Open House - do you learn anything new from these?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

They always ask about specials too. As if the kids will be made bilingual with 2 days a week of Senior Whatshername saying "rojo, azul".

[Anonymous]

Another thing to ask about is before and after care if you need it. Some schools have limited spots, so if you need it and may not get in, that's something to consider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

They always ask about specials too. As if the kids will be made bilingual with 2 days a week of Senior Whatshername saying "rojo, azul".

They can be bilingual because they already know how to say “agua” “leche”…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

This racism isn't just coded.

Why is it racist to say that schools with diverse student populations are likely to have diverse educational needs? Diverse does not mean just in terms of race. Shepherd's population isn't terribly diverse despite being high AA because it's mostly rich people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

First, that is neither a "hard" question nor a matter of first impression. The idea that DCUM readers think Larla's mommy and daddy are the first to ask about it is previous. Second, you are asking about differentiation in ECE. FFS people. At that age differentiation is a function of home environment. Third, DCPS won't even do differentiation in MS. Spoiler alert: they aren't going to do it in ES. They will tell you they will meet your kid where they are and all kinds of other talking points. The reality is simply that (absent a 504/IEP) the class is going to be focused where it is. And that is why schools with great test scores and low economically disadvantaged numbers are preferable for Larla. In that environment they are more likely to be surrounded by kids who are advanced and the teacher is more likely to be able to teach to that cohort (or at least find materials to challenge that cohort).

Some ESes are much more open to in- and outside of class differentiation than others. ITS literally has a person that focuses on advanced pull-outs in upper ES. SWS is anti-differentiation as a philosophy. Brent has free afterschool tutoring for those struggling, which I haven't heard of elsewhere. L-T lets really advanced kids attend a higher grade's math class during their lunch period. There are real differences between schools. Even those with similar student bodies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

They always ask about specials too. As if the kids will be made bilingual with 2 days a week of Senior Whatshername saying "rojo, azul".

Schools have different specials. Why isn't that something you'd want to know about? Payne has no music. Tyler has great drama. L-T has an extra special compared to DCPS' standard. Why do you assume everyone should have the same priorities as you in terms of what they want in an ES?

[Anonymous]

I learned that some schools speak in hyperbole and "big ideas" and some schools actually give you data.

Ex. Someone at a Mundo Verde open house asked about teacher retention. The answer was literally "I'm not sure, but most teachers love being here!"

Someone at a Bancroft open house asked about teacher retention. The principal pulled out a chart and gave us an answer (something like 86 percent) and told us how it compared to DCPS as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

First, that is neither a "hard" question nor a matter of first impression. The idea that DCUM readers think Larla's mommy and daddy are the first to ask about it is previous. Second, you are asking about differentiation in ECE. FFS people. At that age differentiation is a function of home environment. Third, DCPS won't even do differentiation in MS. Spoiler alert: they aren't going to do it in ES. They will tell you they will meet your kid where they are and all kinds of other talking points. The reality is simply that (absent a 504/IEP) the class is going to be focused where it is. And that is why schools with great test scores and low economically disadvantaged numbers are preferable for Larla. In that environment they are more likely to be surrounded by kids who are advanced and the teacher is more likely to be able to teach to that cohort (or at least find materials to challenge that cohort).

Some ESes are much more open to in- and outside of class differentiation than others. ITS literally has a person that focuses on advanced pull-outs in upper ES. SWS is anti-differentiation as a philosophy. Brent has free afterschool tutoring for those struggling, which I haven't heard of elsewhere. L-T lets really advanced kids attend a higher grade's math class during their lunch period. There are real differences between schools. Even those with similar student bodies.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

They always ask about specials too. As if the kids will be made bilingual with 2 days a week of Senior Whatshername saying "rojo, azul".

Schools have different specials. Why isn't that something you'd want to know about? Payne has no music. Tyler has great drama. L-T has an extra special compared to DCPS' standard. Why do you assume everyone should have the same priorities as you in terms of what they want in an ES?

Your question is intellectually disingenuous. No one is suggesting that a parent wouldn't want to know what specials are offered. The point being made is...

1. That's not some revolutionary question that a parent will launch at an open house. It is asked at EVERY open house and is listed on the web page.
2. Specials in ECE are lovely. And mightily unimportant. ECE parents have no clue. They ask questions about what kind of play time their 3 year olds will have ane pay no attention to the abysmal 3rd and 4tt grade test scores because they are just sooooooo enlightened. Until their kids get older and those parents realize that when 60+% of a class is one or more grade levels behind it will impact their snowflake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You learn who is detailed and thoughtful and who doesn’t give a crap about the presentation and the open house.

You learn who is pretentious and tone deaf and who thoughtful and sincere.

You learn who understands what parents need and provide context rich information to help parents know if the school is a good fit, while others provide BS stuff and answer questions with more BS stuff.

You learn lots of useful information if you bring your hard questions and asks during the Q&A and/or during the tour talking to parents and students.

You learn about how bad or how good the facilities are (gym, library, etc..) how joyful or depressing the classrooms are, how small or large the classrooms are.

Above are just a few things. There is many more. So yes, you definitely should go to the open house, and if you are astate and bring your hard questions, talk with staff, parents, students, you will learn a lot.

Gotta ask. What are these "hard questions" that you've come up with that are going to stump schools that have been listening to the same questions from PS parents for years and years?

I would love to know too. The most common question that I heard in every single open house (for pk3) that I went was about differentiation. It was cute!

Differentiation is a very reasonable question for PK parents to ask if looking at a school long term. It is obviously particularly important if they suspect that their kid will need it (in either direction)... but it is especially reasonable for any school with a diverse student population. A willingness to support differentiation can easily make or break a kid's classroom experience.

They always ask about specials too. As if the kids will be made bilingual with 2 days a week of Senior Whatshername saying "rojo, azul".

Schools have different specials. Why isn't that something you'd want to know about? Payne has no music. Tyler has great drama. L-T has an extra special compared to DCPS' standard. Why do you assume everyone should have the same priorities as you in terms of what they want in an ES?

Your question is intellectually disingenuous. No one is suggesting that a parent wouldn't want to know what specials are offered. The point being made is...

1. That's not some revolutionary question that a parent will launch at an open house. It is asked at EVERY open house and is listed on the web page.
2. Specials in ECE are lovely. And mightily unimportant. ECE parents have no clue. They ask questions about what kind of play time their 3 year olds will have ane pay no attention to the abysmal 3rd and 4tt grade test scores because they are just sooooooo enlightened. Until their kids get older and those parents realize that when 60+% of a class is one or more grade levels behind it will impact their snowflake.

Actually, there are quite a few schools where the websites do not make clear which specials are offered or which specials are offered to which grade levels. That is a perfectly reasonable question for an open house. I am not claiming it’s revolutionary. It’s amazing to me how much your second statement just ignores that different people want different things in a school. Even if a school isn’t a solution for all of ES, it might be the best I can do in the lottery now. Different people have different priorities and that’s fine.

[Anonymous]

I think they're excellent to make sure your first choice is really your first and sort out any school you don't know much about, but I don't think you need to visit every school on your list.

[Anonymous]

ECE parents have no clue. They ask questions about what kind of play time their 3 year olds will have ane pay no attention to the abysmal 3rd and 4tt grade test scores because they are just sooooooo enlightened.

A lot of them are inbound for better schools which have no PK3 and a small PK4 program. Ot they are planning to move to the burbs in a couple of years.They aren't planning on staying after ECE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I learned that some schools speak in hyperbole and "big ideas" and some schools actually give you data.

Ex. Someone at a Mundo Verde open house asked about teacher retention. The answer was literally "I'm not sure, but most teachers love being here!"

Someone at a Bancroft open house asked about teacher retention. The principal pulled out a chart and gave us an answer (something like 86 percent) and told us how it compared to DCPS as a whole.

Yup! MV was one I downgraded after the open house—there were a lot of buzzwords but no substance. Another charter basically said my questions didn’t really matter bc we probably wouldn’t get in, there was so much demand for the school! The DCPS (at least pre pandemic) had tours during school, so you could check out the classroom vibes. Our IB also had a printout if the internal testing compared to growth goals, so I learned a lot about the metrics of the younger grades. So, you may learn more than you think!

[Anonymous]

I just attended an open house for pre-k 3 and found it hugely helpful. I realized that I hadn't been in an elementary school since...I was in elementary school. So I really had no ideas about the space, what the classrooms look like, what the schedule looks like, etc. I found it really helpful to meet the teachers and the principal.

I wouldn't attend a ton of open houses. If like me, you're in a district where your in-bounds is tough to get into and you must have some back-ups, I would attend your in-bounds and the most likely back-up to compare. That's what I plan on doing.

[Anonymous]

I am a bit biased because I am one of the parents who helps out at our school's tours, but I think an advantage of going to the Open House is talking to the parents that are there (if there are current parents on the tour). Obviously you are going to be talking to parents who like the school and choose to stay , but I think it is interesting to hear why parents like the school, and see if it aligns with what you are looking for. Also, I agree with the previous poster that tours during the school day are a nice way to see what the environment is like in the school. My kids' school takes the tour through the entire school, not just the ECE area, which I think also helps give a bigger picture of the school