Compare a great DC charter w Bethesda elementary

[Anonymous]

How would a creative minds, inspired teaching, el Haynes, cap city compare w elementary schools in Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

It depends on what you are looking for. We used to live in Chevy Chase, MD and now live in DC. I would say that for us, the instruction and teachers have been the same. The difference is that our DC school is way more diverse racially and economically. Our DC test scores are lower, but again, that's because the diversity is greater.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean your child is testing lower in the new school or the school is testing lower?

[Anonymous]

Charters set a cap on class size. So, you know for example, that the class size at Capital City is 25 students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Not sure offhand about the other schools.

In MCPS, students have a right to attend based on address, so the class size can expand a lot.

The charters you've listed also tend to have more than one teacher in a class. Where, MCPS at the K level can have one teacher, 30 kids.

[Anonymous]

The Montgomery county schools are part of a giant system whereas the charter schools have very little supervision/bureaucratic requirements. I think for a very good school/administration there's something to be said for not having to comply with a lot of requirements, but sometimes they are there for a reason...

On class size, it is true there will be more variability in MoCo. I expect for the charter schools you will always see enrollment right at the cap. For MoCo there will be some fluctuation depending on enrollment in any given year, but that can go both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean your child is testing lower in the new school or the school is testing lower?

Not OP but remember that each State has their own test and test system. DC's policy has been to up the ante on test requirements. So you'd probably see DC test results over all lower than MD tests also for that reason. But I think MD has more stringent tests than VA, which recently adjusted its requirements resulting in a (statistically induced) "drop" in test scores. It's really impossible to rely on standardized test scores across states to draw conclusions about school quality. A much more reliable way would be to stay in touch with former classmates and compare notes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Charters set a cap on class size. So, you know for example, that the class size at Capital City is 25 students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Not sure offhand about the other schools.

In MCPS, students have a right to attend based on address, so the class size can expand a lot.

The charters you've listed also tend to have more than one teacher in a class. Where, MCPS at the K level can have one teacher, 30 kids.

I'm not sure this is true about the MCPS class size. Just a parent here, but my impression from a bunch of PTA meetings is that there is a cap on class size and if you go much above, you get another teacher. Hence all the trailers on the playgrounds at so many Bethesda elementaries. I suspect the class size at the DC charters is going to be smaller regardless, and I have no experience with them, so can't compare w/MCPS.

Our experience w/K (at a Bethesda public) has been more along the lines of 24 or 25 kids per class where each class has a teacher and a part-time aide.

[Anonymous]

More white kids in Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

More affluent and educated parents (usually 2 parent families) in Bethesda. Most charters have a mission to serve the poorer families who don't have a choice to move to a place like Bethesda so the school programs are geared to serve them not wealthier counterparts. The urban environment is completely different.

[Anonymous]

I don't necessarily agree that most charters have a mission to serve poorer families. Not most of the charters commonly discussed on this board---those charters were largely established by educated parents living EOP who could no longer rely on getting their kids OOB entrance into the JKLM network, did not want to move from the city, and did not want their kid to be the only (or one of a few only) kids of their SES in their local DCPS, since the higher SES neighborhoods in DC are so scattered that few EOP DCPS schools have enough middle/upper middle class kids to change the educational culture of a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't necessarily agree that most charters have a mission to serve poorer families. Not most of the charters commonly discussed on this board---those charters were largely established by educated parents living EOP who could no longer rely on getting their kids OOB entrance into the JKLM network, did not want to move from the city, and did not want their kid to be the only (or one of a few only) kids of their SES in their local DCPS, since the higher SES neighborhoods in DC are so scattered that few EOP DCPS schools have enough middle/upper middle class kids to change the educational culture of a school.

Yes, for example, look at the % of FARMs kids at Inspire DC and YY. Only around 15%, lower than WotP and almost as low as Bethesda. The problems will come later, no stellar middle or high school programs in the city. SWW, Wilson, Deal, Latin, and probably now Basis, are mediocre compared to MoCo where extensive ability grouping and highly competitive test-in academic magnet programs are to be found. Both DCPS and DC Charter resist support for advanced learners and GT programs at the MS level for political reasons, not academic ones. But for ES, you're fine in one of the most popular charters, like Two Rivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you mean your child is testing lower in the new school or the school is testing lower?

School tested lower. My kids did great in both places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't necessarily agree that most charters have a mission to serve poorer families. Not most of the charters commonly discussed on this board---those charters were largely established by educated parents living EOP who could no longer rely on getting their kids OOB entrance into the JKLM network, did not want to move from the city, and did not want their kid to be the only (or one of a few only) kids of their SES in their local DCPS, since the higher SES neighborhoods in DC are so scattered that few EOP DCPS schools have enough middle/upper middle class kids to change the educational culture of a school.

Yes, for example, look at the % of FARMs kids at Inspire DC and YY. Only around 15%, lower than WotP and almost as low as Bethesda. The problems will come later, no stellar middle or high school programs in the city. SWW, Wilson, Deal, Latin, and probably now Basis, are mediocre compared to MoCo where extensive ability grouping and highly competitive test-in academic magnet programs are to be found. Both DCPS and DC Charter resist support for advanced learners and GT programs at the MS level for political reasons, not academic ones. But for ES, you're fine in one of the most popular charters, like Two Rivers.

I am the second poster with kids who've gone to school in MoCo and DC. I don't agree that the middle and high schools named are not as good. SWW and Banneker are absolutely as good. Again, the difference is demographics. Therefore, if you look at SAT scores, they are going to be lower. However, if you look at where the students attend college, the lists look about the same.

[Anonymous]

I agree there are educated parents at these schools due to gentrification but that was never the intent. Ask the administrators in private and they will tell you they want some of these parents but not too many of them. If they wanted a school of mostly upper income and educated families, they wouldn't be in inner city DC. They would be in the suburbs or at a private school (YY may be an exception). They want to provide high quality education to close the achievement gap not work with Buffy as she prepares for Sidwell or National Cathedral IMHO.

Anonymous wrote:I don't necessarily agree that most charters have a mission to serve poorer families. Not most of the charters commonly discussed on this board---those charters were largely established by educated parents living EOP who could no longer rely on getting their kids OOB entrance into the JKLM network, did not want to move from the city, and did not want their kid to be the only (or one of a few only) kids of their SES in their local DCPS, since the higher SES neighborhoods in DC are so scattered that few EOP DCPS schools have enough middle/upper middle class kids to change the educational culture of a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't necessarily agree that most charters have a mission to serve poorer families. Not most of the charters commonly discussed on this board---those charters were largely established by educated parents living EOP who could no longer rely on getting their kids OOB entrance into the JKLM network, did not want to move from the city, and did not want their kid to be the only (or one of a few only) kids of their SES in their local DCPS, since the higher SES neighborhoods in DC are so scattered that few EOP DCPS schools have enough middle/upper middle class kids to change the educational culture of a school.

Yes, for example, look at the % of FARMs kids at Inspire DC and YY. Only around 15%, lower than WotP and almost as low as Bethesda. The problems will come later, no stellar middle or high school programs in the city. SWW, Wilson, Deal, Latin, and probably now Basis, are mediocre compared to MoCo where extensive ability grouping and highly competitive test-in academic magnet programs are to be found. Both DCPS and DC Charter resist support for advanced learners and GT programs at the MS level for political reasons, not academic ones. But for ES, you're fine in one of the most popular charters, like Two Rivers.

What school WOTP have more than 15% farm? The only school you can be referring to is Hearst. Def not JKLMM