Whittle
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Anonymous
When were they admitted? Maybe those two had plans to transfer out for the 22-23 year due to Whittle’s uncertainty and applied by the deadline. Just because those 2 are transferring to Maret does not mean they had unfair advantages unless things were done after the deadlines. |
Anonymous
They quite possibly did apply by the deadline. Frankly, I am not a member of either community and just know of them, and also am not claiming any unfair advantages they may or may not have received due to the Whittle situation. |
Anonymous
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What would be “fair” advantages to coming from Whittle? Exactly. Maret is an academically competitive school. There have been 0 transfers to our equally competitive school. So by definition these are unlikely and the HOS selection started many months before it was made. In my opinion this is a developing story.
All one needs to do is compare the last names of the kids who got “prizes” at Whittle and the parents committee to know about the integrity of Whittle education. |
Anonymous
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A busybody keeps reporting the true facts. I’ve read them abd thought they were scandalous and so I’ve checked them and they seem correct:
Whittle SS lasted all of 3 academic years — in comparison the incoming Maret HOS was at Whittle for 2.5 calendar years (saying 1 year is very misleading) The incoming Maret HOS set up Whittle with C. Whittle, still boasts of being the Founding HOS and promoted Whittle long after he left such as on Twitter, and certainly never uttered a warning to this day The incoming Maret HOS’ wife never left and is still listed as a staff member, sat on the infamous parent investment committee and was privy to the financial decisions, sat on the advisory board for which compensation is given, and even represented the employees (against their will) on the inner circle committee, and solicited $ via messaging apps from the parent body, all of the above in this current year The parent investment committee is likely complicit even if their goal was to see their children graduate (class of 14 includes the Maret HOS child) and in my personal opinion may be culpable both morally and possibly in the civil court (and may be the only source for possible compensation for the many allegedly defrauded parents, teachers and vendors) So I agree that the real story is not C. Whittle himself from whom as much could be expected, but the entire coterie of characters receiving compensation and/or privilege as the result of being in the “inner circle” So, no, I don’t think that foisting this legacy on Maret is fair but agree it’s a sideshow to a massive scandal involving some of DC’s richest (and frankly dodgiest — just look at the unrelated lawsuits against the businesses of the investment committee families, and horrific reports of the conditions in the rentals one such family runs) So, yes, I would buy a book that unpacks the Whittlegate and looks into each one of the staff and parents privy to C. Whittle decision-making, and their names are well known in the press |
Anonymous
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Maret is a non-profit which posted accounts in the red in the recent years. In the year it had revenue of $30m, it appeared to have a package of $1m for the HOS, including the base salary alone of about $600k.
That is some staggering largesse under those modest circumstances to be spent on self-inflicted reputational damage. The Founding HOS of Whittle and his wife never said one word that would indicate any remorse for or even distance from the Whittle situation. How much were they paid by Whittle and how recently? |
Anonymous
Let’s see. She was on the staff, the parents investment committee, the advisory board, and solicited $ to plug the gap for Whittle. Is there even a financial department? One isn’t listed on the Whittle website, but there are 2 people listed as Staff and she’s one of them. |
Anonymous
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Washington Business Journal also reported that 2 parents and 1 faculty formed a parent capital strategy committee and were given privileged access to highly sensitive information. The faculty member was Bisgaard. The academic year was the current one.
This information has been available since 2021. How can this possibly still just be ignored? If I were a Maret parent I’d be livid and demand the board resign. |
Anonymous
Why is everyone so surprised that kids were able to secure a spot at another school? Parents read the tea leaves last fall/winter and applied out. I expect that there are lots of whittle kids going to all the different privates, not just Maret. I feel badly for the families that didn’t jump the sinking ship and are now wondering what they’re going to do…but it seemed pretty clear what was going to happen some time ago now. Applying out wasn’t a nefarious action…and I don’t know why Maret is being targeted for accepting good, smart kids. |
Anonymous
Because there were no admissions standards at Whittle and there was very little to no learning going on. There are many top students from top publics and/or top K-8 schools (outlying fantastic students at known entities with known/consistent instruction standards) who were waitlisted at Maret. |
Anonymous
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Because the Whittle education is not competitive for admission in the top schools in non entry years. We took on 0. If Maret took on more than 0, I think there should be an inquiry
Amazed that someone went around and deleted all the factual posts about the parents who worked closely with Whittle and all the shady dealings. Pathetic. Please investigate the Whittlegate, especially the 4 families most closely involved with taking everyone for a ride. Washington Business Journal has it all down for posterity. |
Anonymous
Uh, I think it’s hard to base anything off of a public school transcript after COVID. Not much learning going on and grade inflation was/is out of control. I think that’s where the little to no learning was happening. How do you know that kids at whittle didn’t learn anything? Your DC go there?probably and hopefully not, but please, let’s not pretend public school has been a bastion of academia the past couple of years. |
Anonymous
Can those in the know comment on the statement about lack of learning. Why is that the presumption? |
Anonymous
Because the teachers left and the students attested to no learning going on It’s a failed school |
Anonymous
Or, if your spouse props up a failing school, knowing its failing, to help you secure a new job and graduate their kid, then you have a problem. |
Anonymous
I agree. Grade inflation and lack of learning was going on long before Covid at public schools. As for education at Whittle, it is true that not all, but many teachers did very little teaching. The motivated students had to do a lot of self studying in their spare time. The smart ones at Whittle are able to do well at other schools, so please stop assuming that all Whittle students are incompetent due to the overall standard of the school. After the first year, I know of two students who successfully transferred out to other prestigious boarding schools like Groton and Lawrenceville. There was another student before the third and final year who transferred to GDS and got decent scores on AP exams before transferring. |