would you choose Mundo Verde or Inspired Teaching?

[Anonymous]

PS IT parent here. We are super happy, my son is doing really well and is very happy. Haven't had any issues, and when we have reached out to the administration they've been responsive. Curious to know what issues have gone unaddressed.

[Anonymous]

Another IT parent here. The ONLY thing they can be referring to is the location for next year which is something they can't answer as they do not know. Other than location, I can't think of ANY other gripe to have. They are super responsive with every thing else.

[Anonymous]

And yes, IT parents, prepare yourselves for being in the dark about next year's location (and assuming next year is anotehr incubator, the ultimate location). The charter school administration cannot, will not, should not tell you every location under consideration. Confidential negotiations. Competition with other charter schools. Difficulty getting funding. You won't know the list of possibilities on a day to day basis, and as a charter parent who survived this process, you really don't want to know them either.

[Anonymous]

These are both terrific schools, and if you actually have a choice between them you should thank your lucky stars.

One is Spanish Immersion, the other is teacher-driven. There is no best/worst here, any more than apples are better or worse vis-a-vis oranges.

How about we celebrate the fact that high quality and unique education programs have started to become an option to those of us who live east of the park? Congratulations - you can now buy a decent-sized house in Columbia Heights or Shaw or Brookland and pay a few hundred thousand less than what you'd pay in AU Park and still have a great school for your children. And it will grow to 8th grade.

Yay! You win!

Now stop with the bickering, okay?

(BTW, my family is not at either of these schools, but I think they both sound great.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are both terrific schools, and if you actually have a choice between them you should thank your lucky stars.

One is Spanish Immersion, the other is teacher-driven. There is no best/worst here, any more than apples are better or worse vis-a-vis oranges.

How about we celebrate the fact that high quality and unique education programs have started to become an option to those of us who live east of the park? Congratulations - you can now buy a decent-sized house in Columbia Heights or Shaw or Brookland and pay a few hundred thousand less than what you'd pay in AU Park and still have a great school for your children. And it will grow to 8th grade.

Yay! You win!

Now stop with the bickering, okay?

(BTW, my family is not at either of these schools, but I think they both sound great.)

Amen! Great post!

[Anonymous]

mv has 20 3 yr olds together - also too big in my opinion.
mv has only mitchell park as the playground option and that means crossing connecticut ave- not ideal.
mv has an admin with high school experience and not early childhood experience
mv seems to have lofty ideas but expeditionary learning with 3 yr olds and being bilingual does not seem like something that can be done well.
JUST MY OPINION- which was what was asked

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are both terrific schools, and if you actually have a choice between them you should thank your lucky stars.

One is Spanish Immersion, the other is teacher-driven. There is no best/worst here, any more than apples are better or worse vis-a-vis oranges.

How about we celebrate the fact that high quality and unique education programs have started to become an option to those of us who live east of the park? Congratulations - you can now buy a decent-sized house in Columbia Heights or Shaw or Brookland and pay a few hundred thousand less than what you'd pay in AU Park and still have a great school for your children. And it will grow to 8th grade.

Yay! You win!

Now stop with the bickering, okay?

(BTW, my family is not at either of these schools, but I think they both sound great.)

THIS. This is what's allowing my family to stay in the city at least a few more years!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:mv has 20 3 yr olds together - also too big in my opinion.
mv has only mitchell park as the playground option and that means crossing connecticut ave- not ideal.
mv has an admin with high school experience and not early childhood experience
mv seems to have lofty ideas but expeditionary learning with 3 yr olds and being bilingual does not seem like something that can be done well.
JUST MY OPINION- which was what was asked

Do you have a kid at the school? If so, what has been your impression of whether it is working so far? Does your child like the school? Are you having any difficulties so far? Is your child not getting enough exercise, or are they handling it as best as possible in the incubator location? Do you have any other concerns about how the school is actually performing?

I do have a child there, and she loves it. Her teachers are young, but seem to have a real gift. Her friends are nice and the other parents are very motivated and seem to have similar priorities as does my family. The combination of the principal and the executive director seems good so far. It would be better if the playground were a bit closer, and hopefully that will be better in the next location. The bilingual portion seems to be working; I can't yet tell how well the expeditionary part is working. All the issues that I know of have been minor and have been dealt with promptly and properly. In general, it has exceeded all our expectations, but, yes, it is still new and in a temporary location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:mv has 20 3 yr olds together - also too big in my opinion.
mv has only mitchell park as the playground option and that means crossing connecticut ave- not ideal.
mv has an admin with high school experience and not early childhood experience
mv seems to have lofty ideas but expeditionary learning with 3 yr olds and being bilingual does not seem like something that can be done well.
JUST MY OPINION- which was what was asked

Do you have a kid at the school? If so, what has been your impression of whether it is working so far? Does your child like the school? Are you having any difficulties so far? Is your child not getting enough exercise, or are they handling it as best as possible in the incubator location? Do you have any other concerns about how the school is actually performing?

I do have a child there, and she loves it. Her teachers are young, but seem to have a real gift. Her friends are nice and the other parents are very motivated and seem to have similar priorities as does my family. The combination of the principal and the executive director seems good so far. It would be better if the playground were a bit closer, and hopefully that will be better in the next location. The bilingual portion seems to be working; I can't yet tell how well the expeditionary part is working. All the issues that I know of have been minor and have been dealt with promptly and properly. In general, it has exceeded all our expectations, but, yes, it is still new and in a temporary location.

Not OP and I agree PP--yes, the playground location is not ideal but MV does a great job of getting the kids back and forth to the playground and it is a temp location--they have to move next year and I know that they are doing the best job they can securing a location accessible to public trans. The entire administration is very organized and responsive. Yes, there have been some minor issues, mainly logistics, but MV is addressing them. I like the parent community and diversity. DS is in PK, and I also can't determine now how well the expeditionary part is working, but the sustainability themes and bilingual aspects are going well. My child talks about life cycles and the environment and other topics around the green curriculum at home. I am also impressed by how much Spanish my DS comprehends in such a short period of time. I recently looked at the children's work posted in the Spanish PK classroom and was impressed by how much they are able to do and understand. My DS is now aware of spanish speakers in the community and stops to listen to conversations (picking up on words and telling me what he heard). The PK Spanish teachers are great IMO. Yes, it will take years and a lot of work for a child to become truly bilingual, but it is definitely possible and I have many international friends who went to bilingual schools starting at 3/4 yrs old and are bilingual (in some cases trilingual), and doing well professionally. It can be done. Also, I think it is important to remember that the MV bilingual model is also for ELL students.

Bottom line -- I'm glad we have public options in DC. For most families in the US, this is not an option. We applied to many schools (charter and DCPS) that our family felt would be a good fit. We were happy at our previous charter, but didn't want to take a chance on the lottery for K. Also, our IB school is considered good for the early grades, but we decided to take a chance with MV because of the language component. I really don't understand the competitiveness and negativity on the DC public school threads regarding early education options. I can understand the angst regarding middle-schools and high-schools, but how many middle-class families are really stuck at bad public elementary schools in DC? I hope that new charters like MV and IT as well as more established schools thrive and continue to attract kids all over DC, not just middle-class kids so that they have options too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:mv has 20 3 yr olds together - also too big in my opinion.
mv has only mitchell park as the playground option and that means crossing connecticut ave- not ideal.
mv has an admin with high school experience and not early childhood experience
mv seems to have lofty ideas but expeditionary learning with 3 yr olds and being bilingual does not seem like something that can be done well.
JUST MY OPINION- which was what was asked

COMPLETELY AGREE.....kind of second guessing my choice at times, but it all sounded so great in theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:mv has 20 3 yr olds together - also too big in my opinion.
mv has only mitchell park as the playground option and that means crossing connecticut ave- not ideal.
mv has an admin with high school experience and not early childhood experience
mv seems to have lofty ideas but expeditionary learning with 3 yr olds and being bilingual does not seem like something that can be done well.
JUST MY OPINION- which was what was asked

Who is this "admin" with only high school experience? Your OPINION is not based on facts.

[Anonymous]

For those complaining about the IT administration not being responsive, a number of threads on this forum prior to the start of school warned that, if you do not thrive on ambiguity, you should NOT invest in a brand-new charter. Of course the administration isn't q00% responsive. They are too busy riding a bicycle and building it at the same time. I was honestly expecting a huge mess at both of these charters. The fact that there are only minor complaints impresses me.

[Anonymous]

Oops, 100%

[Anonymous]

I actually question whether the negative post regarding IT is real. The anonymous poster did not respond when pressed for specifics.

As an IT parent, things have actually gone better than I anticipated. There have been some bumps in the road, but nothing major. With regards to having to change locations and the fact that the next space will be temporary as well (5 years perhaps, since it will take a minute to build the funds to purchase)-parents knew that going in. I've met a few "new location hand wringers," but most parents are happy with the program and are preparing to make wherever the next location may be, work for their family as long as the commute is viable.

Parents who believe in the model of education IT is demonstrating, seem very pleased. I would venture to guess that the same is true at MV. Either you enrolled your child at these schools because you believed in the programs they offer, or you're one of those parents who parked their kids at these schools temporarily until you could navigate your way into, or "pay up" for a school that you perceive as better. If you fall into the latter category then you are probably not that invested in your school, but simply biding your time. Unfortunately, the biggest complainers tend to come from this group.

That said, I really have not met any IT parents who have anything but positive things to say about the school and the experience their child is having. MV parents seem happy as well.

In response to the OP's question. We weren't interested in the dual language program, so we didn't even fill out an applicaiton for MV. However, I did suggest it to my SIL who is paying 17k at a private for three hours a day of language immersion for her 3 year old.

[Anonymous]

IT has been great so far. You'll never find a school that is 100% perfect. The administration wants families to voice their concerns directly to them so they can address them. So, if you are having an issue, do voice it and you will be heard and helped. Posting on this board really gets you nothing.