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Schools and Education General Discussion
Anyone have kids in MC Downcounty Consortium?
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Anonymous
| Anyone have positive things to say about any of the schools in it? Have your kids been inspired by any of the "signature" programs? I've heard such negative things about the schools like Einstein, but like my neighborhood and can't afford private school. |
Anonymous
|
How old are your kids now?
I am also in the Einstein district but my kids are still little. I know teenagers in the neighborhood who go to Blair through the magnets. They are happy. I don't know much about Einstein. |
Anonymous
| OP here. My daughter is in the 6th grade at Newport Mill Middle. It seems OK, but I'm not jumping up and down about it. My concerns about the high schools mainly involve safety, but also the level of disruptions in the classroom. I was trying to find out if Blair or another school might have a program people were really excited about. |
Anonymous
| I've heard great things about Blair's Communication Arts Program (CAP). We know some kids who have done it who like it a lot. DC is starting it next year, so I can't comment from personal experience at this point. |
Anonymous
| For PP: Do you have to test into the Communications Arts program or is everyone accepted? |
Anonymous
| You have to apply/test in. |
Anonymous
| What's your elementary school, OP? Were you OK until middle school? I'm thinking of buying in Downcountry Consortium, and I worry about the schools, but can't afford other areas. |
Anonymous
| Blair's CAP and science/math magnet are terrific. The Takoma Park Middle School math/science magnet and the Eastern humanities magnet are also terrific. |
Anonymous
|
OP here. She went to Rock View. It was OK, but very focused on testing and teaching to the test. There's a new principal this year, so things may be different.
It was rebuilt about 10 years ago, but is very overcrowded. All 4th and 5th graders are in portables. I've heard they may expand the school, though. The building itself is nice, though. The PTA is very active, so that's a good thing. Many of the teachers were very caring, although there is a lot of turnover. All in all, it's a good school. The difference in prices that feed into that cluster and WJ (I live only 4 blocks away) is astounding. At a minimum, $100,000 less in the Einstein cluster. |
Anonymous
Eastern and Takoma magnets are also test-in application programs |
Anonymous
I would say that the difference in prices is even greater than that (I know you said minimum). But for a comparable house, it is probably more like 200k. |
Anonymous
Well, yes. That's true. |
Anonymous
| It's also true that the other consortium schools are not guaranteed to take your kid. Some of them, like Einstein HS and Loiederman MS, do lotteries. It depends on how many applicants the school has for a given number of slots. |
Anonymous
| Support for these "boutique programs" in the Down County -- language immersion, Eastern magnet, Takoma Magnet, CAP, Blair Math Science magnet -- is slipping. Don't buy a house betting they'll still be around when your preschooler is middle or high school age. |
Anonymous
The Blair Magnet/CAP and Eastern and Takoma have been around for a long time. Despite the economic hardships, I seriously doubt these programs will dissolve. The new middle school magnets, however, which include Argyle, Loiederman and Parkland, may disappear since they're fairly new concepts. I don't know much about language immersion, but I do know that parents who send their children there are very supportive of the programs. Full development of these programs, however, is sketchy, as many do not carry over into the high schools. So your best bet it to hit the test-in magnets (Drew ES usually feeds into the downcounty middle school magnets which feed into Blair) that have been around for quite some time. |