What do we think about Latin second campus

[Anonymous]

I went to a local private that sent tons of kids to top schools, me included.

I just don't think the model of go to X school to get X job, marry X person, and live in X place and have the next generation repeat is as big of a deal these days.

Well rounded, happy, and curious kids will be just fine even if they don't go Ivy.

But also agree that strivers are going to strive. Do you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin isn't a private school; our tax dollars pay for it. You move on if you want a pure, unadulterated booster thread lauding world-class middle and high school rigor at Latin.

Start your own thread, please. Suggestion - police your thread aggressively.

Somehow when this poster sees someone say “we are very happy and satisfied with Latin and impressed by the teaching and learning we see there” , they believe it comes from a booster touting “world-class rigor”. This person is not tethered to reality but is floating in their own world of disappointment and rancor.

Trust me, we're hardly short on disappointment and rancor at Latin, at least at the bitter end. I know many parents who assumed that their children would easily crack their alma maters, or schools of similar caliber.

I think the same could be said of Sidwell, though, too. College admissions have changed.

I guess, but the schools aren't comparable. More kids get into Ivies every year from Sidwell than the total admitted from Latin since that school was started. Apples and oranges.

YIKES. It's so sad that DC doesn't have Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST+m or even Regis. Rigorous free options where getting into actually elite colleges is the norm.

What's sad to me is that few DC voters seem to care. One poster after another comes here to argue that Latin's approach to teaching even the most advanced DC public HS students is practically perfect. Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST type urban magnet programs aren't in demand with nearly enough voters in DC to materialize. My kid attends a public school in VA, where my ex lives, and the difference between that program and Latin's MS is night and day. There are GT assessments and advanced MS classes beyond math at this school, competitive MS STEM extra-curriculars, a fine instrumental music program (free daily music lessons), a dozen serious sports teams, five languages taught during the school day, a 1,000-seat auditorium, indoor track etc. If wouldn't have had a clue what we were missing if we'd stuck with Latin.

[Anonymous]

What's sad to me is that few DC voters seem to care. One poster after another comes here to argue that Latin's approach to teaching even the most advanced DC public HS students is practically perfect. Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST type urban magnet programs aren't in demand with nearly enough voters in DC to materialize. My kid attends a public school in VA, where my ex lives, and the difference between that program and Latin's MS is night and day. There are GT assessments and advanced MS classes beyond math at this school, competitive MS STEM extra-curriculars, a fine instrumental music program (free daily music lessons), a dozen serious sports teams, five languages taught during the school day, a 1,000-seat auditorium, indoor track etc. If wouldn't have had a clue what we were missing if we'd stuck with Latin.

I don't think there's a question that Arlington and Fairfax have extraordinary schools. However, my take on it from watching the children of close friends proceed through them is that those schools are also machines---and your child is a mere temporary cog in them. If you have a child who is neurotypical, comes from a supportive MC or UMC home, and can thrive in a big school environment, then those schools are great. We initially considered moving out of DC for all the reasons the PP enumerated. However, what Latin DOES have is extremely small class sizes where each child is known, and known well, by faculty and staff. If you have a kid who ---for whatever reason---is not suited for the big NoVA schools---then Latin is a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin isn't a private school; our tax dollars pay for it. You move on if you want a pure, unadulterated booster thread lauding world-class middle and high school rigor at Latin.

Start your own thread, please. Suggestion - police your thread aggressively.

Somehow when this poster sees someone say “we are very happy and satisfied with Latin and impressed by the teaching and learning we see there” , they believe it comes from a booster touting “world-class rigor”. This person is not tethered to reality but is floating in their own world of disappointment and rancor.

Trust me, we're hardly short on disappointment and rancor at Latin, at least at the bitter end. I know many parents who assumed that their children would easily crack their alma maters, or schools of similar caliber.

I think the same could be said of Sidwell, though, too. College admissions have changed.

I guess, but the schools aren't comparable. More kids get into Ivies every year from Sidwell than the total admitted from Latin since that school was started. Apples and oranges.

YIKES. It's so sad that DC doesn't have Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST+m or even Regis. Rigorous free options where getting into actually elite colleges is the norm.

What's sad to me is that few DC voters seem to care. One poster after another comes here to argue that Latin's approach to teaching even the most advanced DC public HS students is practically perfect. Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST type urban magnet programs aren't in demand with nearly enough voters in DC to materialize. My kid attends a public school in VA, where my ex lives, and the difference between that program and Latin's MS is night and day. There are GT assessments and advanced MS classes beyond math at this school, competitive MS STEM extra-curriculars, a fine instrumental music program (free daily music lessons), a dozen serious sports teams, five languages taught during the school day, a 1,000-seat auditorium, indoor track etc. If wouldn't have had a clue what we were missing if we'd stuck with Latin.

You spent all this time to come on here and type out what everyone already knows ( though it sounds like you didn’t ). Of course there are luxe, well-resourced mega-schools with all kinds of advanced classes, GT programs and extracurricular bells and whistles. Of course.

You need to understand that some families are making a choice to stay in DC, and others don’t really have the ability to leave. For all of us—we understand the trade-offs and we are grateful for where Latin leadership chooses to put its focus—on being a challenging and accessible classical education program for any student from DC who walks through the door. We are telling you that it works well for advanced students and brings all kinds of less tangible pluses that your big Suburban rat-race school can’t provide. People who are happy with Latin value different things than you do and feel that even with its trade-offs, it is near-perfect for their students.

I can’t fathom why people like you are fixated on tearing it down. Do your thing, and best wishes to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin isn't a private school; our tax dollars pay for it. You move on if you want a pure, unadulterated booster thread lauding world-class middle and high school rigor at Latin.

Start your own thread, please. Suggestion - police your thread aggressively.

Somehow when this poster sees someone say “we are very happy and satisfied with Latin and impressed by the teaching and learning we see there” , they believe it comes from a booster touting “world-class rigor”. This person is not tethered to reality but is floating in their own world of disappointment and rancor.

Trust me, we're hardly short on disappointment and rancor at Latin, at least at the bitter end. I know many parents who assumed that their children would easily crack their alma maters, or schools of similar caliber.

I think the same could be said of Sidwell, though, too. College admissions have changed.

I guess, but the schools aren't comparable. More kids get into Ivies every year from Sidwell than the total admitted from Latin since that school was started. Apples and oranges.

YIKES. It's so sad that DC doesn't have Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST+m or even Regis. Rigorous free options where getting into actually elite colleges is the norm.

What's sad to me is that few DC voters seem to care. One poster after another comes here to argue that Latin's approach to teaching even the most advanced DC public HS students is practically perfect. Stuy/Hunter/Bronx Sci/NEST type urban magnet programs aren't in demand with nearly enough voters in DC to materialize. My kid attends a public school in VA, where my ex lives, and the difference between that program and Latin's MS is night and day. There are GT assessments and advanced MS classes beyond math at this school, competitive MS STEM extra-curriculars, a fine instrumental music program (free daily music lessons), a dozen serious sports teams, five languages taught during the school day, a 1,000-seat auditorium, indoor track etc. If wouldn't have had a clue what we were missing if we'd stuck with Latin.

You spent all this time to come on here and type out what everyone already knows ( though it sounds like you didn’t ). Of course there are luxe, well-resourced mega-schools with all kinds of advanced classes, GT programs and extracurricular bells and whistles. Of course.

You need to understand that some families are making a choice to stay in DC, and others don’t really have the ability to leave. For all of us—we understand the trade-offs and we are grateful for where Latin leadership chooses to put its focus—on being a challenging and accessible classical education program for any student from DC who walks through the door. We are telling you that it works well for advanced students and brings all kinds of less tangible pluses that your big Suburban rat-race school can’t provide. People who are happy with Latin value different things than you do and feel that even with its trade-offs, it is near-perfect for their students.

I can’t fathom why people like you are fixated on tearing it down. Do your thing, and best wishes to you.

As far as DC voters not organizing for a Stuyvesant-style test-in program, it’s complicated. Very, very complicated with the politics and funding models here in DC. If a group of voters want to take that on with a passion, by all means get on that and see where it goes. In the meantime, there is no value whatsoever in relentlessly dumping on programs already in existence that are by all means successful, beloved and working hard to maintain all the diversity and equity that is a requirement of being a public school in this city.

[Anonymous]

This poster doesn't think it would be all that complicated for DCPS, possibly DCPS and DCPCSB jointly, to set up a test-in middle school to rival Latin & BASIS. This could happen....if the Mayor wanted it. Rhee and Fenty used to talk about creating a test-in GT magnet for 6-8. The idea has bandied about by politicians for almost 15 years.

If DCPS offered this type of middle school, most of its grads would go on to Walls. That way, Walls could become a more serious magnet program.

The only real barrier is outmoded mayoral control of education in the District coupled with a 2-term mayor who isn't inclined to innovate in the ed sector. Bowser is comfortable with the status quo. Once she's voted out, or leaves office voluntarily, a test-in middle school magnet could see the light of day.

[Anonymous]

This poster doesn't think it would be all that complicated for DCPS, possibly DCPS and DCPCSB jointly, to set up a test-in middle school to rival Latin & BASIS. This could happen....if the Mayor wanted it. Rhee and Fenty used to talk about creating a test-in GT magnet for 6-8. The idea has bandied about by politicians for almost 15 years.

If DCPS offered this type of middle school, most of its grads would go on to Walls. That way, Walls could become a more serious magnet program.

The only real barrier is outmoded mayoral control of education in the District coupled with a 2-term mayor who isn't inclined to innovate in the ed sector. Bowser is comfortable with the status quo. Once she's voted out, or leaves office voluntarily, a test-in middle school magnet could see the light of day.

A purely test-in program would disproportionately favor the upper income, highly educated and highly resourced demographic of DC---which is disproportionately white.
That is why the concept has never gotten political traction in DC.
If Fairfax County is having its own internecine battles over the testing used for TJ, do you really think that the progressive-dominated DC Council would EVER let a purely test-in program in DC see the light of day?

[Anonymous]

Yes, as long as measures were taken to ensure strong minority representation, as in the high-octane Chicago middle and high school magnets. I also think that DC might elect a white mayor in the not-so-distant future. AAs are only around 45% of the city population now and dropping. This is definitely not the city I moved to 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This poster doesn't think it would be all that complicated for DCPS, possibly DCPS and DCPCSB jointly, to set up a test-in middle school to rival Latin & BASIS. This could happen....if the Mayor wanted it. Rhee and Fenty used to talk about creating a test-in GT magnet for 6-8. The idea has bandied about by politicians for almost 15 years.

If DCPS offered this type of middle school, most of its grads would go on to Walls. That way, Walls could become a more serious magnet program.

The only real barrier is outmoded mayoral control of education in the District coupled with a 2-term mayor who isn't inclined to innovate in the ed sector. Bowser is comfortable with the status quo. Once she's voted out, or leaves office voluntarily, a test-in middle school magnet could see the light of day.

You’ve kept up with the changes in admissions at Walls, right? It’s done away with its test. This is not a mayoral control thing. The DC Board of Ed is even less likely to be swayed toward a test-in middle school. They’d prefer to scrap Walls altogether, I think.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/school-without-walls-admissions-test-diversity/2021/08/27/6959cec2-0293-11ec-a664-4f6de3e17ff0_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, as long as measures were taken to ensure strong minority representation, as in the high-octane Chicago middle and high school magnets. I also think that DC might elect a white mayor in the not-so-distant future. AAs are only around 45% of the city population now and dropping. This is definitely not the city I moved to 30 years ago.

You don’t get it. The white folks on the council, on the SBOE, at central office or as mayor are/would be more adamantly against test-in programs than black folks. Like I said, it’s complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, as long as measures were taken to ensure strong minority representation, as in the high-octane Chicago middle and high school magnets. I also think that DC might elect a white mayor in the not-so-distant future. AAs are only around 45% of the city population now and dropping. This is definitely not the city I moved to 30 years ago.

You don’t get it. The white folks on the council, on the SBOE, at central office or as mayor are/would be more adamantly against test-in programs than black folks. Like I said, it’s complicated.

I'm an ANC commissioner who gets it. It's complicated mainly because Bowser isn't an education mayor. Once she's gone, a new mayor could change a great deal. Remember how Fenty would send aides to Portland and Seattle to study up on street cars, public hybrid car charging stations and state-of-the art recreation centers, how he doubled DDOT's budget in a single year? None of that was expected. The Council and the SBOE march to mayor's drummer on education as long as mayor control remains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, as long as measures were taken to ensure strong minority representation, as in the high-octane Chicago middle and high school magnets. I also think that DC might elect a white mayor in the not-so-distant future. AAs are only around 45% of the city population now and dropping. This is definitely not the city I moved to 30 years ago.

You don’t get it. The white folks on the council, on the SBOE, at central office or as mayor are/would be more adamantly against test-in programs than black folks. Like I said, it’s complicated.

I'm an ANC commissioner who gets it. It's complicated mainly because Bowser isn't an education mayor. Once she's gone, a new mayor could change a great deal. Remember how Fenty would send aides to Portland and Seattle to study up on street cars, public hybrid car charging stations and state-of-the art recreation centers, how he doubled DDOT's budget in a single year? None of that was expected. The Council and the SBOE march to mayor's drummer on education as long as mayor control remains.

You’re an ANC commissioner who was writing about a possible “white” mayor and a declining AA population as if that’s the barrier to test-in magnet programs? That’s shocking and I wonder what ANC this is.

[Anonymous]

Get a grip. I'm not white. The city's changing faster than it was even 10 years ago. Council of DC members know they can't rest on their education policy and funding laurels indefinitely. There are too many UMC voters of all races with elementary school-age children in DC public schools coming up the chain, and too few appealing public middle and high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latin isn't a private school; our tax dollars pay for it. You move on if you want a pure, unadulterated booster thread lauding world-class middle and high school rigor at Latin.

Start your own thread, please. Suggestion - police your thread aggressively.

Somehow when this poster sees someone say “we are very happy and satisfied with Latin and impressed by the teaching and learning we see there” , they believe it comes from a booster touting “world-class rigor”. This person is not tethered to reality but is floating in their own world of disappointment and rancor.

Trust me, we're hardly short on disappointment and rancor at Latin, at least at the bitter end. I know many parents who assumed that their children would easily crack their alma maters, or schools of similar caliber.

I think the same could be said of Sidwell, though, too. College admissions have changed.

I guess, but the schools aren't comparable. More kids get into Ivies every year from Sidwell than the total admitted from Latin since that school was started. Apples and oranges.

There’s a big difference between the full-pay, legacy kids at Sidwell and the middle- and lower-income kids at Latin. It’s well known that you can get early decision admit at a top ivy if you’re full pay (this was my kid). But if you’re looking for a full financial ride, your choices are more limited. Harvard isn’t going to give full rides to every qualified low-income kid—they don’t have the class seats for that.

Nope. Yale, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, etc. have need-blind admissions.

But admissions aren't need blind. Chew on that for a minute.

There are only five US colleges that are truly need by for international admissions (HYPM and Amherst, interestingly), but there are quite a few elite colleges that are truly need blind for domestic admissions, including all of HYPSMC (+ obviously Amherst).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a grip. I'm not white. The city's changing faster than it was even 10 years ago. Council of DC members know they can't rest on their education policy and funding laurels indefinitely. There are too many UMC voters of all races with elementary school-age children in DC public schools coming up the chain, and too few appealing public middle and high schools.

I don’t care if you are white or not. Still shocking what you wrote. It’s just strange to think a white mayor and declining AA population will change educational policy. It’s been my experience that the white educational activists are most adamantly opposed.