Washington City Paper article on picking a school

[Anonymous]

^Why single out Sela. Any of the popular charters mentioned on DCUM (lower grades) will make a great Bennetton ad. Got my kid's class pics this week... On second thought, better than any Bennetton ad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I believe the priorities are
IB with sibling
IB
OOB with sibling
OOB

So, it what universe does a kid from another ward "compete" with you for the spot? If you are IB, you compete with the other kids in your neighborhood with siblings that attend.

Not for PK3 or PK4. DC and all major cities are only required to provide schooling to children within their school boundary beginning in the kindergarten year. As a practical matter, mostly IB kids apply and get in because more apply, percentage wise (there usually aren't many slots to begin with). When schools are making decisions about kindergarten, they are required by law to accept any IB kid that registers.

[Anonymous]

Ummm, actually you have no idea of which you speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I believe the priorities are
IB with sibling
IB
OOB with sibling
OOB

So, it what universe does a kid from another ward "compete" with you for the spot? If you are IB, you compete with the other kids in your neighborhood with siblings that attend.

Not for PK3 or PK4. DC and all major cities are only required to provide schooling to children within their school boundary beginning in the kindergarten year. As a practical matter, mostly IB kids apply and get in because more apply, percentage wise (there usually aren't many slots to begin with). When schools are making decisions about kindergarten, they are required by law to accept any IB kid that registers.

No. That is wrong. The preferences for PK3 and PK4 are as above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I believe the priorities are
IB with sibling
IB
OOB with sibling
OOB

So, it what universe does a kid from another ward "compete" with you for the spot? If you are IB, you compete with the other kids in your neighborhood with siblings that attend.

Not for PK3 or PK4. DC and all major cities are only required to provide schooling to children within their school boundary beginning in the kindergarten year. As a practical matter, mostly IB kids apply and get in because more apply, percentage wise (there usually aren't many slots to begin with). When schools are making decisions about kindergarten, they are required by law to accept any IB kid that registers.

No. That is wrong. The preferences for PK3 and PK4 are as above.

Why does this keep on going back and forth??
For the LAST time - the priorities / preferences are DIFFERENT for dual language programs. OOB with sibling comes BEFORE IB. Just look at the list for Bancroft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I believe the priorities are
IB with sibling
IB
OOB with sibling
OOB

So, it what universe does a kid from another ward "compete" with you for the spot? If you are IB, you compete with the other kids in your neighborhood with siblings that attend.

Not for PK3 or PK4. DC and all major cities are only required to provide schooling to children within their school boundary beginning in the kindergarten year. As a practical matter, mostly IB kids apply and get in because more apply, percentage wise (there usually aren't many slots to begin with). When schools are making decisions about kindergarten, they are required by law to accept any IB kid that registers.

I'm sorry. Are you really this misinformed, or are you just really bad at getting your point across?

You are correct that you are not guaranteed a spot at your local IB school until Kindergarten.

However, it is NOT true that mostly in-bound kids get into the PS/PK programs for their in-boundary schools simply because more apply to their in-boundary schools. DCPS gives in-boundary kids preference over out of boundary kids in the lottery for all grades, INCLUDING PS & PK. Otherwise, I assure you, you would see a lot more OOB kids in those WOP Pre-K programs...

There are plenty of schools, Garrison included, that have in years past filled up their early ed programs with OOB kids, but that's because the in-boundary kids opted to go elsewhere.

FWIW, we applied to Garrison for PreK in-boundary last year. We were waitlisted (I don't recall our #) and we never got a call. I'm sure there are OOB kids in that PK class, but they attended Garrison for PS, and our kid did not.

[Anonymous]

Let's use Brent as an example. Brent has 37 spots for PK3. Eighteen went to IB w/sibling. Nineteen went to IB. Another 31 IB went on the WL, as did all of the 290 or so OOB. So, of the 68 IB, slightly more than half secured spots, while ZERO percent of 290 OOB secured spots.

[Anonymous]

This is not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The charter school was definitely Cap City, btw.

He could have been describing Two Rivers.

I don't think 2 Rivers has a gym. Cap City does for sure. Plus someone on the Cap City listserve today said it was Cap City, someone who works for City Paper.

Cap City's gym is enviable, wish we had one like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found it a little confusing, actually, even for someone who has navigated the same minefield twice already.

If you think this is bad, you should talk to someone from NYC or SF. Believe me, we're living in a field of clover!

This is nothing. I posted previously about being from NYC. We applied to a charter our #1 choice and a bunch of private schools. Got into all (unheard of in NYC) without standing in line since 12AM or recruiting everyone we know to work the phones/internet just to get an application before they ran out. Easy.

Thank you for the reality check. Some people don't know how good they have it: free pre-school and free pre-kindergarten plus multiple options. Perhaps everyone isn't responsible enough for choices, and prefer to have others tell them what to do.

Feel like writing a letter to the editor of the City Paper?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The charter school was definitely Cap City, btw.

He could have been describing Two Rivers.

I don't think 2 Rivers has a gym. Cap City does for sure. Plus someone on the Cap City listserve today said it was Cap City, someone who works for City Paper.

The TR Middle School has a gym.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't quite understand the first paragraph about visiting the DCPS but not reserving spots for neighborhood kids. This is not true. You do not compete with kids from other wards for PK3.

Sure you do. And if they're siblings of kids already in the school, they're actually ahead of you on the list.

I believe the priorities are
IB with sibling
IB
OOB with sibling
OOB

So, it what universe does a kid from another ward "compete" with you for the spot? If you are IB, you compete with the other kids in your neighborhood with siblings that attend.

Not for PK3 or PK4. DC and all major cities are only required to provide schooling to children within their school boundary beginning in the kindergarten year. As a practical matter, mostly IB kids apply and get in because more apply, percentage wise (there usually aren't many slots to begin with). When schools are making decisions about kindergarten, they are required by law to accept any IB kid that registers.

No. That is wrong. The preferences for PK3 and PK4 are as above.

Why does this keep on going back and forth??
For the LAST time - the priorities / preferences are DIFFERENT for dual language programs. OOB with sibling comes BEFORE IB. Just look at the list for Bancroft.

I don't think anyone is arguing with you. They're just presenting the DCPS Lottery preferences as they affect 90% of the schools in the district. There is apparently a PP who doesn't realize that the lottery grants preferences for PK3 & 4 kids. They aren't guaranteed a slot like they are for K, but they are given priority over other kids when the lottery runs.

[Anonymous]

I actually agree with him a 100% and I also don't think he was trying to be funny. It's the irony of the DCPS school process that makes the whole thing look comical when it really shouldn't be.

[Anonymous]

This is such an over-thinker project.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with some of you people. This was an article written as letters from a father to his daughter, NOT a doctoral thesis on educational options in DC. sheesh!