Getting the GDS mojo back

[Anonymous]

GDS has had a tough year. GDS has faced stiff opposition to its campus and development plans (which seem to be an increasing distraction from school operations) suffered unexpected setbacks with the DC government and faced some difficult racial matters. It is not just the object of criticism but of mockery. GDS remains a good school, but how does it get its mojo back? A change in leadership? Drop the PUD and sell the property now? Show more humility with community and District?

[Anonymous]

None of the above.

It is a fine school, and like many other schools, there are always challenges.

[Anonymous]

GDS is fine. They have college matriculations that rival any school in the city, a very long waiting list and a rich donor base....trust me, all is well.

[Anonymous]

I think that your post is disingenuous and designed to stir the pot. I'm not interested in helping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:GDS is fine. They have college matriculations that rival any school in the city, a very long waiting list and a rich donor base....trust me, all is well.

Half go to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Ehh GDS will weather the storm. I think as public schools improve they will see what DCUM has termed the "Flint Hill Effect" meaning less demand for Elementary and middle, but still there for the high school. With the new move, things could get tricky, but they have enough of a name that they should be OK. Just need to build an endowment and calm racial tensions.

[Anonymous]

I know very little about GDS, but am familiar with Flint Hill. I'm not sure that the "Flint Hill Effect" applies equally to GDS. Flint Hill has taken less of a hit to its Upper School compared to the dwindling Lower and Middle Schools due, at least in part, to the fact that there are very few other options for private high school in Northern Virginia. There are many opportunities and choices for families living near GDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS is fine. They have college matriculations that rival any school in the city, a very long waiting list and a rich donor base....trust me, all is well.

Half go to Harvard.

Half? They must be having a bad few years. Used to be all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS is fine. They have college matriculations that rival any school in the city, a very long waiting list and a rich donor base....trust me, all is well.

Half go to Harvard.

Half? They must be having a bad few years. Used to be all.

It's nearly all when you include all Harvard and the Tip Top Ivies and Stanford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know very little about GDS, but am familiar with Flint Hill. I'm not sure that the "Flint Hill Effect" applies equally to GDS. Flint Hill has taken less of a hit to its Upper School compared to the dwindling Lower and Middle Schools due, at least in part, to the fact that there are very few other options for private high school in Northern Virginia. There are many opportunities and choices for families living near GDS.

Good point. In NW, there are a lot of great elementary options both public and private, but is really important to fill those lower school spaces because you need a core group to stay through high school. True kids leave over the years, but it is important long term to fill those lower school spots. You are right there a lot of good private high schools in NW and surrounding areas. I think as the tuition goes up and public schools and charters improve, there will be less demand for GDS' high school because it does not have the same cachet as Cathedrals and Sidwell which incidentally have larger endowments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know very little about GDS, but am familiar with Flint Hill. I'm not sure that the "Flint Hill Effect" applies equally to GDS. Flint Hill has taken less of a hit to its Upper School compared to the dwindling Lower and Middle Schools due, at least in part, to the fact that there are very few other options for private high school in Northern Virginia. There are many opportunities and choices for families living near GDS.

Good point. In NW, there are a lot of great elementary options both public and private, but is really important to fill those lower school spaces because you need a core group to stay through high school. True kids leave over the years, but it is important long term to fill those lower school spots. You are right there a lot of good private high schools in NW and surrounding areas. I think as the tuition goes up and public schools and charters improve, there will be less demand for GDS' high school because it does not have the same cachet as Cathedrals and Sidwell which incidentally have larger endowments.

What is interesting about GDS (and Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools as well) is the number of kids attending who live in Maryland and Virginia. I think the prevailing belief once was that DC residents used the schools in lieu of public but, now, many seats are filled by kids from excellent suburban school districts. I'm not in a position to speculate as to why these families aren't choosing public.

[Anonymous]

Another mom/dad who has a fixation with GDS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know very little about GDS, but am familiar with Flint Hill. I'm not sure that the "Flint Hill Effect" applies equally to GDS. Flint Hill has taken less of a hit to its Upper School compared to the dwindling Lower and Middle Schools due, at least in part, to the fact that there are very few other options for private high school in Northern Virginia. There are many opportunities and choices for families living near GDS.

Good point. In NW, there are a lot of great elementary options both public and private, but is really important to fill those lower school spaces because you need a core group to stay through high school. True kids leave over the years, but it is important long term to fill those lower school spots. You are right there a lot of good private high schools in NW and surrounding areas. I think as the tuition goes up and public schools and charters improve, there will be less demand for GDS' high school because it does not have the same cachet as Cathedrals and Sidwell which incidentally have larger endowments.

What is interesting about GDS (and Sidwell and the Cathedral Schools as well) is the number of kids attending who live in Maryland and Virginia. I think the prevailing belief once was that DC residents used the schools in lieu of public but, now, many seats are filled by kids from excellent suburban school districts. I'm not in a position to speculate as to why these families aren't choosing public.

As a Virginia parent at one of the Cathedral Schools, we chose a different kind of education for our children. Many highly ranked schools are totally focused on SOLs ( such an unfortunate acronym). They have asks become flooded with ESL students, many of whom need a lot of extra help to get by. Unfortunately, the school district are not getting extra resources, which means stretched teachers who focus on the mid-to-lower end of the spectrum. Very bright kids get less attention unless in a tracked program which, unfortunately,mdoesn't start until 2nd or 3rd grade -- pretty late in the game for elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that your post is disingenuous and designed to stir the pot. I'm not interested in helping.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GDS is fine. They have college matriculations that rival any school in the city, a very long waiting list and a rich donor base....trust me, all is well.

Half go to Harvard.

Half? They must be having a bad few years. Used to be all.

Amazing how people have allowed one committed troll (The GDS college acceptance droll) to control the discourse about this one particular school. It is an interesting phenomenon. I do think the original post was designed to just elicit negative posts, but regardless, there's no chance of any reasonable discussion about the school because of the trolling.