Shepherd vs. ITS

[Anonymous]

Many families in Shepherd Park, going back at least 15 years, have not sent their children to Shepherd reasons having little to do with their school. You need to acknowledge this to understand the shift and tension there.

A large percentage of SP families are Jewish and choose religious schools. They live there to be walking distance from one of the 2 synagogues. Mant neighbors are upper middle class AA or Black families who choose private schools for their kids at roughly the same rate as their WOTP white peers (1/2 of children WOTP are in private’s). Neither of these kinds of families want Deal but plenty of OOB families have flocked to fill Shepherd’s empty seats to secure those spots.

As aging residents pass away or move, new people are moving in, and the IB percentage is increasing. But that shift is bringing new expectations and demands. It takes time and is actually not unlike the tension in any DCPS when new IB families decide to opt into their IB and bump into a school community with different needs and expectations (is uniforms are fine or good).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many families in Shepherd Park, going back at least 15 years, have not sent their children to Shepherd reasons having little to do with their school. You need to acknowledge this to understand the shift and tension there.

A large percentage of SP families are Jewish and choose religious schools. They live there to be walking distance from one of the 2 synagogues. Mant neighbors are upper middle class AA or Black families who choose private schools for their kids at roughly the same rate as their WOTP white peers (1/2 of children WOTP are in private’s). Neither of these kinds of families want Deal but plenty of OOB families have flocked to fill Shepherd’s empty seats to secure those spots.

As aging residents pass away or move, new people are moving in, and the IB percentage is increasing. But that shift is bringing new expectations and demands. It takes time and is actually not unlike the tension in any DCPS when new IB families decide to opt into their IB and bump into a school community with different needs and expectations (is uniforms are fine or good).

Exactly. Also, IB attendance apparently used to be a lot higher, but fell under Michelle Rhee ten years ago. She fired Shepherd's principal, after which there was a succession of something like 6 principals in a 2-year period. Older neighbors told me that there was a lot of turmoil about the direction of the school, and many IB families pulled their kids out during this time. IB attendance has been slowly rebounding since then, helped by the addition of PK3 in 2013, and now the lower grades are almost 100% IB.

As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many families in Shepherd Park, going back at least 15 years, have not sent their children to Shepherd reasons having little to do with their school. You need to acknowledge this to understand the shift and tension there.

A large percentage of SP families are Jewish and choose religious schools. They live there to be walking distance from one of the 2 synagogues. Mant neighbors are upper middle class AA or Black families who choose private schools for their kids at roughly the same rate as their WOTP white peers (1/2 of children WOTP are in private’s). Neither of these kinds of families want Deal but plenty of OOB families have flocked to fill Shepherd’s empty seats to secure those spots.

As aging residents pass away or move, new people are moving in, and the IB percentage is increasing. But that shift is bringing new expectations and demands. It takes time and is actually not unlike the tension in any DCPS when new IB families decide to opt into their IB and bump into a school community with different needs and expectations (is uniforms are fine or good).

Exactly. Also, IB attendance apparently used to be a lot higher, but fell under Michelle Rhee ten years ago. She fired Shepherd's principal, after which there was a succession of something like 6 principals in a 2-year period. Older neighbors told me that there was a lot of turmoil about the direction of the school, and many IB families pulled their kids out during this time. IB attendance has been slowly rebounding since then, helped by the addition of PK3 in 2013, and now the lower grades are almost 100% IB.

As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

We're not talking about the families requiring a religious education or private school. There are many families who tried Shepherd then left for a charter or other DCPS or just went straight to a charter or other DCPS. Some go to 2nd or 3rd tier privates, but a school on par with say Murch would have kept them.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many families in Shepherd Park, going back at least 15 years, have not sent their children to Shepherd reasons having little to do with their school. You need to acknowledge this to understand the shift and tension there.

A large percentage of SP families are Jewish and choose religious schools. They live there to be walking distance from one of the 2 synagogues. Mant neighbors are upper middle class AA or Black families who choose private schools for their kids at roughly the same rate as their WOTP white peers (1/2 of children WOTP are in private’s). Neither of these kinds of families want Deal but plenty of OOB families have flocked to fill Shepherd’s empty seats to secure those spots.

As aging residents pass away or move, new people are moving in, and the IB percentage is increasing. But that shift is bringing new expectations and demands. It takes time and is actually not unlike the tension in any DCPS when new IB families decide to opt into their IB and bump into a school community with different needs and expectations (is uniforms are fine or good).

Exactly. Also, IB attendance apparently used to be a lot higher, but fell under Michelle Rhee ten years ago. She fired Shepherd's principal, after which there was a succession of something like 6 principals in a 2-year period. Older neighbors told me that there was a lot of turmoil about the direction of the school, and many IB families pulled their kids out during this time. IB attendance has been slowly rebounding since then, helped by the addition of PK3 in 2013, and now the lower grades are almost 100% IB.

As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

We're not talking about the families requiring a religious education or private school. There are many families who tried Shepherd then left for a charter or other DCPS or just went straight to a charter or other DCPS. Some go to 2nd or 3rd tier privates, but a school on par with say Murch would have kept them.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

PP. I also know someone who left Shepherd for a HRCS, but then came back a few months later. There are pluses and minuses to all schools.

I do think the religious school thing is really relevant to low IB attendance, because there are a ton of observant Jewish families in the neighborhood, probably more than any other Wilson feeder neighborhood. A few may send their kids to Shepherd for PK3/4, but then they pull their kids out for Milton (creating space for OOB, which isn't a bad thing).

Another factor is that the neighborhood is pretty tiny, and many homeowners are elderly. In the past year or two, it seems homes are really starting to turn over. For example, lots of ramblers on streets like E. Beach, Verbena, and Tamarack are being flipped recently. I think increased turnover will also lead to a higher IB rate in the next few years.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many families in Shepherd Park, going back at least 15 years, have not sent their children to Shepherd reasons having little to do with their school. You need to acknowledge this to understand the shift and tension there.

A large percentage of SP families are Jewish and choose religious schools. They live there to be walking distance from one of the 2 synagogues. Mant neighbors are upper middle class AA or Black families who choose private schools for their kids at roughly the same rate as their WOTP white peers (1/2 of children WOTP are in private’s). Neither of these kinds of families want Deal but plenty of OOB families have flocked to fill Shepherd’s empty seats to secure those spots.

As aging residents pass away or move, new people are moving in, and the IB percentage is increasing. But that shift is bringing new expectations and demands. It takes time and is actually not unlike the tension in any DCPS when new IB families decide to opt into their IB and bump into a school community with different needs and expectations (is uniforms are fine or good).

Exactly. Also, IB attendance apparently used to be a lot higher, but fell under Michelle Rhee ten years ago. She fired Shepherd's principal, after which there was a succession of something like 6 principals in a 2-year period. Older neighbors told me that there was a lot of turmoil about the direction of the school, and many IB families pulled their kids out during this time. IB attendance has been slowly rebounding since then, helped by the addition of PK3 in 2013, and now the lower grades are almost 100% IB.

As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

We're not talking about the families requiring a religious education or private school. There are many families who tried Shepherd then left for a charter or other DCPS or just went straight to a charter or other DCPS. Some go to 2nd or 3rd tier privates, but a school on par with say Murch would have kept them.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

PP. I also know someone who left Shepherd for a HRCS, but then came back a few months later. There are pluses and minuses to all schools.

I do think the religious school thing is really relevant to low IB attendance, because there are a ton of observant Jewish families in the neighborhood, probably more than any other Wilson feeder neighborhood. A few may send their kids to Shepherd for PK3/4, but then they pull their kids out for Milton (creating space for OOB, which isn't a bad thing).

Another factor is that the neighborhood is pretty tiny, and many homeowners are elderly. In the past year or two, it seems homes are really starting to turn over. For example, lots of ramblers on streets like E. Beach, Verbena, and Tamarack are being flipped recently. I think increased turnover will also lead to a higher IB rate in the next few years.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

Of course every school has pluses and minuses. We've already established that this isn't what we're discussing and is so broad as to have no relevance. The point is that Shepherd has more correctable issues than it should. A qualified leader could turn this around given the strong IB community. We're not dealing with huge swaths of systemic poverty here.

The families requiring religious or private education (not even considering publics) isn't a factor. I've already said this. The many families choosing charters or other DCPS are. This is where Shepherd's operating on a lower level is the issue.

I'm done arguing with boosters now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

This. My DD likes to have a uniform because of the freedom from fashion pressure. As a parent I am fine either way, and as it seems very important to some, am happy to go along with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

PP here, yes, the t-shirts thing is a great development. I guess that's why I speculated that uniforms would be on their way out eventually.

I really thought the white shirts were ridiculous on PK3/4 kids--at that age, mine would come home with a rainbow of food and marker colors on them daily, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

So don’t schools close by like Janney and Lafayette do uniforms? A big swath of the city DOES but then the JKLMs don’t. Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

So don’t schools close by like Janney and Lafayette do uniforms? A big swath of the city DOES but then the JKLMs don’t. Why?

Janney and Lafayette don't do uniforms. School uniforms have frequently been employed by lower income schools as a tool to control behavior. It's a very outdated practice, and considered to be ineffective. It's the opposite of progressive, along with negative reinforcement (which Shepherd also employs via the red/yellow/green behavior charts). JKLMs don't do uniforms because it screams "poor."

I understand that some Shepherd parents prefer uniforms, but it's yet another negative way that Shepherd isn't run the same way as the other Deal/Wilson feeders along with lower test scores and lower in boundary percentages. Personally, I'm strongly against uniforms as they're a very visible indicator of a lower performing school and it's out of touch with the actual boundary of the school. The optics are bad to have the higher performing, more white WOTP schools not require uniforms while the lower performing, more AA Shepherd requires uniforms. It sends the wrong message to the kids.

It would be such an easy thing for the school leadership to make uniforms optional. We could do school spirit days for kids to wear Shepherd t-shirts and sell special commemorative t-shirts for events so t-shirt sales don't decline (this is a source of income for the PTA).

Abolishing the uniform requirement is an example of the general outlook that would have to change at Shepherd to attract and retain more in boundary families. It's possible to be a traditional curriculum school yet still employ modern educational practices. The JKLMs do this better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

So don’t schools close by like Janney and Lafayette do uniforms? A big swath of the city DOES but then the JKLMs don’t. Why?

Janney and Lafayette don't do uniforms. School uniforms have frequently been employed by lower income schools as a tool to control behavior. It's a very outdated practice, and considered to be ineffective. It's the opposite of progressive, along with negative reinforcement (which Shepherd also employs via the red/yellow/green behavior charts). JKLMs don't do uniforms because it screams "poor."

I understand that some Shepherd parents prefer uniforms, but it's yet another negative way that Shepherd isn't run the same way as the other Deal/Wilson feeders along with lower test scores and lower in boundary percentages. Personally, I'm strongly against uniforms as they're a very visible indicator of a lower performing school and it's out of touch with the actual boundary of the school. The optics are bad to have the higher performing, more white WOTP schools not require uniforms while the lower performing, more AA Shepherd requires uniforms. It sends the wrong message to the kids.

It would be such an easy thing for the school leadership to make uniforms optional. We could do school spirit days for kids to wear Shepherd t-shirts and sell special commemorative t-shirts for events so t-shirt sales don't decline (this is a source of income for the PTA).

Abolishing the uniform requirement is an example of the general outlook that would have to change at Shepherd to attract and retain more in boundary families. It's possible to be a traditional curriculum school yet still employ modern educational practices. The JKLMs do this better.

Have you actually compared the test scores of Shepherd and Lafayette? You do know that the new school report card will adjust for demographics for you, right? You should read the two report cards before you continue to state Shepherd has lower test scores. My kid at MV doesn’t think his school shirt is a sign of being impoverished but opinions are like a$$holes I guess.

[Anonymous]

The uniform thing is irrelevant. I have a child in an upper grade. They do not enforce uniforms. My kid is rarely in compliance and no one has said anything.

As for why IB kids don’t attend, my kid and a handful of other inbound folks have opted for other schools because of special needs. DCPS sucks with special needs. Like profoundly sucks! My child went through intensive therapies and support to overcome the issue. We were comfortable going to DCPS now because there is no IEP needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

So don’t schools close by like Janney and Lafayette do uniforms? A big swath of the city DOES but then the JKLMs don’t. Why?

Janney and Lafayette don't do uniforms. School uniforms have frequently been employed by lower income schools as a tool to control behavior. It's a very outdated practice, and considered to be ineffective. It's the opposite of progressive, along with negative reinforcement (which Shepherd also employs via the red/yellow/green behavior charts). JKLMs don't do uniforms because it screams "poor."

I understand that some Shepherd parents prefer uniforms, but it's yet another negative way that Shepherd isn't run the same way as the other Deal/Wilson feeders along with lower test scores and lower in boundary percentages. Personally, I'm strongly against uniforms as they're a very visible indicator of a lower performing school and it's out of touch with the actual boundary of the school. The optics are bad to have the higher performing, more white WOTP schools not require uniforms while the lower performing, more AA Shepherd requires uniforms. It sends the wrong message to the kids.

It would be such an easy thing for the school leadership to make uniforms optional. We could do school spirit days for kids to wear Shepherd t-shirts and sell special commemorative t-shirts for events so t-shirt sales don't decline (this is a source of income for the PTA).

Abolishing the uniform requirement is an example of the general outlook that would have to change at Shepherd to attract and retain more in boundary families. It's possible to be a traditional curriculum school yet still employ modern educational practices. The JKLMs do this better.

Have you actually compared the test scores of Shepherd and Lafayette? You do know that the new school report card will adjust for demographics for you, right? You should read the two report cards before you continue to state Shepherd has lower test scores. My kid at MV doesn’t think his school shirt is a sign of being impoverished but opinions are like a$$holes I guess.

Adjusting for the demographics doesn't work if you're assessing peer group.

Shepherd: ELA: 54%, Math 53% proficient
Lafayette: ELA 77%, Math 82% proficient

[Anonymous]

At least five years ago, Shepherd had a real issue with bullying in the middle and upper grades... and an issue with an administration that didn't have a problem with it.

It is a competitive school. Students are encouraged to excel and there's nothing wrong with that, but they are a bit... zero sum about it. Outside of a charter school (where it's sadly actually legal), I've never seen a school more willing to weed out students who just don't fit.

That is not the job of a public elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
As for the uniforms mentioned by a PP, uniform requirements seem to less enforced over the past few years. I don't love them either, but many IB parents actually like them for their convenience. I wouldn't be surprised if uniforms go away after a few more years.

I haven't heard of any steps to eliminate the requirement for uniforms. What's your basis for thinking uniforms might go away after a few more years? That would be great but I'm not aware of this direction.

As for uniforms, that was just idle speculation on my part. I think enough parents would have to push the argument about uniforms having little bearing on test scores, behavior, etc. Right now, I think most people are fine with them.

The school did make a change in direction on uniforms this year. Kids can continue to wear the standard uniform (white polos, blue pants/shorts/skirts) or opt to wear a Shepherd t-shirt, of which there are multiple varieties. My little kids opt for the t-shirt nearly every day.

I never grew up with school uniforms, but I really love the idea of constraining what kids wear. One less distraction for the classroom, eliminates peer pressure for having the newest/coolest brands.

So don’t schools close by like Janney and Lafayette do uniforms? A big swath of the city DOES but then the JKLMs don’t. Why?

Janney and Lafayette don't do uniforms. School uniforms have frequently been employed by lower income schools as a tool to control behavior. It's a very outdated practice, and considered to be ineffective. It's the opposite of progressive, along with negative reinforcement (which Shepherd also employs via the red/yellow/green behavior charts). JKLMs don't do uniforms because it screams "poor."

I understand that some Shepherd parents prefer uniforms, but it's yet another negative way that Shepherd isn't run the same way as the other Deal/Wilson feeders along with lower test scores and lower in boundary percentages. Personally, I'm strongly against uniforms as they're a very visible indicator of a lower performing school and it's out of touch with the actual boundary of the school. The optics are bad to have the higher performing, more white WOTP schools not require uniforms while the lower performing, more AA Shepherd requires uniforms. It sends the wrong message to the kids.

It would be such an easy thing for the school leadership to make uniforms optional. We could do school spirit days for kids to wear Shepherd t-shirts and sell special commemorative t-shirts for events so t-shirt sales don't decline (this is a source of income for the PTA).

Abolishing the uniform requirement is an example of the general outlook that would have to change at Shepherd to attract and retain more in boundary families. It's possible to be a traditional curriculum school yet still employ modern educational practices. The JKLMs do this better.

Have you actually compared the test scores of Shepherd and Lafayette? You do know that the new school report card will adjust for demographics for you, right? You should read the two report cards before you continue to state Shepherd has lower test scores. My kid at MV doesn’t think his school shirt is a sign of being impoverished but opinions are like a$$holes I guess.

Adjusting for the demographics doesn't work if you're assessing peer group.

Shepherd: ELA: 54%, Math 53% proficient
Lafayette: ELA 77%, Math 82% proficient

Uh, what does this mean? What do you think the presence of a less affluent peer group means for your kids? Spit it out.