GDS high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The administration in general is the weak spot of GDS. With the lower school principal turnover and the high school principal's lack of experience it has been frustrating.

GDS' strengths are definitely the teachers but most programs run by the administration, especially in the high school, are lacking (DEI, college counseling, disciplinary). As a parent of a high school student many of the programs are great in theory but we find them lacking with very little accountability or transparency.

We have had several interactions and meetings with the HS principal and found her inexperienced and lacking empathy or interest.

Similar here. Our interactions with HS principal have been the same. The people who report to her in administration - curriculum people, display people and CCO - seem entirely not empowered to make decisions and openly defer to her while grin f’ing the parent.

And yet she’s hard to reach and generally has been slow to respond on the few occasions we’ve escalated something unless we’ve basically gone 911 on our email over a serious school f-up. There was a really bad one a few years ago. And then I’ve had an immediate response from her.

Have heard from my kid that many faculty members despise her and speak openly about how bad a leader and decision maker she is. Maybe this is normal. Maybe not. I hear a lot of it though.

On the disciplinary committee front, have heard from other parents that every decision made - even for minor *entirely* non DEI infractions - are dominated with a DEI restorative justice lens as how the kid needs to make amends. It’s very much on brand for the former head of DEI at dalton. One can google how that went at Dalton…

This too shall pass - but probably not in time for our kid’s tenure at the school. Like many 2020 and 2021 decisions, boards are seeing the reality of bad hires slowly. GDS’ board will be late to seeing this but will eventually. Pretty much can count on this.

OMG, stop your whining and move your whiny kids to a school with less focus on DEI. The Heights, for example, could be a good option if you have a boy.

There we have it. No room at GDS for anyone who does not pray to your DEI god. ad hominem attack is of course where the weak minded fragile go when they have no counter argument.

Try talking to each of the longest tenured HS faculty. The beloved ones. The ones that shape the fiber of the HS academic experience. They are all feeling the same. I have heard it from each of them.

There is no way multiple teachers would talk so openly with parents.

I believe him/her because it happened to me with two ex-staff (DP). There are many families who are very connected to staff and teachers at GDS, so this could definitely happen. With my two instances, the staff members (LMS) didn't leave entirely because of DEI insanity, but it sure helped speed up their departure plans.

[Anonymous]

I am a GDS parent os a senior, I posted once before on this thread and said I found it both sad validating that so many parents had the same experience as me. It distresses me that people are so unwilling to believe that the school, while it has many great attributes, is deeply flawed in terms of the DEI agenda and the administration at present. Why are parents who like the school so defensive? Don't you want to hear what others have to say? Parents are expressing their experiences. Some of us feel afraid to speak out because the DEI agenda is so overwhelming and the fear of being cancelled very real, both for parents and students.

I know of a situation where children who were not involved in a very minor situation reported a child to the DEI office. Mind you they had nothing to do with it, were not there and the other kids who were involved worked it out- but these kids feel empowered to be the arbiters of truth and justice at age 14. It's ridiculous and dangerous. It feels like a Soviet secret police where kids report on each other and on teachers. It's not kind, collaborative or encouraging diversity of thought or speech.

The feeling of not being heard also goes for the situation with AP's and standardized testing- they do not want to hear it. I have questioned the same thing about AP's as the PP in the 9th grade meeting mentioned and received the same dismissal. The CO says "Most colleges don't give credit." Such arrogance. Many state schools do and it can save parents money. Also UK schools such as Oxford and Cambridge require them for admission. Parents want them to bring AP's back - when we came to GDS they were offering AP's like everyone else. Are we allowed to question this??

Do you really think this is all one parent saying the same thing over an over?

I cannot WAIT for my kid to be finished. We have had multiple kids at the school and made a huge investment in their education. Yes, they are well-prepared for college academically. Yes, they have nice friends and loved most of their teachers- this is all good. But as parents we are alienated from the institution. I will be asking for an exit meeting with Russell to explain our concerns, why we felt afraid to come forward before now, and to let him know to not expect any further financial support for the school.

I genuinely mourn the old GDS. We signed our kids up for it's mission of diversity and inclusion and what we got was an atmosphere of identity politics, division and one-note political correct cancel culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a GDS parent os a senior, I posted once before on this thread and said I found it both sad validating that so many parents had the same experience as me. It distresses me that people are so unwilling to believe that the school, while it has many great attributes, is deeply flawed in terms of the DEI agenda and the administration at present. Why are parents who like the school so defensive? Don't you want to hear what others have to say? Parents are expressing their experiences. Some of us feel afraid to speak out because the DEI agenda is so overwhelming and the fear of being cancelled very real, both for parents and students.

I know of a situation where children who were not involved in a very minor situation reported a child to the DEI office. Mind you they had nothing to do with it, were not there and the other kids who were involved worked it out- but these kids feel empowered to be the arbiters of truth and justice at age 14. It's ridiculous and dangerous. It feels like a Soviet secret police where kids report on each other and on teachers. It's not kind, collaborative or encouraging diversity of thought or speech.

The feeling of not being heard also goes for the situation with AP's and standardized testing- they do not want to hear it. I have questioned the same thing about AP's as the PP in the 9th grade meeting mentioned and received the same dismissal. The CO says "Most colleges don't give credit." Such arrogance. Many state schools do and it can save parents money. Also UK schools such as Oxford and Cambridge require them for admission. Parents want them to bring AP's back - when we came to GDS they were offering AP's like everyone else. Are we allowed to question this??

Do you really think this is all one parent saying the same thing over an over?

I cannot WAIT for my kid to be finished. We have had multiple kids at the school and made a huge investment in their education. Yes, they are well-prepared for college academically. Yes, they have nice friends and loved most of their teachers- this is all good. But as parents we are alienated from the institution. I will be asking for an exit meeting with Russell to explain our concerns, why we felt afraid to come forward before now, and to let him know to not expect any further financial support for the school.

I genuinely mourn the old GDS. We signed our kids up for it's mission of diversity and inclusion and what we got was an atmosphere of identity politics, division and one-note political correct cancel culture.

Well said. We have pulled our application to GDS for what we are reading here and what we have heard from friends who have kids there. This is incredibly concerning of a social environment. Let other kids live in fear of this administration.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a GDS parent os a senior, I posted once before on this thread and said I found it both sad validating that so many parents had the same experience as me. It distresses me that people are so unwilling to believe that the school, while it has many great attributes, is deeply flawed in terms of the DEI agenda and the administration at present. Why are parents who like the school so defensive? Don't you want to hear what others have to say? Parents are expressing their experiences. Some of us feel afraid to speak out because the DEI agenda is so overwhelming and the fear of being cancelled very real, both for parents and students.

I know of a situation where children who were not involved in a very minor situation reported a child to the DEI office. Mind you they had nothing to do with it, were not there and the other kids who were involved worked it out- but these kids feel empowered to be the arbiters of truth and justice at age 14. It's ridiculous and dangerous. It feels like a Soviet secret police where kids report on each other and on teachers. It's not kind, collaborative or encouraging diversity of thought or speech.

The feeling of not being heard also goes for the situation with AP's and standardized testing- they do not want to hear it. I have questioned the same thing about AP's as the PP in the 9th grade meeting mentioned and received the same dismissal. The CO says "Most colleges don't give credit." Such arrogance. Many state schools do and it can save parents money. Also UK schools such as Oxford and Cambridge require them for admission. Parents want them to bring AP's back - when we came to GDS they were offering AP's like everyone else. Are we allowed to question this??

Do you really think this is all one parent saying the same thing over an over?

I cannot WAIT for my kid to be finished. We have had multiple kids at the school and made a huge investment in their education. Yes, they are well-prepared for college academically. Yes, they have nice friends and loved most of their teachers- this is all good. But as parents we are alienated from the institution. I will be asking for an exit meeting with Russell to explain our concerns, why we felt afraid to come forward before now, and to let him know to not expect any further financial support for the school.

I genuinely mourn the old GDS. We signed our kids up for it's mission of diversity and inclusion and what we got was an atmosphere of identity politics, division and one-note political correct cancel culture.

Thank you for posting this. I am also a GDS HS parent. Your post is perfectly worded and expressed. I can also validate that in parent meet-ups, the same topics on this thread come up over and over again. This surely is not a thread with a single parent trying to incite trouble.

There is a widespread feeling outside of this message board that the administration is increasingly incompetent, tone-deaf, insulated, and betraying its own mission.

[Anonymous]

I have a neighbor whose older child recently graduated GDS and whose younger child joined in ninth grade. They have been complaining in a similar manner to PPs here for years and years. Yet they sent their second child and were *very* happy to tell everyone when they were admitted. How can anyone take the complaining seriously?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a GDS parent os a senior, I posted once before on this thread and said I found it both sad validating that so many parents had the same experience as me. It distresses me that people are so unwilling to believe that the school, while it has many great attributes, is deeply flawed in terms of the DEI agenda and the administration at present. Why are parents who like the school so defensive? Don't you want to hear what others have to say? Parents are expressing their experiences. Some of us feel afraid to speak out because the DEI agenda is so overwhelming and the fear of being cancelled very real, both for parents and students.

I know of a situation where children who were not involved in a very minor situation reported a child to the DEI office. Mind you they had nothing to do with it, were not there and the other kids who were involved worked it out- but these kids feel empowered to be the arbiters of truth and justice at age 14. It's ridiculous and dangerous. It feels like a Soviet secret police where kids report on each other and on teachers. It's not kind, collaborative or encouraging diversity of thought or speech.

The feeling of not being heard also goes for the situation with AP's and standardized testing- they do not want to hear it. I have questioned the same thing about AP's as the PP in the 9th grade meeting mentioned and received the same dismissal. The CO says "Most colleges don't give credit." Such arrogance. Many state schools do and it can save parents money. Also UK schools such as Oxford and Cambridge require them for admission. Parents want them to bring AP's back - when we came to GDS they were offering AP's like everyone else. Are we allowed to question this??

Do you really think this is all one parent saying the same thing over an over?

I cannot WAIT for my kid to be finished. We have had multiple kids at the school and made a huge investment in their education. Yes, they are well-prepared for college academically. Yes, they have nice friends and loved most of their teachers- this is all good. But as parents we are alienated from the institution. I will be asking for an exit meeting with Russell to explain our concerns, why we felt afraid to come forward before now, and to let him know to not expect any further financial support for the school.

I genuinely mourn the old GDS. We signed our kids up for it's mission of diversity and inclusion and what we got was an atmosphere of identity politics, division and one-note political correct cancel culture.

As a parent with a younger child, thank you for doing this. You could just walk away, so thank you for having that exit conversation. I hope that many others will do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a neighbor whose older child recently graduated GDS and whose younger child joined in ninth grade. They have been complaining in a similar manner to PPs here for years and years. Yet they sent their second child and were *very* happy to tell everyone when they were admitted. How can anyone take the complaining seriously?

Honestly, it's a tough balance. A child's admission into GDS, especially into the high school, is definitely something to celebrate - the odds are very tough, so that child must show some level of talent and ability. And, as virtually all PPs acknowledge, the teachers are phenomenal. The administration and CCO, however, leave much to be desired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a neighbor whose older child recently graduated GDS and whose younger child joined in ninth grade. They have been complaining in a similar manner to PPs here for years and years. Yet they sent their second child and were *very* happy to tell everyone when they were admitted. How can anyone take the complaining seriously?

Honestly, it's a tough balance. A child's admission into GDS, especially into the high school, is definitely something to celebrate - the odds are very tough, so that child must show some level of talent and ability. And, as virtually all PPs acknowledge, the teachers are phenomenal. The administration and CCO, however, leave much to be desired.

Not for siblings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a neighbor whose older child recently graduated GDS and whose younger child joined in ninth grade. They have been complaining in a similar manner to PPs here for years and years. Yet they sent their second child and were *very* happy to tell everyone when they were admitted. How can anyone take the complaining seriously?

Honestly, it's a tough balance. A child's admission into GDS, especially into the high school, is definitely something to celebrate - the odds are very tough, so that child must show some level of talent and ability. And, as virtually all PPs acknowledge, the teachers are phenomenal. The administration and CCO, however, leave much to be desired.

Not for siblings.

It is by no means a guarantee at schools like GDS, Sidwell, Maret, NCS/STA, etc. Especially in HS. Even teacher's kids are rejected.

[Anonymous]

If you have a good public option, it is better for college admissions to send an unhooked kid to public, get a high GPA and lots of APs. Also, more ECs to choose from.

[Anonymous]

Missed the meeting this morning - did they address any of these issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Missed the meeting this morning - did they address any of these issues?

Yes, but only surface level. Tripled down on the DCC.

[Anonymous]

Well, at least people can stop saying they didn’t realize what the school policies are.

Did anyone say they would walk or that they would stop donating or .. anything, really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The administration in general is the weak spot of GDS. With the lower school principal turnover and the high school principal's lack of experience it has been frustrating.

GDS' strengths are definitely the teachers but most programs run by the administration, especially in the high school, are lacking (DEI, college counseling, disciplinary). As a parent of a high school student many of the programs are great in theory but we find them lacking with very little accountability or transparency.

We have had several interactions and meetings with the HS principal and found her inexperienced and lacking empathy or interest.

Similar here. Our interactions with HS principal have been the same. The people who report to her in administration - curriculum people, display people and CCO - seem entirely not empowered to make decisions and openly defer to her while grin f’ing the parent.

And yet she’s hard to reach and generally has been slow to respond on the few occasions we’ve escalated something unless we’ve basically gone 911 on our email over a serious school f-up. There was a really bad one a few years ago. And then I’ve had an immediate response from her.

Have heard from my kid that many faculty members despise her and speak openly about how bad a leader and decision maker she is. Maybe this is normal. Maybe not. I hear a lot of it though.

On the disciplinary committee front, have heard from other parents that every decision made - even for minor *entirely* non DEI infractions - are dominated with a DEI restorative justice lens as how the kid needs to make amends. It’s very much on brand for the former head of DEI at dalton. One can google how that went at Dalton…

This too shall pass - but probably not in time for our kid’s tenure at the school. Like many 2020 and 2021 decisions, boards are seeing the reality of bad hires slowly. GDS’ board will be late to seeing this but will eventually. Pretty much can count on this.

OMG, stop your whining and move your whiny kids to a school with less focus on DEI. The Heights, for example, could be a good option if you have a boy.

There we have it. No room at GDS for anyone who does not pray to your DEI god. ad hominem attack is of course where the weak minded fragile go when they have no counter argument.

Try talking to each of the longest tenured HS faculty. The beloved ones. The ones that shape the fiber of the HS academic experience. They are all feeling the same. I have heard it from each of them.

No, I am not a GDS parent. Didn’t even consider the school for my DCs because it doesn’t align with our beliefs and values. My point is, why pick a school that’s focused on DEI if it annoys you.

Why would people who have sent multiple children to GDS for over a decade pull their kids out in sophomore year to send them to a new school because a new GDS school admin is bad? Why would these parents not try to get some type of course correction?

I don’t believe you’re a parent. No parent would think that was reasonable. These parents are stuck with an admin they don’t agree with and are trying to deftly either force them out or change their ways enough to make the experience more tolerable.

And restorative justice can be great but it can also empower kids to bully other kids with impunity so I would keep an eye on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Missed the meeting this morning - did they address any of these issues?

Yes, but only surface level. Tripled down on the DCC.

How so? Would love any details... I'm glad some parent questions were asked at least