Hill Middle Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. Depressing that honors English didn’t survive Covid at SH. I’m not aware of any real pushback at the school, or plans to reinstate honors English, even in 8th grade. Situation for advanced math seems much better at Hobson.

Hi, S-H English teacher here. I was responding to "enrichment weak compared to privates." Thanks for all the generous feedback on rigor.

Well, there's a difference between academic enrichment and after-school enrichment. I'm all for letting the kids form clubs if that's what they want to do, but it isn't a substitute for a rich curriculum that engages students of all levels.

Since you're a teacher, would you like to fill us in on S-H's academic enrichment? Any projects or initiatives you're particularly excited about?

[Anonymous]

Are you being sarcastic? My nephews attend a public MS in Arlington not 7 miles from SH. The school's percentage of at-risk students is much higher than SH's. Yet this school teaches 6th grade English on several levels and 8th grade English on four. Students at this school can qualify for "intensified" 7th and 8th grade classes in science, English, math (up to 8th grade geometry and Algebra II) and social studies (geography for HS credit in 8th grade) by earning good grades the year before. This might be a stupid question, but why in the world doesn't DCPS/SH support an academic tracking system like? Like a lot of in-boundary residents with kids, we wouldn't give a hoot if enrichment wasn't too hot at SH because we have great after-school/weekend options around the neighborhood for art, music, drama, dance, sports, you name it. We didn't get into Latin or BASIS and have no viable PS option but SH for 6th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you being sarcastic? My nephews attend a public MS in Arlington not 7 miles from SH. The school's percentage of at-risk students is much higher than SH's. Yet this school teaches 6th grade English on several levels and 8th grade English on four. Students at this school can qualify for "intensified" 7th and 8th grade classes in science, English, math (up to 8th grade geometry and Algebra II) and social studies (geography for HS credit in 8th grade) by earning good grades the year before. This might be a stupid question, but why in the world doesn't DCPS/SH support an academic tracking system like? Like a lot of in-boundary residents with kids, we wouldn't give a hoot if enrichment wasn't too hot at SH because we have great after-school/weekend options around the neighborhood for art, music, drama, dance, sports, you name it. We didn't get into Latin or BASIS and have no viable PS option but SH for 6th grade.

Because if it were based on PARCC scores, it would have vast racial disparities in the different tracks and they don't want to deal with the outcry that would cause.
Also because research shows that kids who are below grade level do better in mixed-level classes and they, not kids above grade level, are DCPS' primary focus. IB parents are mistaken when they think DCPS cares about getting neighborhood families to choose local schools. That is not a priority at all. The priority is to increase graduation rates and standardized test scores for low-income children. If anything, getting in-bounds families to choose their neighborhood schools is a net negative, because it leaves fewer spaces for poor yet motivated families to lottery in from out of bounds.

[Anonymous]

Agree adding that the emphasis won't start to shift unless UMC parents around the city start banding together to work to vote out mayors and city council members who don't give a hoot if DCPS serves high ses families as well as low ses past the elementary school level.

In the most diverse DC burbs (e.g. Arlington), politicians don't dare ignore the needs of high ses families because public school parents are far more organized politically.

[Anonymous]

Probably a dumb question, but I'm new here and going to ask it anyway, why is their more neighborhood buy-in for CH DCPS elementary schools? Why are politicians able to meet the needs at the elementary school levels (assuming they are being met)?

Anonymous wrote:Agree adding that the emphasis won't start to shift unless UMC parents around the city start banding together to work to vote out mayors and city council members who don't give a hoot if DCPS serves high ses families as well as low ses past the elementary school level.

In the most diverse DC burbs (e.g. Arlington), politicians don't dare ignore the needs of high ses families because public school parents are far more organized politically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably a dumb question, but I'm new here and going to ask it anyway, why is their more neighborhood buy-in for CH DCPS elementary schools? Why are politicians able to meet the needs at the elementary school levels (assuming they are being met)?

Anonymous wrote:Agree adding that the emphasis won't start to shift unless UMC parents around the city start banding together to work to vote out mayors and city council members who don't give a hoot if DCPS serves high ses families as well as low ses past the elementary school level.

In the most diverse DC burbs (e.g. Arlington), politicians don't dare ignore the needs of high ses families because public school parents are far more organized politically.

Because DCPS is willing and able to do in-classroom differentiation at the elementary level, and elementary-level behaviors are usually pretty manageable. They're not willing to do what it takes to provide engaging advanced coursework for middle and high school. Basically, according to DCPS, it's fine to provide advanced coursework at schools in Ward 3, but to do so anywhere else would be a violation of equity and you're a horrible person if you bring it up. I know it sounds weird, but that's where we are.

[Anonymous]

Also because during the Rhee era DCPS did prioritize IB-buy in. That had to start at the bottom and thus, at elementary. Rhee left before the momentum could continue through MS and HS and her successors have, over time, begun the regression to the old DCPS way of doing things. The ward 3 schools that are good now were also good before Rhee.

[Anonymous]

You're not wrong but I'm a little surprised by how many neighborhood families seem OK with Eliot-Hine, Jefferson Academy and Stuart Hobson these days though. I'm not hearing too many complaints from friends and neighbors who are using these schools, most of them UMC and white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Probably a dumb question, but I'm new here and going to ask it anyway, why is their more neighborhood buy-in for CH DCPS elementary schools? Why are politicians able to meet the needs at the elementary school levels (assuming they are being met)?

Here's the problem:

There are a few elementary schools with high IB buy-in (Ludlow, Brent, Maury). There are a few middle schools with low IB buy in (Watkins, JO, Miner, Amidon, etc.). DCPS feeds the schools with high IB buy-in to three different middle schools, so it's impossible to get a traction/high IB buy in at a middle school. Add to that, Cap Hill does not have an acceptable high school, and parents have other options that are 5-12 (BASIS, Latin, DCI).

We could probably have a Deal/JR level middle/high school situation within 5 years, but DCPS refuses to fix the Hill situation, and our Councilmember is useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably a dumb question, but I'm new here and going to ask it anyway, why is their more neighborhood buy-in for CH DCPS elementary schools? Why are politicians able to meet the needs at the elementary school levels (assuming they are being met)?

Here's the problem:

There are a few elementary schools with high IB buy-in (Ludlow, Brent, Maury). There are a few middle schools with low IB buy in (Watkins, JO, Miner, Amidon, etc.). DCPS feeds the schools with high IB buy-in to three different middle schools, so it's impossible to get a traction/high IB buy in at a middle school. Add to that, Cap Hill does not have an acceptable high school, and parents have other options that are 5-12 (BASIS, Latin, DCI).

We could probably have a Deal/JR level middle/high school situation within 5 years, but DCPS refuses to fix the Hill situation, and our Councilmember is useless.

https://dme.dc.gov/page/download-data has a lot of data about in-boundary enrollment, for those who are interested.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not wrong but I'm a little surprised by how many neighborhood families seem OK with Eliot-Hine, Jefferson Academy and Stuart Hobson these days though. I'm not hearing too many complaints from friends and neighbors who are using these schools, most of them UMC and white.

Having lived on the hill, it is somewhat surprising how many UMC families are ok with mediocrity. Sorry if this is offensive but it is what I have observed, and explains why families aren’t complaining. Also many of those families are quietly planning for a private high school and figure that the MS experience isn’t so important if private HS can balance it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not wrong but I'm a little surprised by how many neighborhood families seem OK with Eliot-Hine, Jefferson Academy and Stuart Hobson these days though. I'm not hearing too many complaints from friends and neighbors who are using these schools, most of them UMC and white.

There are stats on this that were posted recently. It’s actually not that many families choosing their IB middle school, no matter what boosters like you post (repeatedly).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're not wrong but I'm a little surprised by how many neighborhood families seem OK with Eliot-Hine, Jefferson Academy and Stuart Hobson these days though. I'm not hearing too many complaints from friends and neighbors who are using these schools, most of them UMC and white.

Having lived on the hill, it is somewhat surprising how many UMC families are ok with mediocrity. Sorry if this is offensive but it is what I have observed, and explains why families aren’t complaining. Also many of those families are quietly planning for a private high school and figure that the MS experience isn’t so important if private HS can balance it out.

Do they think they will get into private (or are they aiming for less competitive parochial schools)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're not wrong but I'm a little surprised by how many neighborhood families seem OK with Eliot-Hine, Jefferson Academy and Stuart Hobson these days though. I'm not hearing too many complaints from friends and neighbors who are using these schools, most of them UMC and white.

There are stats on this that were posted recently. It’s actually not that many families choosing their IB middle school, no matter what boosters like you post (repeatedly).

Give me a break. I'm no booster. My children attend a parochial middle school in VA. I've been fed up with our DCPS ES post Covid, thrilled that we only have one week of 5th grade left. But I'm genuinely surprised by how many of the brainy families we've known on the Hill for many years are actually sending their children to Eliot Hine, Jefferson or Stuart Hobson for 6th or 7th grade. You don't have to be a booster to notice the uptick in Hill enrollment or to comment on it here.

[Anonymous]

my 2 older children in VA, youngest graduating from a Hill ES on Thurs next week.