Middle Schools for Cap Hill

[Anonymous]

Is there a way to close this thread? I think the two of you are basically agreeing. The anonymity of this forum makes things impossible. There WERE people on this thread earlier that were making judgmental and negative comments about schools with certain test scores, and assuming the intentions of parents who sent their kids there. There were negative comments made about the behavior of parents who send their kids to IB schools, calling them preachy and acting for political reasons. Doesn't sound like that was you, given your recent posts. Parents have the right and opportunity to send their kids wherever is best for them. We need to stop cutting each other down and bickering, and assuming or judging people for their choices, full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everybody doesn't care for the way you IB parents are lending a hand. Boycotts have their uses.

So we should boycott the school we think has a good chance of working for our kid, because you don’t think it works for your kid? makes a lot of sense.

DP but no, no one is saying don't send your kid to your IB if that's what you want. People are specifically reacting to the attitude that choosing not to attend the IB is some kind of betrayal. It's not. It's a practical choice to give your kid the education and environment they need.

And I think a lot of people are also pointing out the inherent privilege of certain parents insisting that the IB school is good enough because they have resources that will ensure their kid is never really in danger of missing out on opportunities by attending a struggling IB school. That privilege might take the form of being wealthy enough to afford to supplement and support your kid outside of school so they don't fall behind academically, having kids without SNs that might require a different school environment, being white, or being firmly ensconced in the UMC versus maybe being the first generation of your family to attend college or have a professional career and feeling more a more tenuous hold on future opportunities for your child. Criticizing people for going to charters, moving, or attending private schools as being part of the problem often ignores these privileges and assumes that every family IB for SH, EH, or JA is similarly sitauted. We aren't. Some of us rightfully worry more about how going to a MS where many kids test below grade level and behavioral issues are common might impact our child's chances of going to college or getting the education they need to do well as an adult. The refusal to even acknowledge that is really insulting.

Curious that you’d throw around the accusation of “privilege” when your supposed solution (moving or going private) is even more privileged.

Believe it or not I want to send my kid IB because I like the neighborhood, don’t want to move, and would like to keep them with friends. It is actually a pretty basic and normal thing people do everywhere with no ulterior motive.

But see this is an example of assuming everyone is in your same situation, or that you understand the financial situation of everyone else. For many people on the Hill, moving out of DC would cost less money. Certainly true for anyone who is renting, provided they could move somewhere that enabled their commute. Unless you are wealthy or acquired your house more than 1-15 years ago, there are many DC suburbs with more appealing MS options that are likely less expensive than living on the Hill. There are people who sacrifice family vacations and retirement savings to send their kids to parochial schools because they believe the environment will be better for their kids. And charters don't cost anything beyond the cost of commute, which could easily be worth it to even a working class family who worries about the opportunities at the IB school.

I agree sending your kid to your IB school for the reasons you state is basic and normal. All I am saying is that there are people who make other choices for other "basic and normal" reasons, and then get yelled at. No one is attacking you for attending your IB school. They are just saying that maybe it isn't for them. You are the one getting angry at people for their choices. I'm saying all choices are valid, and you keep hearing "I don't like your choice." Ask yourself why.

Nobody is yelling at you. You are imagining that. I literally never said anything about your choice. I realize other people make different choices. I think it's absurd to say that I'm somehow more privileged because I can make sure my kid is learning math, whereas the people who can pick up and move to a suburb are less privileged. Makes zero sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everybody doesn't care for the way you IB parents are lending a hand. Boycotts have their uses.

So we should boycott the school we think has a good chance of working for our kid, because you don’t think it works for your kid? makes a lot of sense.

DP but no, no one is saying don't send your kid to your IB if that's what you want. People are specifically reacting to the attitude that choosing not to attend the IB is some kind of betrayal. It's not. It's a practical choice to give your kid the education and environment they need.

And I think a lot of people are also pointing out the inherent privilege of certain parents insisting that the IB school is good enough because they have resources that will ensure their kid is never really in danger of missing out on opportunities by attending a struggling IB school. That privilege might take the form of being wealthy enough to afford to supplement and support your kid outside of school so they don't fall behind academically, having kids without SNs that might require a different school environment, being white, or being firmly ensconced in the UMC versus maybe being the first generation of your family to attend college or have a professional career and feeling more a more tenuous hold on future opportunities for your child. Criticizing people for going to charters, moving, or attending private schools as being part of the problem often ignores these privileges and assumes that every family IB for SH, EH, or JA is similarly sitauted. We aren't. Some of us rightfully worry more about how going to a MS where many kids test below grade level and behavioral issues are common might impact our child's chances of going to college or getting the education they need to do well as an adult. The refusal to even acknowledge that is really insulting.

Curious that you’d throw around the accusation of “privilege” when your supposed solution (moving or going private) is even more privileged.

Believe it or not I want to send my kid IB because I like the neighborhood, don’t want to move, and would like to keep them with friends. It is actually a pretty basic and normal thing people do everywhere with no ulterior motive.

(and if you read the thread I don’t believe anyone insulted you. You’re projecting.)

I didn't say someone insulted me. I said that the refusal to acknowledge I (or other families) might have a valid reason for choosing to attend a school other than our IB MS is insulting. Because it assumes that the only possible option is the one you have chosen, and that no one could possibly have a different situation that requires a different solution. That IS insulting. You are not me. You cannot know what who would do in my position.

You are majorly projecting. Nobody said that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to close this thread? I think the two of you are basically agreeing. The anonymity of this forum makes things impossible. There WERE people on this thread earlier that were making judgmental and negative comments about schools with certain test scores, and assuming the intentions of parents who sent their kids there. There were negative comments made about the behavior of parents who send their kids to IB schools, calling them preachy and acting for political reasons. Doesn't sound like that was you, given your recent posts. Parents have the right and opportunity to send their kids wherever is best for them. We need to stop cutting each other down and bickering, and assuming or judging people for their choices, full stop.

I don't get why UMC CH parents bother with DCPS options after 5th grade. Yes, it's nice to send your kid to a walkable school with a few old friends, but beyond that, the appeal is lost on me, a CH resident since the 90s.

I made a point of visiting the 3 CH middle schools this school year, on weekdays days when students were in the buildings. I've talked to a number of high SES IB parents who send their children to each and still don't see the appeal.

These programs don't offer designated test-in "honors" (grade level) classes, other than for math and ELA at SH. The hallways and playgrounds are rowdy (at least by my standards), the student bodies can be described as diverse, and pre-Covid scores were alarming overall in each case. Most worrying, senior admins seem to quit on a regular basis.

Granted, my comments are "negative," slam me for that, but I visited the schools looking for positives.

[Anonymous]

Can't be described as diverse.

[Anonymous]

Much nicer buildings that the BASIS cave! Who could argue with that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to close this thread? I think the two of you are basically agreeing. The anonymity of this forum makes things impossible. There WERE people on this thread earlier that were making judgmental and negative comments about schools with certain test scores, and assuming the intentions of parents who sent their kids there. There were negative comments made about the behavior of parents who send their kids to IB schools, calling them preachy and acting for political reasons. Doesn't sound like that was you, given your recent posts. Parents have the right and opportunity to send their kids wherever is best for them. We need to stop cutting each other down and bickering, and assuming or judging people for their choices, full stop.

I don't get why UMC CH parents bother with DCPS options after 5th grade. Yes, it's nice to send your kid to a walkable school with a few old friends, but beyond that, the appeal is lost on me, a CH resident since the 90s.

I made a point of visiting the 3 CH middle schools this school year, on weekdays days when students were in the buildings. I've talked to a number of high SES IB parents who send their children to each and still don't see the appeal.

These programs don't offer designated test-in "honors" (grade level) classes, other than for math and ELA at SH. The hallways and playgrounds are rowdy (at least by my standards), the student bodies can be described as diverse, and pre-Covid scores were alarming overall in each case. Most worrying, senior admins seem to quit on a regular basis.

Granted, my comments are "negative," slam me for that, but I visited the schools looking for positives.

That's why folks are advocating for change. For example, if the Eastern student body was moved to Stuart Hobson, and Eastern was repurposed as a Deal-size middle school that all the Hill elementary schools fed into, and if honors classes were offered at that new middle school, folks would send their kids.

[Anonymous]

meaning, if you barred the current student body, which is low-income and by and large from Ward 7 or 8, unless they could qualify for honors classes (which given the number of PARCC or AP top scores from those Wards' residents and schools, we know would exclude them) and only allowed the upper-income householders of Capitol Hill to send their kids to a large middle school, with large middle school size opportunities, it would succeed.

Just to clarify.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:meaning, if you barred the current student body, which is low-income and by and large from Ward 7 or 8, unless they could qualify for honors classes (which given the number of PARCC or AP top scores from those Wards' residents and schools, we know would exclude them) and only allowed the upper-income householders of Capitol Hill to send their kids to a large middle school, with large middle school size opportunities, it would succeed.

Just to clarify.

Yeah, if middle class and UMC capitol hill residents sent their kids to an combined in-boundary middle school, it would succeed. That's the entire point. Not sure what you mean about Wards 7 and 8. Some Ward 7/8 elementary schools would feed into it, if you combined Jefferson, Elliot-Hine and Stuart Hobson. Unless you object to potentially fewer OOB students getting into Hill middle schools. But that's what happens at Deal now and I don't hear anyone whining about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:meaning, if you barred the current student body, which is low-income and by and large from Ward 7 or 8, unless they could qualify for honors classes (which given the number of PARCC or AP top scores from those Wards' residents and schools, we know would exclude them) and only allowed the upper-income householders of Capitol Hill to send their kids to a large middle school, with large middle school size opportunities, it would succeed.

Just to clarify.

Yeah, if middle class and UMC capitol hill residents sent their kids to an combined in-boundary middle school, it would succeed. That's the entire point. Not sure what you mean about Wards 7 and 8. Some Ward 7/8 elementary schools would feed into it, if you combined Jefferson, Elliot-Hine and Stuart Hobson. Unless you object to potentially fewer OOB students getting into Hill middle schools. But that's what happens at Deal now and I don't hear anyone whining about that.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Advocate for change all you want. Hope and pray for change to your heart’s content. None is coming. Be ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to close this thread? I think the two of you are basically agreeing. The anonymity of this forum makes things impossible. There WERE people on this thread earlier that were making judgmental and negative comments about schools with certain test scores, and assuming the intentions of parents who sent their kids there. There were negative comments made about the behavior of parents who send their kids to IB schools, calling them preachy and acting for political reasons. Doesn't sound like that was you, given your recent posts. Parents have the right and opportunity to send their kids wherever is best for them. We need to stop cutting each other down and bickering, and assuming or judging people for their choices, full stop.

I don't get why UMC CH parents bother with DCPS options after 5th grade. Yes, it's nice to send your kid to a walkable school with a few old friends, but beyond that, the appeal is lost on me, a CH resident since the 90s.

I made a point of visiting the 3 CH middle schools this school year, on weekdays days when students were in the buildings. I've talked to a number of high SES IB parents who send their children to each and still don't see the appeal.

These programs don't offer designated test-in "honors" (grade level) classes, other than for math and ELA at SH. The hallways and playgrounds are rowdy (at least by my standards), the student bodies can be described as diverse, and pre-Covid scores were alarming overall in each case. Most worrying, senior admins seem to quit on a regular basis.

Granted, my comments are "negative," slam me for that, but I visited the schools looking for positives.

What were the reasons these parents gave you for why they are sending their kids to the schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Advocate for change all you want. Hope and pray for change to your heart’s content. None is coming. Be ready.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to close this thread? I think the two of you are basically agreeing. The anonymity of this forum makes things impossible. There WERE people on this thread earlier that were making judgmental and negative comments about schools with certain test scores, and assuming the intentions of parents who sent their kids there. There were negative comments made about the behavior of parents who send their kids to IB schools, calling them preachy and acting for political reasons. Doesn't sound like that was you, given your recent posts. Parents have the right and opportunity to send their kids wherever is best for them. We need to stop cutting each other down and bickering, and assuming or judging people for their choices, full stop.

I don't get why UMC CH parents bother with DCPS options after 5th grade. Yes, it's nice to send your kid to a walkable school with a few old friends, but beyond that, the appeal is lost on me, a CH resident since the 90s.

I made a point of visiting the 3 CH middle schools this school year, on weekdays days when students were in the buildings. I've talked to a number of high SES IB parents who send their children to each and still don't see the appeal.

These programs don't offer designated test-in "honors" (grade level) classes, other than for math and ELA at SH. The hallways and playgrounds are rowdy (at least by my standards), the student bodies can be described as diverse, and pre-Covid scores were alarming overall in each case. Most worrying, senior admins seem to quit on a regular basis.

Granted, my comments are "negative," slam me for that, but I visited the schools looking for positives.

What were the reasons these parents gave you for why they are sending their kids to the schools?

*Admins gave impressive presentations at open houses/evidence of strong leadership.
*Neighborhood school better than long commute to charter from CH (especially DCI, hour-long commute by public transportation).
*Effective differentiation in the classroom with "appropriate" challenge provided in core subjects.
*School buildings/campus nicely renovated recently = good facilities.
*Multiple friends from DCPS elementary school going.
*School offered particularly good SpEd help for rising 6th grader with special needs.

Reasons unsaid by parents that I suspect (though probably not all these reasons in case of a particular family):

*Helping to desegregate overwhelmingly AA/Latino DCPS neighborhood school as white family a priority vis a vis parents' politics. Some IB parents I spoke to clearly anti-charter.
*Child didn't get into Latin or BASIS and possibly Inspired Teaching, Two Rivers, CHML via lottery; prospects of getting off WLs before Oct. Count Day poor.
*Parents involved in ES PTA efforts to make the middle school feed work for one or more years prior to enrolling. Liked group spirit of PTA parents advocating for IB enrollment at the school.
*Would have gone w/a private/parochial school if could have afforded for all children in family.
*Parents not interested and/or able to homeschool for MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a way to close this thread? I think the two of you are basically agreeing. The anonymity of this forum makes things impossible. There WERE people on this thread earlier that were making judgmental and negative comments about schools with certain test scores, and assuming the intentions of parents who sent their kids there. There were negative comments made about the behavior of parents who send their kids to IB schools, calling them preachy and acting for political reasons. Doesn't sound like that was you, given your recent posts. Parents have the right and opportunity to send their kids wherever is best for them. We need to stop cutting each other down and bickering, and assuming or judging people for their choices, full stop.

I don't get why UMC CH parents bother with DCPS options after 5th grade. Yes, it's nice to send your kid to a walkable school with a few old friends, but beyond that, the appeal is lost on me, a CH resident since the 90s.

I made a point of visiting the 3 CH middle schools this school year, on weekdays days when students were in the buildings. I've talked to a number of high SES IB parents who send their children to each and still don't see the appeal.

These programs don't offer designated test-in "honors" (grade level) classes, other than for math and ELA at SH. The hallways and playgrounds are rowdy (at least by my standards), the student bodies can be described as diverse, and pre-Covid scores were alarming overall in each case. Most worrying, senior admins seem to quit on a regular basis.

Granted, my comments are "negative," slam me for that, but I visited the schools looking for positives.

What were the reasons these parents gave you for why they are sending their kids to the schools?

*Admins gave impressive presentations at open houses/evidence of strong leadership.
*Neighborhood school better than long commute to charter from CH (especially DCI, hour-long commute by public transportation).
*Effective differentiation in the classroom with "appropriate" challenge provided in core subjects.
*School buildings/campus nicely renovated recently = good facilities.
*Multiple friends from DCPS elementary school going.
*School offered particularly good SpEd help for rising 6th grader with special needs.

Reasons unsaid by parents that I suspect (though probably not all these reasons in case of a particular family):

*Helping to desegregate overwhelmingly AA/Latino DCPS neighborhood school as white family a priority vis a vis parents' politics. Some IB parents I spoke to clearly anti-charter.
*Child didn't get into Latin or BASIS and possibly Inspired Teaching, Two Rivers, CHML via lottery; prospects of getting off WLs before Oct. Count Day poor.
*Parents involved in ES PTA efforts to make the middle school feed work for one or more years prior to enrolling. Liked group spirit of PTA parents advocating for IB enrollment at the school.
*Would have gone w/a private/parochial school if could have afforded for all children in family.
*Parents not interested and/or able to homeschool for MS.

What makes you discount all the actual reasons they gave you?? Those all sound like good, normal reasons to send your kid to a neighborhood school.