Feedback on Hearst ES
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Anonymous
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This year is our 1st grader's third year at Hearst and we love it (so does she). There are many things we love about Hearst, but if I had to pick one, I'd say the close-knit and inclusive community of parents and teachers. We are also very satisfied with the level of instruction in PK, K, and 1st Grade. So far, so good.
To address some points raised by prior posters: in-school birthday parties and the Literacy Parade (it wasn't technically a Halloween Parade) were eliminated after consulting both staff and parents (at least those parents who came to the PTA meeting where this was discussed). Many parents, including me, were in favor of eliminating both of those activities. I am not a meanie mcmeanerson who thinks elementary school should be robbed of fun things -- those particular activities weren't adding much value and had some downsides. The in-person birthday celebrations took away from instructional time and also created an expectation that parents would be able to attend in the middle of the day. This obviously was not feasible for everyone. Also, most kids (at least in our experience) invited the whole class to their birthday party outside of school, so it all got to be a little redundant. As for the Literacy Parade --which occurred in lieu of a Halloween Parade -- it was a lovely idea, but fell short in practice. The idea was that students would dress up as characters from or inspired by books they were reading. But, for lower grades, kids didn't get to pick their costumes and didn't necessary feel much connection to or excitement about them. I think higher grades (maybe 3rd and up) could pick their costumes, but I'm not sure. For many parents, this also required many parents to get two sets of costumes -- one for the parade mandated by the teacher and one for Halloween. As far as I can tell, Hearst doesn't seem any less fun this year without those activities. Aftercare is totally adequate. It's not the most amazing program ever, but it feels like a luxury to have a program that has room for all who want to participate, is reasonably priced, and takes place at the school. This year the program seems to have stepped it up a bit and our daughter is really enjoying the expanded range of arts and crafts. The enrichment program that supplements the aftercare program is really great (and again, reasonably priced and takes place at the school or adjacent park). There are fairly regular open-houses on Friday mornings where you can come and meet teachers, parents, and usually, the principal. Please come by and learn about our wonderful school. Best of luck to you! |
Anonymous
| I don’t think aftercare is great anywhere. It’s just the nature of the beast — hard to find good quality caregivers willing to take a job that’s only 3 hours a day. But I think Innis is just fine. |
Anonymous
| Parent of two kids who go to Hearst- PK and 1st grade. We love it. Have loved all of the teachers and all of the staff. We know everyone there-- from the person who works at the front desk of the main office to the janitors. It's a total community. Everyone knows each other; parents pick each other's kids up as a favor; hang out on weekends, etc. It is a school where mostly everyone walks to school, which is nice. Principal knows pretty much all the kids. And I am impressed each week with how much stuff my kids have learned. We are super happy with Hearst and would not hesitate to recommend it to any of our friends if they were looking to send their kids to Hearst. |
Anonymous
Hearst is wonderful. Why it's so good, that families actually drive in from Maryland so their kids can go there. 
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Anonymous
This is OP - when I look it up on Great Schools, it shows 59% IB. Just reacting to your comment that most people walk to school. |
Anonymous
| We aren’t as impressed with Hearst as others. We left and never felt completely welcome and regularily received dirty looks from staff because of our child. They are very good with kids who fit their mold. If you don’t they are quick to suggest a self contained placement. I got tired of dealing with the Special Education department and transferred my child to another DCPS school via the lottery. |
Anonymous
| Definitely many many walk to school. Not sure of percentage. Is the IB percentage from last year? I bet it is higher now. |
Anonymous
The info is on the school's website. |
Anonymous
| 59% IB is for year 2017-18 |
Anonymous
| ok so what is it now? |
Anonymous
| About 70%. Closer to 75% if you don’t count the autism program. |
Anonymous
A little off-topic, but speaking of Hearst walkers, how do we get speed humps and other traffic calming on 37th St? Ever since the new signal was put in at Idaho and Wisconsin Aves three years ago, cut-through, sometimes fast traffic has picked up on 37th, as drivers use it as a Wisconsin alternative. The Sidwell expansion and nearby large Wegmans development won’t make the situation any better. It would be great to make 37th calmer and safer for Hearst kids and other pedestrians! |
Anonymous
Funny, but unfortunately there’s some truth to this. Residency fraudsters plague a number of DCPS and charter schools, and Hearst apparently is not immune. |
Anonymous
Funny, but unfortunately there’s some truth to this. Residency fraudsters from MD plague a number of DCPS and charter schools, and Hearst apparently is not immune. |
Anonymous
I don’t know. I live IB and twice had to prove residency last year because i submitted a photocopy of my expired registration by accident. I was phoned and had to come back in so they could grab my current registration. I’ve been at Hearst for six years. In the past I would say absolutely. But looking around now and having been “caught” in the enrollment process by the school’s registrar, I’m not convinced it happens anymore there. |