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DC Public and Public Charter Schools
Is your kid in 8th grade at Washington Latin?
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Anonymous
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Best wishes to the staff and administration at Washington Latin. I am really really hoping WL can get over the hump and turn their HS into something special. We got into a DCPS that is really good through grade 4. We cannot afford private school in DC, we HATE living in suburbia, yet we have very high standards for middle and high school - the foundation for success at college. DC definitely needs more options for middle and HS!
I spent my MS-HS years in the inner city but went to a very small private school for HS (that I could not now afford to send my own kids to, thankfully my own parents were deeply in student debt at the time, and got financial aid.) The difference is amazing, in terms of foreign language options, advanced placement classes, writing instruction, advanced math, art history etc. Also the expectations of other students around you - everyone was trying to get into a great college. The state universities were considered "safety schools." When your friends expect great things, you want those things for your own future and work hard to get them. No way am I sending my DD to Wilson, Roosevelt, Cardozo, Ballou...and I could care less about sports teams, although DD may not feel that way. A science or arts magnet school, maybe...anyway, WL is poised to become the future school of choice for many DC families, if they can just get it together. |
Anonymous
Hey- thank you for your positivity! If you are eyeing the school for later, feel free to visit the web site now and get to know the school : www.latinpcs.org. Participation and partnership from the greater community is always welcome  thank you and congrats on finding a good k - 4.
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Anonymous
| And now to do something about those mushrooms in the drama closet... |
Anonymous
| I didn't even know there was a drama closet? Sounds like the kind of place teenagers would head to make out. Anyway, sounds like a good target for the next school cleanup day. Bring your weed killer everyone! |
Anonymous
| I think I'd rather have mushrooms than weed killer! |
Anonymous
| It's probably someones forgotten science fair project, no? |
Anonymous
No, sadly. The school buildings have always been in tough shape. This school needs an angel to purchase a building. Otherwise, they'll continue to pay high rental rates for substandard space, just like all the other charters. It's sad, but it is the plight of charter schools and the WL parents just can not (or perhaps do not) give large amounts of money to the school. The auction raised a little, but not nearly the kind of money necessary to really change the environment at the school. The academics are pretty good, but not private school quality. |
Anonymous
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Can anyone describe how the "socratic learning" method is working in the high school? It sounds like it would be hard to implement well. Do they use it for all subjects or for a few?
Also, how difficult would it be to enter in 9th grade and catch up with the Latin in addition to the other subjects? |
Anonymous
| I agree that real estate is the bane of charter schools. Parents should always make giving to their child's education a priority, but it is not feasible that the parent body at WL can carry the full burden of finding a permanent home for the school. Advocacy to the City Council for equity in funding would be more effective, and looking for grants and partnerships. www.focus.org is advocating for a higher per pupil funding for charters that recognizes the leg up in the funding formula that DCPS has in terms of already having secured facilities. Both are public schools (I support both) but charters really, truly need more funding to make a go of it in this city's real estate market. Vis comparing WL to privates-- it's apples and oranges. Even comparing privates to privates can be apples and oranges. I personally would choose a strong public education over all but a few privates ( gravitate to the more salt of the earth ones, like Gonzaga), and there are lots of reasons for that. I am not dissing privates--but you also think about what is right for your child and family and ideology. There are positives that public ed has (and by the way-I have nothing against privates and heavily support vouchers too - choice! choice!) that 'money can't buy'. I particularly like the lack of emphasis on materialism or name college/grades for example. My child competes against...my child, and is growing up remarkably secure. To me that's a big positive. |
Anonymous
Dear parent, I'm assuming that Latin 1 is offered in 9th so no catching up is required. Your child would graduate with 4 years of Latin. If you have specific curricular questions, contact Diana Smith at the school. This is a busy week I'd bet, but I'm sure she would be happy to help you once the school year wraps up! |
Anonymous
There is a lot of turnover at 9th and traditionally most of the students are new to the school at that point. The school definitely offers Latin 1 in 9th. The math curriculum has changed. The most advanced rising 9th graders, most of whom are leaving, had geometry in 8th and will be moving to Alegebra 2 in 9th. Beginning in 2010, the most advanced 9th graders will take geometry because the school started teaching algebra over two years instead of one. Depending on where you are coming from, you could be ahead, behind or right on track for math. I think Deal's advanced kids still take geometry in 8th. The school would certainly accommodate you. None of the other classes are tracked.
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Anonymous
I do not think the school has implemented socratic learning yet. A few years down the road.
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Anonymous
| Does the school offer advanced calculus by 12th grade? |
Anonymous
There is no 12th grade yet. I assume the school will offer calculus if/when the need is there. As others have discussed earlier in the thread, most of the higher achieving kids have moved to other schools for high school in recent years. |
Anonymous
| That not completely true and the school will offer advanced math, science and AP |