Lowell, Green Acres, Burgundy Farms

[Anonymous]

We applied to all three this year. Two questions:

1. After reading all the threads on this list I'm getting a little nervous. Every family (read: 4 or 5) I know who has applied to these schools were accepted. Does anyone know anyone whose child was rejected from one of these schools? Does anyone know if the waitlists at these schools are genuine or do they waitlist everyone they do not admit outright? I heard that GDS waitlists everyone else and no one ever gets off.

2. If you were admitted to all three, which would you pick and why? Our family LOVED LOVED Green Acres but the commute might not be justifiable when we are within a stone's throw from Lowell.

[Anonymous]

What kind of commute are you talking about? More than 30 minutes is a bit much for a child.

[Anonymous]

I think it would be about a 25 min bus ride/35 min car ride.

[Anonymous]

Did you check in rush hour traffic?

[Anonymous]

We liked Burgundy Farms, but it is too far for us.

[Anonymous]

We liked Green Acres too. But we had one concern, they give off the impression that they are not cherry picking students, but they do. They prefer older kids (fall and winter babies), and they do their own academic assessment, while saying they don't need a WPPSI. It just seems to be a bit fake. They are probably just as concerned as the other schools are about getting the bright kids, but don't show it. I know another family who got this impression too.

[Anonymous]

OP: I am glad that you asked this question b/c I have been trying to get info. on these schools as well, but I haven't gotten any real substantial feedback. I do have some questions/concerns about the schools, similar to those of the OP. We've talked to a few families whose kids attended -- mind you, just a few -- but their responses were all along the same lines: "Well, we didn't get into school X, so we ended up [insert one of the three schools here]." This is followed by something similar to: "The kids love it, though" and then "...but we aren't sure the academics are that strong."

This has been very disconcerting for us b/c the reason we specifically searched out these schools is b/c we think the progressive approach is a good one for our kids. But at least for the few families we spoke to it seems as if they were the fall-back schools. It just gives a weird impression....and not at all what I expected to hear.

I know I am basing this on a very, very small # of people; I am sure the majority of folks must actively seek out the programs as we are... We are really enthusiastic about progressive approaches and thought we'd run into parents who were just as passionate about them and had these schools as their first choice. But we just haven't run into any yet. It's a bit deflating.

[Anonymous]

I guess that everyone wants to know, what's the real scoop on these schools?

[Anonymous]

I have looked at these schools as well. The one that seems to stand out for us is Sheridan School. They are progressive but within the progessiveness there is structure. Kids know where they stand and what the rules are. I also understand that they do deny those students who will not be able to progress to what becomes a pretty tough curriculum.
I do agree with the person who wrote that Sheridan is one of the best schools around.

[Anonymous]

We visited Burgundy Farms and loved it. They also seemed to have structure within their progressiveness, but I don't think that is the exception to the rule. Progressive education doesn't mean unstructured, although the active learning certainly can look different than a traditional school's methods and perhaps seem that way. We are more concerned about whether the schools are really delivering what they promise in their missions and that our child will be with other kids who truly are a good match for a progressive education (in contrast to kids who end up there only because their parents applied there as a safety school! I think maybe that was one of the things the OP was getting at when s/he said does anyone ever get rejected from the schools, but I certainly don't want to put words in anyone's mouth!!!). Anyway, we personally thought Burgundy was terrific, both b/c of the physical environment but also what they say their teaching philosophies and methods are. And our child certainly had a blast running around there during the open house.

But, as PP 19:56 said, I wish we could "get the real scoop" on these schools. I would hate to think that the schools were using it as some marketing tool b/c 'progressive' sounds good but then not delivering. That sounds cynical, I know, but ....

[Anonymous]

Let me speak about Lowell a little bit. We chose Lowell as our first choice at Pre-K because of the progressive philosophy and what we perceived as the fit between that philosophy and our child. (for example, although we live much closer, we affirmatively disliked Beauvoir and did not apply there or at Sidwell). We have been extremely pleased with the school both academically and socially (now in 1st and 3rd grades). I think that the bulk of the families we know there are similar and certainly appreciate the philosophy (those who are not a good fit either don't apply or leave).

What does the progressive philosophy mean to day to day learning/school? The philosophy is to treat the kids as the stewards of their school environment and the teachers as helpers or facillitators. The teachers are amazing and really know each child as an individual. Kids are evaluated where they are and pushed forward, but not in a competitive or judgmental way. Example: my 1st grader was not writing very neatly and the teachers recognized that she could do better, so they pushed her to make sure to do her "best" writing every time and her writing improved dramatically. But that message was given in an individual encouragement to move forward and push her, not by giving her a "bad grade" and, for a kid who was trying his best but not yet able to write better, the teaching would have been different.

There is a lot of student direction built into the program: kids have to read, but choose what books to read (with direction from teachers); kids do projects but have a wide range of choice about subject and type of project. Along with the choice, however, there is a lot of emphasis on responsibility. They expect the kids, not the adults to do the homework and check it. We are told not to fix or correct the homework so that they can see what the kids know or don't know. They expect the third graders to be responsible for their own homework and other things they need to bring.

The school day is in fact quite "structured" in the sense of having particular subjects at particular times and having lots of academic time. The learning is less lecture and more participation/discussion but the material is getting covered. I feel like the proof is in the pudding in that both of my kids learned to read and are above grade level readers with absolutely no stress/anxiety about it. They are both curious about the world, love going to school, like to learn about new things, and love each and every one of their teachers. They also have a very strong effort to make sure that social interaction is healthy and that the kids turn out to be good kids.

The kids do get evaluated regularly, but the evaluations are based on whether or not particular skills have been mastered (not "grades") and the bulk of the evaluation is an individualized written assessment from the teacher.

We will be headed from Lowell into a private DC school when the time comes. Given my oldest's competitive nature and academic skills, it may be that we will be headed to a competitive academic environment such as those discussed here. I have to say that unlike many of those here, I dread that day because I think it is so hard to provide a healthy outlook on life and not overstress our kids in those environments. In any event, I have no doubts that my kids are being taught what they need to know to be successful people and students at Lowell.

On your other questions, I know kids who were not accepted at Lowell and also at Green Acres. It is certainly true that there are fewer rejections than some of the other schools because not everyone applies to Lowell. It depends a lot on which entry year you are applying to, as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let me speak about Lowell a little bit.......(those who are not a good fit either don't apply or leave).

Lowell alum parent here: I definitely agree that those who are not a good fit leave. We left because we felt that there wasn't enough structure or academics, that some of the teachers (particularly kindergarten and 1st grade) were a bit "checked out" or not vested, and that there were an inordinate number of "special needs or high needs" kids in our child's class such that the teachers were focused on a few versus the class as a whole. For us as parents, it was hard to get our arms around (and feel comfortable with / trust) the curriculum. From a child's perspective, our child was not happy at Lowell and even now on occasion talks about how he doesn't like the school. (We still take swim lessons at Lowell). After the first day at the new school, our child remarked "and the teachers didn't even yell at us". That told us all we needed to know.

We were at Lowell for two years. It was not our first choice. As the PP mentioned, there are families for whom Lowell is their first choice. The message here is that when looking at the schools, it's probably a good idea to focus on whether the school's philosophy matches yours and what you want for your child....with less focus on the hype of reputation, big 3, etc.

[Anonymous]

Is this the case for Burgundy and Green Acres (that there are a higher # of 'high needs' students), too? Not that I have anything against a school that has kids with a wide range of needs, but if the teachers have to focus much more attn. and energy on a few vs. the whole as PP felt, I too would find that a problem.

[Anonymous]

Beware of GA. I know a family that went there thinking that it would be a good fit for their son who had a few issues. They were told in an indirect way that they should look elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

10:06 can you tell us what type of school you transferred to? Religious? Public? Traditional?