Which DC public or charter school should Michelle send her kids to

[Anonymous]

Both choices are acceptable, but why get so hostile to those of us who love our public schools?

Good question but I think most of the hostility comes from those who have chosen public/charter toward those who have chosen private. It often seems on these boards, and in person, that public school parents have a chip on their shoulder and expect priavte school parents to "look down their noses" at them but, I have rarely seen that behavior in reality. The only people who look down their noses at others are mean, insecure people. That has nothing to do with school choice. In fact, I have found some of the meanest people to be the public school parents who think they are "holier than thou" because they have picked the supposed "greater diversity of public."

Most of the private schools in Washington certainly have more than "One or two token scholarship students" by which I believe you actually mean students on financial aid. The numbers of families receiving financial aid are actually pretty high at many schools and most would be hard pressed to identify which students those are. You certainly can not determine it based on skin color or race. There are lots of wealthy, well-educated, upper and middle class people of color in Washington.

[Anonymous]

Well, that's certainly not the case on this particular thread. All the hostility seems to be coming from a single private school mom who apparently thinks publics/charters are beneath her, the Obamas, or anybody else "with resources", as she so graciously put it.

Your own post is full of button-pushing words -- you say that public school parents have a "chip on their shoulder" and are "holier than thou" about what you call the "supposed" greater diversity of public.

Et tu, Brute?

I won't get into the whole financial aid thing, and whether or not a lot of middle class (read $100K) families who qualify for financial aid means diversity, or not.

[Anonymous]

After reading this whole thread I agree with 14:52, that the public school advocates are much more vicious here than the private school person. Perhaps she wasn't very tactful, but the response seems rather unbalanced. My husband and I are now deciding whether to send our only son to public or private school in Washington, D.C. I find the entire process of choosing a school to be overwhelming-- and threads such as this don't give me confidence in any of the schools or parents. FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Actually, as a neighborhood school, any inbounds child can attend Oyster, even if they are starting in 5th or 6th grade...
BUT it's a difficult transition...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After reading this whole thread I agree with 14:52, that the public school advocates are much more vicious here than the private school person. Perhaps she wasn't very tactful, but the response seems rather unbalanced. My husband and I are now deciding whether to send our only son to public or private school in Washington, D.C. I find the entire process of choosing a school to be overwhelming-- and threads such as this don't give me confidence in any of the schools or parents. FWIW.

I respectfully disagree. That poster attacked not just public schools, but parents who send their kids to public school for being irresponsible parents. The reaction was coming not just from defenders of public schools, but from people defending their own parenting choices. So yes, it got pretty personal. I'd argue, however, that there was plenty of provocation and on a personal level.

Unfortunately, several posters suspected that's what the private school mom wanted, otherwise why post such inflammatory attacks.

[Anonymous]

Could we please, please move past this private school mom? I even wonder if 14:52 is the same person. She's disrupted our thread long enough, in person or in absentia.

Anybody who comes on a thread like this one and knowingly insults all the other posters on the thread for being bad parents ("unconscionable") or without "resources" (and consequently with "chips on their shoulders") is just looking for a fight. Let's not give it to her.

[Anonymous]

ditto on ditching the troll. The question is about DCPS.

I think that the Obama kids would do well at many schools, even more troubled ones, because they have the main assets required for success--
--involved, well-educated parents
--financial resources to have an enriched and intellectually interesting life outside of school

When I was in high school a study showed that the one common denominator of kids who did well on the PSAT-- even controlled for income-- was that the family sat down to dinner each night and talked about their days.

That's very difficult to do when parents work two shifts, but there's no doubt that it helps the kids.

The Obama children are being raised around books, newspapers, and ideas. Should either slip in performance, the family safety net will move mountains to catch them up.

[Anonymous]

Agree. Our kids have also done private, and family support is very important there, too.

So does Oyster seem to be in the lead?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree. Our kids have also done private, and family support is very important there, too.

So does Oyster seem to be in the lead?

Only if they're already proficient enough in Spanish to fit in with their peers.

And only if the Secret Service is ready to handle the throngs of angry parents who wanted those two spots!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And only if the Secret Service is ready to handle the throngs of angry parents who wanted those two spots!!

But that would be true at every single school they think about attending, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And only if the Secret Service is ready to handle the throngs of angry parents who wanted those two spots!!

But that would be true at every single school they think about attending, no?

Probably, but since Oyster is a very unique program-- but I think that because there are only a couple of charters and Maret lower school with the bilingual option, people feel pretty strongly about these spots. Back when they still had an OOB lottery, someone I know was thrilled to get the number one spot on the wait list and the school told them they were SOL; ended up being true, and they went to another school because the list didn't budge by August.

[Anonymous]

Oh please; anyone who really complains about the PRESIDENT'S children getting into a school needs to get real. If the Obamas want to send their girls to a school, you better believe that school will find two spots. I've got no problem with that.

[Anonymous]

Oyster IS one of the most diverse schools in DC....
And the program is known worlwide; there have been quite a few teachers from other countries coming through to see how the program works

[Anonymous]

I think when Chelsea was accepted at Sidwell the school announced that they were simply creating one extra slot in her class and nobody would be turned away because Chelsea got "their" spot. Don't see why any other school, public or private, couldn't do the same.

[Anonymous]

Now I've had time to think about it, I think it would be great if the kids went to public...even if the secret service is hovering...