Can anyone tell me the story of Stuart-Hobson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

what do you want them to do?

make an accelerated high school program with IB? done. now some white/high SES people say they won't try it because the kids there don't score high enough on IB exams (though that's probably not the sole reason)

group all the richest/highest performing elementary schools into a single middle school? not going to happen. It would suck for the other middle schools on the hill, it makes no geographic sense, for a million other reasons, not going to happen.

solve generational poverty? good luck with that. too big an issue for the schools to handle themselves.

Here’s just one example of what could be done: have advanced classes at Watkins starting in 3rd grade. This is not a novel idea. Virginia does it. And it would potentially stop people from leaving before 3rd grade when the achievement gap problems start to get really hard for one teacher with kids several grade levels apart to effectively manage. But will DCPS do that? Nope. Why? Optics.

As long as you’re going to be making decisions based on how things look politically instead of what’s best for ALL children in the classroom, I’m not going to send my kid to your school.

And what other DCPS elementary schools use this approach? Are you suggesting an exclusive arrangement for Watkins when plenty of other schools deal with achievement gap?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

what do you want them to do?

make an accelerated high school program with IB? done. now some white/high SES people say they won't try it because the kids there don't score high enough on IB exams (though that's probably not the sole reason)

group all the richest/highest performing elementary schools into a single middle school? not going to happen. It would suck for the other middle schools on the hill, it makes no geographic sense, for a million other reasons, not going to happen.

solve generational poverty? good luck with that. too big an issue for the schools to handle themselves.

This is the problem mindset. If you grouped all the high performing schools into one middle school you would have a good Hill middle school. Instead you spread them out so you have NO GOOD middle schools. I guess that's fair - bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

what do you want them to do?

make an accelerated high school program with IB? done. now some white/high SES people say they won't try it because the kids there don't score high enough on IB exams (though that's probably not the sole reason)

group all the richest/highest performing elementary schools into a single middle school? not going to happen. It would suck for the other middle schools on the hill, it makes no geographic sense, for a million other reasons, not going to happen.

solve generational poverty? good luck with that. too big an issue for the schools to handle themselves.

Here’s just one example of what could be done: have advanced classes at Watkins starting in 3rd grade. This is not a novel idea. Virginia does it. And it would potentially stop people from leaving before 3rd grade when the achievement gap problems start to get really hard for one teacher with kids several grade levels apart to effectively manage. But will DCPS do that? Nope. Why? Optics.

As long as you’re going to be making decisions based on how things look politically instead of what’s best for ALL children in the classroom, I’m not going to send my kid to your school.

And what other DCPS elementary schools use this approach? Are you suggesting an exclusive arrangement for Watkins when plenty of other schools deal with achievement gap?

Please - the “achievement gap” doesn’t exist WOTP, where students have both parents with advanced degrees, and it doesn’t exist (the gap, that is) in schools EOTP where the parents may not have gone to college at all. Watkins is a mix of both, which is why there is such disharmony. Address the actual situation in a way that allows the teachers to do their best with all of the students (pull outs for high and low achievement instead of teaching to the bottom middle) and things will change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

what do you want them to do?

make an accelerated high school program with IB? done. now some white/high SES people say they won't try it because the kids there don't score high enough on IB exams (though that's probably not the sole reason)

group all the richest/highest performing elementary schools into a single middle school? not going to happen. It would suck for the other middle schools on the hill, it makes no geographic sense, for a million other reasons, not going to happen.

solve generational poverty? good luck with that. too big an issue for the schools to handle themselves.

Here’s just one example of what could be done: have advanced classes at Watkins starting in 3rd grade. This is not a novel idea. Virginia does it. And it would potentially stop people from leaving before 3rd grade when the achievement gap problems start to get really hard for one teacher with kids several grade levels apart to effectively manage. But will DCPS do that? Nope. Why? Optics.

As long as you’re going to be making decisions based on how things look politically instead of what’s best for ALL children in the classroom, I’m not going to send my kid to your school.

And what other DCPS elementary schools use this approach? Are you suggesting an exclusive arrangement for Watkins when plenty of other schools deal with achievement gap?

Please - the “achievement gap” doesn’t exist WOTP, where students have both parents with advanced degrees, and it doesn’t exist (the gap, that is) in schools EOTP where the parents may not have gone to college at all. Watkins is a mix of both, which is why there is such disharmony. Address the actual situation in a way that allows the teachers to do their best with all of the students (pull outs for high and low achievement instead of teaching to the bottom middle) and things will change.

You misunderstand what the achievement gap is.

It is when students in the same school have very different educational outcomes based on SES and race. There is absolutely one WOTP.

Look at how students of color or who are eligible for FARMS do much worse at Deal, Wilson and the elementary schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

what do you want them to do?

make an accelerated high school program with IB? done. now some white/high SES people say they won't try it because the kids there don't score high enough on IB exams (though that's probably not the sole reason)

group all the richest/highest performing elementary schools into a single middle school? not going to happen. It would suck for the other middle schools on the hill, it makes no geographic sense, for a million other reasons, not going to happen.

solve generational poverty? good luck with that. too big an issue for the schools to handle themselves.

Here’s just one example of what could be done: have advanced classes at Watkins starting in 3rd grade. This is not a novel idea. Virginia does it. And it would potentially stop people from leaving before 3rd grade when the achievement gap problems start to get really hard for one teacher with kids several grade levels apart to effectively manage. But will DCPS do that? Nope. Why? Optics.

As long as you’re going to be making decisions based on how things look politically instead of what’s best for ALL children in the classroom, I’m not going to send my kid to your school.

And what other DCPS elementary schools use this approach? Are you suggesting an exclusive arrangement for Watkins when plenty of other schools deal with achievement gap?

Please - the “achievement gap” doesn’t exist WOTP, where students have both parents with advanced degrees, and it doesn’t exist (the gap, that is) in schools EOTP where the parents may not have gone to college at all. Watkins is a mix of both, which is why there is such disharmony. Address the actual situation in a way that allows the teachers to do their best with all of the students (pull outs for high and low achievement instead of teaching to the bottom middle) and things will change.

Don't know what magic sauce you've been smoking but they do indeed have the "achievement gap" WOTP, did you read the latest test scores at Deal and Wilson, not that even those who you'd expect to score high, based on your rubric, actually did? Abysmal everywhere!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

what do you want them to do?

make an accelerated high school program with IB? done. now some white/high SES people say they won't try it because the kids there don't score high enough on IB exams (though that's probably not the sole reason)

group all the richest/highest performing elementary schools into a single middle school? not going to happen. It would suck for the other middle schools on the hill, it makes no geographic sense, for a million other reasons, not going to happen.

solve generational poverty? good luck with that. too big an issue for the schools to handle themselves.

Here’s just one example of what could be done: have advanced classes at Watkins starting in 3rd grade. This is not a novel idea. Virginia does it. And it would potentially stop people from leaving before 3rd grade when the achievement gap problems start to get really hard for one teacher with kids several grade levels apart to effectively manage. But will DCPS do that? Nope. Why? Optics.

As long as you’re going to be making decisions based on how things look politically instead of what’s best for ALL children in the classroom, I’m not going to send my kid to your school.

And what other DCPS elementary schools use this approach? Are you suggesting an exclusive arrangement for Watkins when plenty of other schools deal with achievement gap?

I’m the PP who posted that suggestion and I really don’t care what other dcps elementary schools are doing. Someone asked for a concrete suggestion for increasing neighborhood buy-in at Watkins. I answered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

+1000. Can't stand name-calling snowflake basher guy. He stalks these Hill threads relentlesly like the loser he is. What a racist, immature asshole.

Signed. AA Parent Living IB for the Cluster with No Short, Medium or Long-term Plans to Enroll Elementary School-Age Offspring at Watkins or SH, or Move to Arlington Either

not PP you're referring to but you won't be missed

Actually, she will be missed. Committed, involved parents are a precious commodity that can make a big difference to a school. I’m another IB-for-Watkins parent who sends her children to a charter and I really wish that I didn’t feel like that was the better choice. I would love to walk my children to our neighborhood school instead of driving them across the city to a charter. But Watkins makes it very hard for parents to make the choice to turn down solid options and enroll there.

AA mom here, thanks PP. I'm in the same situation and couldn't agree more.

What should DCPS do about SH and Watkins? Simple, copy what MoCo does with popular Silver Spring International School and its feeders. At least 40% of the kids in the school are poor (mostly Latino). MoCo offers advanced "compacted" math to the 3rd-5th graders in the feeders (along with other GT services), along with advanced English, math and foreign languages at SSIS. This isn't grade-level English and math wrapped in an "honors" package as at SH, but true, above-grave level offerings for kids who can test into the advanced classes. MoCo also puts more resource staff in a middle school building to provide targeted interventions for kids who struggle academically and emotionally, partly to maintain good order. We won't choose SH partly because of the zoo-like atmosphere in the hallways and cafeteria.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

+1000. Can't stand name-calling snowflake basher guy. He stalks these Hill threads relentlesly like the loser he is. What a racist, immature asshole.

Signed. AA Parent Living IB for the Cluster with No Short, Medium or Long-term Plans to Enroll Elementary School-Age Offspring at Watkins or SH, or Move to Arlington Either

not PP you're referring to but you won't be missed

Actually, she will be missed. Committed, involved parents are a precious commodity that can make a big difference to a school. I’m another IB-for-Watkins parent who sends her children to a charter and I really wish that I didn’t feel like that was the better choice. I would love to walk my children to our neighborhood school instead of driving them across the city to a charter. But Watkins makes it very hard for parents to make the choice to turn down solid options and enroll there.

AA mom here, thanks PP. I'm in the same situation and couldn't agree more.

What should DCPS do about SH and Watkins? Simple, copy what MoCo does with popular Silver Spring International School and its feeders. At least 40% of the kids in the school are poor (mostly Latino). MoCo offers advanced "compacted" math to the 3rd-5th graders in the feeders (along with other GT services), along with advanced English, math and foreign languages at SSIS. This isn't grade-level English and math wrapped in an "honors" package as at SH, but true, above-grave level offerings for kids who can test into the advanced classes. MoCo also puts more resource staff in a middle school building to provide targeted interventions for kids who struggle academically and emotionally, partly to maintain good order. We won't choose SH partly because of the zoo-like atmosphere in the hallways and cafeteria.

Again. You want a solution not available anywhere in DCPS or DCPCS just for Watkins. Don't you think many families throughout the system would embrace that if it were feasible? You're talking about something exclusive to Watkins which in and of itself is a nonstarter from a system level (extra teachers for Watkins? More supports?). You also assume the poor kids in MOCO are well served by being segregated. Of course there are less of them and results vary by location).

Your argument puzzles me. - you're a no go on Arlington (and presumably moco) but you want that exact solution. That can be solved with a moving van. DC is a very different school district with different populations, far more generational poverty, and different demographics in general. I'm not sold a moco model would even work in D.C. even if it would work in moco. Maybe if fewer families irrationally fled the system without giving it a real shot, or would stand up to peer pressure to embrace charters.

[Anonymous]

Don't agree. The DCPS schools mostly serving high SES/white kids routinely offer above grade-level math instruction, mostly with PTA funds. So when parents can and will come together to pay, it's fine for DCPS offer advanced pullouts, and even classes, but not when they don't? What kind of BS system is that?

Deal and Hardy offer 7th grade algebra, but not Hobson, though many kids in the catchment area could handle the math. If the mayor and our city council members were demanding that above grade-level instruction was offered system-wide (under pressure from voter lobbies) it would be offered. Michelle Rhee was giving speeches about starting GT programs before Fenty went down.

Segregation? Give me a break. My Latino cleaning lady of a decade lives in Silver Spring. Both of her children were identified as math gifted in the 2nd grade and give special supports from then on, including all expenses paid summer math camps in the upper elementary school grades. They currently take advanced math classes at Silver Spring International School. The lady tells me that most of their math classmates are high SES and white, but certainly not all.

MoCo does a decent job identifying and supporting FARMs talent, particularly for math. DCPS could do the same, it just doesn't bother to fund the initiatives.

We're heading to BASIS, at least if the waiting list continues to clear each fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Again. You want a solution not available anywhere in DCPS or DCPCS just for Watkins. Don't you think many families throughout the system would embrace that if it were feasible? You're talking about something exclusive to Watkins which in and of itself is a nonstarter from a system level (extra teachers for Watkins? More supports?). You also assume the poor kids in MOCO are well served by being segregated. Of course there are less of them and results vary by location).

Your argument puzzles me. - you're a no go on Arlington (and presumably moco) but you want that exact solution. That can be solved with a moving van. DC is a very different school district with different populations, far more generational poverty, and different demographics in general. I'm not sold a moco model would even work in D.C. even if it would work in moco. Maybe if fewer families irrationally fled the system without giving it a real shot, or would stand up to peer pressure to embrace charters.

Peer pressure. LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't agree. The DCPS schools mostly serving high SES/white kids routinely offer above grade-level math instruction, mostly with PTA funds. So when parents can and will come together to pay, it's fine for DCPS offer advanced pullouts, and even classes, but not when they don't? What kind of BS system is that?

Deal and Hardy offer 7th grade algebra, but not Hobson, though many kids in the catchment area could handle the math. If the mayor and our city council members were demanding that above grade-level instruction was offered system-wide (under pressure from voter lobbies) it would be offered. Michelle Rhee was giving speeches about starting GT programs before Fenty went down.

Segregation? Give me a break. My Latino cleaning lady of a decade lives in Silver Spring. Both of her children were identified as math gifted in the 2nd grade and give special supports from then on, including all expenses paid summer math camps in the upper elementary school grades. They currently take advanced math classes at Silver Spring International School. The lady tells me that most of their math classmates are high SES and white, but certainly not all.

MoCo does a decent job identifying and supporting FARMs talent, particularly for math. DCPS could do the same, it just doesn't bother to fund the initiatives.

We're heading to BASIS, at least if the waiting list continues to clear each fall.

You're wrong about algebra at Stuart Hobson btw

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Again. You want a solution not available anywhere in DCPS or DCPCS just for Watkins. Don't you think many families throughout the system would embrace that if it were feasible? You're talking about something exclusive to Watkins which in and of itself is a nonstarter from a system level (extra teachers for Watkins? More supports?). You also assume the poor kids in MOCO are well served by being segregated. Of course there are less of them and results vary by location).

Your argument puzzles me. - you're a no go on Arlington (and presumably moco) but you want that exact solution. That can be solved with a moving van. DC is a very different school district with different populations, far more generational poverty, and different demographics in general. I'm not sold a moco model would even work in D.C. even if it would work in moco. Maybe if fewer families irrationally fled the system without giving it a real shot, or would stand up to peer pressure to embrace charters.

Peer pressure. LOL

LOL for me too -- at how many parents reflectively end up in charter they hate that don't fit their values whatsoever. But to each their own

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most depressing SH thread either, nearly 300 posts and little to give us hope that the school would work out for our excellent in-boundary 3rd grade student (both math and ELA) in a Hill DCPS. Getting involved at the school doesn't sound worth it.

+1 welcome to the club

Pretty much all of the Hill threads end this way.

Until Hill parents stop acting ridiculously entitled, selfish, and clueless, they will all end this way. I for one wish we could just ban discussion of Stuart Hobson and Watkins on here. Everyone who thinks it is doom for their snowflake - move to Arlington. Everyone who actually wants to give it a go - get to work.

Do the professional educators, planners, administrators at DCPS have NO responsibility here at all? Are they completely let off the hook? See, your plan for school improvement is unrealistic because we don't have to put up with dysfunction--people can live in their homes on the Hill and choose to go private, choose to home school or choose to go charter. That's our right. DCPS ( and you ) would like to pretend that is not so. It is also our prerogative to discuss Stuart Hobson as much as we'd like. Also our right. That's reality. You ( and DCPS ) would do well to live in reality rather than thrown silly names at people and tell them to move.

+1000. Can't stand name-calling snowflake basher guy. He stalks these Hill threads relentlesly like the loser he is. What a racist, immature asshole.

Signed. AA Parent Living IB for the Cluster with No Short, Medium or Long-term Plans to Enroll Elementary School-Age Offspring at Watkins or SH, or Move to Arlington Either

not PP you're referring to but you won't be missed

Actually, she will be missed. Committed, involved parents are a precious commodity that can make a big difference to a school. I’m another IB-for-Watkins parent who sends her children to a charter and I really wish that I didn’t feel like that was the better choice. I would love to walk my children to our neighborhood school instead of driving them across the city to a charter. But Watkins makes it very hard for parents to make the choice to turn down solid options and enroll there.

AA mom here, thanks PP. I'm in the same situation and couldn't agree more.

What should DCPS do about SH and Watkins? Simple, copy what MoCo does with popular Silver Spring International School and its feeders. At least 40% of the kids in the school are poor (mostly Latino). MoCo offers advanced "compacted" math to the 3rd-5th graders in the feeders (along with other GT services), along with advanced English, math and foreign languages at SSIS. This isn't grade-level English and math wrapped in an "honors" package as at SH, but true, above-grave level offerings for kids who can test into the advanced classes. MoCo also puts more resource staff in a middle school building to provide targeted interventions for kids who struggle academically and emotionally, partly to maintain good order. We won't choose SH partly because of the zoo-like atmosphere in the hallways and cafeteria.

Again. You want a solution not available anywhere in DCPS or DCPCS just for Watkins. Don't you think many families throughout the system would embrace that if it were feasible? You're talking about something exclusive to Watkins which in and of itself is a nonstarter from a system level (extra teachers for Watkins? More supports?). You also assume the poor kids in MOCO are well served by being segregated. Of course there are less of them and results vary by location).

Your argument puzzles me. - you're a no go on Arlington (and presumably moco) but you want that exact solution. That can be solved with a moving van. DC is a very different school district with different populations, far more generational poverty, and different demographics in general. I'm not sold a moco model would even work in D.C. even if it would work in moco. Maybe if fewer families irrationally fled the system without giving it a real shot, or would stand up to peer pressure to embrace charters.

Families fleeing the system are acting rationally, and that’s the problem for DCPS. Watkins and SH are not high performing schools. If DCPS wants neighborhood buy in, which they should since they are losing both elementary and middle school students to charters, they need to do something to convince neighborhood families to give Watkins and then SH a shot in the face of less than stellar academic results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't agree. The DCPS schools mostly serving high SES/white kids routinely offer above grade-level math instruction, mostly with PTA funds. So when parents can and will come together to pay, it's fine for DCPS offer advanced pullouts, and even classes, but not when they don't? What kind of BS system is that?

Deal and Hardy offer 7th grade algebra, but not Hobson, though many kids in the catchment area could handle the math. If the mayor and our city council members were demanding that above grade-level instruction was offered system-wide (under pressure from voter lobbies) it would be offered. Michelle Rhee was giving speeches about starting GT programs before Fenty went down.

Segregation? Give me a break. My Latino cleaning lady of a decade lives in Silver Spring. Both of her children were identified as math gifted in the 2nd grade and give special supports from then on, including all expenses paid summer math camps in the upper elementary school grades. They currently take advanced math classes at Silver Spring International School. The lady tells me that most of their math classmates are high SES and white, but certainly not all.

MoCo does a decent job identifying and supporting FARMs talent, particularly for math. DCPS could do the same, it just doesn't bother to fund the initiatives.

We're heading to BASIS, at least if the waiting list continues to clear each fall.

Anecdote . . . but if your cleaning lady says so

[Anonymous]

Families fleeing the system are acting rationally, and that’s the problem for DCPS. Watkins and SH are not high performing schools. If DCPS wants neighborhood buy in, which they should since they are losing both elementary and middle school students to charters, they need to do something to convince neighborhood families to give Watkins and then SH a shot in the face of less than stellar academic results.

DCPS isn't losing elementary school market share to charters, and they get many students who leave for middle back at high school, and can 'claim' credit for them as high school graduates. So I believe they really don't care.