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Weeding out...
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Anonymous
| Is it correct that the prestigious independent schools "weed out" the not-so-smart students in upper elementary years? I guess another way of saying that is do parents of the not-so-smart students weed them out? Is this why there are openings in such schools at these levels? It seems more than just the natural attrition of students moving away... |
Anonymous
| Most schools expand at several points, so they would have openings even without attrition. |
Anonymous
| I don't know about weeding out. But most schools have expansion years where they normally add new students. Depending on the school, this could be at 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th. |
Anonymous
| In this economy, weeds look like fine cultivars. |
jhuber
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| The original poster uses the term "weeding out", I sense, as a hypothesis that a given school faculty / administration may be intentionally throttling enrollment by counseling out the least academically able students each year. I'm not familiar with a school that does so, and would find the process loathsome. Shades of "The Paper Chase"! To what end would this serve? And, as one of the previous posters notes, is the process of voting off the "weakest link" a financially sustainable course for any independent school? A healthy admission process will ensure that the fit between student and mission is strong. Of course, issues can arise as the child progresses and matures - would that every school had a Sorting Hat to tell us how a 3-year-old will fare as an 8th grader - which may lead to a school's decision to counsel out a child. That said, the process of counseling out can be immensely painful and take weeks, months, occasionally years. The issues can be much more complex that simple academic ability - what to do with the highly intelligent child who can't (or doesn't) complete daily homework? The sweet young student who, despite hard work and much effort, cannot meet academic requirements without one-on-one support? And, to a reader that believes the simple answer should be removal, what if it were your own child? The complexity of each student, each family, requires a great school to do what it can (within its mission) to support and nurture the student. And if the time comes that the child's success at the school is in jeopardy, it is incumbent upon the administrators to support the family as it looks for that better fit. Of the many responsibilities I have as a Head of School, this is one of the hardest and emotionally draining. |
Anonymous
The rigorous schools take the opportunity to "weed" out those who are simply not making the grade (literally and figuratively) or who prove to be disciplinary problems. At least the few occasions of which I am particularly familiar, it involved children who should not have been admitted in the first place for one or both of these reasons, but because they were legacies, or had siblings, or had the right connections, admission was grudgingly granted. I frankly think the school thought it would be easier to say no at a later time, after the accumlation of a record of poor academic performance and discplinary actions, than to say no outright. |
Anonymous
To play devil's advocate, it is entirely conceivable that a school would want to boost its outplacement stats by encouraging out the door students who are not academically cutting it. Isn't it just possible that many students, who were admitted at the pre-K or K level based on nothing more than how they "interact" at play sessions, to not blossom into highly intelligent or competitive students that populate the "big threes" of this town.... Just food for thought. |
Anonymous
| Any thought on whether they weed out potentially heavy hitting donors who don't prove to be as advertised? |
Anonymous
No. I've heard of weeding out for academic performance and for social/discipline issues, but I can't imagine a school weeding out kids whose parents do not give enough. |
Anonymous
I've also heard that they will do anything to hold onto a wealthy brat with generous parents. For some of the elite these schools are babysitters for brats. Heard of one case where a boy hit a girl with a baseball bat and because he was from so much money they took his side and even blamed the girl for irritating him. Makes me wonder if I really want my kid to go to a school like that. |
Anonymous
Weeding out kids because their parents do not give enough? No. Weeding out parents who gain admission, with a tacit understanding that they will be big donors, who fail to live up to their end? In a sense. If you consider the cold shoulder by other high end donor families, school administrators and the like, and a noticeable drop in invitations to parties, gatherings, and gala events. Then absolutely. Been there. Done that. |
Anonymous
| Given the cold shoulder or received it? |
Anonymous
|
I personally know of 3 kids who've been, as jhuber put it nicely, counseled. In each instance, this wasn't a shock to the parents. In two cases, the parents themselves broached the stay - no stay discussion.
The schools are: NCS, Sidwell lower, and Sidwell upper. |
Anonymous
Minority students? Only ask given the other thread regarding Sidwell. |
Anonymous
| Didn't Al Gore's kid get "weeded out" of St. Albans and then immediately accepted at Sidwell, or maybe the other way around? Some weeds, like the ivy in my yard, are pretty resilient. |