Hardy vs. DCI

[Anonymous]

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Hardy for sure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hardy for sure

Why?

[Anonymous]

If you are interested in Walls or another DCPS HS, then I would go with Hardy. It's hard to transfer between LEAs; transferring credits, etc goes smoother with a DCPS MS. When you switch between DCPS and non-DCPS, there can be unexpected bureaucratic things to deal with. For example, this year DCPS changed how it determined math placement for kids coming from non-DCPS schools, and it caught everybody by surprise.

[Anonymous]

If languages are important to you then go the DCI route. More classes supported by language, more offerings, and bigger cohort of kids who are proficient or fluent functioning at a higher level especially in Spanish. Also if you are interested in an IB program and continuity of getting an IB diploma then go to DCI.

If you don’t care about above and Hardy is your feeder neighborhood school, then go the Hardy route.

[Anonymous]

OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

[Anonymous]

19:09 here. OP, I'll add that most people who send their kids to DCI don't really have an acceptable alternative, so you'll get a lot of vicious defense of DCI. It's unusual that you're choosing between DCI and solid option like Hardy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

Why shouldn’t sports team be tryouts? This is the norm. If your kid is not good enough to make the school team then put them in rec or weekend league. No school is going to be come on in everyone and continually lose playing other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

Why shouldn’t sports team be tryouts? This is the norm. If your kid is not good enough to make the school team then put them in rec or weekend league. No school is going to be come on in everyone and continually lose playing other schools.

Because some schools recognize that team sports have value for students other than just winning. And you're wrong: some schools do have sign up sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

Why shouldn’t sports team be tryouts? This is the norm. If your kid is not good enough to make the school team then put them in rec or weekend league. No school is going to be come on in everyone and continually lose playing other schools.

At varsity level for high school, sure, but in middle School? And even in high school it's nice to have a JV option that's open to everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

Why shouldn’t sports team be tryouts? This is the norm. If your kid is not good enough to make the school team then put them in rec or weekend league. No school is going to be come on in everyone and continually lose playing other schools.

Because some schools recognize that team sports have value for students other than just winning. And you're wrong: some schools do have sign up sports.

Well then put them in another team sport like rec. It doesn’t mean they can’t join a team sport.

Parents like you who think every kid should participate or get a trophy and then try to advocate for your kid to be on a team when he is not good enough are why kids get a big dose of reality in college and the real world.

Life isn’t fair and you are not going to be included if you are not good enough. Deal with it, accept it, and move on.

[Anonymous]

I do not recommend DCI to anyone who has an alternative. I believe it only has a good reputation because there aren’t many other options in the city. 19:09 made some really solid observations (although I disagree with the point about sports since there are lunch clubs and after school options that aren’t competitive).

I’ll add:

Pros:
- International trips and a fairly large budget for clubs and events.

- Social justice focus and student advocacy. They have gender neutral student restrooms (not single stalls, but actual bathrooms).

Cons:
- Leaders are inexperienced, which has a ripple effect. Many of the people in high positions were founding teachers, and aren’t qualified for their job. As a result, really important teams like the discipline team suffer from ineffective leadership, and the school is chaotic.

- The school expanded too rapidly and it was impossible to fill all vacancies with quality educators. In fact, not all positions were filled last year. This results in a variety of classroom experiences and high turnover as previously mentioned.

- The chromebooks aren’t used as a tool to supplement learning when beneficial. There is too much reliance on the devices when it isn’t necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

What school were you comparing it with because it seems like a lot of the concerns you raised with DCi are also applicable to Hardy. While the leadership is not “my way or the highway” their power is limited by a larger bureaucracy. Sports teams are all try outs. Languages not prioritized. Very middling academic expectations. They are reading 5th grade level books in 7th grade English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, we looked at this issue when deciding between DCI and another school.

Here were some of our pro's with DCI:
- Nice campus. Access to lots of green space. Will eventually have a DC public pool at the same general area.
- Very diverse for both race and SES
- Good access to public transportation

Here were some of our concerns with DCI:

- The leadership is very my way or the highway
- Many of the people in top level positions lack professionalism
- Sports teams are all tryouts. Parents raised concerns that kids miss out on team sports if they're not the best and requested some sports that don't require tryouts. Admin ignored them.
- Fine for middle of the road kids. Very weak for advanced or special needs kids.
- Spanish track has fluent students, but other tracks don't
- Academics aren't yet strong
- High teacher turnover
- Doesn't yet have enough strong teachers
- Still very much a start up and with that comes a lot of gaps (true of any start up)

What school were you comparing it with because it seems like a lot of the concerns you raised with DCi are also applicable to Hardy. While the leadership is not “my way or the highway” their power is limited by a larger bureaucracy. Sports teams are all try outs. Languages not prioritized. Very middling academic expectations. They are reading 5th grade level books in 7th grade English.

What books are 7th graders reading at DCI?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hardy for sure

Hardy has better math and ELA proficiency but I would wonder if there’s a difference between students who come from in boundary schools and from out-of-boundary schools. How do the out-of-boundary Hardy students compare to DCI students? If you are not in boundary, I would be concerned with defacto tracking.