The Whittle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's pretty apparent that the priorities are askew when you go to the website, click on the button for school leadership and the heads of school are 2/3 way down the page, after the company execs, the head of HR and the head of marketing.

https://www.whittleschool.org/en/team/leadership-staff

+1,000

What is even more amusing or sad or both, depending on one's perspective, is how much of the so-called leadership is actually still with the organization. Of the people listed on the top half of the page you linked to, the head of IT, head of development, head of global design, vice chairman/president, head of school DC are all GONE! And rumor has it that even Whittle himself has been sidelined. None of these updates made to the website probably because the head of IT left? 🤣

Which begs the question - who exactly is running the show and to whom are we entrusting our children!!

Avenues in NYC is still around but I believe Chris Whittle was given the boot from there pretty quickly. Wonder if the same thing is happening here to try to save the school?

Didn't Whittle also get fired from Edison Learning? History seems to repeat quite predictably with him. He must be a remarkable salesman to keep getting investors to open their wallets

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's pretty apparent that the priorities are askew when you go to the website, click on the button for school leadership and the heads of school are 2/3 way down the page, after the company execs, the head of HR and the head of marketing.

https://www.whittleschool.org/en/team/leadership-staff

+1,000

What is even more amusing or sad or both, depending on one's perspective, is how much of the so-called leadership is actually still with the organization. Of the people listed on the top half of the page you linked to, the head of IT, head of development, head of global design, vice chairman/president, head of school DC are all GONE! And rumor has it that even Whittle himself has been sidelined. None of these updates made to the website probably because the head of IT left? 🤣

Which begs the question - who exactly is running the show and to whom are we entrusting our children!!

Avenues in NYC is still around but I believe Chris Whittle was given the boot from there pretty quickly. Wonder if the same thing is happening here to try to save the school?

Didn't Whittle also get fired from Edison Learning? History seems to repeat quite predictably with him. He must be a remarkable salesman to keep getting investors to open their wallets

America looks favorably on failed businessmen with bravado and charisma. One of them is currently occupying the Oval Office.

[Anonymous]

While Whittle claims on its social to be able to do in-person instruction, they aren't. lots of things on their website to be updated, including the fact that the headmaster is leaving and that the interim is the former food services director. Hmmm. $50k for that?

[Anonymous]

Much of Whittle's senior leadership in their NY headquarters was removed or left in July. No updates to that effect provided anywhere...

[Anonymous]

Why do y’all care?
Do you have kids there?
Or just crossing your fingers that the school fails?
Maybe just don’t have jobs?

[Anonymous]

Lots of misinformation here
New co-heads of school are Dr Ara Brown and Susanna Stossel (formerly of Beauvoir)
Both are very well-loved and absolutely terrific people.
I am mystified why people are gossiping about this school, especially when you have no kids there, no investments there, and no connection there. So odd!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they are committed to making it through the year but I am not hopeful that they will make it the following year.

Given what people are posting, I am not sure how they can make it to Halloween.

They have had a big infusion of money last week. And they did NOT lay-off 75% of the staff.

As for the kids and families who left, these are valuable stories. But I can name 20 kids who have also jumped ship
From ncs, gds and LOTS from sidwell. Kids and families who leave will always have grim stories to tell because the school was a poor fit AND sometimes because it is therapeutic (in a hollow way) to smear a school where your kid didn’t thrive.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think they are committed to making it through the year but I am not hopeful that they will make it the following year.[/quote]

Given what people are posting, I am not sure how they can make it to Halloween.[/quote]

They have had a big infusion of money last week. And they did NOT lay-off 75% of the staff.

As for the kids and families who left, these are valuable stories. But I can name 20 kids who have also jumped ship
From ncs, gds and LOTS from sidwell. Kids and families who leave will always have grim stories to tell because the school was a poor fit AND sometimes because it is therapeutic (in a hollow way) to smear a school where your kid didn’t thrive. [/quote]

...how ridiculous! Expressing negative opinions or sharing less than favorable experiences at Whittle DO NOT necessarily mean the kid was the problem. Clearly from numerous posts on this forum MANY students/families did not have good things to say about Whittle.
To compare NCS, GDS or SIDWELL to whittle is laughable. These are long standing institutions and whittle is NOT. Students leaving whittle are jumping a SINKING ship.

[Anonymous]

Sinking is exactly right!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh, it's for-profit? No good school is for profit. Hard pass.

How shortsighted and foolish. LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of misinformation here
New co-heads of school are Dr Ara Brown and Susanna Stossel (formerly of Beauvoir)
Both are very well-loved and absolutely terrific people.
I am mystified why people are gossiping about this school, especially when you have no kids there, no investments there, and no connection there. So odd!

That's because people on DCUM HATES for-profits schools. Whittle or any other for-profit schools will get a bad rap here. Just ignore the fools.

[Anonymous]

What other area schools besides Whittle and the British International School are for profit?

Also it's not "hoping for failure" to question the pedagogical philosophies of a school and ask for more specifics about its curriculum, especially when the website and info sessions hosted by the school are short on details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What other area schools besides Whittle and the British International School are for profit?

Also it's not "hoping for failure" to question the pedagogical philosophies of a school and ask for more specifics about its curriculum, especially when the website and info sessions hosted by the school are short on details.

Basis, Sienna, McLean are other for profit privates

[Anonymous]

McLean is not for profit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's pretty apparent that the priorities are askew when you go to the website, click on the button for school leadership and the heads of school are 2/3 way down the page, after the company execs, the head of HR and the head of marketing.

https://www.whittleschool.org/en/team/leadership-staff

+1,000

What is even more amusing or sad or both, depending on one's perspective, is how much of the so-called leadership is actually still with the organization. Of the people listed on the top half of the page you linked to, the head of IT, head of development, head of global design, vice chairman/president, head of school DC are all GONE! And rumor has it that even Whittle himself has been sidelined. None of these updates made to the website probably because the head of IT left? 🤣

Which begs the question - who exactly is running the show and to whom are we entrusting our children!!

Avenues in NYC is still around but I believe Chris Whittle was given the boot from there pretty quickly. Wonder if the same thing is happening here to try to save the school?

Not only did they give him the boot, but they later sued him for 5 million that he took. At least from reporting last fall, Avenue asked the court to force the sale of hos Hamptons mansion to pay off his debt.

A hot mess!