Good schools EoTP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

My kid goes to Maury, and we don't live there, because like you, we can't afford to live there. We lotteried in and commute in on the bus. Can I afford to move to the suburbs? No, unless I move way out. So do I appreciate the lottery? Yes, because otherwise, I'd be stuck at my IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If BASIS is indeed the jewel in the crown of DC public schools EotP, why has the program had, what, 9 different heads of school in a decade?

Inconvenient question to be sure, but please enlighten us. Don't capable admins stick around at good schools?

Please enlighten us: Are you seeking psychological help?

Your kid dropped out of BASIS but you spend your days and nights trolling this forum bashing the BASIS HOS as "too young"? Does he need to "get off your lawn" too?

The undisputed fact is that BASIS is ranked the #1 public middle school in DC. Your incoherent screeds, lunatic ravings, and unsupported arguments are meaningless. You made your choice with Hardy. Just live with it.

https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/middle-schools/district-of-columbia

You sound unhinged. I'm not the poster you're responding to. I used to work at BASIS. We had multiple heads in a single chaotic school year. Try again with a different PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

My kid goes to Maury, and we don't live there, because like you, we can't afford to live there. We lotteried in and commute in on the bus. Can I afford to move to the suburbs? No, unless I move way out. So do I appreciate the lottery? Yes, because otherwise, I'd be stuck at my IB.

You would also be stuck at your IB if you hadn’t struck gold with the lottery. In fact unless you lotteried in 4th or 5th, it is unlikely you would have gotten a spot this year even with a great lottery number.

For all but the wealthiest families, it’s just a game of chance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

You can rent IB for Maury for about the same rent anywhere.

“For the same rent as anywhere” sure is an interesting metric.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

You can rent IB for Maury for about the same rent anywhere.

“For the same rent as anywhere” sure is an interesting metric.

I mean, for the same rent as anywhere you can be IB for a good school in DC. The rents get cheaper in MoCo but you can rent something like this zoned for Maury: https://yarmouthm.com/listing/1123-park-st-ne/

That’s likely within the budget of most dual income MC families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

The answer of course is....high performing public schools with good facilities in neighboring jurisdictions.

This pressure valve serves as a bulwark against political pressure building to the point that city politicians, and the ed leaders who are beholden to them, have to take the complaints of umc parents East of Rock Creek seriously.

Movers and shakers can stop at appeasing us with the better DCPS and charter middle school programs. They don't see a need to do more because there isn't one. You can live on CH for years as a parent with kids in public elementary schools without getting your head around this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

You can rent IB for Maury for about the same rent anywhere.

Teeny, basic house for a family with more than one child, with rent close to $3,000. Worth it?

“For the same rent as anywhere” sure is an interesting metric.

I mean, for the same rent as anywhere you can be IB for a good school in DC. The rents get cheaper in MoCo but you can rent something like this zoned for Maury: https://yarmouthm.com/listing/1123-park-st-ne/

That’s likely within the budget of most dual income MC families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

I wish I could answer that question. IMO, it just seems like "this is what we have always done" vs actually demanding and fighting for change. Of course, there are the historical and present racial dynamics that play a big role also. I'm pretty sure it takes someone with deep historical knowledge of DC and DCPS to explain how things haven't progressed like they should. Most of the native elected leaders seem to have spent

One of my neighbors simply stated "People have a lot of money here so private is no biggie to them." My response was "If you need FA, you can't afford private school for K-12." Of course, she said that I was wrong and mean I do think people believe that thou. Something has to give but the question is when.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

I wish I could answer that question. IMO, it just seems like "this is what we have always done" vs actually demanding and fighting for change. Of course, there are the historical and present racial dynamics that play a big role also. I'm pretty sure it takes someone with deep historical knowledge of DC and DCPS to explain how things haven't progressed like they should. Most of the native elected leaders seem to have spent

One of my neighbors simply stated "People have a lot of money here so private is no biggie to them." My response was "If you need FA, you can't afford private school for K-12." Of course, she said that I was wrong and mean I do think people believe that thou. Something has to give but the question is when.

There are two possible way Hill MS and HS could change:

1. Everyone could just send their kids and assume that a rising tide lifts all boats, same as elementary schools. Seems to be happening at EH.
2. DCPS could affirmatively court IB parents, as did Hardy. Seems to be a nonstarter right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

Don't have to take the complaints seriously. Parents/voters who complain are considered pests. Many consequently move to the burbs, which suits the mayor and the dc city council members.
What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

The answer of course is....high performing public schools with good facilities in neighboring jurisdictions.

This pressure valve serves as a bulwark against political pressure building to the point that city politicians, and the ed leaders who are beholden to them, have to take the complaints of umc parents East of Rock Creek seriously.

Movers and shakers can stop at appeasing us with the better DCPS and charter middle school programs. They don't see a need to do more because there isn't one. You can live on CH for years as a parent with kids in public elementary schools without getting your head around this.

[Anonymous]

We used to live in a Southern city where suburban schools weren’t much better than urban schools, so most middle class families went private. Here, if you want a good public school offering a well-rounded education after elementary you move a short way into VA and MD. Easy enough fix, your problem is solved. That’s the main reason no DC public middle school is very good all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

My theory about the lack of a viable political movement is because I think many of the posters have preschoolers or early elementary aged kids. They see rowdy teens and panic because their kids are young. As their kids grow in DCPS, they don’t have as much worry because those rowdy teens are now not so rowdy and include their kids and their kids’ friends. I like DCPS! Is it perfect? Nope! But guess what neither was their private school that I paid for them to attend. I would argue the vast majority of kids in MS and HS are pretty nice and bright. I think wealthy DC folks fear that poor is a communicable disease. It’s not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've come to conclusion that school choice is mostly an illusion in the District. More like school chance without any first rate options after elementary school.

This. The funny thing about this thread is that there are a bunch of wealthy people on it (if you can afford to buy a row house IB for Brent or Maury or Deal or Hardy, you are wealthy, even if that was back in 2012 -- middle class people cannot afford to buy a 750k fixer upper IB for Brent) arguing about which of them made the best choice. I am actually middle class and could never afford a 750k house. My kid doesn't go to Brent or Maury, not because I'm too dumb to figure out those schools are good, but because I am not rich enough to afford to be able to send my kid there.

No amount of attending PTO meetings before I have kids, or "doing my research" will change that. All we can do is try our luck at the lottery, do our best with wherever we end up, and look at real estate in the suburbs and try to figure out if it would be worth the added costs of commuting (which in our case would involve buying two cars because one way we afford to live in the city is by not owning a car at all).

It's just funny. Y'all treat DC's public schools like you are private school parents choosing from among the best private, and bragging about which school you were clever enough to know to go to. You're a tiny slice of DC public school parents and to the rest of us, it doesn't work that way at all.

What's fascinating is spending $1M+ on a home than worrying and complaining about the quality of schools. There is no way I'd ever do that unless I was a staunch believer in private schools. Seems like personal choices won over long-term planning.

What's fascinating, and sobering, to this CH resident since the 1990s is that all the worrying and complaining about the quality of schools never seems to coalesce into a viable political movement to improve DCPS middle and high schools EotP. It just never happens. Seems like political inertia wins over a push for good long-term planning on DCPS' part. I don't follow city politics all that closely Maybe I'd get it if I did. If you do, care to explain why progress on neighborhood schools after elementary remains glacial EotP in a heavily gentrified area?

I think it is partly because there are too many choices in DC. It is hard for parents to act like one unified block.
If your kid lucks into a highly sought after charter, you will take it and then not have the energy to fight the system. Some folks have the money to go private. Some folks just move to MD or VA which is tempting as they have better college options as well.
And DC Govt doesn’t care as DC is ultra liberal and democrats never get voted out.