Upper elementary at a Title 1 school

[Anonymous]

If you have your kids at a Title 1, what's it really like? Are friends leaving every year like people claim? Does the achievement gap start impacting your child's academic experience? Behavior problems? Is the grading scale much lower than "other" DCPS elementary schools? I'm really impressed by a school in our neighborhood and trying not to let stereotypes and biases influence my decision making. How much is real and how much is speculation? Actual first hand experiences would be appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Depends how Title-onney the school. There is a lot of variation. And it depends a lot on how much people like the middle school.

[Anonymous]

My kids go to a HRCS and have had friends leave every year. It's not just at Title I schools, though it may be worse there. DC is a transient place.

[Anonymous]

If you are an entering preschool parent, a lot can change before your child reaches those grades. It can be hard to predict, and this kind of change takes a lot of work, but it does happen. If it seems to you that most people leave before Kindergarten now, it may be that your child's cohort sticks around until 2nd grade, for example.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We're entering kindergarten and it's a Powell/Whittier/Barnard type school that is developing some by-in in the community, but doesn't have a desirable middle school feeder. Not looking to discuss middle schools, just the upper elementary experience since we wouldn't want to take a seat then feel like we need to keep playing the lottery to move on in another few years.

[Anonymous]

I'll give you the view of a White parent who's committed to going all the way through Title I schools with both kids, one is already in middle school now.

Background re: lens to view me through: people would probably call me woke, liberal, not focused on "what's best for my child." Both parents work white collar jobs with moderate-high income, making us overall higher income than many of our neighbors who send their kids to the local DCPS.

The Choice Regime is real. At every grade kids leave. The ones most likely to leave are the flaky status-conscious White people. You know who. But it does include every type of family. And it generally only ratchets one direction - people don't go to a "desired" school then come back to Title I schools.

There is the kind of general expectation that the Title I families move less and that the upper quartile-income families increasingly leave. It's noticeable in 4th grade probably most for families who are moving for in-boundary fancy schools, either outside DC or in Ward 3, and moreso before 5th grade when kids disappear to go to the 5th-grade-starting-charters which are all higher status than the local middle school.

There is a belief that the kids aren't challenged who are able to test above average for the school. That's only true if you think that the teachers can't engage your kid in material that they don't have fully secure or keep them interested with side work. Judge that on the evidence, in my opinion, rather than assuming your child is a genius surrounded by drooling incipient criminals. And the teachers generally can offer side things to do if your kid is advancing unevenly, as is the case for our older kid - good at some subjects, way ahead in others, this kid was always engaged and had friends in elementary school.

If you think that in schools in Ward 3 or high-status PCS your kids are somehow going to get way beyond the basic scope and sequence for DCPS you're probably wrong. If they're real real smart and you're able to check that out and verify they're going to get pushed, good on you. Otherwise, I just think being engaged in a Title I school is all you need.

My opinion is based on my being raised in a really heterogeneous school as a child with kids basically sorting themselves out based on how engaged THEY were and THEIR level of effort. I think the idea that the parents have to sort the kids in advance of schooling to get good outcomes from their kids is just not true. I believe that that is not true, but not what commonly is done by people of "our class" and of course, as I mentioned, I'm some kind of radical liberal by DC standards.

But let me just say this - if you take my views skeptically - and you should - please also do the same for those views who say you need to "move for the schools" or that it's bad to be an "only" in DCPS or even more bluntly (but not publicly) that White kids are not challenged in schools where they are surrounded by black or Hispanic children and teachers "cater to the lowest common denominator."

All the best, enjoy your children's schooling and your time in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We're entering kindergarten and it's a Powell/Whittier/Barnard type school that is developing some by-in in the community, but doesn't have a desirable middle school feeder. Not looking to discuss middle schools, just the upper elementary experience since we wouldn't want to take a seat then feel like we need to keep playing the lottery to move on in another few years.

The upper elementary experience is largely determined by the popularity of the middle school so you can't really avoid the topic.

Having said that I think all three of those schools are well regarded and you would be fine, although if your child is above grade level might feel more and more like an academic outlier in upper grades. The quality of differentiation depends on each classroom teacher's skill and motivation IMO.

How comfortable are you rolling the dice.in the 6th grade lottery and what would you do if you had a bad number?

Don't fall for CMI. Those test scores on high income kids are appalling. So many people at our HRCS fled from CMI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you the view of a White parent who's committed to going all the way through Title I schools with both kids, one is already in middle school now.

Background re: lens to view me through: people would probably call me woke, liberal, not focused on "what's best for my child." Both parents work white collar jobs with moderate-high income, making us overall higher income than many of our neighbors who send their kids to the local DCPS.

The Choice Regime is real. At every grade kids leave. The ones most likely to leave are the flaky status-conscious White people. You know who. But it does include every type of family. And it generally only ratchets one direction - people don't go to a "desired" school then come back to Title I schools.

There is the kind of general expectation that the Title I families move less and that the upper quartile-income families increasingly leave. It's noticeable in 4th grade probably most for families who are moving for in-boundary fancy schools, either outside DC or in Ward 3, and moreso before 5th grade when kids disappear to go to the 5th-grade-starting-charters which are all higher status than the local middle school.

There is a belief that the kids aren't challenged who are able to test above average for the school. That's only true if you think that the teachers can't engage your kid in material that they don't have fully secure or keep them interested with side work. Judge that on the evidence, in my opinion, rather than assuming your child is a genius surrounded by drooling incipient criminals. And the teachers generally can offer side things to do if your kid is advancing unevenly, as is the case for our older kid - good at some subjects, way ahead in others, this kid was always engaged and had friends in elementary school.

If you think that in schools in Ward 3 or high-status PCS your kids are somehow going to get way beyond the basic scope and sequence for DCPS you're probably wrong. If they're real real smart and you're able to check that out and verify they're going to get pushed, good on you. Otherwise, I just think being engaged in a Title I school is all you need.

My opinion is based on my being raised in a really heterogeneous school as a child with kids basically sorting themselves out based on how engaged THEY were and THEIR level of effort. I think the idea that the parents have to sort the kids in advance of schooling to get good outcomes from their kids is just not true. I believe that that is not true, but not what commonly is done by people of "our class" and of course, as I mentioned, I'm some kind of radical liberal by DC standards.

But let me just say this - if you take my views skeptically - and you should - please also do the same for those views who say you need to "move for the schools" or that it's bad to be an "only" in DCPS or even more bluntly (but not publicly) that White kids are not challenged in schools where they are surrounded by black or Hispanic children and teachers "cater to the lowest common denominator."

All the best, enjoy your children's schooling and your time in DC.

Interesting that you found the Title 1 families moved less. In my experience at a very high poverty school, kids were uprooted a lot. There one day and gone (for good) the next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you the view of a White parent who's committed to going all the way through Title I schools with both kids, one is already in middle school now.

Background re: lens to view me through: people would probably call me woke, liberal, not focused on "what's best for my child." Both parents work white collar jobs with moderate-high income, making us overall higher income than many of our neighbors who send their kids to the local DCPS.

The Choice Regime is real. At every grade kids leave. The ones most likely to leave are the flaky status-conscious White people. You know who. But it does include every type of family. And it generally only ratchets one direction - people don't go to a "desired" school then come back to Title I schools.

There is the kind of general expectation that the Title I families move less and that the upper quartile-income families increasingly leave. It's noticeable in 4th grade probably most for families who are moving for in-boundary fancy schools, either outside DC or in Ward 3, and moreso before 5th grade when kids disappear to go to the 5th-grade-starting-charters which are all higher status than the local middle school.

There is a belief that the kids aren't challenged who are able to test above average for the school. That's only true if you think that the teachers can't engage your kid in material that they don't have fully secure or keep them interested with side work. Judge that on the evidence, in my opinion, rather than assuming your child is a genius surrounded by drooling incipient criminals. And the teachers generally can offer side things to do if your kid is advancing unevenly, as is the case for our older kid - good at some subjects, way ahead in others, this kid was always engaged and had friends in elementary school.

If you think that in schools in Ward 3 or high-status PCS your kids are somehow going to get way beyond the basic scope and sequence for DCPS you're probably wrong. If they're real real smart and you're able to check that out and verify they're going to get pushed, good on you. Otherwise, I just think being engaged in a Title I school is all you need.

My opinion is based on my being raised in a really heterogeneous school as a child with kids basically sorting themselves out based on how engaged THEY were and THEIR level of effort. I think the idea that the parents have to sort the kids in advance of schooling to get good outcomes from their kids is just not true. I believe that that is not true, but not what commonly is done by people of "our class" and of course, as I mentioned, I'm some kind of radical liberal by DC standards.

But let me just say this - if you take my views skeptically - and you should - please also do the same for those views who say you need to "move for the schools" or that it's bad to be an "only" in DCPS or even more bluntly (but not publicly) that White kids are not challenged in schools where they are surrounded by black or Hispanic children and teachers "cater to the lowest common denominator."

All the best, enjoy your children's schooling and your time in DC.

Interesting that you found the Title 1 families moved less. In my experience at a very high poverty school, kids were uprooted a lot. There one day and gone (for good) the next.

This. Housing costs and gentrification and family reasons and what have you--tons of turnover. Our school tried and the teachers worked hard, but it was very difficult to build lasting performance improvements when this year's 3rd graders were not the same kids as attended 2nd grade there last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you the view of a White parent who's committed to going all the way through Title I schools with both kids, one is already in middle school now.

Background re: lens to view me through: people would probably call me woke, liberal, not focused on "what's best for my child." Both parents work white collar jobs with moderate-high income, making us overall higher income than many of our neighbors who send their kids to the local DCPS.

The Choice Regime is real. At every grade kids leave. The ones most likely to leave are the flaky status-conscious White people. You know who. But it does include every type of family. And it generally only ratchets one direction - people don't go to a "desired" school then come back to Title I schools.

There is the kind of general expectation that the Title I families move less and that the upper quartile-income families increasingly leave. It's noticeable in 4th grade probably most for families who are moving for in-boundary fancy schools, either outside DC or in Ward 3, and moreso before 5th grade when kids disappear to go to the 5th-grade-starting-charters which are all higher status than the local middle school.

There is a belief that the kids aren't challenged who are able to test above average for the school. That's only true if you think that the teachers can't engage your kid in material that they don't have fully secure or keep them interested with side work. Judge that on the evidence, in my opinion, rather than assuming your child is a genius surrounded by drooling incipient criminals. And the teachers generally can offer side things to do if your kid is advancing unevenly, as is the case for our older kid - good at some subjects, way ahead in others, this kid was always engaged and had friends in elementary school.

If you think that in schools in Ward 3 or high-status PCS your kids are somehow going to get way beyond the basic scope and sequence for DCPS you're probably wrong. If they're real real smart and you're able to check that out and verify they're going to get pushed, good on you. Otherwise, I just think being engaged in a Title I school is all you need.

My opinion is based on my being raised in a really heterogeneous school as a child with kids basically sorting themselves out based on how engaged THEY were and THEIR level of effort. I think the idea that the parents have to sort the kids in advance of schooling to get good outcomes from their kids is just not true. I believe that that is not true, but not what commonly is done by people of "our class" and of course, as I mentioned, I'm some kind of radical liberal by DC standards.

But let me just say this - if you take my views skeptically - and you should - please also do the same for those views who say you need to "move for the schools" or that it's bad to be an "only" in DCPS or even more bluntly (but not publicly) that White kids are not challenged in schools where they are surrounded by black or Hispanic children and teachers "cater to the lowest common denominator."

All the best, enjoy your children's schooling and your time in DC.

This is a great comment and I think I would like this person, as Ive found that I really like the higher-income people who have stuck around our Title 1 past preK.

People definitely leave every year and that is a bummer for my kids. However, the people who leave tend to be, as this PP mentioned, status-conscious. The people who stay are just awesome -- they have confidence in their kids, they are comfortable being a racial minority as a white person, they are almost universally super smart (maybe this is why they have confidence in their kids.) the cohort of families who are sticking with our school for the duration are just awesome, and my kid is very bonded to those friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you the view of a White parent who's committed to going all the way through Title I schools with both kids, one is already in middle school now.

Background re: lens to view me through: people would probably call me woke, liberal, not focused on "what's best for my child." Both parents work white collar jobs with moderate-high income, making us overall higher income than many of our neighbors who send their kids to the local DCPS.

The Choice Regime is real. At every grade kids leave. The ones most likely to leave are the flaky status-conscious White people. You know who. But it does include every type of family. And it generally only ratchets one direction - people don't go to a "desired" school then come back to Title I schools.

There is the kind of general expectation that the Title I families move less and that the upper quartile-income families increasingly leave. It's noticeable in 4th grade probably most for families who are moving for in-boundary fancy schools, either outside DC or in Ward 3, and moreso before 5th grade when kids disappear to go to the 5th-grade-starting-charters which are all higher status than the local middle school.

There is a belief that the kids aren't challenged who are able to test above average for the school. That's only true if you think that the teachers can't engage your kid in material that they don't have fully secure or keep them interested with side work. Judge that on the evidence, in my opinion, rather than assuming your child is a genius surrounded by drooling incipient criminals. And the teachers generally can offer side things to do if your kid is advancing unevenly, as is the case for our older kid - good at some subjects, way ahead in others, this kid was always engaged and had friends in elementary school.

If you think that in schools in Ward 3 or high-status PCS your kids are somehow going to get way beyond the basic scope and sequence for DCPS you're probably wrong. If they're real real smart and you're able to check that out and verify they're going to get pushed, good on you. Otherwise, I just think being engaged in a Title I school is all you need.

My opinion is based on my being raised in a really heterogeneous school as a child with kids basically sorting themselves out based on how engaged THEY were and THEIR level of effort. I think the idea that the parents have to sort the kids in advance of schooling to get good outcomes from their kids is just not true. I believe that that is not true, but not what commonly is done by people of "our class" and of course, as I mentioned, I'm some kind of radical liberal by DC standards.

But let me just say this - if you take my views skeptically - and you should - please also do the same for those views who say you need to "move for the schools" or that it's bad to be an "only" in DCPS or even more bluntly (but not publicly) that White kids are not challenged in schools where they are surrounded by black or Hispanic children and teachers "cater to the lowest common denominator."

All the best, enjoy your children's schooling and your time in DC.

This is a great comment and I think I would like this person, as Ive found that I really like the higher-income people who have stuck around our Title 1 past preK.

People definitely leave every year and that is a bummer for my kids. However, the people who leave tend to be, as this PP mentioned, status-conscious. The people who stay are just awesome -- they have confidence in their kids, they are comfortable being a racial minority as a white person, they are almost universally super smart (maybe this is why they have confidence in their kids.) the cohort of families who are sticking with our school for the duration are just awesome, and my kid is very bonded to those friends.

Well, yeah. It's a lot easier to be satisfied with a school if your kid is doing well, on or above grade level, no major concerns. Much harder to stay confident if your child is falling behind and it may or may not be due to the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll give you the view of a White parent who's committed to going all the way through Title I schools with both kids, one is already in middle school now.

Background re: lens to view me through: people would probably call me woke, liberal, not focused on "what's best for my child." Both parents work white collar jobs with moderate-high income, making us overall higher income than many of our neighbors who send their kids to the local DCPS.

The Choice Regime is real. At every grade kids leave. The ones most likely to leave are the flaky status-conscious White people. You know who. But it does include every type of family. And it generally only ratchets one direction - people don't go to a "desired" school then come back to Title I schools.

There is the kind of general expectation that the Title I families move less and that the upper quartile-income families increasingly leave. It's noticeable in 4th grade probably most for families who are moving for in-boundary fancy schools, either outside DC or in Ward 3, and moreso before 5th grade when kids disappear to go to the 5th-grade-starting-charters which are all higher status than the local middle school.

There is a belief that the kids aren't challenged who are able to test above average for the school. That's only true if you think that the teachers can't engage your kid in material that they don't have fully secure or keep them interested with side work. Judge that on the evidence, in my opinion, rather than assuming your child is a genius surrounded by drooling incipient criminals. And the teachers generally can offer side things to do if your kid is advancing unevenly, as is the case for our older kid - good at some subjects, way ahead in others, this kid was always engaged and had friends in elementary school.

If you think that in schools in Ward 3 or high-status PCS your kids are somehow going to get way beyond the basic scope and sequence for DCPS you're probably wrong. If they're real real smart and you're able to check that out and verify they're going to get pushed, good on you. Otherwise, I just think being engaged in a Title I school is all you need.

My opinion is based on my being raised in a really heterogeneous school as a child with kids basically sorting themselves out based on how engaged THEY were and THEIR level of effort. I think the idea that the parents have to sort the kids in advance of schooling to get good outcomes from their kids is just not true. I believe that that is not true, but not what commonly is done by people of "our class" and of course, as I mentioned, I'm some kind of radical liberal by DC standards.

But let me just say this - if you take my views skeptically - and you should - please also do the same for those views who say you need to "move for the schools" or that it's bad to be an "only" in DCPS or even more bluntly (but not publicly) that White kids are not challenged in schools where they are surrounded by black or Hispanic children and teachers "cater to the lowest common denominator."

All the best, enjoy your children's schooling and your time in DC.

This is a great comment and I think I would like this person, as Ive found that I really like the higher-income people who have stuck around our Title 1 past preK.

People definitely leave every year and that is a bummer for my kids. However, the people who leave tend to be, as this PP mentioned, status-conscious. The people who stay are just awesome -- they have confidence in their kids, they are comfortable being a racial minority as a white person, they are almost universally super smart (maybe this is why they have confidence in their kids.) the cohort of families who are sticking with our school for the duration are just awesome, and my kid is very bonded to those friends.

Well, yeah. It's a lot easier to be satisfied with a school if your kid is doing well, on or above grade level, no major concerns. Much harder to stay confident if your child is falling behind and it may or may not be due to the school.

Ya. so maybe the upper-income Title 1 families are thoe who know that their kids will thrive anywhere. I've definitely noticed that at ours. but to be honest I love having that group as our cohort.

[Anonymous]

FWIW I switched from a Title I to a HRCS and the differentiation and challenge was superior at the Title I. The HRCS makes less effort. The cohort is much stronger and the test scores better at the HRCS despite that and I am quite disappointed.

[Anonymous]

As for academics -- we have been really happy. at least at our Title 1, kids get a lot of individual attention so they have been able to push my oldest to his potential. It seemd like all the kids basically had their own set of goals and work this year, and they set all the readers who are above grade level up with a 1:1 tutor. he is now reading 4 levels above grade level!

Sometimes I look at our friends who moved to JLKM schools and feel envious about two things: the sheer number of kids and potential friends in each grade, and the after care offerings. That is real, but that's it. I feel on academics we are doing great, and on friends they have a small but really awesome cohort.

[Anonymous]

Ours was great through 1st. In 2nd, DD was a one-kid reading group and a one-kid math group. It was okay but isolating. At our HRCS the work is less customized to her individual personal needs, they just stick her in the top group and call it good even if it's slightly too high or too low. But she is with other kids.