Parents of DCPS HS graduates - were your kids prepared for college?

[Transplant_1]

Thank you. Understood. No, am not sending to BCC/W school for elite college admissions. Rather for their better school administration, communcation, education, etc.. One can argue how much better it is than eg Jackson Reed in NW DC, but.... for my kid, anything marginally better will be helpful; if I can't do private; and just trying to support through external tutoring, I think, won't be enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup, the kid's motivation and intellectual curiosity is critical in DCPS if you're aiming for elite colleges.

Elite college admission is a stretch for any kid these days. Sending your kid to a “W” school is not going to make the difference. You should pick a school based on your family’s overall needs and where you think your kid will thrive.

dp: If the kid likes the school better, that can make a huge difference in college admission, not to mention his quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Highest predictor of academic success is education level of mother. That's why J-R is called "Yale or Jail." Parents who can supplement - supplement from an early age with weekend language classes, tutors, summer camps, internships. Those kids are prepared for college and would be prepared anywhere.

I work in college admissions, have a kid at J-R and don't think it's quite that simple. Yes, the "Yale" or "Jail" phenomenon is real. But there's a good-sized group of bright but not terribly motivated potential "Yale" students in the ES feeders and Deal who would do better in better-run and more demanding schools than DCPS, schools that would have pushed them harder from the upper ES grades. UMC parents can't always compensate for what schools aren't doing by supplementing extensively. All of these parents aren't going to find the time, resources, stamina or working relationship with a child to get and stay on track for "Yale" from DCPS. My do-the-minimum older kid wouldn't have worked hard at Deal or J-R (so attended parochial schools after ES), while my younger one has thrived in DCPS as a pre-teen and teen.

I went to a W school and this contingent was definitely present. There are many kids who don't excel at these schools but their parents have the resources to create a soft landing (i.e., mom's basement rather than jail).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Highest predictor of academic success is education level of mother. That's why J-R is called "Yale or Jail." Parents who can supplement - supplement from an early age with weekend language classes, tutors, summer camps, internships. Those kids are prepared for college and would be prepared anywhere.

I work in college admissions, have a kid at J-R and don't think it's quite that simple. Yes, the "Yale" or "Jail" phenomenon is real. But there's a good-sized group of bright but not terribly motivated potential "Yale" students in the ES feeders and Deal who would do better in better-run and more demanding schools than DCPS, schools that would have pushed them harder from the upper ES grades. UMC parents can't always compensate for what schools aren't doing by supplementing extensively. All of these parents aren't going to find the time, resources, stamina or working relationship with a child to get and stay on track for "Yale" from DCPS. My do-the-minimum older kid wouldn't have worked hard at Deal or J-R (so attended parochial schools after ES), while my younger one has thrived in DCPS as a pre-teen and teen.

I went to a W school and this contingent was definitely present. There are many kids who don't excel at these schools but their parents have the resources to create a soft landing (i.e., mom's basement rather than jail).

There’s actually a thread on the college board today, called “Colleges where a boy rebuilds love for learning?” about a high-stats kid “demoralized” by his time at a W high school. Moving to the suburbs is the right move for some families, but the wrong move for others, because no high school works for everyone.

[Anonymous]

It's wrong for others who've put down deep roots in the District, old friends, easy work commutes, houses they own and love, beloved neighbors, churches, synagogues, scouts, etc.

But if you're a free bird who can't swing DC private school for years, or don't like them, head to the W schools. Walls is no longer a safe bet even for the strongest DCPS 8th graders and those who get in (weak leadership these days, no substitutes, a host of problems) and J-R isn't the school it was pre Covid.

If you can afford to buy a place in the burbs for schools just do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's wrong for others who've put down deep roots in the District, old friends, easy work commutes, houses they own and love, beloved neighbors, churches, synagogues, scouts, etc.

But if you're a free bird who can't swing DC private school for years, or don't like them, head to the W schools. Walls is no longer a safe bet even for the strongest DCPS 8th graders and those who get in (weak leadership these days, no substitutes, a host of problems) and J-R isn't the school it was pre Covid.

If you can afford to buy a place in the burbs for schools just do it.

Did you do this yourself? It kind of sounds like you’re trying to talk yourself into it.

[Anonymous]

No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

[Anonymous]

Transplant_1 wrote:Thank you. What you are saying is what I am finding to be the case.

I think you need to expand your search. BCC's boundary includes areas of Silver Spring that are much more affordable than over by the Bethesda Metro, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

They could care less? Really? By a lot? Or just a little?

It’s they COULDN’T care less.

Also those pre-college programs are a total scam but I hope they have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

Which pre college programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, paid off our 1990s DC mortgage recently. We're at Walls and J-R. This school year at Walls, we had two classes without subs/any adult in the room, for weeks on end. Kids had to teach themselves French and US history. We had teachers who could care less about teaching. We always had adults in the room at J-R, but not always ones motivated to teach, or good at it. This summer, both our our teens will be doing AP work at pre-college programs on college campuses/sleep-away programs to fill in gaps. Deal friends who bailed for W schools seem thrilled to be gone.

They could care less? Really? By a lot? Or just a little?

It’s they COULDN’T care less.

Also those pre-college programs are a total scam but I hope they have fun.

My kid did this. If they can take the AP test after the program and get a 5, the 5 counts the same as if he took the AP in the school year.

[Anonymous]

+1. Pre-college programs are very expensive though. It's much better if AP prep is done right at school. Agree that J-R and Walls aren't the schools they were for AP prep Pre Covid. Ferebee's weak leadership of DCPS has caught up with the system. The "W" schools look better than ever from NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1. Pre-college programs are very expensive though. It's much better if AP prep is done right at school. Agree that J-R and Walls aren't the schools they were for AP prep Pre Covid. Ferebee's weak leadership of DCPS has caught up with the system. The "W" schools look better than ever from NW.

I would say the kids are also different than pre-Covid. All these posts about AP prep and supplementing are depressing. Guess there is no learning for learning sake. No wonder teenagers have a high suicide rate. It sounds like a lot of parents are just walking Kumon and productivity coaches trying to push their kid into what they feel is “success”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All depends on the kid, the family, and the luck they have in DCPS. What's taught in DCPS is so patchy, with so many weak admins, weak students and unmotivated teachers onboard, that outcomes vary widely. Honors classes in the better suburban schools districts are simply a much safer bet. If you're not tied down in DC as a homeowner, a commute, a spouse's job etc. moving for schools if you can't swing a private is often worth it.

So...to summarize, you are not a parent of a DCPS graduate who is at or graduated from college. Thanks for an outsider's $.02 that nobody requested.

To answer the question, I have a JR grad attending a Top 10 school in the Fall. I feel my kid is well-prepared for their intended area of study. My kid took several dual enrollment classes at GW and earned As without much trouble, so has a decent amount of confidence heading into the Fall.

A neighbor's kid (JR grad) just graduated with honors from an Ivy in a STEM field. Have no idea if there was an adjustment period Freshman year, but certainly finished well overall.

I wonder about dual enrollment each time I see threads like this. Seems like a good option to supplement at DCPS with almost no cost to family . Not sure why people don’t talk about it more as a benefit. So it makes me wonder if I am missing something, like it is hard to get in, or not well run or…

What’s the scoop?

[Anonymous]

The timing of and commute to college classes at GW is the main problem from J-R. Kids can't just walk away from campus during the school day and magically get over to GW and back in time for their next J-R class or activity.