Reply to Are Other Upper School Students at Potomac Not Getting Tests and Papers Back for Weeks at a Time?

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Reply to "Are Other Upper School Students at Potomac Not Getting Tests and Papers Back for Weeks at a Time?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Don’t we hear this kind of thing about other schools though?  Are the Saint Albans academic awards pure meritocracy?  Does Sidwell help every student with college equally?  Is GDS not filled with children of Ivy grads?  Et cetera.

Even if the case that a subjective selection is through its very nature (humans decide) intrinsically flawed, it is no different from what many schools do for a variety of reasons.  I would want to know more about the selection process.[/quote]

These are separate formal programs within the school that students apply for with applications and interviews in 10th grade.  Only about ten are accepted into each program so about 30 students of a class of about 125 benefit.  It is not open to all, and the criteria is not transparent.  The students in these programs are fast tracked with combined and extra classes, have access to field trips (pre-Covid) and speakers, and receive additional mentoring on applying for research positions.  I pay the same tuition as the parents of students in these programs even though their children are receiving a better, more tailored and enhanced experience than my child.  If my child wants to participate and does not get accepted to one of these programs, the burden is on her to do research on her own, do her own projects, ask for help from teachers where as the students accepted do this as part of their coursework. In many ways, it creates a divide, and the halo effect of the programs carries over to other classes, college counseling and other opportunities.  For example, the students in the science program are coached to produce research submitted to national competitions.  These research opportunities make them more competitive for colleges and other programs.  It is a micro Gladwell effect.[/quote]

So either DC didn’t apply to the program, in which case you have no legit complaint, or
DC did apply but was not up to snuff, so you have no legit complaint.[/quote]

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