So, where did Mayor Fenty's kids show up for school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White public school students (another way of saying upper NW schools) in the District of Columbia have the highest math scores in the country as reflected by 4th grade standardized testing.

Must be the low quality curriculum...

(rolling my eyes)

http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2007/10/a_different_loo.php

If it makes you feel good to pass inaccurate judgements about schools you know nothing about, then you need to educate yourself. You're flat out wrong.

I'm so tired on this board of people saying that if white kids are doing well in DC public schools then DC must be a great system.

Our own experience was that our DD was very far behind her peers in math when she transferred to a MCPS school. Why don't test scores reflect that? Because about half of the kids in her grade at school are actually doing the next grade's math. Many 4th graders take 5th grade math, etc. Test scores don't reveal this because they only test the age/grade. The curriculum she experienced at her upper NW DC elementary was far behind her MCPS elementary in math and reading. The DCPS offering was very narrow -- all kids worked on the same material even if their skills were far beyond. There science was extremely weak (they spent most of their time out on the playground drawing trees). And, there was literally no social studies. When I asked the teacher about it, she admitted that she didn't have time to teach social studies and still get in all that she was supposed to in math and reading, and so she just decided to drop social studies.

It wasn't long after that we decided to drop DCPS.

That's very unfortunate. Which particular DCPS did your daughter have a bad personal experience with?

[Anonymous]

I thought 9:58 was trying to be sarcastic/funnyits like a code or something - just like when people say east of the park (BTW these distinctions never existed before and I wish they would go away) A decent number of children of color attend those schools.

16:52 sorry for your experience, but it doesn't match with what we are experiencing at all. And maybe I am a little slow, but I don't really follow what you are saying about your DD's test scores. So she was behind when she got to MCPS, but when she was in DCPS her scores were fine or ahead? Kids in DCPS work ahead of grade but the test doesn't reflect that? I don't get what you are saying exactly. At our school they do STAR testing during the eyar so you know exactly what grade level your kid is on in math and reading - this would not be reflected in the DC-CAS scores.

What this all boils down to for me is that the only thing that matters is what actually happens in the classroom - an inspired teacher can take the standards and make it lively and exciting for kids. I don't begrudge people for changing schools if it is not a good fit. But I do have a problem when folks want to make blanket statements without taking into consideration the unique characteristics of each school and the ability of teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White public school students (another way of saying upper NW schools) in the District of Columbia have the highest math scores in the country as reflected by 4th grade standardized testing.

Must be the low quality curriculum...

(rolling my eyes)

http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2007/10/a_different_loo.php

If it makes you feel good to pass inaccurate judgements about schools you know nothing about, then you need to educate yourself. You're flat out wrong.

Precisely the point. Narrow curriculum, high math scores. Hooyah!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White public school students (another way of saying upper NW schools) in the District of Columbia have the highest math scores in the country as reflected by 4th grade standardized testing.

Must be the low quality curriculum...

(rolling my eyes)

http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2007/10/a_different_loo.php

If it makes you feel good to pass inaccurate judgements about schools you know nothing about, then you need to educate yourself. You're flat out wrong.

Precisely the point. Narrow curriculum, high math scores. Hooyah!

And #2 on the list was Massachusetts - widely regarded to have among the toughest standards.

Look, it's pretty obvious that if DC scored badly you'd complain and now that you see DC scores well you also complain. It's becoming quite clear that the actual problem is... you. You should have done more research and picked a better school for your child. Sorry you were in a bad one, but it's not surprising. You've demonstrated a poor ability to process and analyse data, as well as a simplistic tendency to over-generalize. It's really no no wonder that your child had a bad experience. Happily, many parents have a more sophisticated decision-making mechanism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White public school students (another way of saying upper NW schools) in the District of Columbia have the highest math scores in the country as reflected by 4th grade standardized testing.

Must be the low quality curriculum...

(rolling my eyes)

http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2007/10/a_different_loo.php

If it makes you feel good to pass inaccurate judgements about schools you know nothing about, then you need to educate yourself. You're flat out wrong.

Precisely the point. Narrow curriculum, high math scores. Hooyah!

And #2 on the list was Massachusetts - widely regarded to have among the toughest standards.

Look, it's pretty obvious that if DC scored badly you'd complain and now that you see DC scores well you also complain. It's becoming quite clear that the actual problem is... you. You should have done more research and picked a better school for your child. Sorry you were in a bad one, but it's not surprising. You've demonstrated a poor ability to process and analyse data, as well as a simplistic tendency to over-generalize. It's really no no wonder that your child had a bad experience. Happily, many parents have a more sophisticated decision-making mechanism.

Data, schmata. It's the curriculum that's weak, and that's system-wide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:White public school students (another way of saying upper NW schools) in the District of Columbia have the highest math scores in the country as reflected by 4th grade standardized testing.

Must be the low quality curriculum...

(rolling my eyes)

http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/archives/2007/10/a_different_loo.php

If it makes you feel good to pass inaccurate judgements about schools you know nothing about, then you need to educate yourself. You're flat out wrong.

Precisely the point. Narrow curriculum, high math scores. Hooyah!

And #2 on the list was Massachusetts - widely regarded to have among the toughest standards.

Look, it's pretty obvious that if DC scored badly you'd complain and now that you see DC scores well you also complain. It's becoming quite clear that the actual problem is... you. You should have done more research and picked a better school for your child. Sorry you were in a bad one, but it's not surprising. You've demonstrated a poor ability to process and analyse data, as well as a simplistic tendency to over-generalize. It's really no no wonder that your child had a bad experience. Happily, many parents have a more sophisticated decision-making mechanism.

ITA. Which school did your child have problems in?

[Anonymous]

(Asked of the bitter PP whose child wasn't able to enjoy a great school with a rich curriculum - in case it wasn't clear)