Garrison vs Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Now that the new principal has been announced, what are the thoughts on Garrison? From what I hear about Mr. Kiplinger, it sounds like a good placement.

I am going to get flamed for this, but I think the issues at Garrison go beyond whatever a principal is able to do. Certainly, a principal can do a lot to improve a school (and conversely, to hurt a school), but the things I dislike about Garrison as a long term option for my children are not so easily addressed. There are a lot of things I really liked about the PK program, but the things I dislike about the school as a whole are not going away anytime soon. With no viable feeder option, it makes no sense to keep my children in the school to see if things get better, knowing we'll need to explore our options in a few years anyway. I know every school has issues but Garrison's seem systemic. Maybe I'm wrong and Garrison will become a fabulous neighborhood school - I certainly hope that will be the case.

I don't know what the issues are, but seeing how Langley went from unacceptable to adding a classroom in 3 years of the right leadership, I have a hard time imaginig what it could be. It is not that hard to fire problem people if the principal is willing to do the unpleasant work of it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we live in Bloomingdale and toured both schools. We know people in each PK3 classroom at Langley who endorsed their teacher, and do not know people at Garrison, so that was one reason. Ultimately we decided that while Garrison may be slighly different in various ways, it was not significantly better in any way that justified the commute. It would have been great to be at Langley with several friends and share pickup and half day duties. Also it's much easier to be an involved parent if the school is close by. Ultimately we matched elsewhere, so my research was for naught. Hope it helps you.

Thank you - very helpful. May I ask if you matched at another DCPS or HRC? If DCPS is there a specific reason you chose it over your neighborhood school?

Thank you.

We matched at Mundo, so... Really, other than Seaton, no neighborhood school that we could get into OOB, was worth the logistical problems it would have created.

I would have happily enrolled in Langley or Seaton (Seaton being so close to the G8 and Shaw metro), and I am 100% certain that Langley, Seaton, Garrison, and Cleveland have the potential to be much better than they are today, and to be true neighborhood schools that most people are happy to attend. It is an uphill battle and DCPS itself is both friend and foe, but it is obvious to me after living here for a while that progress is happening. If Bloomingdale/Eckington came together and demanded better for its school like other neighborhoods do every year, it would work.

Bloomingdale gentrified so quickly, there's no neighborhood force for the schools (No, the Bloomingdale Kids listserv doesn't count. Just ask the Moms on the Hill). It's the new Dupont Circle: singles, couples (gay or straight, but without children), and legacy families without children competing for schools. Who buys a 1500 sq. ft. newly renovated condo in Bloomingdale for $700K expecting to raise a family in that space and invest in the schools? Pre-school? Okay, but long-term? Not a chance.

This is just a crazy comment. Clearly you don't live there. Yes, new real estate is nuts, but TONS of rising PK3 families who are vying for spots nearby. And who plan to stay.

I think the PP is right. Some people may plan to stay, but a lot of folks live in divided townhouses or condos, and could afford something nicer if they moved further out and went to the new Mundo or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Garrison is currently undergoing a massive renovation. Looks like it will be much nicer when school opens in August.