DCPS Elementary Schools Question

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP there's also the OOB factor. We considered a hearst-zoned school, but while we have no issue with the diversity or the student population there, Hearst is 88% OOB, which really makes it not a neighborhood school.

To me being able to walk to friends' houses, play in the alley with school buddies etc. is really important. It helps build the sense of community as well.

Hearst's figures suggest that won't happen.

Yes, I have heard this argument. If your children end up going to a private school this is also the case so this is a silly argument. In the end, you don't like the OOB kids because they are different. The subtext of the "neighborhood argument" is one of racism/classism.

Well, if we were going to do private school, then why would we be looking at Hearst! We ended up at Lafayette, btw. Can't and will never be able to afford private.

[Anonymous]

There are more subtle differences. Janney has autonomous status and has a different curriculum (and used different mid-year tests) from most DCPS schools. Janney parents raise a lot of money for extras that many DCPS schools don't have, whether technology, extra staff or additional programming. And since the principal has more control of the budget, some things just function differently - more specials classes, the use of inclusion teachers.

But I think that unless someone has had kids at both schools, or has friends with kids at the other school, its hard to recognize that these differences exist, let alone decide that they make one school better than the other.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure OP's friend was all about, "I'm just more comfortable having my child in an elementary school with autonomous curricular status."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know what? Lower SES families who make the choice and investment to travel to Hearst are often more engaged that the families who walk there.

You have a self-selected population of engage parents -- like most of the successful Charters -- you'll do just fine there.

But that's the interesting thing about Hearst (and Eaton, btw) - OOB does not necessarily equal lower SES. I know lots of people who have kids OOB at these schools and they are all highly educated professionals who happen to live east of the park and need to lottery for a good school. So like certain charters, what you actually have is a body of educated and engaged parents and isn't that exactly what you want at a school? Any neighborhood shunning of these schools just seems odd to me.

[Anonymous]

No, I have a problem with the family I know who were Ok with Janney but not Hearst. I don't know every single person in DC. I have a problem with people who are racist and/or classist. I would hope you would too. This might be why I don't have many close friends in NWDC because many of them I feel are not very nice people. You are free to dislike me and my opinion.

Well, I have a problem with people who take one fact - that someone is OK with Janney but not Hearst, post it on an anonymous message board, get the entirely predictable "They must be racist/classist!" response, and then decide, "Well! That must be the reason! They're racists!" And then, to extrapolate further that this is perhaps the reason you don't have a lot of close friends in NWDC - because THEY might be racists/classists, and you (you alone!) don't like racists/classists.

I think people who think like that don't have two brain cells to rub together. Perhaps THAT'S why you don't have a lot of close friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No, I have a problem with the family I know who were Ok with Janney but not Hearst. I don't know every single person in DC. I have a problem with people who are racist and/or classist. I would hope you would too. This might be why I don't have many close friends in NWDC because many of them I feel are not very nice people. You are free to dislike me and my opinion.

Well, I have a problem with people who take one fact - that someone is OK with Janney but not Hearst, post it on an anonymous message board, get the entirely predictable "They must be racist/classist!" response, and then decide, "Well! That must be the reason! They're racists!" And then, to extrapolate further that this is perhaps the reason you don't have a lot of close friends in NWDC - because THEY might be racists/classists, and you (you alone!) don't like racists/classists.

I think people who think like that don't have two brain cells to rub together. Perhaps THAT'S why you don't have a lot of close friends.

Lol! Clearly, I struck a nerve. As I posted, you are free to dislike me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, I have a problem with the family I know who were Ok with Janney but not Hearst. I don't know every single person in DC. I have a problem with people who are racist and/or classist. I would hope you would too. This might be why I don't have many close friends in NWDC because many of them I feel are not very nice people. You are free to dislike me and my opinion.

Well, I have a problem with people who take one fact - that someone is OK with Janney but not Hearst, post it on an anonymous message board, get the entirely predictable "They must be racist/classist!" response, and then decide, "Well! That must be the reason! They're racists!" And then, to extrapolate further that this is perhaps the reason you don't have a lot of close friends in NWDC - because THEY might be racists/classists, and you (you alone!) don't like racists/classists.

I think people who think like that don't have two brain cells to rub together. Perhaps THAT'S why you don't have a lot of close friends.

Lol! Clearly, I struck a nerve. As I posted, you are free to dislike me.

Really? That was your take-away? That I must be racist/classist? Okay. I do appreciate you proving the penultimate sentence of my previous post, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No, I have a problem with the family I know who were Ok with Janney but not Hearst. I don't know every single person in DC. I have a problem with people who are racist and/or classist. I would hope you would too. This might be why I don't have many close friends in NWDC because many of them I feel are not very nice people. You are free to dislike me and my opinion.

Well, I have a problem with people who take one fact - that someone is OK with Janney but not Hearst, post it on an anonymous message board, get the entirely predictable "They must be racist/classist!" response, and then decide, "Well! That must be the reason! They're racists!" And then, to extrapolate further that this is perhaps the reason you don't have a lot of close friends in NWDC - because THEY might be racists/classists, and you (you alone!) don't like racists/classists.

I think people who think like that don't have two brain cells to rub together. Perhaps THAT'S why you don't have a lot of close friends.

So how would you feel if they were ok with Janney but not Savoy Elementary school in Anacostia? What line are they allowed to draw, exactly? How did you come to decide what should, and should not be ok for their kids?

[Anonymous]

Are you suggesting that the comparisons of Janney to Hearst and Janney to Savoy are similar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, I have a problem with the family I know who were Ok with Janney but not Hearst. I don't know every single person in DC. I have a problem with people who are racist and/or classist. I would hope you would too. This might be why I don't have many close friends in NWDC because many of them I feel are not very nice people. You are free to dislike me and my opinion.

Well, I have a problem with people who take one fact - that someone is OK with Janney but not Hearst, post it on an anonymous message board, get the entirely predictable "They must be racist/classist!" response, and then decide, "Well! That must be the reason! They're racists!" And then, to extrapolate further that this is perhaps the reason you don't have a lot of close friends in NWDC - because THEY might be racists/classists, and you (you alone!) don't like racists/classists.

I think people who think like that don't have two brain cells to rub together. Perhaps THAT'S why you don't have a lot of close friends.

Lol! Clearly, I struck a nerve. As I posted, you are free to dislike me.

Really? That was your take-away? That I must be racist/classist? Okay. I do appreciate you proving the penultimate sentence of my previous post, though.

Better stupid than a racist.

[Anonymous]

Angry PP. Why do you care what I or anyone else think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know what? Lower SES families who make the choice and investment to travel to Hearst are often more engaged that the families who walk there.

You have a self-selected population of engage parents -- like most of the successful Charters -- you'll do just fine there.

But that's the interesting thing about Hearst (and Eaton, btw) - OOB does not necessarily equal lower SES. I know lots of people who have kids OOB at these schools and they are all highly educated professionals who happen to live east of the park and need to lottery for a good school. So like certain charters, what you actually have is a body of educated and engaged parents and isn't that exactly what you want at a school? Any neighborhood shunning of these schools just seems odd to me.

All of this is very true. I live in-bound and I know MANY EOP families who have a higher household income, a more expensive house, more prestigious jobs, etc. than we do. Also, the two kids who are the most advanced readers in my kid's class are an in-bound white student and a lower-income OOB AA student. You really can't base your judgement on stereotypes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are more subtle differences. Janney has autonomous status and has a different curriculum (and used different mid-year tests) from most DCPS schools. Janney parents raise a lot of money for extras that many DCPS schools don't have, whether technology, extra staff or additional programming. And since the principal has more control of the budget, some things just function differently - more specials classes, the use of inclusion teachers.

But I think that unless someone has had kids at both schools, or has friends with kids at the other school, its hard to recognize that these differences exist, let alone decide that they make one school better than the other.

Do you have kids at both schools? Or a close friend at Hearst? I'm trying to figure out how you're sure that Janney uses different mid year tests than Hearst or Murch or Brent does. Do have a good grasp of what specials are offered from 9-3 at all the dcps? At just the wotp schools? I don't. Our inbounds school is Murch and I have no clue whether these kids get more or different art classes than the kids at key, Shepard, Hyde Mann Janney or amidon.

I am intrigued that you seem to know these stats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you suggesting that the comparisons of Janney to Hearst and Janney to Savoy are similar?

Well, I am saying OP is judging this family's preference based on some line in the sand - it's ok to not want your kid to go to a very low-performing school, but not ok to not want them to go to a good-but-not-top performing school. What "level"school is it morally acceptable to reject?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are more subtle differences. Janney has autonomous status and has a different curriculum (and used different mid-year tests) from most DCPS schools. Janney parents raise a lot of money for extras that many DCPS schools don't have, whether technology, extra staff or additional programming. And since the principal has more control of the budget, some things just function differently - more specials classes, the use of inclusion teachers.

But I think that unless someone has had kids at both schools, or has friends with kids at the other school, its hard to recognize that these differences exist, let alone decide that they make one school better than the other.

Do you have kids at both schools? Or a close friend at Hearst? I'm trying to figure out how you're sure that Janney uses different mid year tests than Hearst or Murch or Brent does. Do have a good grasp of what specials are offered from 9-3 at all the dcps? At just the wotp schools? I don't. Our inbounds school is Murch and I have no clue whether these kids get more or different art classes than the kids at key, Shepard, Hyde Mann Janney or amidon.

I am intrigued that you seem to know these stats.

Not the PP but s/he knows this because Janney is part of the DC3 consortium of schools. Among other areas, DC3 has been granted latitude in budget management, curriculum implementation and the selection of interim assessments.