If Obama wins, which school will they choose for those two adorable girls?

[Anonymous]

To 14:42 -- yes, the security issue will make a convenient excuse!

[Anonymous]

16:05, just curious, what will Michelle not like about Holton?

[Anonymous]

16:05, I am really curious as to why you say Michelle would say no way to Holten. We are looking at both schools for our daughter, so please share your insight.

[Anonymous]

This is 17:15, sorry for the typo. I meant Holton, of course. Don't want to get attacked by the spelling police.

[Anonymous]

I'll reply if no one else will. Holton is more academic and a better choice for getting into Ivy's. Although Holton is way out there on River rd. NCS is theorectically religious based - not sure that matters.

[Anonymous]

And why would Michelle disapprove of that?

[Anonymous]

I know for a fact Rice's youngest child is at Beauvoir. Not sure about her son but would think he was at St. Albans. Could be wrong though. Anyone know for sure??

As for Obama's girls I agree that Michelle and Barack probably are in search of a structured environment with a great deal of diversity. Not a child of color here or there but true diversity.

My vote is NCS or GDS for Malia (Michelle and Barack are very religious people). Beauvoir for cutie Sasha. Both schools can provide a comforting and structured environment in the big new city they will be residing in. How old will the girls be when he is elected?

Anyone think Michelle is already searching?

Also, agree with the notion that education is a private issue. I get this all the time. People want me to explain why I do not send my children to public school and I am a public school administrator.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My vote is NCS or GDS for Malia (Michelle and Barack are very religious people). Beauvoir for cutie Sasha. Both schools can provide a comforting and structured environment in the big new city they will be residing in. How old will the girls be when he is elected?

I think Sasha will be entering 3rd grade and Malia will be entering 6th grade in 2009-10.

[Anonymous]

I doubt if Michelle is already searching. If elected, the Obamas will not need to go through the regular admissions process.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have a feeling Michelle has her mind on other things these days. Don't look for her at any of the open houses!

[Anonymous]

My father was a school administrator and many of the people in similar positions in our county sent their kids to parochial or private schools for at least HS. People would get up in arms, but my parents never even flinched. You really have to evaluate for your own child what all schools offer your child.

I think security is definitely an issue that leads most presidents to choose private schools for their children.

And let's all be honest - the President doesn't have the choice to live in suburban VA or MD and send his kids to school systems that are mostly good. DC schools are notoriously poor - not all, but many. There are too many reasons here to get into it why this is true, but I do NOT think it is hypocrisy to not send your child to a public school in DC and still say you support public education as a whole. I'm a supporter of public education, but if the public schools in whatever area we wind up do not offer the type of education I feel my child needs, I would send that child to another setting in a heartbeat. My parents did this for me because the public school system offered a very limited AP curriculum and it required being bussed to schools elsewhere in the county. A large parochial HS could offer all of this under one roof, so that was the choice that was made for me. Most of the suburban schools around the DC area would have been able to offer that, so had I lived in this area at that time, I would have stayed in public schools.

And those who call it hypocrisy - would YOU send your child into some of the schools in DC?

[Anonymous]

pp, my father was also a high level administrator in some of the worst public schools. We went to private school too. As he always said, he did not create the mess, it was there when he took the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My father was a school administrator and many of the people in similar positions in our county sent their kids to parochial or private schools for at least HS. People would get up in arms, but my parents never even flinched. You really have to evaluate for your own child what all schools offer your child.

I think security is definitely an issue that leads most presidents to choose private schools for their children.

And let's all be honest - the President doesn't have the choice to live in suburban VA or MD and send his kids to school systems that are mostly good. DC schools are notoriously poor - not all, but many. There are too many reasons here to get into it why this is true, but I do NOT think it is hypocrisy to not send your child to a public school in DC and still say you support public education as a whole. I'm a supporter of public education, but if the public schools in whatever area we wind up do not offer the type of education I feel my child needs, I would send that child to another setting in a heartbeat. My parents did this for me because the public school system offered a very limited AP curriculum and it required being bussed to schools elsewhere in the county. A large parochial HS could offer all of this under one roof, so that was the choice that was made for me. Most of the suburban schools around the DC area would have been able to offer that, so had I lived in this area at that time, I would have stayed in public schools.

And those who call it hypocrisy - would YOU send your child into some of the schools in DC?

I don't call it hypocrisy; in fact, I believe security concerns demand private schools for presidential kids. But I will send my kids to DCPS, through graduation, even though we can afford private. So, to answer your last question, yes. Kids with supportive families tend to achieve wherever they go, and I believe that public school offers some advantages that private does not.

While I have absolutely no issue with whatever decision Obama makes about his daughters' education, it frustrates me to see this conversation devolve into yet another uninformed beatdown on DCPS.

[Anonymous]

To 20:54... I absolutely will not (and do not) send my kids to DC public schools. But I don't pander to the teacher's unions and incompetent administrators there, either.