Feedback on Eaton Elementary School in Cleveland Park, NW

[Anonymous]

These discussions just give me a headache. OP I wish you the best of luck, but as an IB family at the "worse" school you mention, I'm glad you aren't considering Hearst anymore. With your attitude you would not fit in very well.

My kids have plenty of friends in the neighborhood and across the city. We don't need (or want) a totally IB school in order to have a "community feel," we hang out plenty with the other families even if they don't live down the block from us.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks everyone, I appreciate all the feedback received. No, I am not considering Hearst, although it is very conveniently located, and the school looks very nice. I guess Eaton will be fine, or will just move and go to Stoddert or H. Mann and/or move to Bethesda. Good luck to all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

+1

IMO this is one of the factors that makes Janney such a great school, which is the strong connection of the school to the neighborhood and vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - thanks everyone, I appreciate all the feedback received. No, I am not considering Hearst, although it is very conveniently located, and the school looks very nice. I guess Eaton will be fine, or will just move and go to Stoddert or H. Mann and/or move to Bethesda. Good luck to all.

Please just move to Maryland and be done with it.

And enjoy your class of 28 kids in kindergarten with one teacher and no aides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hmm, based on these posts maybe OOB isn't code word for brown or poor, maybe it really is about you can't afford to live in my neighborhood (which is why op isn't bothered about being the unwanted OOB at Stoddard because she does feel she lives in the neighborhood). We lived in a crappy 2 bedroom condo IB for Eaton, and I can tell you people in my neighborhood knew we couldn't "really" afford to live there and treated us accordingly though we are white and hyper-educated with kids likely to do well when testing comes around in 3rd grade.

We were in a similar circumstance and but the supposed attitude you mention was not our experience at all. The real point is that there is more economic diversity within the Eaton boundary area than people may realize.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

+1

IMO this is one of the factors that makes Janney such a great school, which is the strong connection of the school to the neighborhood and vice versa.

But the thing is, the picture that you all paint of schools like Hearst and Eaton are simply not true. I welcome anyone to go to Hearst's playground at 3:15. I promise you that people aren't peeling off across the city. The playground is full of kids and parents-- some who live nearby, and some who don't. OOB parents are just as likely to mill around the school as IB parents. They are just as likely to attend after hours stuff as IB parents. The PTA executive committee is currently made up of 3 IB parents and 4 OOB parents. But the point that none of you seems to get is that NO ONE CARES if people are IB or OOB. It makes no impact on people's commitment to the school, their likelihood of being social, their willingness to volunteer for activities, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

I think you are going to start to see a new type of upper NW parent dynamic. In the old days the ultra liberals stayed and sent their kids to Deal and Wilson with a high tolerance for DCPS mediocrity. The rest of upper NW moved to Bethesda or went private. It's changing. Now the parents who would have moved to Bethesda are staying and scraping nickels and dimes together to buy tiny 1940 colonials and many are not going private. Many are planning to send their kids to Deal and Wilson in a few years, but these parents will not tolerate overcrowding or kids who are unprepared or disruptive. DCPS needs to get out in front of this because the pipeline will burst in about 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

I think you are going to start to see a new type of upper NW parent dynamic. In the old days the ultra liberals stayed and sent their kids to Deal and Wilson with a high tolerance for DCPS mediocrity. The rest of upper NW moved to Bethesda or went private. It's changing. Now the parents who would have moved to Bethesda are staying and scraping nickels and dimes together to buy tiny 1940 colonials and many are not going private. Many are planning to send their kids to Deal and Wilson in a few years, but these parents will not tolerate overcrowding or kids who are unprepared or disruptive. DCPS needs to get out in front of this because the pipeline will burst in about 5 years.

This is very perceptive and accurate, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

+1

IMO this is one of the factors that makes Janney such a great school, which is the strong connection of the school to the neighborhood and vice versa.

But the thing is, the picture that you all paint of schools like Hearst and Eaton are simply not true. I welcome anyone to go to Hearst's playground at 3:15. I promise you that people aren't peeling off across the city. The playground is full of kids and parents-- some who live nearby, and some who don't. OOB parents are just as likely to mill around the school as IB parents. They are just as likely to attend after hours stuff as IB parents. The PTA executive committee is currently made up of 3 IB parents and 4 OOB parents. But the point that none of you seems to get is that NO ONE CARES if people are IB or OOB. It makes no impact on people's commitment to the school, their likelihood of being social, their willingness to volunteer for activities, etc.

Milling around after school does not make it a community. That's just folks waiting for rush hour to die down before they trek across the city. I find it hard to believe that there are many IB parents at the playground on a regular basis at 3:15. Sports teams, scouts, church, seeing friends at the neighborhood restaurants, etc. is what most people think of as a community.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
I think you are going to start to see a new type of upper NW parent dynamic. In the old days the ultra liberals stayed and sent their kids to Deal and Wilson with a high tolerance for DCPS mediocrity. The rest of upper NW moved to Bethesda or went private. It's changing. Now the parents who would have moved to Bethesda are staying and scraping nickels and dimes together to buy tiny 1940 colonials and many are not going private. Many are planning to send their kids to Deal and Wilson in a few years, but these parents will not tolerate overcrowding or kids who are unprepared or disruptive. DCPS needs to get out in front of this because the pipeline will burst in about 5 years.

There is very little that is going to change within 5 years. Hardy will likely become a bit more inbound and maybe MacFarland and Roosevelt will satisfy a bit of the EotP demand for Deal and Wilson. But, those will be marginal differences at best. The next boundary evaluation isn't planned until 2022 and then implementation would probably not be immediate. The parents you describe can say they will not tolerate this or that, but I'm not sure they are going to have a lot of options to change things.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Milling around after school does not make it a community. That's just folks waiting for rush hour to die down before they trek across the city. I find it hard to believe that there are many IB parents at the playground on a regular basis at 3:15. Sports teams, scouts, church, seeing friends at the neighborhood restaurants, etc. is what most people think of as a community.

I don't know about other schools, but as far as Hearst is concerned you could not be less accurate if you set out to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

I think you are going to start to see a new type of upper NW parent dynamic. In the old days the ultra liberals stayed and sent their kids to Deal and Wilson with a high tolerance for DCPS mediocrity. The rest of upper NW moved to Bethesda or went private. It's changing. Now the parents who would have moved to Bethesda are staying and scraping nickels and dimes together to buy tiny 1940 colonials and many are not going private. Many are planning to send their kids to Deal and Wilson in a few years, but these parents will not tolerate overcrowding or kids who are unprepared or disruptive. DCPS needs to get out in front of this because the pipeline will burst in about 5 years.

Well, you may be on to something but I can't help but to chuckle at the whole "will not tolerate" stuff. DCPS will play chicken with those families and win. Those principled parents will ultimately throw in the towel and move after all. They'll fight the good fight to try and alleviate crowding but for most of them it won't be in time for their kids. You'll see official boundary changes at the 10-year mark post DME boundary efforts of 2014. DCPS is trying the "build it and they will come" route with efforts like Brookland Middle led by the former Janney principal, and reopening MacFarland with promises of a quality experience, etc. But it will take time. I sat through just about every public meeting during the DME process and it was crystal clear that efforts to carve out more diverse feeder schools from Deal was not gonna happen. Nor were OOB feeder path rights going to be touched. Real estate is at a premium in DC and the mayors office (and DCPS) know that those parents who "won't tolerate" can leave and be replaced by other educated, wealthy people who might not even have kids, thus saving those tax dollars for other things like stadiums...

[Anonymous]

A community is also the people who slog through nighttime ANC, local association and DC commission meetings, because they get the connections between what happens in a community and the neighborhood school. These connected issues can be negative -- like the traffic impact of nearby development on the the safety of kids walking to school -- or positive -- like pressuring DDOT to put in traffic calming to enhance student safety or getting Urban Forestry to plant street trees to shade a playground. These are some of the synergies that result from a strong neighborhood-school orientation.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Milling around after school does not make it a community. That's just folks waiting for rush hour to die down before they trek across the city. I find it hard to believe that there are many IB parents at the playground on a regular basis at 3:15. Sports teams, scouts, church, seeing friends at the neighborhood restaurants, etc. is what most people think of as a community.

I don't know about other schools, but as far as Hearst is concerned you could not be less accurate if you set out to be.

How is the Owl Fund participation rate for PK vs. 5th grade? A stark contrast? The dynamics and expectations of Hearst parents are changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I really can't help but laugh at the irony of the indignation expressed by OOB parents when confronted with the reality that most WOTP parents desire their kid to attend a true neighborhood school. Because in reality it is the OOB parents who don't think their neighborhood kids are good enough, otherwise why would you not attend your IB school. See how that works? On one hand you are saying "we are just like you, so what difference does it make where we live." But your actions are telling how you really feel. Think we need more honesty here.

I don't understand the point that you are trying to make. It is true that, for whatever reasons, OOB families have decided that their neighborhood schools are not a good fit. I don't think anyone disputes that. There are also plenty of families WOTP who have similarly decided that their neighborhood schools are not the best choice. Lots of factors go into decisions about schools. But, what OOB families get upset about is not the school choices that others make, but rather the belief by some that OOB students are by definition negative factors in a school. It is particularly strange to suggest that OOB students are a significant downside to a school except when your child is the OOB student. There is a disconnect in thinking that because of your desire for your children to attend a neighborhood school, you are going to avoid your neighborhood school and instead choose a school that is not a neighborhood school.

There are 2 draws to WOTP DCPS schools - (1) academic achievement and (2) community centers. Large numbers of OOB kids may, or may not, affect academic achievement. But they absolutely do affect the school as the center of the community. A neighborhood school with 50% OOB kids isn't a neighborhood school.

That is not necessarily true. If the school's population was cut in half so that only the inbound students remained, would that make it a neighborhood school? It would still be the same number of inbound students. I think the absolute number is more important to community-building then the percentage. I still don't get why the fact that "it is not a neighborhood school" is a reason for going to a school that makes no pretensions at being a neighborhood school.

The point is that many/most people like neighborhood schools for the feeling of community they provide, and people, like OP, may be looking for that in a school. Eaton is set up to be a neighborhood school though it is not precisely because it has such a high OOB population. That is a detractor to many people.

And yes, when 50% of the school peels off across the city at 3 pm is does affect the ability of the school to be the center of the community. 50% of the parents have no stake in the area, aren't milling around the school park after pick up and drop off, don't care about neighborhood issues etc. They also are far less likely to be able to attend all the stuff after hours that help make a neighborhood school what it is.

It's fine if you don't consider the neighborhood-ness of a school to be a perk, but many people do.

I think you are going to start to see a new type of upper NW parent dynamic. In the old days the ultra liberals stayed and sent their kids to Deal and Wilson with a high tolerance for DCPS mediocrity. The rest of upper NW moved to Bethesda or went private. It's changing. Now the parents who would have moved to Bethesda are staying and scraping nickels and dimes together to buy tiny 1940 colonials and many are not going private. Many are planning to send their kids to Deal and Wilson in a few years, but these parents will not tolerate overcrowding or kids who are unprepared or disruptive. DCPS needs to get out in front of this because the pipeline will burst in about 5 years.

Well, you may be on to something but I can't help but to chuckle at the whole "will not tolerate" stuff. DCPS will play chicken with those families and win. Those principled parents will ultimately throw in the towel and move after all. They'll fight the good fight to try and alleviate crowding but for most of them it won't be in time for their kids. You'll see official boundary changes at the 10-year mark post DME boundary efforts of 2014. DCPS is trying the "build it and they will come" route with efforts like Brookland Middle led by the former Janney principal, and reopening MacFarland with promises of a quality experience, etc. But it will take time. I sat through just about every public meeting during the DME process and it was crystal clear that efforts to carve out more diverse feeder schools from Deal was not gonna happen. Nor were OOB feeder path rights going to be touched. Real estate is at a premium in DC and the mayors office (and DCPS) know that those parents who "won't tolerate" can leave and be replaced by other educated, wealthy people who might not even have kids, thus saving those tax dollars for other things like stadiums...

I think that the increasing intolerance of DC government mediocrity is not limited to Upper NW. It is spreading across the District. More and more people are just not interested in the "old DC way" of doing things and won't accept crappy service that formerly was considered good enough for DC. David Catania and certain members of the DC Council get this. Old style dinosaurs like Vincent Orange and Anita Bonds don't.