Experience with Macfarland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid doesn’t go to McFarland, but thank you for your concern.

In any event, the PARCC data I’ve seen indicates that upper-income kids in EOPT DCPS middle schools generally do as well as those WOTP.

Some people might not have full confidence that their kids can thrive in certain environments, and that’s totally fine. But it still seems odd to me that they feel qualified to come on here and openly judge schools with which they’ve had no actual experience.

So where does your kid go to school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Previous poster with kid attending. Kid went in above grade level is still very above grade level. Kid isn’t bored. Kid perhaps not as academically challenged as they might be elsewhere (but they are in dual language classes as a non-native speaker so they are challenged in that way). Some teachers make an effort to differentiate.

Kid is being challenged non-academically by being in a majority POC environment with students of very varying proficiencies and abilities. They are not the only academically advanced kid.

There are some team sports after school (competitive and club). There are some after school clubs. Kid has made new friend at MacFarland. Arabic is offered to all students, and intro Spanish to students who who are not in dual language classes (DL students take a more advance SLA). They go on field trips, etc.

Some kids may be bored there, but my kid is not.

You are presenting a view of the score through rose colored glasses. The PARC numbers speak for themselves. There are very, very few high, achieving students at the school, and the overwhelming majority are below grade level. That is just a fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Previous poster with kid attending. Kid went in above grade level is still very above grade level. Kid isn’t bored. Kid perhaps not as academically challenged as they might be elsewhere (but they are in dual language classes as a non-native speaker so they are challenged in that way). Some teachers make an effort to differentiate.

Kid is being challenged non-academically by being in a majority POC environment with students of very varying proficiencies and abilities. They are not the only academically advanced kid.

There are some team sports after school (competitive and club). There are some after school clubs. Kid has made new friend at MacFarland. Arabic is offered to all students, and intro Spanish to students who who are not in dual language classes (DL students take a more advance SLA). They go on field trips, etc.

Some kids may be bored there, but my kid is not.

You are presenting a view of the score through rose colored glasses. The PARC numbers speak for themselves. There are very, very few high, achieving students at the school, and the overwhelming majority are below grade level. That is just a fact.

Well, if you read what PP wrote, they are not denying that at all. They pretty clearly state that the child is not being academically challenged. PP evidently is fine with this and sees the school as providing values in other ways. The PP believes that academic quality in MS *does not matter* for their child, because they believe their child will be “very above grade level” no matter what. PP clearly does not think the purpose of MS is for kids to be challenged and learn.

I don’t have any complaint about PP except for that they should be more forthcoming about HS and college plans. PP transparently believes MS is not important academically. If you share that belief, MacFarland may be fine for you too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak about the motivation of any particular individual. But I have a theory as to why some people feel the need to come on here and trash those of us who send our kids to EOTP DCPS middle schools.

I think many of the trash-talkers made the decision to move or go private/charter because they didn’t consider their in-bound to be a viable option. So when they see other parents on here saying how happy they are with their in-bound, they see it as undermining their own rationale for leaving the system. They say things like, “You can’t possibly be happy, or if you are, you shouldn’t be.” Or they accuse us of being “boosters,” etc.
(And, by the way, they seem very proud of their ability to look up and cite aggregate PARCC data for particular schools.)

To the folks who may fall into this category, perhaps it’s time for you to just move on. You made your choice, and I fully respect that. You don’t need to validate your decision by questioning the happiness of those of us who took a different path.

Nope, I am sending my kid to the IB. My specific complaint is people who leave out very key information when they say they “love” the school. Also people who actively try to discourage people voicing very reasonable concerns about the schools, like safety and academic quality.

Ok. So which specific IB does your kid attend and how does it do on safety and academic quality?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak about the motivation of any particular individual. But I have a theory as to why some people feel the need to come on here and trash those of us who send our kids to EOTP DCPS middle schools.

I think many of the trash-talkers made the decision to move or go private/charter because they didn’t consider their in-bound to be a viable option. So when they see other parents on here saying how happy they are with their in-bound, they see it as undermining their own rationale for leaving the system. They say things like, “You can’t possibly be happy, or if you are, you shouldn’t be.” Or they accuse us of being “boosters,” etc.
(And, by the way, they seem very proud of their ability to look up and cite aggregate PARCC data for particular schools.)

To the folks who may fall into this category, perhaps it’s time for you to just move on. You made your choice, and I fully respect that. You don’t need to validate your decision by questioning the happiness of those of us who took a different path.

Nope, I am sending my kid to the IB. My specific complaint is people who leave out very key information when they say they “love” the school. Also people who actively try to discourage people voicing very reasonable concerns about the schools, like safety and academic quality.

Ok. So which specific IB does your kid attend and how does it do on safety and academic quality?

Check back this time next year and I will let you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t speak about the motivation of any particular individual. But I have a theory as to why some people feel the need to come on here and trash those of us who send our kids to EOTP DCPS middle schools.

I think many of the trash-talkers made the decision to move or go private/charter because they didn’t consider their in-bound to be a viable option. So when they see other parents on here saying how happy they are with their in-bound, they see it as undermining their own rationale for leaving the system. They say things like, “You can’t possibly be happy, or if you are, you shouldn’t be.” Or they accuse us of being “boosters,” etc.
(And, by the way, they seem very proud of their ability to look up and cite aggregate PARCC data for particular schools.)

To the folks who may fall into this category, perhaps it’s time for you to just move on. You made your choice, and I fully respect that. You don’t need to validate your decision by questioning the happiness of those of us who took a different path.

Nope, I am sending my kid to the IB. My specific complaint is people who leave out very key information when they say they “love” the school. Also people who actively try to discourage people voicing very reasonable concerns about the schools, like safety and academic quality.

Ok. So which specific IB does your kid attend and how does it do on safety and academic quality?

Check back this time next year and I will let you know.

But which school is your IB middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

Classes with the majority of kids at or above grade level, which means teachers can teach accordingly. Much smaller proportion of kids completely failing, meaning resources can be distributed more evenly. I believe they also offer geometry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

Classes with the majority of kids at or above grade level, which means teachers can teach accordingly. Much smaller proportion of kids completely failing, meaning resources can be distributed more evenly. I believe they also offer geometry.

That’s circular logic. The post above suggested that Hardy did something to attract IB parents to the school in the first place. What exactly did it do that other schools are not doing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

Classes with the majority of kids at or above grade level, which means teachers can teach accordingly. Much smaller proportion of kids completely failing, meaning resources can be distributed more evenly. I believe they also offer geometry.

That’s circular logic. The post above suggested that Hardy did something to attract IB parents to the school in the first place. What exactly did it do that other schools are not doing?

Hopefully a Hardy/Deal parent will chime in. My understanding was that the principals did a lot of outreach about ensuring that the school would offer appropriate classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

Classes with the majority of kids at or above grade level, which means teachers can teach accordingly. Much smaller proportion of kids completely failing, meaning resources can be distributed more evenly. I believe they also offer geometry.

That’s circular logic. The post above suggested that Hardy did something to attract IB parents to the school in the first place. What exactly did it do that other schools are not doing?

Hopefully a Hardy/Deal parent will chime in. My understanding was that the principals did a lot of outreach about ensuring that the school would offer appropriate classes.

Really? So Hardy offers classes that are different from the standard DCPS middle school curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

Classes with the majority of kids at or above grade level, which means teachers can teach accordingly. Much smaller proportion of kids completely failing, meaning resources can be distributed more evenly. I believe they also offer geometry.

That’s circular logic. The post above suggested that Hardy did something to attract IB parents to the school in the first place. What exactly did it do that other schools are not doing?

Hopefully a Hardy/Deal parent will chime in. My understanding was that the principals did a lot of outreach about ensuring that the school would offer appropriate classes.

Really? So Hardy offers classes that are different from the standard DCPS middle school curriculum?

Well yes, they offer geometry that most EOTP MS do not. And they used to offer more tracked classes. More to the point is that principals like Melissa Kim made sure the teachers were doing what they should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an idea who 17:32 is and can’t believe they are still at MacFarland; our kids attended elementary school together until we left after 3rd grade. Their child is really bright and I’m surprised they are sticking it out for whatever reason.

hint: it’s called “grandma is paying for private high school and college, so we aren’t worried about MS.”

If that’s the reason then I think there are very compelling arguments for putting your child in an environment like MacFarland before they go to a private school bubble. You can supplement at home for a few years.

Who wants to supplement all subjects for 3 years in addition to trying to fit in sports and extracurriculars? There is only so much time in the day.

Lastly, how many kids are going to buy into that? A full day of wasted school and then coming home to a few hours of more work?

I feel sorry for OP’s kid because of some abstract values he holds to send his kid there. His kid is not only not meeting his full potential academically but is missing out on all the extras like OP said with clubs, sports, etc…

DP. Since these schools have no homework there’s plenty of time to supplement. Also using the IB school often means a much shorter commute. We were considering MCPS with a long bus ride … instead DS will just have a 10 min walk. I wish the school was better but I’m not worried about the time spent in tutoring. Especially since 1:1 tutoring is so effective, you don’t have to spend that much time on it.

So let me see here. You are saying your kid is going to a school like MacFarland which means you are supplementing in all subjects - math, English, science, social studies, and maybe languages.

So unless you are supplementing that every single day, your kid is not getting an equivalent education as someone who goes to a good school and are getting the coursework they need at their level. 1-2 hours a week isn’t cutting it by a long shot. If you think they are then you are in denial.

DP, but... why do you care? What's it to you if this poster sends their kid to McFarland and is "in denial" about it? Is there some reason you think trying to persuade strangers on the Internet that they should make different choices than they already have is a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idk, this is a great case study in how schools stay segregated. Posters are actively trying to convince someone who they've never met and know nothing about to not attend a school.

Oh please. DCPS MS and HS stay segregated specifically because parents who ask for reasonable things (like appropriate curriculum and challenge, and basic safety) are called “Karens” and “Nice White Parents.” (Let’s leave aside for the moment that POC parents with resources generally don’t even entertain the idea of the poorly performing schools.) Look at schools like Hardy and Deal, where the IB parents bought in because school leadership acknowledged their kids needs and showed they were willing to meet them. That’s how you get white parents to attend. (Meanwhile most wealthy/educated POC depart for privates or the burbs, but I digress.)

So what specifically does Hardy offer that other DCPS middle schools don’t?

Classes with the majority of kids at or above grade level, which means teachers can teach accordingly. Much smaller proportion of kids completely failing, meaning resources can be distributed more evenly. I believe they also offer geometry.

That’s circular logic. The post above suggested that Hardy did something to attract IB parents to the school in the first place. What exactly did it do that other schools are not doing?

Hopefully a Hardy/Deal parent will chime in. My understanding was that the principals did a lot of outreach about ensuring that the school would offer appropriate classes.

Really? So Hardy offers classes that are different from the standard DCPS middle school curriculum?

Well yes, they offer geometry that most EOTP MS do not. And they used to offer more tracked classes. More to the point is that principals like Melissa Kim made sure the teachers were doing what they should be.

Melissa Kim is gone from DCPS, primarily bc she abused staff