Hardy vs. Deal

[Anonymous]

Test scores are objective. Cheerleading parents not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would only listen to parents of students that actually go to Hardy.

Hardy's improved a bit in the last 5 years. That said, I don't know any parent, given the choice of Deal or Hardy for his/her kid, who would voluntarily choose Hardy. That may seem harsh, but it's reality.

We are one such family. We live in boundary for deal but chose to go to Hardy (the feeder middle for where my child attended elementary starting in PreK...we did not want Bamcroft). I simply did not want my child to be one of 1600 and I know I always have the choice to switch but right now we are very happy. And those that think Deal does not have some serious problems of its own are wrong. The teacher turnover rate this last year is pretty alarming. Parent friends whose children attend Deal tell me of kids cutting class and smoking pot in the woods. That’s able to happen because of the size of the student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy is fantastic as all but one of regular posters on here who've actually sent their kids to will attest - the rest of the posters are insecure parents who are too terrified to send their precious children to a school that is slightly more diverse than the neighborhood though I actually think some of the anti-Hardy posters don't even live in the neighborhood.

It's all about perceptions which is more relevant in Real Estate than education.

That's not the reason, and you know it.

Get the academics up and the in-bound neighbors will follow.

If you do not have children at Hardy, please find another thread. This is so tiresome.

Sorry, but I’m an in bound parent who should have two kids at Hardy. We’re shelling out for private schools because current situation with academics at Hardy are not up to par. This is very much my business

So like the other haters you are not a Hardy parent and have no idea what is actually going on in the school and the extent of your knowledge of the school and its academics is probably limited to examining the test scores.

Yes, that's true. And observations when viewing the school. I'm not a "hater" but made the decision based on all of these points that Hardy would not serve my kids well. And I'm a bit resentful of that, given the amount we have to pay for privates.

[Anonymous]

So, what percentage of students at Deal and Hardy test at grade level? That's probably the best way to compare them, rather than treating the question as a Redskins vs. Ravens fans rap battle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what percentage of students at Deal and Hardy test at grade level? That's probably the best way to compare them, rather than treating the question as a Redskins vs. Ravens fans rap battle.

For your child, test scores at Deal were high, but then they readjusted for certain sub-groups and for some the test scores were abysmal. In fact didn't the readjusted scores bring down the overall DCPS scores across the city? Don't just look at the general number, look at the aggregates per group, if you child is a Spanish speaking ESL student for example, Deal may not be the best school for your child? There again, neither may Hardy. Do your research, plan a visit. Talk to parents and if you can talk to students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, what percentage of students at Deal and Hardy test at grade level? That's probably the best way to compare them, rather than treating the question as a Redskins vs. Ravens fans rap battle.

I can learn that, but there a number of variables that are important to me that test scores won’t tell me. Even with respect to test scores, a school with better average scores might not be as good a fit for a bright kid if the other school offers ability tracking. And if the better test scores are the result of teachers only teaching to the test, that doesn’t sound like a great education to me. I’m not looking for a homework factory OR a place that won’t be challenging. I care whether the kids are happy and how difficult it is to fit in as a new kid. I care whether the parents are particularly cliquish or welcoming to newcomers. I care whether my athletic 4th grader will have sports opportunities when he hits the MS. I also care how regimented the day is and whether there are any major quirks to each school.

I will certainly visit both schools and talk to as many people as possible about each, but DCUM seemed like a good (remote) starting place.

[Anonymous]

Thank you to everyone who has provided helpful insight so far! I appreciate the different perspectives and the details from people who have kids at the school(s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy is fantastic as all but one of regular posters on here who've actually sent their kids to will attest - the rest of the posters are insecure parents who are too terrified to send their precious children to a school that is slightly more diverse than the neighborhood though I actually think some of the anti-Hardy posters don't even live in the neighborhood.

It's all about perceptions which is more relevant in Real Estate than education.

That's not the reason, and you know it.

Get the academics up and the in-bound neighbors will follow.

If you do not have children at Hardy, please find another thread. This is so tiresome.

Sorry, but I’m an in bound parent who should have two kids at Hardy. We’re shelling out for private schools because current situation with academics at Hardy are not up to par. This is very much my business

The only Hardy hater was that militant WTU teacher some years back who hated Rhee and led the opposition to Rhee's initiative to diversify Hardy by attracting more in-boundary Upper Northwest families.

So like the other haters you are not a Hardy parent and have no idea what is actually going on in the school and the extent of your knowledge of the school and its academics is probably limited to examining the test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy is fantastic as all but one of regular posters on here who've actually sent their kids to will attest - the rest of the posters are insecure parents who are too terrified to send their precious children to a school that is slightly more diverse than the neighborhood though I actually think some of the anti-Hardy posters don't even live in the neighborhood.

It's all about perceptions which is more relevant in Real Estate than education.

That's not the reason, and you know it.

Get the academics up and the in-bound neighbors will follow.

If you do not have children at Hardy, please find another thread. This is so tiresome.

Sorry, but I’m an in bound parent who should have two kids at Hardy. We’re shelling out for private schools because current situation with academics at Hardy are not up to par. This is very much my business

The only Hardy hater was that militant WTU teacher some years back who hated Rhee and led the opposition to Rhee's initiative to diversify Hardy by attracting more in-boundary Upper Northwest families.

So like the other haters you are not a Hardy parent and have no idea what is actually going on in the school and the extent of your knowledge of the school and its academics is probably limited to examining the test scores.

The only Hardy hater was that militant WTU teacher some years back who hated Rhee and led the opposition to Rhee's initiative to diversify Hardy by attracting more in-boundary Upper Northwest families.

[Anonymous]

OP, people love to take potshots at Hardy. We ignored the critics and badmouthing when we decided to send DS to Hardy six years ago. I'm glad we did.

He had a great experience there and is now at Wilson. His peers from Hardy ended up going to three different ways (just like the kids from Deal) - to Wilson, to School Without Walls, and to privates.

We are still in touch with many of these kids and their families. Those kids today are applying to colleges - and as far as I can tell, the Hardy cohort is doing just as well as the Deal cohort.

You can go back and forth and find a million reasons to go, or not go, to Deal, or Hardy, or anywhere else. But if good academic and social outcomes are your goal for your child, you should feel comfortable with either Hardy or Deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, what percentage of students at Deal and Hardy test at grade level? That's probably the best way to compare them, rather than treating the question as a Redskins vs. Ravens fans rap battle.

I can learn that, but there a number of variables that are important to me that test scores won’t tell me. Even with respect to test scores, a school with better average scores might not be as good a fit for a bright kid if the other school offers ability tracking. And if the better test scores are the result of teachers only teaching to the test, that doesn’t sound like a great education to me. I’m not looking for a homework factory OR a place that won’t be challenging. I care whether the kids are happy and how difficult it is to fit in as a new kid. I care whether the parents are particularly cliquish or welcoming to newcomers. I care whether my athletic 4th grader will have sports opportunities when he hits the MS. I also care how regimented the day is and whether there are any major quirks to each school.

I will certainly visit both schools and talk to as many people as possible about each, but DCUM seemed like a good (remote) starting place.

Neither is that challenging — both are solid academically. Deal has more choices for foreign language and more sports teams. There’s also more competition to make them too because of the school’s size. Most kids in those neighborhood do club / travel sports if they are serious athletes. Some kids forgo the school teams altogether.

As for parents — that’s more relevant to elementary. Parents are not that involved at either Deal or Hardy outside the PTA or getting to knwo the kids your child is friends with. Most students travel independently to school — walking or taking the city buses or subway (fares are free for all students).

You are unlikely to find any of the schools that feed until Wilson High school explocitly teaching to the test, although the scores matter for teacher and principal evaluations — so there is some attention to them. Students who are struggling or whose scores are close to the line are mostly likely to get explicit test prep. Few parents in DC opt their kids out of PARCC, compared to other states. At the results.osse.dc.gov you can drill into scores by grade or race or exonomics or special needs and see which schools are doing better for all students, not just the ones from the guest SES homes that tend to ace them regardless of the sho environment.

[Anonymous]

Still no test score comparison except for a lot of dodgy dodgeness and willful ignorance. Wake up and read the scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still no test score comparison except for a lot of dodgy dodgeness and willful ignorance. Wake up and read the scores.

I'm a current Hardy parent. I don't look at standardized test scores as the be all indicator that a school is a great place of learning for my kid. Her scores are excellent, she's happy and is challenged and that's all that matters for me. I know there are kids that are coming to school that may be behind and not perform as well on standardized testing for a variety of reasons. AND that doesn't mean my kid isn't going to be friends with them or learn well with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Still no test score comparison except for a lot of dodgy dodgeness and willful ignorance. Wake up and read the scores.

I'm a current Hardy parent. I don't look at standardized test scores as the be all indicator that a school is a great place of learning for my kid. Her scores are excellent, she's happy and is challenged and that's all that matters for me. I know there are kids that are coming to school that may be behind and not perform as well on standardized testing for a variety of reasons. AND that doesn't mean my kid isn't going to be friends with them or learn well with them.

Everyone knows that standardized test scores are socially unfair to African-American students and therefore do not highlight Hardy's exceptional educational experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Still no test score comparison except for a lot of dodgy dodgeness and willful ignorance. Wake up and read the scores.

Everyone has read them. They are publicly available and OP has been given the link and her original post suggests she already reviewed them.