For those of you in-boundary for a terrible DCPS elementary, and who are bummed about that ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The curriculum is the same at all DCPS schools.

Foreign language and special programs are things that parents get when they make those demands.

Diversity is something that people create by sending their children to the neighborhood school.

Dangerous, crime-ridden neighborhood. Hmmm. Isn't this your neighborhood? Why are you living there?

Exactly. DCPS has no curriculum.

Foreign language and special programming are two more reasons not to use DCPS.

Diversity is something we value enough to seek out deliberately.

I love my neighborhood. I've never had a problem with crime or danger. I just don't like the DCPS school. Nice to have choices!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The curriculum is the same at all DCPS schools.

Foreign language and special programs are things that parents get when they make those demands.

Diversity is something that people create by sending their children to the neighborhood school.

Dangerous, crime-ridden neighborhood. Hmmm. Isn't this your neighborhood? Why are you living there?

Exactly. DCPS has no curriculum.

Foreign language and special programming are two more reasons not to use DCPS.

Diversity is something we value enough to seek out deliberately.

I love my neighborhood. I've never had a problem with crime or danger. I just don't like the DCPS school. Nice to have choices!

Also, I don't live near Walker Jones! I just wouldn't send my child there even if I did!

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if I am being naive..I suppose many of you will say yes. I don't know the conditions of this particular school and homeless shelter. They may indeed be awful. But if the school is suffering from poor test scores, etc., they've got bigger problems than who the neighbors are.

But in the abstract, what is so terrible about being located next to a homeless shelter? Aside from the idea of it? Depending on how that shelter is run, it may not be so awful. If the homeless shelter is discreetly managed without loitering on or near the premises and the school has strong security, I can think of worse places and situations to send a kid to school, especially if there is some solid education going on inside those walls.

Our kid went to a pre-k here in the city that was located right next to a parole center-not much better as far as environments go. I was ready to turn around and pull him out on the very first day. Glad I didn't. He went for 2 years and had a wonderful experience.

Just an add-on that may not speak dfirectly to your issue but is important just the same. This is a city. There are going to be depressing and awkward scenarios no matter where you turn. Kids need to be aware of this and reminded also just how lucky they are and for the older ones especially to start learning street smarts.

[Anonymous]

I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

Has Michelle Rhee accomplished nothing in your neighborhood schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

Has Michelle Rhee accomplished nothing in your neighborhood schools?

That's meant to be a joke, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

Are the schools lousy because they are in lousy neighborhoods? Are the teachers that teach in these schools lousy? What is it that makes these schools lousy schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

Has Michelle Rhee accomplished nothing in your neighborhood schools?

That's meant to be a joke, right?

Not at all. Why would you think it was meant to be a joke?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

Are the schools lousy because they are in lousy neighborhoods? Are the teachers that teach in these schools lousy? What is it that makes these schools lousy schools?

non-existent curricula, lack of enrichment, poor test scores, low achievement...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there's more than one poster here complaining about lousy neighborhood schools. It's not like there aren't a lot of lousy neighborhood schools to choose from!

Has Michelle Rhee accomplished nothing in your neighborhood schools?

That's meant to be a joke, right?

Not at all. Why would you think it was meant to be a joke?

Because Rheeform has been a net negative in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

I live in Ward 8 and I love my neighborhood. Aside from homicide, our crime rate is lower than most of the city. (smile) I feel safe at home, my immediate neighbors are helpful, and I have zero regrets about purchasing a home here. The neighborhood school just sucks.
If I lived in Ward 3, I'd be somewhat in the same boat. Aside from Eaton, I'm not interested in the schools there either. I'm looking for a strong language program, TRUE diversity (class, ethnicity, etc). DD will probably be an above average student, but a strong special education program is still a plus for me in a school. The top 3 schools for me are all charter, so it wouldn't have mattered where we lived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aside from homicide, our crime rate is lower than most of the city.

LOL

[Anonymous]

Will be interesting to hear from 16:55 but she probably means that those involved in homicide tend to be "bad guys" -- involved in crime -- and if one is no involved in crime and out in the middle of the night etc, one doesn't see that as a danger. It's different if 'innocent bistanders' are targeted, etc.

Anyway, I like my neighborhood a lot. Just wish I liked my school more.

[Anonymous]

What happens if you don't get into one of those charters?

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ward 8 and I love my neighborhood. Aside from homicide, our crime rate is lower than most of the city. (smile) I feel safe at home, my immediate neighbors are helpful, and I have zero regrets about purchasing a home here. The neighborhood school just sucks.
If I lived in Ward 3, I'd be somewhat in the same boat. Aside from Eaton, I'm not interested in the schools there either. I'm looking for a strong language program, TRUE diversity (class, ethnicity, etc). DD will probably be an above average student, but a strong special education program is still a plus for me in a school. The top 3 schools for me are all charter, so it wouldn't have mattered where we lived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens if you don't get into one of those charters?

Anonymous wrote:I live in Ward 8 and I love my neighborhood. Aside from homicide, our crime rate is lower than most of the city. (smile) I feel safe at home, my immediate neighbors are helpful, and I have zero regrets about purchasing a home here. The neighborhood school just sucks.
If I lived in Ward 3, I'd be somewhat in the same boat. Aside from Eaton, I'm not interested in the schools there either. I'm looking for a strong language program, TRUE diversity (class, ethnicity, etc). DD will probably be an above average student, but a strong special education program is still a plus for me in a school. The top 3 schools for me are all charter, so it wouldn't have mattered where we lived.

Then I opt for the schools in my second tier. Some of the schools on my list don't have lotteries and/or have multiple campuses. We'll also play DCPS lottery. There are a couple of DCPS schools I think we'd stand a good chance of getting into that I like. I studied this year's lottery picks and think I have a good strategy.

Oh, DD is a late bday so we potentially have two years to play the odds.