if you could choose any elementary school in the district...

[Anonymous]

I don't have any deep-seated fear and loathing of charters.

But, when I pulled my son out of a DCPS school and enrolled him in a charter, it was like jumping out of a frying pan into the fire. The school was founded by a woman who had a great idea and wonderful intentions, but she didn't have a clue of how to run a school. She was committing outright fraud by taking per-pupil funding and not spending on the students. Ex. she didn't bother to order math books! I'm not a big fan of textbooks, but you really need to order a math program. It took years for the chartering board to close this place down.

I worked briefly at a charter school that could not retain staff. The principal who hired me in June was gone before school started in August. We went through three administrators in a single year at that school. The faculty was constantly churning over. Why? Because we were all at-will employees with no contract, no union, and no liability insurance.

It's true that people who are fed up with DCPS often seek out charters. The trouble is, charters are evaluated using the same standardized tests.

I'm sure there are some good charter schools in DC. I just haven't seen one yet. The point is, look before you leap.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you; just as I have worked in the not-for-profit world and seen everything from naivete to abuse, charters can fall victim to that. However, the charter board is pretty stringent and the fact that it does close down schools shows that it is working. Holding charters to the same standardized tests is a problem--but this is a problem for all public schools-not solvable here/today. I don't think charters are the answer any more than DCPS or independents. However, our child has had a good experience at his. And as a teacher, I just LIKE LIKE LIKE that perhaps one of the secondary effects of charters is forcing DCPS to COURT parents instead of taking them for granted, with enhanced programs, offerings, even basic customer service. I don't see how that can be a bad thing....

[Anonymous]

back to the original topic, renter looking for good school.

consider Murch, lots of apartment buildings on Conn Ave are inbounds

[Anonymous]

Great schools where you can get a nice rental:

Murch
Eaton
Oyster
Mann (fewer options, but a couple)
Janney


These are all really different schools, and all very good.
In a nutshell:
--Mann is considered by some to be most like a top private school; that's due in part to the private school demographic. Least diverse student body, least walkable neighborhood, but very die-hard parent involvement and great performance.
--Eaton used to get criticized for turnover and having too many out-of-boundary kids. Now people are really excited about it. There are some nice apartment buildings and lovely playgrounds in boundary.
--Oyster is a specialized school. Bilingual immersion, 1/2 native spanish speakers, 1/2 native English speakers. Diverse as a result. Gorgeous new building, built in 2001, with nice playground. Michelle Rhee's children go there. It has a secondary campus at the old Adams school that goes to 8th grade. If you live in boundary, you can still also choose Deal Middle. There are those (I'm one) who absolutely love it and many detractors who say it isn't as good as 10 years ago. Some didn't like that Rhee axed the old principal. It has to be your thing but it's a fantastic school. There are some really nice apartment buildings nearby.
--Janney is a wonderful school, more diverse than Mann. Some principal turnover and construction makes matters complicated, but the parent base is really solid and it's a nice, unpretentious place.
--Murch is a great school too. There are lots of great rental options in the area, as well as metro access at Friendship Heights. Murch has many die-hard supporters. Also more diverse than Mann, but less so than Oyster.

Many nice choices. I know I left out Ross, Shepherd, and Lafayette-- really don't know the rental situations near them. Left our Capitol Hill because I know nothing about them.

[Anonymous]

Any hope for those of us who bought in Shaw? we have a 4 mo. old, so elementary school is a way's away, but we hate the thought of moving to the burbs.

What about KIPP?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

You don't need to move to the burbs. But you'll probably opt for out of boundary, a charter, or private.

KIPP is designed to remediate kids who are 2-3 years behind.

Two places to consider are Capital Hill Cluster and Thomson Elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any hope for those of us who bought in Shaw? we have a 4 mo. old, so elementary school is a way's away, but we hate the thought of moving to the burbs.

What about KIPP?

Thanks!

You've got a while to think about it. Ross in Dupont (17th and R) is up and coming; I know a few Logan Circle people who are there. Thomson is also up and coming. And then there are the usual suspects in the Northwest.

EL Haynes Charter School is great if you want to go the charter route.

[Anonymous]

You'll probably do what most of the other posters who love DC and don't want to leave do.... charter, OOB, or private

[Anonymous]

We toured Key in Palisades and was very impressed

[Anonymous]

Key also has some rentals inbounds.

[Anonymous]

Key has lots of rentals.

Not sure what the PP who said Murch had rentals and/or subway access at Friendship Heights was thinking. I live in FH. Almost all the rentals are in FH, MD. And we're in bounds for Janney not Murch. The other side of Reno (e.g. near CT, where there are rentals) is in bounds for Lafayette.

There are apartment buildings that feed to Murch but Van Ness or T'town would be the closer metro stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any hope for those of us who bought in Shaw? we have a 4 mo. old, so elementary school is a way's away, but we hate the thought of moving to the burbs.

What about KIPP?

Thanks!

#1 Charter (there are several hot charter schools, so you should try all of their lotteries)
#2 OOB
#3 private/parochial

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Key has lots of rentals.

Not sure what the PP who said Murch had rentals and/or subway access at Friendship Heights was thinking. I live in FH. Almost all the rentals are in FH, MD. And we're in bounds for Janney not Murch. The other side of Reno (e.g. near CT, where there are rentals) is in bounds for Lafayette.

There are apartment buildings that feed to Murch but Van Ness or T'town would be the closer metro stop.

NP, and this is correct. The Conn. Ave. corridor north from Van Ness metro would be the best bet for rentals feeding Murch. Tons of buildings in the 3/4 mile between the metro station and the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have any deep-seated fear and loathing of charters.

But, when I pulled my son out of a DCPS school and enrolled him in a charter, it was like jumping out of a frying pan into the fire. The school was founded by a woman who had a great idea and wonderful intentions, but she didn't have a clue of how to run a school. She was committing outright fraud by taking per-pupil funding and not spending on the students. Ex. she didn't bother to order math books! I'm not a big fan of textbooks, but you really need to order a math program. It took years for the chartering board to close this place down.

I worked briefly at a charter school that could not retain staff. The principal who hired me in June was gone before school started in August. We went through three administrators in a single year at that school. The faculty was constantly churning over. Why? Because we were all at-will employees with no contract, no union, and no liability insurance.

It's true that people who are fed up with DCPS often seek out charters. The trouble is, charters are evaluated using the same standardized tests.

I'm sure there are some good charter schools in DC. I just haven't seen one yet. The point is, look before you leap.

Speaking as a parent at Washington Yu Ying, I'm pretty confident that you haven't evaluated our program. It's also only one year old, and the oldest students are rising second graders so it's probably too young for your consideration. Still, I feel it bears mentioning to any parent looking for a truly exceptional program: it's a Mandarin Immersion Pre-K to 8 school following the IB curriculum. It's being run by people with a LOT of experience in schools, in education, in the International Baccalaureate program and in immersion education, and we feel very fortunate to have such a remarkable school right here in Washington, DC. OP, it's nice to to know you don't have to leave for the suburbs to get an amazing education opportunity!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't have any deep-seated fear and loathing of charters.

Speaking as a parent at Washington Yu Ying, I'm pretty confident that you haven't evaluated our program. It's also only one year old, and the oldest students are rising second graders so it's probably too young for your consideration. Still, I feel it bears mentioning to any parent looking for a truly exceptional program: it's a Mandarin Immersion Pre-K to 8 school following the IB curriculum. It's being run by people with a LOT of experience in schools, in education, in the International Baccalaureate program and in immersion education, and we feel very fortunate to have such a remarkable school right here in Washington, DC. OP, it's nice to to know you don't have to leave for the suburbs to get an amazing education opportunity!

That's good news. Keep us posted.