Does anyone know anything about Emerson Prep School in DC?

[Anonymous]

Can't tell much from their site. Looks very interesting for kids really engaged in learning. Who goes there?

[Anonymous]

Kids who have flamed out elsewhere. I was drawn to it at one point as well but a closer look cured me of that. There are a lot of troubled kids at the school, and its good they have a place to go, but I've also heard the faculty is mixed and the actual instruction is just not great.

[Anonymous]

Pretty much. But when I went there for two years it had an accelerated schedule, and the teachers I had were good. It's something to try when conventional options have failed. Class sizes are extremely tiny, and the format is more like a college seminar, not a normal high-school lecture.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for a school with the college seminar approach, that is exactly how they do things at Field.

[Anonymous]

For screw ups

[Anonymous]

Knew a girl who went there a few years ago. I don't know much about it, but this girl did have some issues - socially and academically. It would definitely be in the alternative schooling category and probably not for every child. However, to be fair, if you're interested you should go visit it. Depending on your child and his/her learning style it may be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

So kind of like Maret but smaller?

[Anonymous]

My kid actually got rejected at Maret. Although he will be attending another Big 3 school, your post reeks of sour grapes. What's your deal?

[Anonymous]

It's a great school for kids who can do college prep work, but may have trouble doing it in 7 large classes per day (e.g. gifted with very mild ADD or LD). You start and finish a class in 4 months.

There are 4 long periods each day (plus open lunch in the Dupont Circle area). It's also often been a school for serious ballet dancers, musicians, etc. (who may take 3 of the classes, then go dance for hours, then go home and do homework).

There have been changes in the past few years (since Margot Walsh passed away). I'm not up on the latest re: Emerson. It does have an alternative flavor to it, but is not only a "turn-around school" (although has filled that function for kids who are "outside the box" -- not necessarily "screw-ups").

[Anonymous]

I'm a semi-retired grandfather who attended Emerson around 1969/70.

First, sorry to hear that Margot Walsh passed away. She was a sane presence in the place back in the day - basically the office manager to Dean Humphries (sp?) operation.

When I attended, it was an odd mix. There was a 12 year-old prodigy who was taking junior/senior math at U of Md.; there were lots of recently returned Viet Nam vets, getting their HS diplomas with help from the GI bill (some of whom had serious issues they were dealing with); there were lots of rich kids from the 'burbs who'd messed things up in other public or private schools - a number of them having been thrown out of prestigious schools due to behavior issues, drug use, etc.

At least one student there was actively working as a prostitute in the evenings. She was about 16.

BUT - they offered what was referred to as an "accelerated program" - which basically meant you could take as many classes as you could pay for at one time.

So my 2.5 years of HS were completed there - sort of - within about 8 months while I worked part time.

I went to college, grad school (multiple grad degrees, good schools) ... so I guess Emerson rehabbed me.

I realize that this is pretty much ancient history, but it probably illustrates that what the school is now is what it has been for a very long time. I'm surprised Ms.Walsh stayed so long - she was a remarkable person and must have found something meaningful to do there.

I'd expect her to have left a worthy legacy.

[Anonymous]

I know someone who went there who practiced piano like 6 hours a day.

[Anonymous]

Thats sounds about right. I was very busy during my time there, too - multiple jobs, etc.

[Anonymous]

Bump - does anyone have any updated information on Emerson Prep?

[Anonymous]

The 7/30/2013 post strikes me as the most accurate. I also attended during the Walsh era, so can't say whether the new head of school has changed things, but he worked under Ms. Walsh at that time, they seemed to be close, and I think most of what gives the school its characteristics is structural (i.e. who their model appeals to).

When I went, it was maybe 25 percent brilliant youngsters who needed the accelerated model that Emerson offered to pursue other callings. There were a couple of very promising professional ballet artists, a very bright young man who was likely to go into semi-professional basketball as soon as he graduated, a child actor, and so on. You get the idea.

Then maybe 50 percent of the students had indeed had some trouble fitting in at other schools. Their reasons varied widely, and in some cases overlapped with their brilliance. Although some of them were the spoiled bad egg children of the wealthy, some of them were just kids who were too smart to buy into DC's competitive private school environment. I would not be at all surprised if the upper quintile of Emerson students would outtest the upper quintile of students at other private schools in terms of IQ.

As for the remaining 25 percent - it varies: in age, in background, in reason for being there.

So: Mix of brilliant misfits and not so brilliant misfits. Administration seems sincere about carrying out their admission and making the most of the peer atmosphere that creates.