Marie Reed public DC elemen. for 3-year-old, pre-K classes - what do you think?

[Anonymous]

I remain astonished that people are considering Marie Reed a viable option if they in fact have ANY other options at all. We are moving out of the MR boundary - even though we LOVE our home - in order to have our kids in a solid DCPS.

We had our kids in a Bright Horizons Center through K -- not free, but light years better than MR!! Have you looked into that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. ...Marie Reed needs an outdoor cleanup crew, fresh blacktop, a completely fenced tot lot and a vegetable garden. The field looks abandoned. They are only able to offer PE once a week! per class, plus some directed recess. Barnard has fresh clean look about it, it's something to think about.

Not that facilities are completely unimportant, but is this really what you're looking at to pick a school?? The superficial issues at MR are just that -- superficial. Dig deeper and it's not any better -- and that's the problem. You can't fix teaching staff by volunteering to clean up the playground!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it be we have stumbled on a school that is about to become something great?

When?? In 5-10 years?? Your DC will obviously be out of there by then!

[Anonymous]

My 2 sons will be attending MR for 2011-2012 school year. Does that make me a bad parent? Give me a break! If your only concern is the facility, you've got issues. If you think the school will fail your academically, then you have a right to be concerned but your child will fail only if you are a LAZY parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 2 sons will be attending MR for 2011-2012 school year. Does that make me a bad parent? Give me a break! If your only concern is the facility, you've got issues. If you think the school will fail your academically, then you have a right to be concerned but your child will fail only if you are a LAZY parent.

If by LAZY parent you mean a parent who isn't willing to put their child in a school where they HAVE TO supplement the education just for it to be barely passable, then maybe you're right. I live in the neighborhood, and from what I am told, the quality of education at MR is poor. New Principal or not. New PTA or not. It takes YEARS for a school to go from where MR is to something that is high quality. Any kids starting in 2011-2012 won't see the improvements fast enough... assuming they're coming at all.

[Anonymous]

This is not exactly what I'd call an upward trend... be careful...


Marie Reed Elementary School Averages, 2008 to 2010:

Math 54% ---> 72% ---> 52%
Reading 52% ---> 68% ---> 49%
Science 22% (2009)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 2 sons will be attending MR for 2011-2012 school year. Does that make me a bad parent? Give me a break! If your only concern is the facility, you've got issues. If you think the school will fail your academically, then you have a right to be concerned but your child will fail only if you are a LAZY parent.

If by LAZY parent you mean a parent who isn't willing to put their child in a school where they HAVE TO supplement the education just for it to be barely passable, then maybe you're right. I live in the neighborhood, and from what I am told, the quality of education at MR is poor. New Principal or not. New PTA or not. It takes YEARS for a school to go from where MR is to something that is high quality. Any kids starting in 2011-2012 won't see the improvements fast enough... assuming they're coming at all.

True. It's easier to start over than to dig yourself out of a hole. Culture and community didn't deteriorate overnight and they can't be remedied overnight either.

[Anonymous]

Lots of erasures at Reed too, which probably explains the remarkable gains Hispanic students made at Marie Reed in past years.

[Anonymous]

By all means, send your kid elsewhere if you don't like it, but I don't see the point in berating people who are willing to put in the work to help make improvements at a school. I can see the potential at a number of the elementary schools in Wards 1 & 2 -- Marie Reed, Tubman, HD Cooke, Garrison, Cleveland, Ross, Bancroft. I'm sure there are more that I'm missing.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I hate to break it to the person that keeps berating people for considering Marie Reed but it is not like there are a ton of spots elsewhere. Many of us don't have extra income to consider private and/or the option to move. We have to work toward making something better. Maybe that will be the one good think out of this hideous recession.

[Anonymous]

Appletree is a great, time-tested and safe option for your child. Trust me, you won't stick around Reed. Give your kid a break and do 2 years at Appletree and take the hit on selling your house and move.

With love, a longtime DCPS parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Appletree is a great, time-tested and safe option for your child. Trust me, you won't stick around Reed. Give your kid a break and do 2 years at Appletree and take the hit on selling your house and move.

With love, a longtime DCPS parent

We did this. literally spent the two years at Appletree. You are right it was great, but Dear hubby lost job, sale of house not an option. Did not get within even striking distance in 9 lotteries You are not helpful here constantly making it sound as if we are just stupid people who have not considered the options. A lot of us have only the choice to try and make lemonade.

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. What grade are you looking for? Openings will definitely come up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Appletree is a great, time-tested and safe option for your child. Trust me, you won't stick around Reed. Give your kid a break and do 2 years at Appletree and take the hit on selling your house and move.

With love, a longtime DCPS parent

We did this. literally spent the two years at Appletree. You are right it was great, but Dear hubby lost job, sale of house not an option. Did not get within even striking distance in 9 lotteries You are not helpful here constantly making it sound as if we are just stupid people who have not considered the options. A lot of us have only the choice to try and make lemonade.

[Anonymous]

"sale of house not an option"

Then you bought at the height of the market and over extended yourself. Some would say that was stupid, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of erasures at Reed too, which probably explains the remarkable gains Hispanic students made at Marie Reed in past years.

Again, though... look at the scores. There were DRAMATIC gains in 2009, and then the scores went right back down to the 50's in 2010. 2009 was a blip -- an anomaly -- maybe because of the erasures you mention.