Ross?

[Anonymous]

We are a very happy Ross family.

I would agree that if there's a secret sauce, it's the fact that the school has the trifecta: an excellent, committed, forward-thinking leader in Holly Searl and amazing teaching staff, tons of community/family support, and a far easier population to educate relative to other DCPS schools.

I have heard from Ross friends that the SPED support is not great, in part because the staff is so small.

I did not hear similar complaints at another, also high-quality DCPS school my child previously attended.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Ross parents we know are happy and people at nearby schools often try to lottery in. Some kids who are in bound for Ross start at our school but usually move back (or move out). The only kids who leave Ross to go to nearby schools have complex IEPs. Ross is also a small school which is good for some kids and bad for others.

Yes this is notable. One class per grade (with very occasional exceptions). So the kids and families go through the grades together and know each other well, and the principal and AP know every kid by name and know all about them too.

A school with less than 200 students has an AP? How is that possible? Anyone know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are a very happy Ross family.

I would agree that if there's a secret sauce, it's the fact that the school has the trifecta: an excellent, committed, forward-thinking leader in Holly Searl and amazing teaching staff, tons of community/family support, and a far easier population to educate relative to other DCPS schools.

I have heard from Ross friends that the SPED support is not great, in part because the staff is so small.

I did not hear similar complaints at another, also high-quality DCPS school my child previously attended.

No SPED support? Why? Is it because the SPED students would drag down test scores?

[Anonymous]

My kid in MS has a lot of friends from Ross ES. Very lovely kids!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a very happy Ross family.

I would agree that if there's a secret sauce, it's the fact that the school has the trifecta: an excellent, committed, forward-thinking leader in Holly Searl and amazing teaching staff, tons of community/family support, and a far easier population to educate relative to other DCPS schools.

I have heard from Ross friends that the SPED support is not great, in part because the staff is so small.

I did not hear similar complaints at another, also high-quality DCPS school my child previously attended.

No SPED support? Why? Is it because the SPED students would drag down test scores?

Well they don’t get to decide if a SPED student enrolls, so it’s in their best interest to provide the best support possible. I’ve worked at Title 1 and WOTP elementary schools and none did SPED well. At Ross at least you’re getting more individualized attention overall, and at a high performing school, the few kids behind get a lot more attention.

[Anonymous]

My child has an IEP at Ross. The team has been great in our experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are a very happy Ross family.

I would agree that if there's a secret sauce, it's the fact that the school has the trifecta: an excellent, committed, forward-thinking leader in Holly Searl and amazing teaching staff, tons of community/family support, and a far easier population to educate relative to other DCPS schools.

I have heard from Ross friends that the SPED support is not great, in part because the staff is so small.

I did not hear similar complaints at another, also high-quality DCPS school my child previously attended.

No SPED support? Why? Is it because the SPED students would drag down test scores?

I don’t think so. Many of the SPED kids at Ross are twice exceptional, meaning they are gifted kids with learning differences. They only help test scores.

I think it’s just the small size. Brent, a similar, but larger school, has one SPED teacher per grade for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

She’s racist too. I remember years ago when the art teacher said “those kids” when referring to black students. Holly didn’t say anything to the teacher. I haven’t trusted or liked her since that incident.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

She’s racist too. I remember years ago when the art teacher said “those kids” when referring to black students. Holly didn’t say anything to the teacher. I haven’t trusted or liked her since that incident.

You must be the former teacher who was fired for incompetence.

Sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

She’s racist too. I remember years ago when the art teacher said “those kids” when referring to black students. Holly didn’t say anything to the teacher. I haven’t trusted or liked her since that incident.

This story is strange. Also the art teacher is a very lovely Black woman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

She’s racist too. I remember years ago when the art teacher said “those kids” when referring to black students. Holly didn’t say anything to the teacher. I haven’t trusted or liked her since that incident.

This story is strange. Also the art teacher is a very lovely Black woman.

actually my mistake, it's the music teacher who is a lovely black woman, the art teacher left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

She’s racist too. I remember years ago when the art teacher said “those kids” when referring to black students. Holly didn’t say anything to the teacher. I haven’t trusted or liked her since that incident.

This story is strange. Also the art teacher is a very lovely Black woman.

actually my mistake, it's the music teacher who is a lovely black woman, the art teacher left.

The art teacher is actually a very lovely man. The former art teacher left several years ago.

The principal does exhibit racist behaviors. I’ve seen it first hand with my student’s friends. Kids receive different consequences and sometimes they’ve been given differently along lines of race. If you have a different experience with her that’s okay but everyone should keep in mind that different people have different experiences based on their identity.

“She’s wonderful” is certainly not everyone’s experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t had a child at Ross, but I know the principal, Holly Hurst. She’s a career educator who has worked in public and private schools. She also once ran a teacher education program. I’ve seen her navigate incredibly tricky situations with warmth and professionalism. While changing demographics certainly help Ross’s testing statistics, it is also true that the school has fantastic leadership.

Holly Searl! She has very high standards for the students and the teachers, and everyone rises to meet them.

She can also be very punitive and vindictive. She can be jealous when others become successful. I saw it first hand. Just check the teacher turnover.

BS. She has been principal at Ross for 16 years and the school is now ranked the #1 public elementary school in DC:

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/elementary-schools/district-of-columbia

Try harder, disaffected troll.

She’s racist too. I remember years ago when the art teacher said “those kids” when referring to black students. Holly didn’t say anything to the teacher. I haven’t trusted or liked her since that incident.

This story is strange. Also the art teacher is a very lovely Black woman.

actually my mistake, it's the music teacher who is a lovely black woman, the art teacher left.

At least there are non-white teachers now. It used to be just the office, security, lunch and custodial staff that were all black and teaching staff was all white.