Brent and SWS

[Anonymous]

SWS mom of an IEP student, not on the spectrum. Can I just say, I think some of us have adjusted our standards and expectations well above the DCPS mean. If someone isn't staring into DD's eyes all day it doesn't mean (particularly when you compare to DCPS) that they aren't getting a good education.

That said, I don't expect amazing numbers from SWS' test scores and no one reading this should. They're going to do fine, their demographic is pretty amazing, even with the IEPs, but they don't teach to the test. PPs complaining their kids are getting looked over I'm convinced are either in the minority, or wow, SWS had quite a parent population to please. I think education at this school is as tailor-made as it gets in public school.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If Brent is your IB school, then you really have nothing to lose by going to SWS. If it doesn't work out, go back to Brent.

+1 and to answer pp, the teachers at SWS really get children as learners

As long as they're 100% typical.

New poster here. I'm intrigued by this SWS comment, "so long as they're 100% typical." Could the poster elaborate?

Specifically, I've been thinking of enrolling my child with high-functioning autism into SWS' program for HFA, beginning in 1st grade (ie, one year from now). My child has already been evaluated for it. Would you NOT recommend SWS for my "non-typical" child?

I'm actually talking more about kids who aren't on the bell curve but who also DON'T have an IEP. I actually think the SpEd team there is excellent. I think the regular teachers aren't quite capable of dealing with kids who need something different than most kids (but not so different that they qualify for SpEd)

I agree with this. Kids that are slightly off or behind tend to get lost in the shuffle or not prioritized. I get that kids with an IEP need more; I'm just not sure that the supports given to them also allow teachers to focus on non-IEP kids who in the words of a PP are not 100% typical. I think it's hard when you've got a class that's 1/2 IEP kids - whether it's high-functioning autism or something else. Something has gotta give and it's usually the kids who are slightly off/behind who are the pressure valve. SWS doesn't have an aide per classroom after K; there are something like three aides that float around the 1st - 3rd grades as needed. It's only going to get worse as the school adds two grades but doesn't increase it's fundraising in order to be able to afford more aides.

Absolutely no class there has that many children with IEPs in it.

the school has 18% special ed, and that includes medically fragile classrooms, so no -- there is no 50% IEP classroom. Not even close

One solid reason to consider as to why a class could be approaching 50% IEP, and one less solid. I'm solid on the first point. The second on

Solid reason - depending on what works best in terms of scheduling hours for IEP kids, the school has opted to group all or most of the special ed kids in a grade in one class. This doesn't happen every year or at every grade, but it definitely happens. Talk to the parents of non-IEP kids who had particularly rough years when their child was in such a class.

Less solid - how about kids with 504s? are they included in the special ed percentage?

I think you might not understand the term Medically Fragile. Once you look it up you will understand that, unfortunately, these IEP kids will never be able to be integrated with "normal" kids. Hence your fear of a 50/50 ratio is unfounded unless there are kids in my kids class that are secretly IEP.

I seriously doubt that there will be classes at SWS that are 50% IEPs, but kids with every disability category can be successfully included and integrated into Gen Ed classrooms.

When you say "my class" I'm hoping you aren't a teacher at SWS with that attitude, and that you really mean "my kid's class".

[Anonymous]

NO WAY this is a teacher. That I know.

I'm also a little bruised, because my IEP kid isn't that bad. I've been struggling with how to help them suck up less of teacher's time, I know they can be tough at times. I like to think that DC is an appreciated member of the classroom vs. a drain on PP's perception of the school, but then, that's Reggio - so maybe PP isn't the best fit.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If Brent is your IB school, then you really have nothing to lose by going to SWS. If it doesn't work out, go back to Brent.

+1 and to answer pp, the teachers at SWS really get children as learners

As long as they're 100% typical.

New poster here. I'm intrigued by this SWS comment, "so long as they're 100% typical." Could the poster elaborate?

Specifically, I've been thinking of enrolling my child with high-functioning autism into SWS' program for HFA, beginning in 1st grade (ie, one year from now). My child has already been evaluated for it. Would you NOT recommend SWS for my "non-typical" child?

I'm actually talking more about kids who aren't on the bell curve but who also DON'T have an IEP. I actually think the SpEd team there is excellent. I think the regular teachers aren't quite capable of dealing with kids who need something different than most kids (but not so different that they qualify for SpEd)

I agree with this. Kids that are slightly off or behind tend to get lost in the shuffle or not prioritized. I get that kids with an IEP need more; I'm just not sure that the supports given to them also allow teachers to focus on non-IEP kids who in the words of a PP are not 100% typical. I think it's hard when you've got a class that's 1/2 IEP kids - whether it's high-functioning autism or something else. Something has gotta give and it's usually the kids who are slightly off/behind who are the pressure valve. SWS doesn't have an aide per classroom after K; there are something like three aides that float around the 1st - 3rd grades as needed. It's only going to get worse as the school adds two grades but doesn't increase it's fundraising in order to be able to afford more aides.

Absolutely no class there has that many children with IEPs in it.

the school has 18% special ed, and that includes medically fragile classrooms, so no -- there is no 50% IEP classroom. Not even close

One solid reason to consider as to why a class could be approaching 50% IEP, and one less solid. I'm solid on the first point. The second on

Solid reason - depending on what works best in terms of scheduling hours for IEP kids, the school has opted to group all or most of the special ed kids in a grade in one class. This doesn't happen every year or at every grade, but it definitely happens. Talk to the parents of non-IEP kids who had particularly rough years when their child was in such a class.

Less solid - how about kids with 504s? are they included in the special ed percentage?

As to point 1, I don't know about other schools but SWS does NOT do this.

As to point 2, kids with 504 are absolutely not considered part of the Special Ed caseload, because they DON'T QUALIFY for special ed. They aren't on the special ed caseload. By definition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Either one will be fine but keep playing the lottery since you will have to peel off for middle school.

Nothing personal against you PP, but can we stop using the phrase "peel off" when referring to kids switching schools? Something about it just bugs me. Why not just say "leave"?

Not PP, but because "peel off" is a more apt description of what is happening, they aren't just going off to the next bar at a bar-hopping party, they're literally making a conscious effort to leave the pack for better opportunities for themselves, at the cost to the rest of the pack their leaving behind.

[Anonymous]

*THEY'RE ...my own pet peeve

[Anonymous]

We are close on the wait list for both of these schools also. I don't know which I would choose at this point, but a lot of it comes down to 1. gut feeling and 2. which one is proven. I love what I see at SWS, but Brent is pretty amazing and is very definitely proven. For me it would be very hard to turn that down. Good luck though, I am sure you will be happy at either school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Either one will be fine but keep playing the lottery since you will have to peel off for middle school.

Nothing personal against you PP, but can we stop using the phrase "peel off" when referring to kids switching schools? Something about it just bugs me. Why not just say "leave"?

Not PP, but because "peel off" is a more apt description of what is happening, they aren't just going off to the next bar at a bar-hopping party, they're literally making a conscious effort to leave the pack for better opportunities for themselves, at the cost to the rest of the pack their leaving behind.

?????!!!!!!!!!!?????? What the? Am I wrong or has EVERY SINGLE CHILD at sws already "peeled off" from their assigned neighborhood school in order to attend sws for elementary? Are you saying that EVERY FAMILY who chooses sws is comprised of selfish pricks who only consider the best for their own child and don't give a damn about the "pack" they left behind at their neighborhood school? Or do you just mean those who decide not to attend their assigned MIDDLE SCHOOl? Hypocrites abound

[Anonymous]

Well then, that's a lot of...feeling? Not sure why you're getting so ruffled over this one? In a sense yes, EVERY family at SWS, and Two Rivers, and YY, and MV, and Latin, and any kind of charter or private in the city, any kid that's not in their IB, by-right school has "peeled off." Not passing judgement, but it's a fact that the term is apt and you getting so defensive about it is just weird.

[Anonymous]

No-- pp s casually dropped assertion that any family that exercises school choice and doesn't attend their neighborhood school is somehow civically deficient and is damaging all those sad children "left behind" is weird.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I am a current Brent parent who also debated between SWS and brent. I am 100% happy with my decision. My child just finished K and did very well. We were happy with the teachers and the creative curriculum. Not sure what people mean when they say brent doesn't have strong leadership. The principal probably gets a worse rap on DCUM then in reality. And there is very strong parental leadership as well. The school has been a great environment for my child. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP, I am a current Brent parent who also debated between SWS and Brent. I am 100% happy with my decision. My child just finished K and did very well. We were happy with the teachers and the creative curriculum. Not sure what people mean when they say Brent doesn't have strong leadership. The principal probably gets a worse rap on DCUM then in reality. And there is very strong parental leadership as well. The school has been a great environment for my child. Good luck!

As a long-time Brent parent I second this analysis about Brent leadership (and the school in general). The Principal is a good leader, he anticipates issues ahead of time, and he is responsive to thoughtful engagement. Sometimes the communication could be better, and sometimes initial decisions need to be adjusted, but I've found that to be the case in most institutions we're a part of. So yes, Brent has room for improvement (communications, upper grade academics, parental anxiety . . .) but it is a solid school with a great community and I can't imagine that most families having anything but an amazing experience at Brent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No-- pp s casually dropped assertion that any family that exercises school choice and doesn't attend their neighborhood school is somehow civically deficient and is damaging all those sad children "left behind" is weird.

I'm PP, and I wasn't inferring they were "civilly" deficient, I was inferring they were doing the best for themselves. Your denial of the evolution of the schooling options in DC and the reality of the situation over the past 10 years is perplexing. SWS and Brent are both beautiful examples of people not being happy with their current options: in one case they banded together and changed a school for the better and in another, they literally created their own. I don't think that makes them deficient, or uncaring, or infers in any way that they don't give a f-- about the pack. It does, however, equate to a survival of the fittest scenario in which the pack loses the strength and the weaker aren't usually carried along.

I've been on DCUM and sending my kids to public and private schools in DC for years, I'm a fan of school choice, I've "peeled off" rather often, it was that or leave. However, I'm also aware there are very real ramifications of that "choice" and to deny as much is like saying you don't believe in climate change.

Again, not really sure why you have such a chip about this. It was a debate about a term, the term remains quite applicable, and you asking that it not be used is silly.

[Anonymous]

FwIW Brent is getting some much needed sprucing up over the summer thanks to DCPS. Foremost among the improvements will be renovated and modernized bathroom facilities, adding a new classroom, and converting storage space to new uses.

[Anonymous]

Most parents who rave about Brent are in the younger grades. The upper grades experience still isn't too hot, and Young remains a control freak, pass-the-buck kind of leader. Most parents need a couple years before wising up to the fact that if you go to him with an issue of concern to your family, he'll pretends to listen, talk the talk, then ignore you. The high SES SWS 3rd grade parents are a happier crew than the high SES Brent 3rd-4th grade parents - ask around. The lovely Brent Registrar won't stick around for much longer, and she's his Girl Friday. The coming SY will be Young's 5th at Brent, so who knows how much longer he'll bang on.

Few middle-class or in-boundary kids stay at Brent for 5th (one white kid this year) and I'm guessing that the same will be true at SWS.

You can debate Reggio and IEL issues on DCUM until you're blue in the face, but without strong, caring leadership, things don't tend to work out in the upper grades in DCPS, even with the "favorable" demographics you find at both. If you doubt this, talk to one of the many 3rd grade families who hit the road from Brent in 2013, after a tough year when a strong, longtime K teacher Young was trying to push out got landed with 3rd grade. Most of of these families had started in ECE.

I'd head to SWS.