Stuart Hobson MS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everybody should avoid Stuart Hobson threads because they're old hat from the initial post.

The parents who come here to complain that the school doesn't serve the IB population at all well are invariably called the usual names - racist, elitist, snobs, misinformed about best educational practices etc.

Bowser, Charles Allen and the other city council members are just fine with the way SH runs. Once IB parents figure this out, the great majority have better things to do than bother with the program, which improves, but at a snail's pace.

The crux of the problem with IB enrollment at SH isn't in fact mainly one of weak advertising/PR on the merits of enrolling your children. Neither is the problem rooted in overt racism on the part of the IB community (claims to the contrary by boosters not withstanding).

The real problem is that, objectively speaking, SH's program isn't competitive. It can't compete with half a dozen superior DC public middle schools, let alone the suburban schools and privates IB families routinely leave DCPS for.

My child's cohort is on track to start HS with Algebra II and reads at 12th grade level. Nothing extraordinary compared to many peers. You don't actually know this school

Oh come on. Numbers don’t support your statement. 3% kids above grade level in math. 15% in ELA. That’s not many peers but you already knew that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do Deal or Hardy do differentiated social studies or science? SH seems to be in line with them on advanced/accelerated math and English tracks.

Differentiation sounds great in theory but reality is it’s not happening in class of 20-25 students. You can really only effectively differentiate in small class sizes. That is why tracking works well in large class sizes because all kids are at similar academic levels.

When you have an overwhelming majority of kids below grade level then the course will be taught at that lowest common denominator. It will be easy for a higher performing kid. That kid will just cruise and do well with no effort. But the kid will not be challenged to reach their full potential. This is how DCPS “narrows” the achievement gap is by bringing the top down instead of supporting the bottom to bring them up.

BTW the honors at SH with math and English is not really advanced. It’s grade level.

[Anonymous]

As other posters have noted, the main problem with SH is that it doesn't necessarily lead to an acceptable public high school.

With BASIS, Washington Latin and DCI, your kid can sail to 12th grade. With Hobson, s/he may crack Walls in 8th grade, or not. Alternatively, Banneker is an option if your kid is black or Latino. Whites and Asians almost never attend Banneker. There's also McKinley Tech, around 3% white and 0% Asian.

SH would obviously improve steadily, possibly dramatically, if it only led to a decent high school. There's no denying this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do Deal or Hardy do differentiated social studies or science? SH seems to be in line with them on advanced/accelerated math and English tracks.

Differentiation sounds great in theory but reality is it’s not happening in class of 20-25 students. You can really only effectively differentiate in small class sizes. That is why tracking works well in large class sizes because all kids are at similar academic levels.

When you have an overwhelming majority of kids below grade level then the course will be taught at that lowest common denominator. It will be easy for a higher performing kid. That kid will just cruise and do well with no effort. But the kid will not be challenged to reach their full potential. This is how DCPS “narrows” the achievement gap is by bringing the top down instead of supporting the bottom to bring them up.

BTW the honors at SH with math and English is not really advanced. It’s grade level.

I’ll say it again - it’s a uniquely fragile and helicoptery view that your middle schooler needs to be surrounded by only kids like them to thrive in life. Not all families believe that or have those values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do Deal or Hardy do differentiated social studies or science? SH seems to be in line with them on advanced/accelerated math and English tracks.

Differentiation sounds great in theory but reality is it’s not happening in class of 20-25 students. You can really only effectively differentiate in small class sizes. That is why tracking works well in large class sizes because all kids are at similar academic levels.

When you have an overwhelming majority of kids below grade level then the course will be taught at that lowest common denominator. It will be easy for a higher performing kid. That kid will just cruise and do well with no effort. But the kid will not be challenged to reach their full potential. This is how DCPS “narrows” the achievement gap is by bringing the top down instead of supporting the bottom to bring them up.

BTW the honors at SH with math and English is not really advanced. It’s grade level.

I’ll say it again - it’s a uniquely fragile and helicoptery view that your middle schooler needs to be surrounded by only kids like them to thrive in life. Not all families believe that or have those values.

No they just quietly supplement like crazy since the school isn’t meeting their child’s academic needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do Deal or Hardy do differentiated social studies or science? SH seems to be in line with them on advanced/accelerated math and English tracks.

Differentiation sounds great in theory but reality is it’s not happening in class of 20-25 students. You can really only effectively differentiate in small class sizes. That is why tracking works well in large class sizes because all kids are at similar academic levels.

When you have an overwhelming majority of kids below grade level then the course will be taught at that lowest common denominator. It will be easy for a higher performing kid. That kid will just cruise and do well with no effort. But the kid will not be challenged to reach their full potential. This is how DCPS “narrows” the achievement gap is by bringing the top down instead of supporting the bottom to bring them up.

BTW the honors at SH with math and English is not really advanced. It’s grade level.

I’ll say it again - it’s a uniquely fragile and helicoptery view that your middle schooler needs to be surrounded by only kids like them to thrive in life. Not all families believe that or have those values.

No they just quietly supplement like crazy since the school isn’t meeting their child’s academic needs.

A truly gifted and advanced kid meets their own needs, and doesn’t need cramming to find depth and interest in the materials they have.

[Anonymous]

This is the kind of post I wish Jeff has some way of moderating. It is so obvious that many of the detractors are straight-up racist, and for some reason are trying to encourage other people to also admit that racism is correct.

We have upper income kids at Title 1 elementary (who are thriving) and would absolutely send our kids to SH. We exist. why discourage us?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As other posters have noted, the main problem with SH is that it doesn't necessarily lead to an acceptable public high school.

With BASIS, Washington Latin and DCI, your kid can sail to 12th grade. With Hobson, s/he may crack Walls in 8th grade, or not. Alternatively, Banneker is an option if your kid is black or Latino. Whites and Asians almost never attend Banneker. There's also McKinley Tech, around 3% white and 0% Asian.

SH would obviously improve steadily, possibly dramatically, if it only led to a decent high school. There's no denying this.

Wow, you really want to perpetuate segregation, don't you? It is true that Eastern is not up to par with Wilson. But most kids find a great fit. Several SH kids are also going to Duke Ellington, and have been for the last few years. And on to private HS like Gonzaga and Elizabeth Seton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As other posters have noted, the main problem with SH is that it doesn't necessarily lead to an acceptable public high school.

With BASIS, Washington Latin and DCI, your kid can sail to 12th grade. With Hobson, s/he may crack Walls in 8th grade, or not. Alternatively, Banneker is an option if your kid is black or Latino. Whites and Asians almost never attend Banneker. There's also McKinley Tech, around 3% white and 0% Asian.

SH would obviously improve steadily, possibly dramatically, if it only led to a decent high school. There's no denying this.

Wow, you really want to perpetuate segregation, don't you? It is true that Eastern is not up to par with Wilson. But most kids find a great fit. Several SH kids are also going to Duke Ellington, and have been for the last few years. And on to private HS like Gonzaga and Elizabeth Seton.

How can you assume that the PP is a white segregationist? What if they're an AA, Latino or Asian-American neighborhood parent who wants access to a neighborhood middle school on the level of Deal?

We've been on the Hill for almost 30 years. We have big, diverse social network in the neighborhood.

We know loads of parents who've sent their kids to the high schools at Washington Latin, DCI, BASIS, Ellington, Walls, Banneker, Wilson (which used to work from the Hill) and privates. We also know a many families who've moved to the burbs for schools.

We don't anybody who has sent their kids to Eastern for high school.

[Anonymous]

Thank goodness for the charter middle schools. The conversation about MS and HS on the Hill has become so loaded that it’s no longer worth having. If you’re fine with Hobson don’t expect the rest of us to appreciate that. We’re not racist, we’re just angry that DCPS doesn’t care about serving most neighbors at what is supposed to be a neighborhood school. The test scores are 29 years behind the demographics of the catchment area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank goodness for the charter middle schools. The conversation about MS and HS on the Hill has become so loaded that it’s no longer worth having. If you’re fine with Hobson don’t expect the rest of us to appreciate that. We’re not racist, we’re just angry that DCPS doesn’t care about serving most neighbors at what is supposed to be a neighborhood school. The test scores are 29 years behind the demographics of the catchment area.

This. Calling everyone racist because they want the overwhelming majority of kids to be at least on grade level. That’s not even asking for much when the kids who are inbound typically are.

These people use the race card to attack people who question a school’s poor performance. They don’t get it that it just turns away even more the families that they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank goodness for the charter middle schools. The conversation about MS and HS on the Hill has become so loaded that it’s no longer worth having. If you’re fine with Hobson don’t expect the rest of us to appreciate that. We’re not racist, we’re just angry that DCPS doesn’t care about serving most neighbors at what is supposed to be a neighborhood school. The test scores are 29 years behind the demographics of the catchment area.

This. Calling everyone racist because they want the overwhelming majority of kids to be at least on grade level. That’s not even asking for much when the kids who are inbound typically are.

These people use the race card to attack people who question a school’s poor performance. They don’t get it that it just turns away even more the families that they want.

I would like for all kids to be performing at grade level (for their own sake, not to "match the demongraphics" of Ward 6). Meanwhile, I do believe that my kid is smart enough to be able to do well even if he's in the (gasp) top quarter of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank goodness for the charter middle schools. The conversation about MS and HS on the Hill has become so loaded that it’s no longer worth having. If you’re fine with Hobson don’t expect the rest of us to appreciate that. We’re not racist, we’re just angry that DCPS doesn’t care about serving most neighbors at what is supposed to be a neighborhood school. The test scores are 29 years behind the demographics of the catchment area.

This. Calling everyone racist because they want the overwhelming majority of kids to be at least on grade level. That’s not even asking for much when the kids who are inbound typically are.

These people use the race card to attack people who question a school’s poor performance. They don’t get it that it just turns away even more the families that they want.

I would like for all kids to be performing at grade level (for their own sake, not to "match the demongraphics" of Ward 6). Meanwhile, I do believe that my kid is smart enough to be able to do well even if he's in the (gasp) top quarter of the school.

Also nobody asked you to "appreciate" the fact that many Hill families are satisfied with Hobson. On the contrary, posters like you seem dead set on demanding recognition that they aren't satisfied. It's weird. You realize that the fact that families are good with SH has nothing at all to do with the fact that you chose Basis or whatever? You're the one who's making this into a loaded conversation. If you wanted to unload it, you'd actually listen to the posters satisfied with SH instead of being weirdly threatened by them and calling them "boosters".

[Anonymous]

SH is never going to be majority IB as long as Watkins is bleeding hill families at 3rd grade. Unless we eliminate feeder rights.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stuart Hobson is what is is, with only little tweaks on the horizon.

If your kid is an on-grade-level or advanced learner in 5th grade and you're considering the school for 6th, know that you can make the schol work by pushing teachers for tougher assignments and supplementing a certain amount.

The school enrolls blacks, white and a small number of Latinos, but very few Asians. But that's the same story in every DC public MS but Deal, Hardy, BASIS and Washington Latin.

DC has very few Asian families. I think the total population is less than 5%.