McLean School of Maryland

[Anonymous]

11:51 back - just thought of something important that differentiates McLean (and to a lesser extent, Commonwealth Academy which is where we are now) from other privates. We were coming out of a private punitive environment so this was very important for our children. Both schools, but especially McLean, really works hard to affirm the child in every way possible. The school has frequent awards ceremonies, student of the week, honors this or that. Lots of pats on the back to the point that parents of B- kids were saying to me with raised eyebrows "My kid made honor roll? there's something wrong here . . .". LOTs of affirmation. That may have changed since we were there and the heads of the school changed. But it was a breath of fresh air coming from an environment which awarded only perfect attendance, spelling bee, and environment was negative. If your child is beaten-up by the system, McLean really goes the extra-mile to affirm your child.

Commonwealth Academy does the same but it's so much smaller that the frequent awards ceremonies that McLean had are done in school with no parents present. But DD is making honor roll every term and the staff could not be more encouraging. DD now wants to go to school and comes home every day talking about what she said or did in class and how teacher "X" said this or that. As a result, DD has shown an immense jump in self-confidence in just a year.

What I mean to say is that McLean just took it to a new level to the point where you got an award for just showing up - but it's what my kids needed at the time. Somehow they find a way to praise each kid for whatever gift they may have, whether that be in band, art, math, friendship, core values, etc.

[Anonymous]

Op again. I have a general question. Why does McLean have a rolling admissions? And, if you apply early, does that increase your chances of being admitted as opposed to applying late? What is the purpose of having an admissions deadline if applicants can submit after the deadline? At the open house, the MS Director of Admissions said they could add a homeroom if demand were great or admit children mid-year which struct me as interesting in an odd way. I don't imagine the other privates do this but then again, I don't really know.

And, 11:29 poster, who is the current McLean parent, if you are still open to a conversation offline, please let me know how I can contact you.

[Anonymous]

New McLean parent here--to MS DS with some executive functioning issues and extremely visual spatial learner. He is also extremely outgoing and athletic; plays football, water polo and lacrosse. My aha moment that DS was in the wrong public school environment occurred last April after receiving his testing results from the Lab School so better understanding why he was not learning at school. I worked with an educational consultant and narrowed down my focus to McLean, Flint Hill and Bullis. All offered small classrooms with differentiated teaching and all had room even though I applied in May. The message that resonated with me was that McLean would challenge my underachiever who had lost all confidence last year. There is a very palpable positive environment and an emphasis on self-advocacy. My DS does noy have diagnosed LDs but is responding well to certain accomodations, that are being phased out as he develops his own tools. Most importantly, DS is a much happier son and brother. No football was a trade-off but he was able to play for his NoVa team as he does with water polo. I suggest that you have your DC attend for a day. Even attending a basketball game will provide a nice opportunity to experience the culture. Also there were a lot of new students this year so perhaps the admissions folks will provide you a list of new families to contact. I know it is a tough journey and wish you well!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op again. I have a general question. Why does McLean have a rolling admissions? And, if you apply early, does that increase your chances of being admitted as opposed to applying late? What is the purpose of having an admissions deadline if applicants can submit after the deadline? At the open house, the MS Director of Admissions said they could add a homeroom if demand were great or admit children mid-year which struct me as interesting in an odd way. I don't imagine the other privates do this but then again, I don't really know.

And, 11:29 poster, who is the current McLean parent, if you are still open to a conversation offline, please let me know how I can contact you.

They have rolling admissions because they have lots of space. Very few grades (if any) are at full capacity. The have lost lots of families in the past few years.

It is not hard to get into Mclean so I really wouldn't worry. Unless your kids have behavioral issues or major learning disabilities, they are pretty much guaranteed to get in. They need the kids.

[Anonymous]

Op -- Interesting. I am hoping the new head will be able to turn things around. I am willing to give it a try because I don't think my kids are getting the support they need in the high performing DCPS they currently attend although they are popular and socially adjusted children. As a parent, I know they can do better academically if in the right environment. Neither has severe learning disabilities or behavioral issues. I think they just need a smaller learning environment and more individualized, tailored instruction.

[Anonymous]

Prospective parent here - all these comments are very useful and also encouraging in the main. It is tough to imagine the effect of a new head of school and of MS, but otherwise, we generally relaly liked the philosophy and approach and the general "feel" when we visited the school. It seems to me that the school is not hard to get into from an academic standpoint, but I do get the impression that admissions is very focussed on "fit" and whether the school is going to be a positive environment for the child. I had the strong feeling that they would never compromise on that and accept a student just to fill a spot. The commitment to small classes means they will add a homeroom if the numbers are too large - at least that was how it was explained to us.

[Anonymous]

OP and prospective parent too. I agree with 04:17. I think reputation is probably important to them as it is to most schoosl. They don't want to experience more attrition due to the school having an open door policy.

[Anonymous]

And, 15:32, if you are still there, are you a current or former parent or neither? Just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And, 15:32, if you are still there, are you a current or former parent or neither? Just curious.

Former parent

[Anonymous]

When did you leave? And, why, if you care to disclose?

[Anonymous]

We left 2 years ago. There were a number of reasons. DC was unhappy with the social situation. Too small. Some bullying going on which the school did not address well.

Academically, we found the school lacking. Lots of busy work, not challenging or interesting curriculum. The philosophy seemed to be don't make it too hard so the kids seem like they are achieving. Some of the teachers were not good and seemed uninterested in making the classes exciting.

While accommodations were made in the classroom, I still ended up paying for a tutor to help Dc in certain areas. After spending all that money for tuition, that did not make me happy.


Our fears were confirmed when we went to a different school and saw how behind the DC was in certain areas especially math.

Just because a kid has learning issues, does not mean they can't be pushed to do challenging work.

Some parents will say that it is not good for a child to be pushed to do that. my belief is that kids with learning issues need to learn to succeed in spite of them.

[Anonymous]

I see. My concern in the current public school which is high performing is that DC needs more individualized instruction to keep up although DC now has a 504 plan. DC has ADHD and complains about the class size (24) and how it is difficult at times to concentrate or in DC's words "learn". I would think with a new Head of School coming in and coming from Sidwell that the standards would be raised in terms of teaching personnel and quality of curriculum. I appreciate your candor. Is your DC in a public or private school now?

[Anonymous]

I have heard there has been a lot of turnover with the teaching staff in the past couple of years so hopefully the mediocre teachers have left.

[Anonymous]

Chiming in here, I would say that when I look at the homework pages (visible on the school internet) for my DC's current grade, it doesn't seem far off what DC is doing currently in a very competitive private school. I don't know, but it seems that it's the WAY of teaching rather than WHAT is being taught that's different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see. My concern in the current public school which is high performing is that DC needs more individualized instruction to keep up although DC now has a 504 plan. DC has ADHD and complains about the class size (24) and how it is difficult at times to concentrate or in DC's words "learn". I would think with a new Head of School coming in and coming from Sidwell that the standards would be raised in terms of teaching personnel and quality of curriculum. I appreciate your candor. Is your DC in a public or private school now?

Private