Review your elementary school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Title I is a fairly broad designation that includes schools with 40% of students who just barely meet the low-income threshold, schools with 100% of students who all easily meet the low-income threshold, and everything in between. The differences in experiences here are likely largely driven by the more granular differences in SES makeup of the schools.

This. The school my kids attend transitioned from T1 while my kids were there and I don't really recognize my experiences in these posts because my kids were never anywhere close to an only. The oldest was in ECE when the transition occurred (about 5 years ago) and their classes have always just been very diverse in every respect. Yes, the mix changes a bit each year - kids who leave are disproportionately likely to be UMC and kids who come after 1st are more likely not to be, although in neither case is that exclusively true - but no one is close to an "only" or even a handful even at the 5th grade level. I think there is just a huge difference between attending, e.g., Payne, and attending any DCPS school EOTR.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Title I is a fairly broad designation that includes schools with 40% of students who just barely meet the low-income threshold, schools with 100% of students who all easily meet the low-income threshold, and everything in between. The differences in experiences here are likely largely driven by the more granular differences in SES makeup of the schools.

This is true. My kids went to a 90 percent minority school, and were lucky to have a handful of friends who were similar in class/educational ability. That crew became SO CLOSE, and their teachers tried to keep giving them appropriate work, and they were friendly with the rest of the grade.

In some grades, there were kids who were all alone in terms of race/class/ability and it's very, very lonely to be an "only." They end up feeling like there is something wrong with them, and were not challenged enough.

I would be hesitant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

I agree. We’re at a Title1 school and my kid’s class can barely collect funds from the parents for occasional field trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

The first PP said "it's not that hard to do." And the point is that it is in MANY schools. This is not just about EOTP vs WOTP. In many, I'd say most, DCPS it is very difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

The first PP said "it's not that hard to do." And the point is that it is in MANY schools. This is not just about EOTP vs WOTP. In many, I'd say most, DCPS it is very difficult.

Sure. At some schools, very difficult and maybe not possible. But I'm saying, at our school, it wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. The first year was hard, we raised $500 total. The second year $1000 because we had learned a lot about how to do it. The capacity of the group compounds over time. So even if it feels impossible, it might be worth trying because over time, your ability may grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

The first PP said "it's not that hard to do." And the point is that it is in MANY schools. This is not just about EOTP vs WOTP. In many, I'd say most, DCPS it is very difficult.

Sure. At some schools, very difficult and maybe not possible. But I'm saying, at our school, it wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. The first year was hard, we raised $500 total. The second year $1000 because we had learned a lot about how to do it. The capacity of the group compounds over time. So even if it feels impossible, it might be worth trying because over time, your ability may grow.

Completely agree. Also, for any school on (loosely defined) Capitol Hill, you can get 2 $3,500 grants/year from CHCF with 2-3 hours twice/year from one parent, teacher or admin.

[Anonymous]

For Harris Teeter, you just go in and ask the manager and they're authorized to give gift cards or comp food for school stuff. There's no application at all.

The Target community organization gift card request form is just your address, amount, and one sentence about the purpose. Literally one sentence. If you can post on DCUM, you can do this grant.

Our Title I also runs a Girl Scout troop which self-funds through cookie sales. The Girl Scout organization assigns the cookie tables at various Safeway and Ace Hardware locations, so there is no need for parents or families to buy any cookies. Membership is scholarships from the organization. Not a PTO activity but an example of how to provide an after school activity without parent funding.

Other times people will just do things for free. One of our parents was in a band, the kind with the brass instruments and drums, and would play at school events for free, it was so much fun.

I found that success builds on success. When you have a motivated organization, the teachers and parents will take more of an interest. Grant applications are often the same year to year, and once you've written one grant, you can use a lot of that same text to apply for another one. Over time your experience builds. Some PTOs will never be high dollar fundraisers, but can bring in a lot of valuable things for the kids just by googling around for free programs.

If you don't have a law firm partner, reach out to the Washington Lawyers Committee. This is free and they will give you money and other stuff too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a Title 1 EOTP. we have a rising first grader and a PK4.

I’m worried by late elementary their friends will all be gone.

What school are you at? I’ve worried about that at my child’s school but have found very few families have left (and some have turned down WOTP schools in the lottery).

We've had the same experience. A couple people in the class have left our EOTP school but going into first grade the class is remarkably in tact and has also had multiple families turn down WOTP and also DCI feeders.

This is easy to do in 1st grade. It willl be a different story in 4th grade as middle school becomes a reality.

Agreed. Report back in 4th and 5th grade. So, so many people will move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a Title 1 EOTP. we have a rising first grader and a PK4.

I’m worried by late elementary their friends will all be gone.

What school are you at? I’ve worried about that at my child’s school but have found very few families have left (and some have turned down WOTP schools in the lottery).

We've had the same experience. A couple people in the class have left our EOTP school but going into first grade the class is remarkably in tact and has also had multiple families turn down WOTP and also DCI feeders.

This is easy to do in 1st grade. It willl be a different story in 4th grade as middle school becomes a reality.

Agreed. Report back in 4th and 5th grade. So, so many people will move.

Forget middle school. This happens earlier as the achievement gap widens and behavior issues compound. It starts in 2nd, gets worst in 3rd, few left in 4th if at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child is finishing 5th grade at a Title I school, and I’ve been grateful for the experience—it has challenged many assumptions and biases I may have held going into PK. Like at many Title I elementary schools, the PK class was a very different demographic mix than 5th grade. Between families leaving for the suburbs during COVID, others opting out of upper elementary, and many leaving after 4th grade for charters, it was honestly upsetting at times to see how the community thinned out.

But in the end, my child is doing well both academically and socially, and they’ve had the benefit of a real sense of community throughout their elementary years.

At first, I was surprised by how much segregation existed within the school itself—that was a learning moment for me, and something I’ve worked intentionally to try to bridge. As more White and upper-middle-class families left, my child deepened their relationships with the classmates who remained. Some of those relationships have become close friendships; others are more casual. And yes, there are kids my child says are disruptive or fight too much—but I’ve seen my child develop empathy and learn how to navigate those dynamics, skills I know will serve them well in life.

I also worry about raising an entitled child, given our family’s income and the opportunities we can provide. I believe that being part of a Title I school community has helped instill a real sense of gratitude and perspective in my child—something I value deeply.

For me (and this may not be a popular opinion on DCUM), I also believe it’s important to push back against the constant pursuit of “the best” school, especially when there is a good-enough option right in your own neighborhood. When we always chase what seems "better," we risk teaching our kids that their individual success matters more than contributing to the community around them. Choosing your local school, even when it isn’t perfect, sends a powerful message: that community matters, that showing up matters, and that sometimes the right choice is one that asks us to be a little more selfless—for the good of all kids, not just our own.

In a similar position, and very happy with school in terms of teachers and principal. Agree that chasing the best school is pointless. However, I have the opposite feelings in terms of the local community—I have become a much harsher judge of parents that don’t get involved. My ability to empathize has decreased the more time I spend around the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is finishing 5th grade at a Title I school, and I’ve been grateful for the experience—it has challenged many assumptions and biases I may have held going into PK. Like at many Title I elementary schools, the PK class was a very different demographic mix than 5th grade. Between families leaving for the suburbs during COVID, others opting out of upper elementary, and many leaving after 4th grade for charters, it was honestly upsetting at times to see how the community thinned out.

But in the end, my child is doing well both academically and socially, and they’ve had the benefit of a real sense of community throughout their elementary years.

At first, I was surprised by how much segregation existed within the school itself—that was a learning moment for me, and something I’ve worked intentionally to try to bridge. As more White and upper-middle-class families left, my child deepened their relationships with the classmates who remained. Some of those relationships have become close friendships; others are more casual. And yes, there are kids my child says are disruptive or fight too much—but I’ve seen my child develop empathy and learn how to navigate those dynamics, skills I know will serve them well in life.

I also worry about raising an entitled child, given our family’s income and the opportunities we can provide. I believe that being part of a Title I school community has helped instill a real sense of gratitude and perspective in my child—something I value deeply.

For me (and this may not be a popular opinion on DCUM), I also believe it’s important to push back against the constant pursuit of “the best” school, especially when there is a good-enough option right in your own neighborhood. When we always chase what seems "better," we risk teaching our kids that their individual success matters more than contributing to the community around them. Choosing your local school, even when it isn’t perfect, sends a powerful message: that community matters, that showing up matters, and that sometimes the right choice is one that asks us to be a little more selfless—for the good of all kids, not just our own.

In a similar position, and very happy with school in terms of teachers and principal. Agree that chasing the best school is pointless. However, I have the opposite feelings in terms of the local community—I have become a much harsher judge of parents that don’t get involved. My ability to empathize has decreased the more time I spend around the school.

We were at a Title 1 for many years, and I feel the opposite. By the time middle school hit, all of my judgement of other parents who left for greener pastures completely disappeared. Of course they want a good education for their kids, who only have one childhood. I have much, much more empathy for them, and for all the kids involved, where their parents are making decisions and they are the ones who have to live with it.

I also become more convinced that "getting involved" doesn't really impact what matters in an education -- the curriculum, the teachers and the principal.