Any programming or teaching differences at the Upper NW Elementary Schools?

[Anonymous]

If you are zoned for Eaton, but get into Hearst, then you have the option of either middle school, that sounds like a nice option to have frankly.

[Anonymous]

i think the original question was about programming differences. When I visited a set of these schools a few years ago, I did note that stoddert, my school, was the only one that did not do reader/writer workshop. each teacher picked his/her own reading/writing programs. they may do it (or another program) now but did not a few years ago. wonder if there are other program differences others have noticed.

[Anonymous]

As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

Touché.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Class size is fairly universal, and in general a whole lot smaller than MoCo or FFX schools.

I know one of them -- maybe Murch? -- has more autonomy in terms of curriculum, but I haven't heard anyone boast or complain one way or the other on this issue. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Lafayette and Janney, for instance, are very big schools. The upside to that, however, is that there are tons of extracurriculars to chose from. The down side is they are large! Lafayette is know for its peace program and its art integration; aftercare is limited. I don't know as much about Key.

Also, you might look at the schedule of construction. Mann is finishing up its construction, Lafayette is slated to be completely redone next year-- all the kids will be in trailers. Janney is also getting "some work done" and Murch (which needs it) is less clear -- I think it was supposed to be done this year, but got delayed. Others on this forum know more than me.

Eaton is a good school, but with neighborhood enrollment below 40% they keep getting pushed down the renovation list. No council member advocates for it because parent voters are so dispersed around the city.

We know of some IB Eaton parents who are applying OOB to Hearst in order to stay on the Deal track. Could lead to higher OOB populations at Eaton in the coming years.

Very true. A number of IB families at John Eaton are quite upset and frankly pissed off at how Eaton is being shafted in the rezoning from Deal to Hardy. It unfortunately may have a negative impact on the trajectory of Eaton (and further Hearst's upward trajectory), as parents strategically try to secure spots in Hearst to assure Deal

Eaton parent here - have not heard of anyone applying OOB to Hearst or elsewhere, but even if true I'm confident Eaton is going to be fine. The 3 Eaton kindergarten classes are 50% in boundary -- great, committed, diverse, smart kids and families. The OOB families -- who live in AU Park (Janney), Mount Pleasant, 16th St Heights, Brookland, Petworth, etc. -- are totally committed to the school, as much as the IB families. Size is perfect. Lots of enrichment options. The foreign language offered is Chinese, which may be different from other NWES. We are very happy there.

Of course many of these OOB a parents are committed to Eaton because several of the OOB neighborhoods you cite are zoned for Deal. So they get the best of both worlds. It's the Eaton IB younger students who really get screwed here by losing their path to a very good middle school. -- What Mr Frumin on the school boundary advisory committee flippantly called "collateral damage."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

As a parent who has had children in a charter, a highly regarded EOTP school and a JKLMM I can tell you that you are completely wrong. None of them used the same curriculum. We found that in both DCPS schools the leadership allowed teachers the freedom to explore ways to teach the topics. There were no heavy mandates in either one. There is a bit of a change this year with Common Core but nothing drastic coming down from central office.

I am surprised by your observation of parents too. Feeding to Deal was important to us (and why we moved) but at our current school I haven't heard parents talking about test scores or sports. What grades did you teach? It seems weird aster spending time with multiple kids in three different settings to have a completely different experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

As a parent who has had children in a charter, a highly regarded EOTP school and a JKLMM I can tell you that you are completely wrong. None of them used the same curriculum. We found that in both DCPS schools the leadership allowed teachers the freedom to explore ways to teach the topics. There were no heavy mandates in either one. There is a bit of a change this year with Common Core but nothing drastic coming down from central office.

I am surprised by your observation of parents too. Feeding to Deal was important to us (and why we moved) but at our current school I haven't heard parents talking about test scores or sports. What grades did you teach? It seems weird aster spending time with multiple kids in three different settings to have a completely different experience.

Grades 3-6. Could you elaborate on the differences in the curricula at the DCPS schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We found that in both DCPS schools the leadership allowed teachers the freedom to explore ways to teach the topics.

You might be confusing curriculum with pedagogy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Class size is fairly universal, and in general a whole lot smaller than MoCo or FFX schools.

I know one of them -- maybe Murch? -- has more autonomy in terms of curriculum, but I haven't heard anyone boast or complain one way or the other on this issue. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Lafayette and Janney, for instance, are very big schools. The upside to that, however, is that there are tons of extracurriculars to chose from. The down side is they are large! Lafayette is know for its peace program and its art integration; aftercare is limited. I don't know as much about Key.

Also, you might look at the schedule of construction. Mann is finishing up its construction, Lafayette is slated to be completely redone next year-- all the kids will be in trailers. Janney is also getting "some work done" and Murch (which needs it) is less clear -- I think it was supposed to be done this year, but got delayed. Others on this forum know more than me.

Eaton is a good school, but with neighborhood enrollment below 40% they keep getting pushed down the renovation list. No council member advocates for it because parent voters are so dispersed around the city.

We know of some IB Eaton parents who are applying OOB to Hearst in order to stay on the Deal track. Could lead to higher OOB populations at Eaton in the coming years.

Very true. A number of IB families at John Eaton are quite upset and frankly pissed off at how Eaton is being shafted in the rezoning from Deal to Hardy. It unfortunately may have a negative impact on the trajectory of Eaton (and further Hearst's upward trajectory), as parents strategically try to secure spots in Hearst to assure Deal

Eaton parent here - have not heard of anyone applying OOB to Hearst or elsewhere, but even if true I'm confident Eaton is going to be fine. The 3 Eaton kindergarten classes are 50% in boundary -- great, committed, diverse, smart kids and families. The OOB families -- who live in AU Park (Janney), Mount Pleasant, 16th St Heights, Brookland, Petworth, etc. -- are totally committed to the school, as much as the IB families. Size is perfect. Lots of enrichment options. The foreign language offered is Chinese, which may be different from other NWES. We are very happy there.

Why would someone who lives IB for Janney choose via lottery to get into John Eaton?! Eaton isn't even in the JKLM group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

Are you currently at Murch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

Are you currently at Murch?

no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

As a parent who has had children in a charter, a highly regarded EOTP school and a JKLMM I can tell you that you are completely wrong. None of them used the same curriculum. We found that in both DCPS schools the leadership allowed teachers the freedom to explore ways to teach the topics. There were no heavy mandates in either one. There is a bit of a change this year with Common Core but nothing drastic coming down from central office.

I am surprised by your observation of parents too. Feeding to Deal was important to us (and why we moved) but at our current school I haven't heard parents talking about test scores or sports. What grades did you teach? It seems weird aster spending time with multiple kids in three different settings to have a completely different experience.

Grades 3-6. Could you elaborate on the differences in the curricula at the DCPS schools?

I can only speak about grades 3 and 4. Those were the grades where we overlapped at differs schools. None of them used the same math curriculum. In face we had one 4th grade teacher who was allowed to put together he own math curriculum since she didn't feel her students would benefit from the just one curriculum. Even within the same school it has been interesting to see how different teachers implement the subjects. We have one 4th grade teacher that is really into reading and writing, doesn't really use the textbook. Her instruction is completely different from another teacher we had previously who used the textbook and emphasized reading over writing. I think the biggest thing I notice is that a teacher who feels tied to using the curriculum is not the strongest teacher. I mentioned to one teacher that I noticed the textbooks hadn't moved from the shelf in months. He replied with: I don't use them with the kids. I look at teacher's version but there are so many things I can do which are better than the textbooks. That child is now at Deal and doing really well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

As a parent who has had children in a charter, a highly regarded EOTP school and a JKLMM I can tell you that you are completely wrong. None of them used the same curriculum. We found that in both DCPS schools the leadership allowed teachers the freedom to explore ways to teach the topics. There were no heavy mandates in either one. There is a bit of a change this year with Common Core but nothing drastic coming down from central office.

I am surprised by your observation of parents too. Feeding to Deal was important to us (and why we moved) but at our current school I haven't heard parents talking about test scores or sports. What grades did you teach? It seems weird aster spending time with multiple kids in three different settings to have a completely different experience.

Grades 3-6. Could you elaborate on the differences in the curricula at the DCPS schools?

I can only speak about grades 3 and 4. Those were the grades where we overlapped at differs schools. None of them used the same math curriculum. In face we had one 4th grade teacher who was allowed to put together he own math curriculum since she didn't feel her students would benefit from the just one curriculum. Even within the same school it has been interesting to see how different teachers implement the subjects. We have one 4th grade teacher that is really into reading and writing, doesn't really use the textbook. Her instruction is completely different from another teacher we had previously who used the textbook and emphasized reading over writing. I think the biggest thing I notice is that a teacher who feels tied to using the curriculum is not the strongest teacher. I mentioned to one teacher that I noticed the textbooks hadn't moved from the shelf in months. He replied with: I don't use them with the kids. I look at teacher's version but there are so many things I can do which are better than the textbooks. That child is now at Deal and doing really well.

Oh good. But I wasn't really talking about resources (textbooks). I was referring to the actual content of the DCPS elementary school program. It's mostly skills and very little content. And the sequence of the content makes no sense. But that just my humble opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a DCPS teacher who has taught in schools in 4 different wards, including Murch, I can tell you that there is really no programmatic difference in any DCPS elementary school.

Other than the extracurriculars, which are extra, the curriculum is virtually the same in every school. It's pretty anemic. As a teacher, I try to enrich the curriculum as much as I can, by teaching more history, geography, literature, art, and science. But I'm limited by the mandates handed down by the central office and strictly enforced by my building leadership. Perhaps there are some building leaders who give their teachers more freedom to teach a more enriched curriculum.

But I've also noticed that most DCPS parents really aren't that interested in curriculum. They are obsessed with test scores, student demographics, sports, foreign language and feeding into Deal.

As a parent who has had children in a charter, a highly regarded EOTP school and a JKLMM I can tell you that you are completely wrong. None of them used the same curriculum. We found that in both DCPS schools the leadership allowed teachers the freedom to explore ways to teach the topics. There were no heavy mandates in either one. There is a bit of a change this year with Common Core but nothing drastic coming down from central office.

I am surprised by your observation of parents too. Feeding to Deal was important to us (and why we moved) but at our current school I haven't heard parents talking about test scores or sports. What grades did you teach? It seems weird aster spending time with multiple kids in three different settings to have a completely different experience.

Grades 3-6. Could you elaborate on the differences in the curricula at the DCPS schools?

I can only speak about grades 3 and 4. Those were the grades where we overlapped at differs schools. None of them used the same math curriculum. In face we had one 4th grade teacher who was allowed to put together he own math curriculum since she didn't feel her students would benefit from the just one curriculum. Even within the same school it has been interesting to see how different teachers implement the subjects. We have one 4th grade teacher that is really into reading and writing, doesn't really use the textbook. Her instruction is completely different from another teacher we had previously who used the textbook and emphasized reading over writing. I think the biggest thing I notice is that a teacher who feels tied to using the curriculum is not the strongest teacher. I mentioned to one teacher that I noticed the textbooks hadn't moved from the shelf in months. He replied with: I don't use them with the kids. I look at teacher's version but there are so many things I can do which are better than the textbooks. That child is now at Deal and doing really well.

Oh good. But I wasn't really talking about resources (textbooks). I was referring to the actual content of the DCPS elementary school program. It's mostly skills and very little content. And the sequence of the content makes no sense. But that just my humble opinion.

I am not sure what you mean. What do you mean by content for example in math? I think of math as more skills than content so I can't address your issue since I don't know what you are looking for. I think the more important to your concern about the DCPS elementary school program is that none of the schools used the same curriculum in math, English or science. Is there a specific area that concerns you? In different schools or just in the school you have been in?

[Anonymous]

DCPS uses the Common Core State Standards. These standards (which are not a curriculum by themselves) are the basis for five instructional units in math and reading/language arts in all grades. These instructional units cover the entire school year as part of the scope and sequence. In reading/language arts, each instructional unit was designed by a corp of DCPS teachers during the summer (over several summers by this point) who get paid extra to do this--and it is overseen by curriculum specialists in the central office. The instructional units are designed to be as interdisciplinary as possible--and are heavy on social studies-related topics in particular. The Common Core itself is not heavy on individual skills and strategies, but instead is more focused on general comprehension--and heavy on nonfiction if I may add. I hope you find this helpful, friends.