Ranking - Immersion Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As mentioned above, Global Citizens is moving into a renovated space at 1900 Half Street SW next year. I have a kid in the Chinese program, so I can't speak for Spanish specifically, but parents overwhelmingly have been happy with the school. The new location (near Audi Field) will be an added bonus for CH families.

Do you mean CH as in Congress Heights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

This is eerie. I'm not sure I'd want this.

I’m not a big fan of lamb but I did think it was impressive when I observed a class. That said I think it’s easy for a quiet well behaved kid to slip through the cracks and spend their time reading and coloring all day. That was my experience with my child. I was told by our teachers that their poor performance on the dc parcc and NWEA were “not a big deal” and due to not “teaching to the test”. That was complete nonsense. I wish I had listened to my gut and moved them earlier.

That is exactly the issue with Montessori. It’s great in early elementary but falls apart in upper. When kids get to choose what they want to do, they will choose what they like and are strong in. Instead of focusing on weaknesses, they gravitate to focusing on their strengths.

In contrast, with a structured curriculum, everything is covered and the kids have to do it all. That is why you hardly see any middle school on a montessori approach and when montessori kids come in, they lack not just rote things as per the PP but core academics and have to catch up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live on the Hill and want to start our Pre-K4 in Spanish immersion this year, with the intention of staying at the school until grade 5. How would you rank the following schools:

- Chisholm
- MV Cook
- MV 8
- DCB
- LAMB
- Stokes Brookland
- Stokes East End
- Global Citizens

Also please let me know if I missed any immersion charters. I’m not interested in other DCPS neighborhood Spanish immersion schools both because of the commute, and because I don’t want my kid to be one of the only OOB students. At least with immersion charters kids come from all over the city.

Global Citizens is moving to CH. If you’re looking for convenience, that could be an option. Over all, I haven’t heard any negative reviews about them. This is the year they start testing, so there isn’t much data on them.

We have friends who left after a pretty bad year, but that was partially the facility and also Mandarin, so I don't know if their concerns are applicable to your scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hi! LAMB family here, 2nd and 4th grader! Have been very happy and are now Montessori converts -- I have one kid that finds academics very easy and another one who needs more support and have been so impressed with how the Montessori model allows both to thrive -- really a unique, special way of education.

At LAMB, you have classes were some kids are working two grade levels ahead and others in the same class are below grade level, and it's totally fine. No one thinks much about it.

Yes, what is great about Montessori (when done well) is that it can support a very wide range of abilities within a single classroom effectively without putting undue burden on the teachers. T

his is one of the features of the multi-age classrooms -- kids can be grouped together by ability not simply age. And kids who are advanced can progress without holding others back, and also help bring the younger kids along (which helps reinforce learning and also teaches social skills).

If you end up going to LAMB, it is worth spending time really understanding what the Montessori pedagogy entails for first grade and above (the prek3-K is pretty magical but not that hard to grasp). It is an extremely intentional learning methodology but is VERY different from a traditional classroom. I spent a lot of time learning about the model when my oldest was in first and have become really impressed with over the years.

A friend of mine teaches middle school at a public school that has a lot of kids coming from a Montessori elementary school. In her words: "Montessori kids can consistently problem solve and think critically in a way that I don't see as consistently with kids from a traditional classroom. When I get Montessori kids in 6th grade there is usually a brief catch up period on some content because they haven't been taught to simply memorize facts. But they catch up quickly and often surpass others. The cursive kills me though."

This works OK when your kid is in the entry year and not at all once they're in the oldest year and instead of being 1-2 years ahead of most classmates, they are 3-4 years ahead. When in the oldest grade, the chances of finding an appropriate advance cohort large enough to work is approximately 1/3rd as if you were in a normal grade-level classroom (if not worse because so many Montessori kids are behind in their dispreferred subjects).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live on the Hill and want to start our Pre-K4 in Spanish immersion this year, with the intention of staying at the school until grade 5. How would you rank the following schools:

- Chisholm
- MV Cook
- MV 8
- DCB
- LAMB
- Stokes Brookland
- Stokes East End
- Global Citizens

Also please let me know if I missed any immersion charters. I’m not interested in other DCPS neighborhood Spanish immersion schools both because of the commute, and because I don’t want my kid to be one of the only OOB students. At least with immersion charters kids come from all over the city.

Global Citizens is moving to CH. If you’re looking for convenience, that could be an option. Over all, I haven’t heard any negative reviews about them. This is the year they start testing, so there isn’t much data on them.

We have friends who left after a pretty bad year, but that was partially the facility and also Mandarin, so I don't know if their concerns are applicable to your scenario.

Was it the curriculum and the sharing of space?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

It’s fantastic for early elementary. Really lovely.

Go to any party for a lamb student in upper elementary. Everyone is talking about Mathnesium, or the latest Bs drama from the administration.

I was a huge lamb booster until my kids got older and I got tired of the nonstop drama and poor academics.

I feel like supplementing particularly in math is super common across a lot of schools particularly bilingual. We have kids at another Spanish immersion on your list and I was shocked when we started to learn how many of the older kids do Russian School of Math, Mathnasium, etc. Our oldest is now in 2nd and I am generally happy with the school but I do feel like I want more rigor around math.

Seperately, I was talking to a family at Bancroft a few weeks ago who said they started doing math supplementing because they realized that their kids only knew math terminology in Spanish.

I don't have enough data points to know whether this is a DC thing or a bilingual thing or what, but I definitely don't think this is unique to LAMB at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

This is eerie. I'm not sure I'd want this.

i have not seen a LAMB classroom, but I did observe my daughters prek classroom at another bilingual montessori program (attached to a daycare, not DCPS or charter). It is definitely not quiet all the time, it is just during their 'work cycles.' I guess the best way to describe it is that they are taught how to leverage what adults would call their 'deep concentration' the teachers are going around the room quietly supporting the kids, and there are some kids that are working together on a shared project, so it's not like it's totally silent. It's just quiet, calm, and peaceful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

It’s fantastic for early elementary. Really lovely.

Go to any party for a lamb student in upper elementary. Everyone is talking about Mathnesium, or the latest Bs drama from the administration.

I was a huge lamb booster until my kids got older and I got tired of the nonstop drama and poor academics.

I feel like supplementing particularly in math is super common across a lot of schools particularly bilingual. We have kids at another Spanish immersion on your list and I was shocked when we started to learn how many of the older kids do Russian School of Math, Mathnasium, etc. Our oldest is now in 2nd and I am generally happy with the school but I do feel like I want more rigor around math.

Seperately, I was talking to a family at Bancroft a few weeks ago who said they started doing math supplementing because they realized that their kids only knew math terminology in Spanish.

I don't have enough data points to know whether this is a DC thing or a bilingual thing or what, but I definitely don't think this is unique to LAMB at all.

First it is important to differentiate if your kid is supplementing because they are not challenged enough or if your kid needs help in math because they are struggling or not getting the basics. It sounds like at LAMB it is because the math is weak and so many kids are getting outside help to make up the deficit.

The majority of kids in general are not supplementing. If kids are supplementing with these programs or tutors most it is because they are struggling or needing instruction in core basics because the teaching is weak. It is not common for parents to put their kids in extra math if their kid is doing well.

We are at an immersion charter and the group of kids we know were not supplementing. These were kids who were the top performers in math and did well. Then again the upper grade math teachers were very strong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

It’s fantastic for early elementary. Really lovely.

Go to any party for a lamb student in upper elementary. Everyone is talking about Mathnesium, or the latest Bs drama from the administration.

I was a huge lamb booster until my kids got older and I got tired of the nonstop drama and poor academics.

I feel like supplementing particularly in math is super common across a lot of schools particularly bilingual. We have kids at another Spanish immersion on your list and I was shocked when we started to learn how many of the older kids do Russian School of Math, Mathnasium, etc. Our oldest is now in 2nd and I am generally happy with the school but I do feel like I want more rigor around math.

Seperately, I was talking to a family at Bancroft a few weeks ago who said they started doing math supplementing because they realized that their kids only knew math terminology in Spanish.

I don't have enough data points to know whether this is a DC thing or a bilingual thing or what, but I definitely don't think this is unique to LAMB at all.

First it is important to differentiate if your kid is supplementing because they are not challenged enough or if your kid needs help in math because they are struggling or not getting the basics. It sounds like at LAMB it is because the math is weak and so many kids are getting outside help to make up the deficit.

The majority of kids in general are not supplementing. If kids are supplementing with these programs or tutors most it is because they are struggling or needing instruction in core basics because the teaching is weak. It is not common for parents to put their kids in extra math if their kid is doing well.

We are at an immersion charter and the group of kids we know were not supplementing. These were kids who were the top performers in math and did well. Then again the upper grade math teachers were very strong.

I also want to add that my objective data for doing well and assessing this is MAP testing. My kid scores mid 90th percentile

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

It’s fantastic for early elementary. Really lovely.

Go to any party for a lamb student in upper elementary. Everyone is talking about Mathnesium, or the latest Bs drama from the administration.

I was a huge lamb booster until my kids got older and I got tired of the nonstop drama and poor academics.

I feel like supplementing particularly in math is super common across a lot of schools particularly bilingual. We have kids at another Spanish immersion on your list and I was shocked when we started to learn how many of the older kids do Russian School of Math, Mathnasium, etc. Our oldest is now in 2nd and I am generally happy with the school but I do feel like I want more rigor around math.

Seperately, I was talking to a family at Bancroft a few weeks ago who said they started doing math supplementing because they realized that their kids only knew math terminology in Spanish.

I don't have enough data points to know whether this is a DC thing or a bilingual thing or what, but I definitely don't think this is unique to LAMB at all.

I would argue the kid at Bancroft is weak in Spanish and not math.

He is likely not understanding what is being taught in Spanish. Solving math problems is universal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can go sit in on a class at LAMB. The first time you see it, it's kinda hard to believe. The classrooms are silent. You have 30 little kids working and the classroom is so quiet it's hard to believe it's real.

It’s fantastic for early elementary. Really lovely.

Go to any party for a lamb student in upper elementary. Everyone is talking about Mathnesium, or the latest Bs drama from the administration.

I was a huge lamb booster until my kids got older and I got tired of the nonstop drama and poor academics.

I feel like supplementing particularly in math is super common across a lot of schools particularly bilingual. We have kids at another Spanish immersion on your list and I was shocked when we started to learn how many of the older kids do Russian School of Math, Mathnasium, etc. Our oldest is now in 2nd and I am generally happy with the school but I do feel like I want more rigor around math.

Seperately, I was talking to a family at Bancroft a few weeks ago who said they started doing math supplementing because they realized that their kids only knew math terminology in Spanish.

I don't have enough data points to know whether this is a DC thing or a bilingual thing or what, but I definitely don't think this is unique to LAMB at all.

Would you mind sharing which of these schools your DC is at? I’m not OP but also interested in knowing more about immersion schools where math is weaker, or where it’s not uncommon to supplement.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks for all the feedback. Of course I agree with all the points about the commute to DCB or LAMB being probably untenable. And points taken re: Montessori at LAMB. But as a follow up, what I want to know is - why is DCB, at least (and possibly LAMB) viewed as “better”/ more sought after than MV? What makes it better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for all the feedback. Of course I agree with all the points about the commute to DCB or LAMB being probably untenable. And points taken re: Montessori at LAMB. But as a follow up, what I want to know is - why is DCB, at least (and possibly LAMB) viewed as “better”/ more sought after than MV? What makes it better?

LAMB is a very specific program and a lot of people want Montessori, so the waitlist is long. I don’t think there is much difference between MV and DCB, so not sure why DCB viewed at “better.” Maybe people assume the long waitlist means it is better? We are at DCB and the Spanish instruction is not strong. We are native speakers and work a lot at home. My kid in upper EL has classmates that barely speak Spanish. It is a very nice community and that’s why we stay, but have many friends at MV who are happy and it also seems like a nice community. I would not select DCB/ Lamb over MV from the hill for the commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for all the feedback. Of course I agree with all the points about the commute to DCB or LAMB being probably untenable. And points taken re: Montessori at LAMB. But as a follow up, what I want to know is - why is DCB, at least (and possibly LAMB) viewed as “better”/ more sought after than MV? What makes it better?

LAMB is a very specific program and a lot of people want Montessori, so the waitlist is long. I don’t think there is much difference between MV and DCB, so not sure why DCB viewed at “better.” Maybe people assume the long waitlist means it is better? We are at DCB and the Spanish instruction is not strong. We are native speakers and work a lot at home. My kid in upper EL has classmates that barely speak Spanish. It is a very nice community and that’s why we stay, but have many friends at MV who are happy and it also seems like a nice community. I would not select DCB/ Lamb over MV from the hill for the commute.

Because MV went through a really difficult time in the past 5 or so years and DCB has been pretty steady.

Also DCB offers a DCI guarantee, MV only has a preference.

DCB is near DCI so it's possible to live really close to both. That's not really possible with MV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks for all the feedback. Of course I agree with all the points about the commute to DCB or LAMB being probably untenable. And points taken re: Montessori at LAMB. But as a follow up, what I want to know is - why is DCB, at least (and possibly LAMB) viewed as “better”/ more sought after than MV? What makes it better?

LAMB is a very specific program and a lot of people want Montessori, so the waitlist is long. I don’t think there is much difference between MV and DCB, so not sure why DCB viewed at “better.” Maybe people assume the long waitlist means it is better? We are at DCB and the Spanish instruction is not strong. We are native speakers and work a lot at home. My kid in upper EL has classmates that barely speak Spanish. It is a very nice community and that’s why we stay, but have many friends at MV who are happy and it also seems like a nice community. I would not select DCB/ Lamb over MV from the hill for the commute.

Because MV went through a really difficult time in the past 5 or so years and DCB has been pretty steady.

Also DCB offers a DCI guarantee, MV only has a preference.

DCB is near DCI so it's possible to live really close to both. That's not really possible with MV.

DCB also expanded so the lower grades will not have the DCI guarantee.