Importance of classmates being at grade levels for reading/math

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

Other cities - not all of them, but a lot - have test-in programs and schools for kids with academic needs that won't be met otherwise. People outside have of DC have expressed surprise when I explain that, no, that's not a thing here. Obviously at some point as a parent you figure that out, but maybe not before you've moved here or bought a house.

I generally think people know their schools aren’t good but plan to lottery, go private, or move if it doesn’t work out. And for the most part, families who are buying in DC for the last ~10 years have the ability to do that. People buying for the schools in the burbs are often doing that because they know it’s their best option, whether the reason is that they can’t afford to move again or go private, or there isn’t really an option to go to an OOB or charter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

Other cities - not all of them, but a lot - have test-in programs and schools for kids with academic needs that won't be met otherwise. People outside have of DC have expressed surprise when I explain that, no, that's not a thing here. Obviously at some point as a parent you figure that out, but maybe not before you've moved here or bought a house.

I generally think people know their schools aren’t good but plan to lottery, go private, or move if it doesn’t work out. And for the most part, families who are buying in DC for the last ~10 years have the ability to do that. People buying for the schools in the burbs are often doing that because they know it’s their best option, whether the reason is that they can’t afford to move again or go private, or there isn’t really an option to go to an OOB or charter.

I will say time went by very fast and when we bought in 2012 SH had a better reputation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

Other cities - not all of them, but a lot - have test-in programs and schools for kids with academic needs that won't be met otherwise. People outside have of DC have expressed surprise when I explain that, no, that's not a thing here. Obviously at some point as a parent you figure that out, but maybe not before you've moved here or bought a house.

I generally think people know their schools aren’t good but plan to lottery, go private, or move if it doesn’t work out. And for the most part, families who are buying in DC for the last ~10 years have the ability to do that. People buying for the schools in the burbs are often doing that because they know it’s their best option, whether the reason is that they can’t afford to move again or go private, or there isn’t really an option to go to an OOB or charter.

Also, that’s not to say that there aren’t plenty of suburban folks who have the means to move or go private or whatever, but still choose the best district. Plenty do. It’s just that people with means are more likely to take the bigger risk of city schools because there’s less at stake if it doesn’t work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

Other cities - not all of them, but a lot - have test-in programs and schools for kids with academic needs that won't be met otherwise. People outside have of DC have expressed surprise when I explain that, no, that's not a thing here. Obviously at some point as a parent you figure that out, but maybe not before you've moved here or bought a house.

I generally think people know their schools aren’t good but plan to lottery, go private, or move if it doesn’t work out. And for the most part, families who are buying in DC for the last ~10 years have the ability to do that. People buying for the schools in the burbs are often doing that because they know it’s their best option, whether the reason is that they can’t afford to move again or go private, or there isn’t really an option to go to an OOB or charter.

Yes. But unless you're paying kind of an unhealthy degree of attention for a parent of a younger child, you might not realize how limited the non IB options are. Like, you might reasonably assume that the various specialized, academic high school programs consist of kids who are at grade level, or that if your kid is really smart, that will be part of the process for admissions in a way that's it's not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

Many *upper middle class* people choose where they live for the schools. Far more people are where they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

Other cities - not all of them, but a lot - have test-in programs and schools for kids with academic needs that won't be met otherwise. People outside have of DC have expressed surprise when I explain that, no, that's not a thing here. Obviously at some point as a parent you figure that out, but maybe not before you've moved here or bought a house.

I generally think people know their schools aren’t good but plan to lottery, go private, or move if it doesn’t work out. And for the most part, families who are buying in DC for the last ~10 years have the ability to do that. People buying for the schools in the burbs are often doing that because they know it’s their best option, whether the reason is that they can’t afford to move again or go private, or there isn’t really an option to go to an OOB or charter.

This is us. We bought in 2014 and knew vaguely about the lottery, but assumed it would work out. Certainly underestimated the amount of stress and pressure playing the lottery puts on you. In hindsight we should have looked harder at MoCo, but now that we're here and happy enough in early elementary at a school without a "good" feeder pathway, we can see the upside of waiting until you know what your child(ren) will need before committing to a school pyramid. And we can also see the lotterying (and potential FOMO) that come with the MCPS programs as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

Many *upper middle class* people choose where they live for the schools. Far more people are where they are.

Lol, no. You need to get out more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

Many *upper middle class* people choose where they live for the schools. Far more people are where they are.

Lol, no. You need to get out more.

What? The amount of privilege you must have if you think most people can just move to the good school districts. Why do you think DCPS has 50,000 kids? Because anyone can choose to move for a better school at any time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

Many *upper middle class* people choose where they live for the schools. Far more people are where they are.

This. The people saying "why do people come on here and complain about schools when they could just move IB for better schools or go private" are assuming that everyone has the same means they do. They don't! A LOT of people in this city don't actually have the option of moving IB for better schools, either in DC or the suburbs, and many of us are on DCUM.

We are a DC family who knew our schools weren't great when we bought, but when we looked at suburbs as alternatives, we also couldn't afford the "good" school districts in the burbs either, and if we'd moved to the suburbs we would have had to buy a second car and add at least one car commute to our household (maybe 2 depending on where we bought). It didn't make sense to add those expenses just to get a little more space, so we bought in DC and hoped for the best.

And honestly, it's not that bad. We lotteried into a DCPS walking distance away (not our IB) and it's been fine. Not great, fine. We'd love to lottery into a better school and we stress about middle school. But again, the idea this would have been magically resolved for us if we'd "just" moved to the JR triangle or a MoCo or NoVa school district with better schools is a fantasy, because we could not afford homes in those areas. Right now we are looking at Einstein HS in Silver Spring as somewhere to target if we move out of DC for MS/HS, and I think it might be possible if we can get a good price for our current home and get a good deal on something in that boundary. But most of what we can afford in the burbs would be PG County (many of the same issues as DC plus PG TAG is not as easy to use as the lottery) or Howard County, which would be a really challenging commute. And Einstein and PG county schools get trashed on here all the time as not good enough! Those of you who think I was dumb and shortsighted for where I bought a home don't seem to get it -- I'm just not as rich as you are.

Also, I reserve the right to complain about schools and the lottery whenever I feel like it -- people complaining and discussing is what leads to change. It's what got the lottery started in the first place, and it's a big improvement over the prior alternatives. Complaining led to a coordinated lottery instead of individual lotteries organized by schools, and complaining can also directly impact school policies and even funding. If you are at a wealthy school, congrats! You don't have to complain about the lottery or the schools. So I guess you have to complain about me because there's nothing else left for you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

My home is not anywhere near Big Bear or Wonderland, bars I haven't been to in 10+ years, well before I had kids. And yet... I still stress about school quality. It's almost like there isn't a direct correlation between schools and hipster bars.

I think you are just mad at people who have time to go out to bars? I mean, me too I guess, I'm a parent and I feel like I never get to do anything fun sometimes. It just truly has nothing to do with this conversation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

Many *upper middle class* people choose where they live for the schools. Far more people are where they are.

Lol, no. You need to get out more.

What? The amount of privilege you must have if you think most people can just move to the good school districts. Why do you think DCPS has 50,000 kids? Because anyone can choose to move for a better school at any time?

Immigrant families are laughing at you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

My home is not anywhere near Big Bear or Wonderland, bars I haven't been to in 10+ years, well before I had kids. And yet... I still stress about school quality. It's almost like there isn't a direct correlation between schools and hipster bars.

I think you are just mad at people who have time to go out to bars? I mean, me too I guess, I'm a parent and I feel like I never get to do anything fun sometimes. It just truly has nothing to do with this conversation.

Only in DC have I ever heard “we just bought a house before we had kids and didn’t realize the schools were bad.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

Many *upper middle class* people choose where they live for the schools. Far more people are where they are.

This. The people saying "why do people come on here and complain about schools when they could just move IB for better schools or go private" are assuming that everyone has the same means they do. They don't! A LOT of people in this city don't actually have the option of moving IB for better schools, either in DC or the suburbs, and many of us are on DCUM.

We are a DC family who knew our schools weren't great when we bought, but when we looked at suburbs as alternatives, we also couldn't afford the "good" school districts in the burbs either, and if we'd moved to the suburbs we would have had to buy a second car and add at least one car commute to our household (maybe 2 depending on where we bought). It didn't make sense to add those expenses just to get a little more space, so we bought in DC and hoped for the best.

And honestly, it's not that bad. We lotteried into a DCPS walking distance away (not our IB) and it's been fine. Not great, fine. We'd love to lottery into a better school and we stress about middle school. But again, the idea this would have been magically resolved for us if we'd "just" moved to the JR triangle or a MoCo or NoVa school district with better schools is a fantasy, because we could not afford homes in those areas. Right now we are looking at Einstein HS in Silver Spring as somewhere to target if we move out of DC for MS/HS, and I think it might be possible if we can get a good price for our current home and get a good deal on something in that boundary. But most of what we can afford in the burbs would be PG County (many of the same issues as DC plus PG TAG is not as easy to use as the lottery) or Howard County, which would be a really challenging commute. And Einstein and PG county schools get trashed on here all the time as not good enough! Those of you who think I was dumb and shortsighted for where I bought a home don't seem to get it -- I'm just not as rich as you are.

Also, I reserve the right to complain about schools and the lottery whenever I feel like it -- people complaining and discussing is what leads to change. It's what got the lottery started in the first place, and it's a big improvement over the prior alternatives. Complaining led to a coordinated lottery instead of individual lotteries organized by schools, and complaining can also directly impact school policies and even funding. If you are at a wealthy school, congrats! You don't have to complain about the lottery or the schools. So I guess you have to complain about me because there's nothing else left for you?

This. The schools in the burbs are not that great. Einstein, Blair, etc. are so far from downtown, we'd be living far from both school AND work. BCC is where we would move to if we did have to move. But I've got an amazing deal on a 2009 row house in NE, kids did well at our IB and then HRCS, and high school is a few years off. Has it been worth it to have a short commute? Absolutely. I never ever wanted a big suburban yard-- much prefer row house level density. The kids have thrived on our cozy community, so many friends, amenities, and activities within a short walk. No regrets whatsoever. If I have to move for high school I still won't regret it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread kind of makes me jealous of the vast majority of American parents who just enroll their kids in their suburban boundary school because that’s what’s available to them. Though I realize it’s a double edge sword, if those schools don’t work for their kid, most parents do not have another option. Moving or private school aren’t realistic to most of our country, where in the DC UMC it seems almost like a given if things aren’t working out.

it is extremely coming throughout the rest of the country for parents to choose where they live specifically for the school their home is zoned for. Yes, they just send their kid to the local school, but they didn’t randomly end up where they did.

DC seems to be full of more oblivious parents who wake up one day and realize the house they bought with the great walk to all the bars and coffee shops is zoned for a terrible school.

I see this opinion on here often and I don't get it. In some cases good schools are "a great walk to all the bars and coffee shops." In other instances, people bought homes before they had kids or even knew if they wanted to have kids, so didn't prioritize schools (and didn't great metrics for evaluating them even if they did). Sometimes people buy homes believing the IB school to be good, only to attend for ECE and discover it's not at all right for their kid. Some people rent, and/or can't afford to live in-bound for better schools. Some people bought knowing the schools were bad but believed they would be able to move before it was an issue, only to run into issues (a job loss, Covid, home not appreciating well while homes in more desired school boundaries shooting up in price, etc.).

I know you think you are really owning all the families in DC who have poor IB schools that happen to be near a coffee shop or bar they enjoy going too, but you just wind up coming off incredibly ignorant. You seem to think there are large numbers of people who can buy wherever they want but choose homes in "hip" neighborhoods with bad schools just because they are stupid and oblivious. It's not happening. In fact, one of the things that happens is that a bunch of people buy homes in "hip" neighborhoods and then the schools get a lot better -- see the aforementioned Ludlow Taylor, and Maury, among others.

I'm sorry your upper NW neighborhood or suburb has so few good businesses to walk to, but at least your schools are good.

My comment was a response to the obliviousness of thinking “people just sent their kids to the local school and don’t have to worry.” No, many, many people chose where they live specifically for the school, not proximity to Big Bear or Wonderland.

My home is not anywhere near Big Bear or Wonderland, bars I haven't been to in 10+ years, well before I had kids. And yet... I still stress about school quality. It's almost like there isn't a direct correlation between schools and hipster bars.

I think you are just mad at people who have time to go out to bars? I mean, me too I guess, I'm a parent and I feel like I never get to do anything fun sometimes. It just truly has nothing to do with this conversation.

Only in DC have I ever heard “we just bought a house before we had kids and didn’t realize the schools were bad.”

Oh please. I bought a house before kids, in a place where schools are bad, ON PURPOSE for investment reasons. How is anyone to know how long it will take them to become a parent anyway? I was not up for a long commute to some supposedly great school district when I didn't even have a kid and it's 5+ years until they attend that supposedly wonderful school anyway. Not worth that kind of commute for 5 years.

Years passed, I had kids, the schools are better than they were, and I'll cash out whenever the time comes to move.