Current experience at Stuart Hobson?

[Anonymous]

SH has many good teachers, good facilities, great location, decent English and math. It's the science and social studies that aren't too great because of all the low performing students. Don't blame SH. It's all on DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like OP does know some kids with older siblings at SH. I personally think SH is a solid choice. But you should this year go to open houses, enter the charter school lottery, and expect the 4th grade feeder peer pressure to all go SH together to soften somewhat over the course of this year. Your child could potentially do a complete 180 on you by this time next year.

Yes, thank you. We know actual families at SH. I have spoken to them. Most of them are, honestly, "boosters" in a good way. I was trying to see if, anonymously, I got different answers. I really appreciate those with direct experience who have weighed in, especially the current parent/former teacher.

I understand why people would rule out SH entirely because of test scores, but that's obviously not me. We're extremely happy at a feeder now, where my kid has had a great social and extracurricular experience and a very good academic one. Obviously this colors my view and obviously some people on this forum turn up their noses at all of the SH feeders. (We have had lottery offers to move to "better" schools and have decided against them every time.) If you're a family who would only live or go to school in UNW to begin with, that's clearly not my family.

SH has a big enough cohort of high achieving students that I think it would clearly be fine if they did differentiation in all subjects. My question is essentially how problematic is it that they don't?

[Anonymous]

As has been pointed out, nobody can answer the question of how "essentially problematic it is" but you. For his part, Charles Allen must have seen "problematic" writ large when he arranged for his 6th grader to take social studies at SH with 7th graders. You could ask him how he pulled that one off.

We left SH for lack of challenge, lack of a push for a somewhat lazy student, and too many negative peer inputs. But some of her buddies were thriving and still seem to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would love to get some feedback from parents with kids at Stuart Hobson right now. My kid is at a feeder and totally sold on it. Ambivalent on the Latins and is actively opposed to BASIS. (The only information she has on those schools comes from kid word of mouth - mostly driven by friends' older siblings. She has the same sources of information about Stuart, but also some more direct experience from feeder events, open houses, etc.) The principal sells the school as fun in contrast to some of the charter alternatives and the extracurriculars (especially in the arts, which my kid loves) seem genuinely amazing. I think my kid would have a great time. A much better time than my kid would have at at least one of those charters. But... what are the academics really like? My kid is bright, but not particularly independently driven. The more the school emphasizes how manageable the workload is, the more I worry that's code for it's really easy/not challenging. I think math would be fine with the acceleration path, but what about ELA? What about the other core classes (science, social studies)? Could a kid come out of Stuart and be prepared for a good private school? (Obviously Walls would be great, but can't remotely be counted on.)

What if all this were true -- that math is fine, because of the accelerated classes, but science and social studies will be dumbed down and the teacher will be forced to lower expectations (little to no HW and very easy assessments), and the arts were wonderful?

It actually sounds like you know exactly what SH would be like. The question is just whether or not that is fine with you. I don't think there is a magical scenario where the ELA/social studies/science becomes challenging. It's just a question of whether or not the pros outweigh that for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no really great middle school option in this area. Read some of the posts about Basis. It has a for-profit parent company, high teacher turnover rate, and a not so great facility. It also self-selects for a smart and motivated peer group which makes it the overall best option for some students but being self-motivated and willing to do a large volume of homework is important and a lot of kids are not developmentally going to be ready for or happy at that type of middle school program.

Never fails that a BASIS hater comes out of the blue. You probably don't even have a kid at BASIS/

OP- BASIS is fine, great even. Convenient location, likeminded peers, sports, a Spring musical. Yes, the building sucks, but it goes through 12th grade, so you don't need to deal with the HS application process. If your child is smart and likes to learn, I don't see why you wouldn't at least apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no really great middle school option in this area. Read some of the posts about Basis. It has a for-profit parent company, high teacher turnover rate, and a not so great facility. It also self-selects for a smart and motivated peer group which makes it the overall best option for some students but being self-motivated and willing to do a large volume of homework is important and a lot of kids are not developmentally going to be ready for or happy at that type of middle school program.

Never fails that a BASIS hater comes out of the blue. You probably don't even have a kid at BASIS/

OP- BASIS is fine, great even. Convenient location, likeminded peers, sports, a Spring musical. Yes, the building sucks, but it goes through 12th grade, so you don't need to deal with the HS application process. If your child is smart and likes to learn, I don't see why you wouldn't at least apply.

I really hope this doesn't turn into a basis thread! It sounds like a bad fit for this particular girl. And if it's a bad fit, she will be miserable.

Signed, a BASIS parent whose kid loves it, but recognizes that some kids think it is hell on earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no really great middle school option in this area. Read some of the posts about Basis. It has a for-profit parent company, high teacher turnover rate, and a not so great facility. It also self-selects for a smart and motivated peer group which makes it the overall best option for some students but being self-motivated and willing to do a large volume of homework is important and a lot of kids are not developmentally going to be ready for or happy at that type of middle school program.

Never fails that a BASIS hater comes out of the blue. You probably don't even have a kid at BASIS/

OP- BASIS is fine, great even. Convenient location, likeminded peers, sports, a Spring musical. Yes, the building sucks, but it goes through 12th grade, so you don't need to deal with the HS application process. If your child is smart and likes to learn, I don't see why you wouldn't at least apply.

Why not apply? No outdoor space, uninspired leadership, high teacher turnover, essentially no performing arts, weak sports/no playing fields, essentially no recognition of kids' talents outside a narrowly academic sphere, no languages taught before 8th grade (then just for beginners). Need I go on? The truth is that SH offers most of what BASIS is lacking outside serious academics. If only there was a way to meld BASIS academics and SH enrichment with a stable faculty and a good Head in this obnoxious DC political climate. I'd sign up for that in-boundary middle school fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no really great middle school option in this area. Read some of the posts about Basis. It has a for-profit parent company, high teacher turnover rate, and a not so great facility. It also self-selects for a smart and motivated peer group which makes it the overall best option for some students but being self-motivated and willing to do a large volume of homework is important and a lot of kids are not developmentally going to be ready for or happy at that type of middle school program.

Never fails that a BASIS hater comes out of the blue. You probably don't even have a kid at BASIS/

OP- BASIS is fine, great even. Convenient location, likeminded peers, sports, a Spring musical. Yes, the building sucks, but it goes through 12th grade, so you don't need to deal with the HS application process. If your child is smart and likes to learn, I don't see why you wouldn't at least apply.

Why not apply? No outdoor space, uninspired leadership, high teacher turnover, essentially no performing arts, weak sports/no playing fields, essentially no recognition of kids' talents outside a narrowly academic sphere, no languages taught before 8th grade (then just for beginners). Need I go on? The truth is that SH offers most of what BASIS is lacking outside serious academics. If only there was a way to meld BASIS academics and SH enrichment with a stable faculty and a good Head in this obnoxious DC political climate. I'd sign up for that in-boundary middle school fast.

Yes. Same. I guess this is why these middle school threads tend to all end with "pay for private or move to the burbs," since they offer that.

(one small quibble is that BASIS actually does have sports and performing arts -- the middle school girls soccer team beat latin last week! the auditions for "Anything Goes" are in early December! -- and it helps me understand why BASIS families feel compelled to weigh in. many factually incorrect misconceptions about the school are spread on this forum. The building is horrible -- that one is true.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like OP does know some kids with older siblings at SH. I personally think SH is a solid choice. But you should this year go to open houses, enter the charter school lottery, and expect the 4th grade feeder peer pressure to all go SH together to soften somewhat over the course of this year. Your child could potentially do a complete 180 on you by this time next year.

Yes, thank you. We know actual families at SH. I have spoken to them. Most of them are, honestly, "boosters" in a good way. I was trying to see if, anonymously, I got different answers. I really appreciate those with direct experience who have weighed in, especially the current parent/former teacher.

I understand why people would rule out SH entirely because of test scores, but that's obviously not me. We're extremely happy at a feeder now, where my kid has had a great social and extracurricular experience and a very good academic one. Obviously this colors my view and obviously some people on this forum turn up their noses at all of the SH feeders. (We have had lottery offers to move to "better" schools and have decided against them every time.) If you're a family who would only live or go to school in UNW to begin with, that's clearly not my family.

SH has a big enough cohort of high achieving students that I think it would clearly be fine if they did differentiation in all subjects. My question is essentially how problematic is it that they don't?

What big enough cohort of high achieving students? Have you even looked at the data at the percentages of kids who actually are above grade level??

You are naive if you think there is differentiation at the middle school level. There isn’t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no really great middle school option in this area. Read some of the posts about Basis. It has a for-profit parent company, high teacher turnover rate, and a not so great facility. It also self-selects for a smart and motivated peer group which makes it the overall best option for some students but being self-motivated and willing to do a large volume of homework is important and a lot of kids are not developmentally going to be ready for or happy at that type of middle school program.

Never fails that a BASIS hater comes out of the blue. You probably don't even have a kid at BASIS/

OP- BASIS is fine, great even. Convenient location, likeminded peers, sports, a Spring musical. Yes, the building sucks, but it goes through 12th grade, so you don't need to deal with the HS application process. If your child is smart and likes to learn, I don't see why you wouldn't at least apply.

Why not apply? No outdoor space, uninspired leadership, high teacher turnover, essentially no performing arts, weak sports/no playing fields, essentially no recognition of kids' talents outside a narrowly academic sphere, no languages taught before 8th grade (then just for beginners). Need I go on? The truth is that SH offers most of what BASIS is lacking outside serious academics. If only there was a way to meld BASIS academics and SH enrichment with a stable faculty and a good Head in this obnoxious DC political climate. I'd sign up for that in-boundary middle school fast.

Yes. Same. I guess this is why these middle school threads tend to all end with "pay for private or move to the burbs," since they offer that.

(one small quibble is that BASIS actually does have sports and performing arts -- the middle school girls soccer team beat latin last week! the auditions for "Anything Goes" are in early December! -- and it helps me understand why BASIS families feel compelled to weigh in. many factually incorrect misconceptions about the school are spread on this forum. The building is horrible -- that one is true.)

What I find on these threads is that any legit criticism of BASIS invariably meets with a defensive post rooted in embarrassment, or perhaps parental guilt, shouting "misconception!" or "troll!" I say this as a parent who worked at BASIS DC for a school year but couldn't stomach sending my 5th grader, a good student, later on.

Right, BASIS stages the odd school play. Factually correct. The fact remains that their drama program is bottom of the barrel, without a stage, auditorium or even a decent sound system let alone an instrumental music program supporting a drama program (go to a suburban school musical where a decent school orchestra plays the score and weep). It's all a bit hopeless. Sure, the not-so-great BASIS MS girls soccer team beat the even worse Latin team last week.

You'd be much better off singing BASIS' praises for what they do well, like teaching middle school science, unlike SH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why you're here asking these questions about academics at SH, OP. Because you want your questions answered in the affirmative to reassure you? You want current SH parents to convince that that the school is good enough for you? They have their pride. What else are they going to say unless they're planning to pull their children out? It's a no-brainer that most parents in the SH catchment area avoid the school. No secret that in-bound families who send their children generally do so after they've struck out at one or both of the Latins, and BASIS, too if they can't afford private school and don't want to move. Yet you're here asking if the academics will be adequate, looking for a hidden gem? How realistic is that? You're hoping that SH has a longstanding PR problem in advertising its stellar academic program or what? I'd make SH Plan B or C, not A. Obviously.

I agree with this. You heard the principal. It’s not rigorous. It’s just not. It’s not pretending to be either. Just move now. Stuart Hobson is fantastic for people whose top priority is an easy commute and low expectations. Only thing I disagree with PP is that it’s people’s plan F not plan B.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not getting hardly any responses after a few days of your post. The few responses that you have gotten, none have said it is rigorous. That’s your answer there.

It’s obvious from your post you want to convince yourself that it’s an option for your kid and no matter how you try to convince yourself, the reality is what it is. Nothing is going to change that.

I would plan on moving or going private if you don’t get into charters.

This is anecdotal, but the parents I have met who are happy at their DCPS middle schools are not the parents who come on here to fret about responding to posts defending their choices. And those that have come on here to explain why they and their families are happy at their DCPS school are often accused of being 'boosters', so I think it deters engagement.
That being said, go to an open house, find folks in the neighborhood that are enrolled in the school, that's a good way to find your answers.

I was going to say the same thing. If you care so little about your child’s academics that you put them at Stuart Hobson you’re not going to be refreshing DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't get why you're here asking these questions about academics at SH, OP. Because you want your questions answered in the affirmative to reassure you? You want current SH parents to convince that that the school is good enough for you? They have their pride. What else are they going to say unless they're planning to pull their children out? It's a no-brainer that most parents in the SH catchment area avoid the school. No secret that in-bound families who send their children generally do so after they've struck out at one or both of the Latins, and BASIS, too if they can't afford private school and don't want to move. Yet you're here asking if the academics will be adequate, looking for a hidden gem? How realistic is that? You're hoping that SH has a longstanding PR problem in advertising its stellar academic program or what? I'd make SH Plan B or C, not A. Obviously.

I agree with this. You heard the principal. It’s not rigorous. It’s just not. It’s not pretending to be either. Just move now. Stuart Hobson is fantastic for people whose top priority is an easy commute and low expectations. Only thing I disagree with PP is that it’s people’s plan F not plan B.

It does sound like in her heart, she wants to try SH. No one will stop you from doing that if you want! I think what you need to figure out is exactly what the downsides are for your daughters experience and for her trajectory, and if you are willing to accept them. Will not being challenged enough from 6-8th put her behind her peers around the city/country? Can she make up for it in high school? Only you and your family can decide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are not getting hardly any responses after a few days of your post. The few responses that you have gotten, none have said it is rigorous. That’s your answer there.

It’s obvious from your post you want to convince yourself that it’s an option for your kid and no matter how you try to convince yourself, the reality is what it is. Nothing is going to change that.

I would plan on moving or going private if you don’t get into charters.

This is anecdotal, but the parents I have met who are happy at their DCPS middle schools are not the parents who come on here to fret about responding to posts defending their choices. And those that have come on here to explain why they and their families are happy at their DCPS school are often accused of being 'boosters', so I think it deters engagement.
That being said, go to an open house, find folks in the neighborhood that are enrolled in the school, that's a good way to find your answers.

I was going to say the same thing. If you care so little about your child’s academics that you put them at Stuart Hobson you’re not going to be refreshing DCUM.

I am the PP you are responding to, and we are not saying the same thing. There are a lot of competitive parents in this region who come on forums like this because they feel the need to justify their decisions or cut down others who chose differently.
But there are an equal number of parents who are happy with their families school choices, are impressed with what they are learning, and don't feel the need to come on here, or don't even know this forum exists. Or when they do come on here they get yelled at for 'boosting' so they stay away. Doesn't mean they don't care about their kids education.
All that to say, it is naive to think this site is any sort of accurate sample of families at a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no really great middle school option in this area. Read some of the posts about Basis. It has a for-profit parent company, high teacher turnover rate, and a not so great facility. It also self-selects for a smart and motivated peer group which makes it the overall best option for some students but being self-motivated and willing to do a large volume of homework is important and a lot of kids are not developmentally going to be ready for or happy at that type of middle school program.

Never fails that a BASIS hater comes out of the blue. You probably don't even have a kid at BASIS/

OP- BASIS is fine, great even. Convenient location, likeminded peers, sports, a Spring musical. Yes, the building sucks, but it goes through 12th grade, so you don't need to deal with the HS application process. If your child is smart and likes to learn, I don't see why you wouldn't at least apply.

Why not apply? No outdoor space, uninspired leadership, high teacher turnover, essentially no performing arts, weak sports/no playing fields, essentially no recognition of kids' talents outside a narrowly academic sphere, no languages taught before 8th grade (then just for beginners). Need I go on? The truth is that SH offers most of what BASIS is lacking outside serious academics. If only there was a way to meld BASIS academics and SH enrichment with a stable faculty and a good Head in this obnoxious DC political climate. I'd sign up for that in-boundary middle school fast.

Ridiculous.

You are comparing a school where most of the students are below grade level to Basis, the top public school in the city?