Any programming or teaching differences at the Upper NW Elementary Schools?

[Anonymous]

We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Class size is fairly universal, and in general a whole lot smaller than MoCo or FFX schools.

I know one of them -- maybe Murch? -- has more autonomy in terms of curriculum, but I haven't heard anyone boast or complain one way or the other on this issue. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Lafayette and Janney, for instance, are very big schools. The upside to that, however, is that there are tons of extracurriculars to chose from. The down side is they are large! Lafayette is know for its peace program and its art integration; aftercare is limited. I don't know as much about Key.

Also, you might look at the schedule of construction. Mann is finishing up its construction, Lafayette is slated to be completely redone next year-- all the kids will be in trailers. Janney is also getting "some work done" and Murch (which needs it) is less clear -- I think it was supposed to be done this year, but got delayed. Others on this forum know more than me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

Mann actually does not. Janney has the most in absolute terms but, as has been confirmed, access to the longish list of extras is limited by space and number.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Class size is fairly universal, and in general a whole lot smaller than MoCo or FFX schools.

I know one of them -- maybe Murch? -- has more autonomy in terms of curriculum, but I haven't heard anyone boast or complain one way or the other on this issue. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Lafayette and Janney, for instance, are very big schools. The upside to that, however, is that there are tons of extracurriculars to chose from. The down side is they are large! Lafayette is know for its peace program and its art integration; aftercare is limited. I don't know as much about Key.

Also, you might look at the schedule of construction. Mann is finishing up its construction, Lafayette is slated to be completely redone next year-- all the kids will be in trailers. Janney is also getting "some work done" and Murch (which needs it) is less clear -- I think it was supposed to be done this year, but got delayed. Others on this forum know more than me.

Eaton is a good school, but with neighborhood enrollment below 40% they keep getting pushed down the renovation list. No council member advocates for it because parent voters are so dispersed around the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

Ummm... have you seen the enrichment programs that are offered at Hearst? I beg to defer.
http://www.hearstes.org/enrichment_programs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

This is somewhat true. But given the class sizes at Janney the kids need the extra support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Class size is fairly universal, and in general a whole lot smaller than MoCo or FFX schools.

I know one of them -- maybe Murch? -- has more autonomy in terms of curriculum, but I haven't heard anyone boast or complain one way or the other on this issue. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Lafayette and Janney, for instance, are very big schools. The upside to that, however, is that there are tons of extracurriculars to chose from. The down side is they are large! Lafayette is know for its peace program and its art integration; aftercare is limited. I don't know as much about Key.

Also, you might look at the schedule of construction. Mann is finishing up its construction, Lafayette is slated to be completely redone next year-- all the kids will be in trailers. Janney is also getting "some work done" and Murch (which needs it) is less clear -- I think it was supposed to be done this year, but got delayed. Others on this forum know more than me.

Eaton is a good school, but with neighborhood enrollment below 40% they keep getting pushed down the renovation list. No council member advocates for it because parent voters are so dispersed around the city.

We know of some IB Eaton parents who are applying OOB to Hearst in order to stay on the Deal track. Could lead to higher OOB populations at Eaton in the coming years.

[Anonymous]

If you really want the answers to these questions, you need to visit the schools and ask questions. No one on here can speak authoritatively about more than one or two of the schools, and anyone who claims to speak objectively probably does not have personal experience with the schools.

Or you can not do the research and assume that any of the schools in upper NW will be fine for your kid(s). That's what we did when we bought, and we ended up very happy at Murch. But I think we would have been very happy at Lafayette, Janney, Eaton, or Hearst, too. In the grand scheme of things, the differences are pretty small.

About Murch, specifically, I can tell you that the student body is huge (as big as Janney and projected to be bigger than Lafayette soon) and the facility is the worst of all of the upper NW schools; it's scheduled for an 18-24 month renovation starting in June 2016, which will likely be pretty disruptive. The principal is great--he definitely uses the autonomous thing to his advantage--as is the teaching staff. Class sizes are generally good--low 20s this year, with a few grades right at 20. In-class differentiation has been strong, in my experience (but this is truly in the eye of the beholder). The school is particularly diverse by Upper NW standards--in terms of race, ethnicity, nationality, and socioeconomic status.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Class size is fairly universal, and in general a whole lot smaller than MoCo or FFX schools.

I know one of them -- maybe Murch? -- has more autonomy in terms of curriculum, but I haven't heard anyone boast or complain one way or the other on this issue. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Lafayette and Janney, for instance, are very big schools. The upside to that, however, is that there are tons of extracurriculars to chose from. The down side is they are large! Lafayette is know for its peace program and its art integration; aftercare is limited. I don't know as much about Key.

Also, you might look at the schedule of construction. Mann is finishing up its construction, Lafayette is slated to be completely redone next year-- all the kids will be in trailers. Janney is also getting "some work done" and Murch (which needs it) is less clear -- I think it was supposed to be done this year, but got delayed. Others on this forum know more than me.

Eaton is a good school, but with neighborhood enrollment below 40% they keep getting pushed down the renovation list. No council member advocates for it because parent voters are so dispersed around the city.

We know of some IB Eaton parents who are applying OOB to Hearst in order to stay on the Deal track. Could lead to higher OOB populations at Eaton in the coming years.

This is interesting to me. If I were in the lower grades at the school that will feed to Hardy, I would be working very hard to help Hardy. I looked at the school profiles today, and I was shocked at how large Deal is -- over 1,200 students in three grades. I think a lot of kids would struggle in a school of that size. It seems like Hardy, which is at around 350, could afford to grow a bit larger and become much more of a neighborhood school if families from the feeder schools would work with the principal and others. I'm not sure what people think is lacking--test scores from the school profile seemed pretty impressive, particularly considering how much more diverse Hardy is than Deal--but whatever it is, it seems like it would be good for families from the feeder schools to advocate for it. (We are EOTP and know a bunch of people who go there OOB and tested into the honors program; they are very happy.)

[Anonymous]

^^I think if you bought thinking you were in a Deal feeder, you probably still want to go to Deal. I completely understand the Eaton parents. Hearst seems to offer a lot or after school things or you can do your own activities after school, hire a sitter, etc, so small school is not such a downside. And with a new physical plant, there are some benefits of Hearst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you really want the answers to these questions, you need to visit the schools and ask questions. No one on here can speak authoritatively about more than one or two of the schools, and anyone who claims to speak objectively probably does not have personal experience with the schools.

Or you can not do the research and assume that any of the schools in upper NW will be fine for your kid(s). That's what we did when we bought, and we ended up very happy at Murch. But I think we would have been very happy at Lafayette, Janney, Eaton, or Hearst, too. In the grand scheme of things, the differences are pretty small.

About Murch, specifically, I can tell you that the student body is huge (as big as Janney and projected to be bigger than Lafayette soon) and the facility is the worst of all of the upper NW schools; it's scheduled for an 18-24 month renovation starting in June 2016, which will likely be pretty disruptive. The principal is great--he definitely uses the autonomous thing to his advantage--as is the teaching staff. Class sizes are generally good--low 20s this year, with a few grades right at 20. In-class differentiation has been strong, in my experience (but this is truly in the eye of the beholder). The school is particularly diverse by Upper NW standards--in terms of race, ethnicity, nationality, and socioeconomic status.

Well said. I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

What exactly is the relationship between OOB enrollment and enrichments? Hearst has tons of programs. I just can't understand how you think they relate. But now I know exactly which poster you are in all these threads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

What exactly is the relationship between OOB enrollment and enrichments? Hearst has tons of programs. I just can't understand how you think they relate. But now I know exactly which poster you are in all these threads.

Because a lot of the extracurriculars are either started or run by parents and PTAs. There tends to be more PTA involvement in schools with wealthier, local parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are touring the NW public elementary schools and we are curious to know what the differences are without going to each and every one. So, besides test scores and student body, what are the differences? It seems to me that Hearst actually has very small class sizes. Do any of the schools manage to get PE more than once a week? More outdoor time? Specialty teachers? Unique facilities? Different teaching philosophies? Basically, I am wondering if there are any differences to these schools beyond the preparedness of the student body.

Janney and Mann have more academic enrichment and other programs than other upper NW schools with substantial OOB populations like Hearst or Eaton can sustain.

What exactly is the relationship between OOB enrollment and enrichments? Hearst has tons of programs. I just can't understand how you think they relate. But now I know exactly which poster you are in all these threads.

Because a lot of the extracurriculars are either started or run by parents and PTAs. There tends to be more PTA involvement in schools with wealthier, local parents.

That my be a generalization but one of the awesome things about Hearst is the PTA and parent involvement. We have been more than pleased with the parental involvement both at the greater Hearst level and in the classroom. Please don't point out a school as having less of something unless you are certain.