How many of you send your kids to private school versus public?

[Anonymous]

My older child is n FCPS in an AAP center school. I couldn't be happier, nor could DC! I don;t think priovate would be a better education. Fancier and better facilities? For sure, but education? no. My younger one is in general ed at our base school. It's decent, but not as good as the AAP.

[Anonymous]

Private for now, but we'll move to public as soon as DC reaches 3rd grade and can be in AAP program in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Two in two different privates, one in public. My DCs are all very different, and have different needs and learning styles. We figured out early on that there is no "one size fits all" school for our family, be it public or private. Education is the number one priority for our children, so we put them where they fit best. All three are thriving. To place your child in a school to suit your own belief system or philosophy can be a mistake if it's not the right place for your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS seems like a punishment to kids to me, not a way to foster learning. That said, my child is very young. We are trying to get involved with our schools in order to see what we can do to strengthen them and help undo the damage of NCLB. We'll see.

I appreciate your tone but even so this kind of statement is just so offensive.

I am doing everything I can to support public schools but I will not send my child into the NCLB environment as it is because I believe it sucks the fun out of learning. I believe homework for little kids is unacceptable. I believe that school becomes a chore for many kids. If your kids love school, or don't feel that way, then my statement should seem inaccurate to you, or maybe irrelevant to your school, but I don't get how my opinion is offensive. I believe it, unfortunately. If you disagree, please tell me why. I would love to hear some things that change my mind; and not just things about one school, something that speaks to all or at least most DCPS. But I will say I've investigated the situation and do not feel optimistic I'm going to hear much to change my mind.

Well, for starters, how many DCPS schools have you visited? How many classes have you sat in on? How many students have you spoken with? You are saying that you think DCPS parents are punishing their children and that they don't care about learning. This in an offensive opinion.

It's offensive b/c the idea that those of us choosing DCPS are punishing our kids is offensive. People are doing the best they can and clearly there are a lot of people who don't feel thi

To answer your questions: I've visited my local school and the local school in the previous community (where we lived before we moved) as well as a few other neighborhood schools and a charter school. I have sat in on the PK classes at the school where my child will be in-bounds for next year. Very academic. NOT play-based. Not at all. I've talked to teachers at my in-bounds school. I met with the principal at my in-bounds school. I believe she has her heart in the right place but the way they push the testing curriculum is terrible. My inbounds area does not have a middle or high school. The middle schoolers are just part of the elementary school but there are no facilities for them. No algebra. Not even pre-algebra. No athletics. No music classes. I have a feeling that YOUR ward and my ward look very different in terms of education, if you are in the DC system. Or did you do the lottery? I've spoken with dozens of kids. I know some of them are doing really well. Specifically I know kids who love their schools (elementary kids). But not all kids do. Not all DCPS are the same or equal or even equivalent. Many are not even in the same ballpark. And at even the best, the way they craft their curriculum seems like punishment TO ME. I did not say that you are punishing your children by sending them to public schools. You're taking my quote out of context and doing so really deliberately. We probably do not even disagree that much. Maybe we have a lot in common. I WANT to support public schools. I will continue to put my efforts behind them. But my personal feeling as a parent is that homework at a young age, all that focusing on tests, all that stress that the kids are dealing with, and the lack of amenities for over 50 percent of the city's schools (amenities = algebra or a foreign language class for middle schoolers. YES, MANY SCHOOLS IN THIS CITY DO NOT HAVE THAT!!) is appalling. And yes, I would consider it punishment. I wouldn't say YOU are punishing your kids simply because they go to public. I'm talking about my kids, lady. Seriously, chill out! I don't know why I'm letting your comments rile me up so much. I think it's just because you are so deliberately misunderstanding me.

Chill out? You're the one who's boiling over, "lady".
I'm sure we do agree on a lot but I maintain that "punishing" sounds offensive.

[Anonymous]

Many students are punished by our failing DCPS. Sorry, but it's the truth. If you feel offended by it, oh well. Maybe you could personally reassure the kids in other wards who don't have the opportunity for algebra in 8th grade, because there is no teacher, who do not have any athletics or extra-curriculars, or a foreign language class (not even one, once a week!) that they're not be punished. It's just circumstance, right? Feel free to argue your semantics with them.

[Anonymous]

DS is in private right now after a stint in FCPS public for K and half of first. DS was bored in 1st and while not a behavior issue, was not performing at the same level as when he was in K and in fact was regressing. DS could not be happier now and performing wonderfully now that he is in an accelerated program. Both DH and I are public school grads and thought we would send DC to public.

[Anonymous]

Planning on private because the local elementary is only mediocre and the local middle and high schools are failing.