Washington City Paper article on picking a school

I loved it but we're from the Upper Westside of Manhattan and since moving to DC and going through the school process here, thank my lucky stars that we avoided the insanity of schools there.

It's all relative.

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03/14/2013 13:42

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

quote

Anonymous

I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

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03/14/2013 13:46

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

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03/14/2013 13:51

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

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Anonymous

Heartbreaking. And true.

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03/14/2013 13:51

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

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Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:Terrible, annoying blog IMO.

agree. This really was NOT funny, even though the author was clearly trying to be clever. Very City Paper.

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03/14/2013 13:52

Subject: Re:Washington City Paper article on picking a school

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Anonymous

The DCPS is Garrison. In his attempt to be funny, he makes an incorrect statement about the DCPS PS lottery. Spots DO go to kids from the neighborhood before they go to kids outside it. It's the in-boundary preference. Duh.

"If the world made sense, you would attend this school, for free, until sixth grade. But, for reasons not clear to me, the institution doesn’t reserve places in its PK-3 program (that’s “pre-kindergarten for children 3 and older”) for students who live in our neighborhood. Thus, you must enter a lottery to compete with other toddlers from Wards 1 through 8 to attend a school that is a four-minute walk from your bedroom."

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03/14/2013 13:53

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I believe the priorities are
IB with sibling
IB
OOB with sibling
OOB

So, it what universe does a kid from another ward "compete" with you for the spot? If you are IB, you compete with the other kids in your neighborhood with siblings that attend.

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03/14/2013 14:00

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I think the school he's referring to is Bancroft. Like other dual immersion programs in DCPS, OOB/w sibling comes before inbounds in the preschool lottery. This is to make sure the school has enough Spanish speakers (which wouldn't happen if the school mirrored Mt. Pleasant's demographics) and to make sure the families are committed to dual language and don't plan to leave after preschool (which still happens way too often). It doesn't mean you won't get in if you're inbounds (this year 29/42, or 69% of the PS-3 spots went to inbounds families). It just means you may be on the waiting list--low on the list. Those 20 or so inbounds families on the waiting list this year still have a good chance of getting in.

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03/14/2013 14:12

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Terrible, annoying blog IMO.

agree. This really was NOT funny, even though the author was clearly trying to be clever. Very City Paper.

The operative word.

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03/14/2013 14:19

Subject: Washington City Paper article on picking a school

quote

Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I think the school he's referring to is Bancroft. Like other dual immersion programs in DCPS, OOB/w sibling comes before inbounds in the preschool lottery. This is to make sure the school has enough Spanish speakers (which wouldn't happen if the school mirrored Mt. Pleasant's demographics) and to make sure the families are committed to dual language and don't plan to leave after preschool (which still happens way too often). It doesn't mean you won't get in if you're inbounds (this year 29/42, or 69% of the PS-3 spots went to inbounds families). It just means you may be on the waiting list--low on the list. Those 20 or so inbounds families on the waiting list this year still have a good chance of getting in.