pay more if they charged it.

There is no parochial school in this area that is superior to public. Parochial schools are low level privates and notoriously known for being low level.

Parochial have a reputation of being structured and rigorous and having a higher volume of work at the LS and MS school level than more progressive schools. They also take a much wider range of students, so the outcomes will be more varied than the more expensive independents.

There is no rigor at my son’s parochial. They also have a very limited range of students.

There are dozens of parochial schools in this area, it looks like you choose poorly

Choosing parochial is choosing poorly.

This poster is jealous that parochial schools are so affordable and he can't stomach sending his kid because they are Catholic/religious. We lucked out that we were also looking for a strong Catholic environment. It was certainly a win/win for us!!

Not jealous, wouldn’t even look at a parochial. You are jealous we hired an education consultant and selected an independent school. And I am Catholic. You lucked out that you got a low level school at a low level cost.

Yeah you're jealous AND insecure. You are bragging about wasting money on an educational consultant and overpaying tuition for elementary school. What a sucker.

You’re jealous you can’t pay for any of those things. You are bragging about your low level school you chose. Insecure people call others that, it would serve you well to stop projecting your insecurity.
Sorry for your financial struggles.

Nice. Except we have $8M net worth...so we're good. Thanks for your concern.

I wouldn’t brag about having $8M and sending to a low level school.
But it’s okay because similar to you pretending your school is good, you pretend you have $8M.

No pretending at all. Will add our annual income of 900K. We like the Catholic education and the price tag. We also got a great education for our kid. Sorry you overspent.

PS we also donated to the school and church generously. Still spent less than you. LOL

I don’t need to donate, my child does well without having to be bought.
Keeping bragging about your low budget school.

Oh!! LOL...I don't donate to give my kid a leg up. No. My kid is already doing just fine. We donate because we are so impressed by the school and want it to continue to grow and be successful. But, yeah, I realize people like you do stuff like that.

Are you the latest dcum“$8m net worth” showboater who keeps avoiding answering the question but continues to troll and fib?

What's your question?

Someone cannot read.

It’s because she went to parochial school.

Actually I went to public school...but I still don't know the question.

You asked what the question is right under the question. I know it’s much too difficult for you.

That was a rhetorical question...a stupid one at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

Thanks for chiming in. There's a bizarre anti-Catholic vibe here, which is typical for DCUM sadly.

[Anonymous]

Our children's private schools have a longer school day and the teachers have fewer students. This allows them to cover material and differentiate too.

Using AP as a metric - our HS student manages to take AP exams in their non-AP classes without much difficulty and do very well - so their teachers must be covering enough of the AP material on top of other material.

Personally, I've never felt like it was a question of whether our public school covered more/less material than our private schools....it was the manner in which the classes were taught that were more different AND I think both are effective. Our public is filled with bright, high achieving kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are schools still giving Wednesdays off for grades 9-12? Carryover from shutdown days.
Are they offering 1/5th off tuition as well?

Our DC's HS has been back to a normal schedule this school year (regular days since Sept 2021).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, what private schools around here has 172 full days of school a year at 8 hours a day?! Is this basis or Nysmith?

We’ve only seen classes begin at 8:30 or later and end at 3 or 3:30pm. With liberal drop off doodle time beforehand.

No answer seemingly but poster has commented down thread.

Well, I don’t know what to tell you, but I’m dropping my middle schooler off at 7:45 AM tomorrow (bell rings at 8:00) and picking him up at 4 PM, so you do the math. Established independent school, not Basis or Nysmith. I guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself if this is a wild lie or if maybe there are schools that have schedules that you’re unfamiliar with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have mentioned private schools don’t get through everything. Do not believe anyone who tells you they do or that all privates result in better educational outcomes than public. Study after study has proven this untrue.

What private do: Private schools educate to a narrower band of abilities and a smaller class size making it potentially easier to move through material while limiting certain types of disruption or needs that arise for disability or mental health needs. Because they are not held to yearly state standards and standardization testing, they can choose to cover just the basics and then pick and choose which topics to apply greater depth. This can be good or bad. Since most view childhood as a time of exploration, if they go in depth on something your child is interested than it can be great. If not, it can be somewhat stifling and cause kids to miss opportunities to discover interest or challenge themselves in an area of interest. Also because the class sizes are smaller, it can limit the course selection each year, particularly electives, as students get to higher levels. To this end, their is a lot of tutoring and enrichment being funded by parents. Same is found in public by families of means. The difference being public school families are not paying tuition first.

Another difference is school day and where privates apply focus. Particular at the lower level the focus is less academic. Because of this kids have more fun, which makes parents feel good and feeds into the idea of youth being magical and all about play. This can however be quickly derailed as kids move through the levels and are forced to quickly catch up on academics and encounter academic intensity both in class and via homework.

Ultimately its a scale. You as a family decide which things are important/unimportant and if that balances in the end.

Nope. In our Catholic parochial, kids were working much harder than those in public. For one thing, my kid had homework in elementary school...homework that involved practicing multiplication tables, spelling, and grammar. None of that is happening in public schools. Public schools do not teach phonics, grammar, or spelling anymore. I think they expect parents to teach multiplication tables. I posted earlier that I had one go through W public schools and one through an inexpensive Catholic parochial. The difference was VAST. Worth every damn penny and I would pay more if they charged it.

There is no parochial school in this area that is superior to public. Parochial schools are low level privates and notoriously known for being low level.

Parochial have a reputation of being structured and rigorous and having a higher volume of work at the LS and MS school level than more progressive schools. They also take a much wider range of students, so the outcomes will be more varied than the more expensive independents.

There is no rigor at my son’s parochial. They also have a very limited range of students.

There are dozens of parochial schools in this area, it looks like you choose poorly

Choosing parochial is choosing poorly.

This poster is jealous that parochial schools are so affordable and he can't stomach sending his kid because they are Catholic/religious. We lucked out that we were also looking for a strong Catholic environment. It was certainly a win/win for us!!

Not jealous, wouldn’t even look at a parochial. You are jealous we hired an education consultant and selected an independent school. And I am Catholic. You lucked out that you got a low level school at a low level cost.

Yeah you're jealous AND insecure. You are bragging about wasting money on an educational consultant and overpaying tuition for elementary school. What a sucker.

You’re jealous you can’t pay for any of those things. You are bragging about your low level school you chose. Insecure people call others that, it would serve you well to stop projecting your insecurity.
Sorry for your financial struggles.

Nice. Except we have $8M net worth...so we're good. Thanks for your concern.

I wouldn’t brag about having $8M and sending to a low level school.
But it’s okay because similar to you pretending your school is good, you pretend you have $8M.

No pretending at all. Will add our annual income of 900K. We like the Catholic education and the price tag. We also got a great education for our kid. Sorry you overspent.

PS we also donated to the school and church generously. Still spent less than you. LOL

I don’t need to donate, my child does well without having to be bought.
Keeping bragging about your low budget school.

Oh!! LOL...I don't donate to give my kid a leg up. No. My kid is already doing just fine. We donate because we are so impressed by the school and want it to continue to grow and be successful. But, yeah, I realize people like you do stuff like that.

Are you the latest dcum“$8m net worth” showboater who keeps avoiding answering the question but continues to troll and fib?

What's your question?

Someone cannot read.

It’s because she went to parochial school.

Actually I went to public school...but I still don't know the question.

You asked what the question is right under the question. I know it’s much too difficult for you.

That was a rhetorical question...a stupid one at that.

Then you should understand something that is stupid. That’s right up your alley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

Thanks for chiming in. There's a bizarre anti-Catholic vibe here, which is typical for DCUM sadly.

You agree that some parochials are not good. Lol!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

Thanks for chiming in. There's a bizarre anti-Catholic vibe here, which is typical for DCUM sadly.

Are you not aware that there are independent Catholic schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, what private schools around here has 172 full days of school a year at 8 hours a day?! Is this basis or Nysmith?

We’ve only seen classes begin at 8:30 or later and end at 3 or 3:30pm. With liberal drop off doodle time beforehand.

No answer seemingly but poster has commented down thread.

Well, I don’t know what to tell you, but I’m dropping my middle schooler off at 7:45 AM tomorrow (bell rings at 8:00) and picking him up at 4 PM, so you do the math. Established independent school, not Basis or Nysmith. I guess you’ll just have to decide for yourself if this is a wild lie or if maybe there are schools that have schedules that you’re unfamiliar with.

Are you boasting about that? That sounds like an inefficient schedule that is far too long. Would not want that for my child, that is not a positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

Thanks for chiming in. There's a bizarre anti-Catholic vibe here, which is typical for DCUM sadly.

Are you not aware that there are independent Catholic schools?

I’m sure these posters are. Some of them are very good, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

Thanks for chiming in. There's a bizarre anti-Catholic vibe here, which is typical for DCUM sadly.

Agreed. Though I do think it’s just one or maybe two bigots who are irrationally spun up about parochial schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

My work contact’s wife runs and operates a DC based tutoring company. For years.
She sees which skills and curricula are weak plus who is miserable where.
Frankly she should run a school consulting company or therapy hour too.

Many of the math teachers tutor other schools students too. They know a horrifying off the shelf math book or lack of worksheets or reps when they see it.

It’s quite possible she is only seeing a very small subset of a school’s population. Those who are doing well and those who aren’t “miserable” may not be seeking tutoring. As for curricula, what she sees out of context as a tutor may not be what is fully presented in the classroom. I simply don’t think there would be enough information to make the definitive statement above regarding public vs parochial vs private. I have 20 years of experience in education which has taught me to consider each school on its own merits (or lack of).

Many of the students I tutor are doing it for enrichment. I see all of their school work and prep for private school and college enrollment tests.

Is it enough experience to judge entire private vs. public vs. parochial schools and systems? That's my problem with this entire thread. I know it's very DCUMish to throw massive, all-encompassing statements around, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Independent private schools versus public schools are worthy of being compared and may provide information. Parochial schools are in a lower league and cannot compete with either, therefore, it would not be of any value.

It seems you are very uninformed. I recommend you look at the ADW and AOB websites and do a bit of research about the schools’ standards, teacher requirements, and college admissions for the high schools. Having intimate experience with all three types of schools, I can attest to the quality of some parochial schools. (Again: SOME. I am so tired of absolute statements. It doesn’t matter which type of school you attended yourself. I’m sure an English teacher told you to refrain from absolutes since they are practically impossible to prove.)

Thanks for chiming in. There's a bizarre anti-Catholic vibe here, which is typical for DCUM sadly.

Agreed. Though I do think it’s just one or maybe two bigots who are irrationally spun up about parochial schools.

I'm pretty sure it's just one and it seems likely it might be "top Catholic in DC mom" 😃

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tutor middle and high school from both public and private in the DMV area. Apart from Sidwell and Albans/NCS, and maybe 2 or 3 others, privates are not providing better quality of academics than public. The parochial’s are the bottom of the barrel and the single sex schools generally are the better privates.
MCPS is by far the best education in terms of higher mathematics.

Do you tutor a large enough sample size to make this assessment? A sufficient number of students from private, parochial, and public? Students who receive tutoring as extra academic support as well as those who receive tutoring to supplement existing high achievement? Do these students come from VA, MD, and DC? Different socioeconomic classes?

I grow tired of generalizations like the one above. Some publics will be better than some privates, some parochials will be stronger than some publics, etc. I worked in a dreadful public and a great parochial school. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some private down the street that’s better than both. I suspect the public vs. private comparisons on this thread simply stem from people wanting to justify their own choices. If you picked something that works for your family, then that’s all that should matter.

To put a bit of this to rest: states require a minimum number of days for private schools. In MD it is 170. Many publics spend more than 10 days on mandated state tests, so right there is the main difference.

NP. I get your point about generalizing about school categories, but I think you are being overly dismissive. Tutors absolutely can notice trends and weaknesses in a school's curriculum over time without an exhaustive sample size. Frankly, I wish that there were more objective and professional measurements of quality for a service for which I pay over $40k annually. Parent opinions are often too influenced by emotional investment and marketing to be objective, and most parents are too limited in education training to have a truly informed point of view across all disciplines.

A math tutor who has worked 1:1 is much better prepared to assess my kid's math skills than I am, and likely more than DC's teacher is.

Is my kid's school really preparing my kid with the skills needed? Maybe. But much of the curricula and teaching approach seems pretty similar to the subjects I learned 30 years ago. It does not seem particularly innovative. And yes, if anyone cares, DC attends a school that is coveted by many on DCUM.