We're IB and think it's useful to know both numbers - but I also really am focused on the academic quality at the end of the day. Principal Pride is obviously trying to change the conversation to feeders to get the focus on the #s of kids coming in from the higher-performing elementary schools and the attraction of cohorts of kids coming together from schools which helps retain a continuity/community for them. From what she said, it's likely that the technically IB kids are probably closer to 20-25% for this year's sixth graders (given the high %s of OOB at Hyde and about 20% of Stoddert is OOB also). When the profiles are posted, there will be the overall IB #s for the school for all three grades. It was a really big deal to draw a base crew of 5 kids from Key and 6 from Mann this year (vs. ones or twos in the past) - and many parents are watching carefully from those neighborhoods to see how it goes. And, the info about 10 kids coming from Brent (PP said it was 10) is also interesting & would be helpful to know if that's a new trend, b/c as others have noted in the thread, it may also be signaling a rising trend of more parents with high-achieving kids on Hill etc seeing Hardy as an option - which would also start impacting the academic level of the school. It is obviously also undeniable that many are looking at the technical IB numbers, since IB families reflect the socio-economics of the neighborhoods, and there's no question that affluence and academic levels of parents often have a strong relationship to kids' academic performance. But PP seems to have a sensible working and realistic strategy for moving forward form where things stand today. One huge selling point to me is the smaller size of Hardy vs. Deal -- literally 1/3 the size (and Deal is scheduled to keep growing) - it may mean some degree of fewer activities or other things for kids, but at such a big school only a portion of kids are accessing those anyway. |
I keep asking because it is the actual question of this entire thread. It wasn't answered before because numbers hadn't come in yet. Now Pride gives numbers but is unable to say if the handful of feeder kids are IB or not? it really can't be that hard to answer. For some it is important for some it isn't. Why not just answer the question? |
| But Uniforms. |
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The 6 Mann students are 4 IB and 2 OB.
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The use of school uniforms is categorically not a defensible reason to reject a school that you otherwise like unless you are stunningly shallow and/or easily pushed around by your kids.
It's a non-issue. Period. |
| Late to the thread so maybe this has been addressed already...We are IB for Hardy and actually looking forward to the DC public school wannabes and their entitled-a$$ kids moving on and out by the time we get to Hardy in a couple of years. DS is at an IB elementary now and we are already seeing positive changes in student body and parents thanks to this summer's round of departures. Counter-intuitive but true, IMO! |
You sound delightful. If you're representative of "the new Hardy" then you're quite an ambassador. |
Someone who wants to preserve Hardy's "unique culture".... |
It can be hard to answer if the folks who have to answer find the answer hard to swallow. |
With its boutique little sports field |
Only 1 from Eaton - what's up with that? |
Huh? Eaton kids can still choose Deal. I'm surprised even one chose Hardy this year. But I agree that Hardy is definitely changing and these feeders will send even more kids next year. |
Don't know what Hardy's been like in recent years but just wanted to add (for the historical record) that back when my kid attended, there was a sizeable group of OOB kids from the hill with educated parents. In fact, the folks from the Hill were pretty strong in the PTA. Maybe once Rhee threw the school into turmoil by removing Pope and maybe once there were charter school options, that changed. So maybe Hill families are coming back to Hardy but we were there before. |
True. While Eaton students still have a choice hardly anyone will choose to go to Hardy. |
The current Hardy PTA President is from the Hill. He was formerly PTO President at Hyde. But I guess he and his child are considered to be unworthy of IB families because although his child attended an IB feeder, they did not live IB |