I can't see why you would leave for a charter just because of a swing space ... any family that did that was likely extremely weakly connected to the school community and I doubt they would go on to SH. We're about to move into the swing space for Maury and I can't fathom leaving the teachers, admins, and friends we have there just because of the temporary relocation! |
In summary it seems like looking at the last 5 years, the IB % is increasing.
Ergo, my earlier point stands. |
For the past 5 years, Peabody has waitlisted IB families for pk3 and pk4. In the last few years, dozens and dozens were waitlisted. And that’s just the families who actually applied. Peabody is packed to the gills with IB children. There is no excuse for Watkins to be 30% IB at this point. |
I am pretty sure there are many elementaries in DC with packed preschools, and very limited IB buy in at older grades. |
Show me another school that waitlists 30-40 IB families for pk3 and has a 30% IB rate for 1-5. You’re not going to find one. |
the 30% IB rate is bottom heavy and reflects the younger demographic rising through Peabody into lower grades at Watkins. It's the upper grades that skew less IB. Smaller neighborhood demographic pool of 8-10 than 5-7year olds. |
not that different from Brent where the biggest IB population boom is 3rd grade and lower (probably 2 years ahead of Watkins in that regard). The pool of students is smaller for upper ES without even factoring charter enrollment. |
You must be confusing PPs. I'm not either poster you seem to be answering, but please take the hint. Calling longtime IB parents who have real concerns about Watkins names, and seeking to invalidate their opinions, just isn't a great recruiting tool. |
anyone want to claim calling someone "dummy" in their post? ![]() |
Two years behind Brent .... right. |
look at Brent's 4th grade scores last year. Nothing to boast about |
I'm a new poster and thought the previous posters comment was interesting. I've looked at Brent''s scores and haven't been all that impressed. How does one explain that given the high SES inbound pool? |
Not much emphasis on test scores, or prep, at Brent. Much emphasis on enrichment - art, music, Spanish, science (there's a designated science teacher), field trips, PE. Weak principal of six years gone, new one much stronger. Entire K is in-boundary this year for the first time, so the school must be doing something right. Test scores for white kids at Watkins higher, but neighborhood buy-in weak. You pick your poison with DCPS schools.
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Interesting. Thanks for the perspective. When I visited it it looked completely white so maybe a number of white oob students are enrolled. I just always wondered how I rarely see anyone accuse the WOTP schools of focusing on test prep over enrichment activities while they seem to have achieved both high scores and quality well rounded programs. |
NP. The snarky post above is darn unfair. WotP DCPS schools aren't in gentrifying neighborhoods. Those schools have been primarily serving their overwhelmingly high SES and white communities for several decades.
It's unreasonable compare the performance of up and coming DCPS schools like Ross, Maury and Brent (which have supported majority in-boundary student bodies for only 2-5 years) with much better established schools like Key, Mann, Janney, Murch and Lafayette. It takes years and years for a DCPS teaching staff to mature and gel, strong school programs and systems to be developed, funds to be secured for renovations, good facilities and leadership to be established etc. Demographics are only around half the story. Even if SH's demographics were to mirror Deal's tomorrow, the former wouldn't be anywhere near as high-performing as the latter. |