DC at "good" private school, but not overly impressed. Public option?

[Anonymous]

My DC is at one of the frequently mentioned good schools on this board. I love the school, class sizes are small, but not small enough, and some teachers (a few) not well qualified. I still have to work very hard at night supplementing the DUMB Everyday Math. I still have done 3 times as much reading with her than her teachers. Not saying that they did not work with her. I would miss early Spanish, but could supplement with tutor. Would miss music, could supplement.
We could get into a better school district and better schools, with a bit of cash. I have the feeling that I would get the same outcome by doing what I am doing now, being a vigilant parent. MCPS uses the same DUMB EDM. I would still have to read a lot to her....

Anyone else going through this process?

[Anonymous]

You are absolutely correct ... and it's cheaper (MCPS + parental supplementation)! If you're fortunate to hit the magnet experiences in elementary and middle school (e.g., Cold Spring ES and Takoma Park MS) I do not believe there is a private school in the area that comes close to this final academic product (for example, simply look State to State at the middle schools that top the Math Count, AMC 8 and AMC 10 national competitions year in and out over the last decade).

If you need the social network that accompanies elite private education you can get this later at the high school level when there is much more return on your investment (science labs, AP type courses, better teachers) .. Or you can move on to the Blair magnet high school if labels and hobnobbing with the rich and famous is not your bag.

[Anonymous]

I am a parent with a child now in MS and have gone through what OP is experiencing. We were at a fine private school and supplementing throughout LS as our child needed more of a challenge. Moved into MS and teaches were worse, math program laughable and child becoming bored with classes and wanting more.

We were angry that we had to do so much supplementing. Just because a private school has a good reputation doesn't mean that all of its grades hold up academically. In our case, the LS was fairly good but the MS was horrible. In most cases, parents should not need to be supplementing.

We ended up moving to another private school with even smaller classes, a better math program, focused sports program, etc. It was a perfect fit for our child and gave him everything he needed. No more supplementing. I can't tell you how much easier it is for our entire family that our child gets everything he needs from school. No more outside lessons, no schlepping in the car, etc.

I know of so many families who are unhappy with their child's current school program but avoid thinking about moving. A big mistake.

OP - sounds like you have some real concerns. I think it would be really beneficial to explore other options and then sit down and compare the current school with another option. Do keep in mind that with the recession, many families are flocking to excellent public school systems so class size might be affected. Do think long and short term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:simply look State to State at the middle schools that top the Math Count, AMC 8 and AMC 10 national competitions year in and out over the last decade

PP, could you please post links to these exam results, so we can see for ourselves? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Simply "google" Math Counts, AMC 8, AMC 10, MOEMS, and review the respective web sites. All information regarding annual results per student, school and State are there. Go the web site: Art of Problem Solving for more in depth analysis about mathematics education. By far the best resource available to date. You'll spend hours getting lost in a wealth of information, advice and guidance.

[Anonymous]

I'll check MOEMS now, but I have googled the others. While there is a lot of interesting info, I don't see any state-by-state lists that allow for comparison of middle schools. The best I've found so far is a list of nationwide top-scorers for AMC 8/10/12, which doesn't allow me to compare local schools. More help appreciated.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My child is not highly gifted. I am not supplementing because I feel DC is not challenged. I just hate EDM and feel a need to correct the damage, like many other parents. I just think that if I am in private school, I should not have to be dealing with such a heavily criticized curriculum.
Also, I do not feel that my money would be better spent in high school. I am actually impressed with MCPS at the high school level. I see few privates that compete. So we definitely want public HS.
I chose private school because of smaller class sizes, hopefully helping DC focus. It might have made a difference.
I love the extras.
But I think at that price, I should not have to worry about math.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely right on the math issue, OP. I'm the 6:31 poster and really got fed up with EDM. The majority of privates have gotten rid of it already. Even the founder of TJ and now Head of Potomac said that studies show conclusively that it is a faulty program.

Math was one of the biggest reasons we left our school (that and the fact it was not up for review) for one that embraced something else with proven results. We have seen a huge difference at the new school. Even my child is happy with the math class.

I think the sign of a really great school is one that is proactive and reviews curriculum regularly. Check and see if it's on the list at your school. Every school selects a number of classes every year for review.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely right on the math issue, OP. I'm the 6:31 poster and really got fed up with EDM. The majority of privates have gotten rid of it already. Even the founder of TJ and now Head of Potomac said that studies show conclusively that it is a faulty program.

Math was one of the biggest reasons we left our school (that and the fact it was not up for review) for one that embraced something else with proven results. We have seen a huge difference at the new school. Even my child is happy with the math class.

I think the sign of a really great school is one that is proactive and reviews curriculum regularly. Check and see if it's on the list at your school. Every school selects a number of classes every year for review.

Doesn't Sidwell, and GDS still use it?

[Anonymous]

From what I understand, GDS still uses it (goes through 6th grade). But they are known more for their arts and less for their math and science. Go to any school known for the latter and they won't have it.

From my experience and talking with friends, the progressives tend to use it and the more traditional schools avoid EDM.

[Anonymous]

doesn't beauvoir use everday math? what about ncs/sta? what does potomac use?

[Anonymous]

I am pretty sure that Sidwell uses it. Green Acres does not use it. That said, before GA abandoned it, they defended it. Now they sort of brag about not using it.

[Anonymous]

Furthermore, I can't believe that we struggle to get into these schools with such flimsy math and science programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what I understand, GDS still uses it (goes through 6th grade). But they are known more for their arts and less for their math and science. Go to any school known for the latter and they won't have it.

From my experience and talking with friends, the progressives tend to use it and the more traditional schools avoid EDM.

GDS uses EDM and, among DC privates, has one of the strongest math programs. (No reason a school can't have a great arts program and a strong math program!!) Like Sidwell GDS's HS math curriculum extends at least full year beyond AP Calc BC.

GDS uses EDM and supplements it in a variety of ways (e.g. CML and Math Olympiad (more thinky and problem-solving oriented), 24 game (more drill), Morning Math and Number Crunchers (more concrete/manipulative)). The math faculty have tracked students' performance on standardized math tests (ERBs) and compared before and after EDM. Scores have gone steadily upward since the adoption of EDM.

Schools known for math and science are typically HS and the Everyday Math curriculum is an elementary school curriculum. That's why it isn't used.

[Anonymous]

Potomac and SSSAS are known for their match and science programs before HS. They have won lots of awards in team math and science competitions. SSSAS MS math teacher just won Educator of the Year Award this past year.

The reason GDS may do so well on math is that they don't use EDM exclusively. Big diff. Their math program is not exceptional in 1-6 where EDM is used. It is after 6th grade, and with a different program, that their math gets stronger. At least they recognize they need more than just EDM.