Reply to New Ward 3 Middle School ???

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "New Ward 3 Middle School ???"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
I agree that there are enough 5th graders to fill two classes.  That's not really the issue (although it speaks to the fact that many families bought into the idea that "Hardy would be improving" and stayed in DC longer than similarly situated families had in the past).

[/quote]

This is true.
[quote=Anonymous]
The issue is that the 4th and 5th grades have (and continue to be) filled with kids who didn't apply to or get accepted to a 4-12 private.  4th and 5th graders are essentially "holding" grades as families figure out their 6-12 options.  There has been no consistent pressure on the school to make 4th and 5th academically challenging b/c the Key-track has never been the academic path: the path has always really been the 4-12 or the 6-12 track.
[/quote]
This is hooey. First, it doesn't even make sense. If you opt for private, it is much harder to get in for 6th than for 5th or 4th. Sixth is not an admission year at the most selective schools, and it's the grade where schools start using the SSAT for admissions. Your kid has to be academically exceptional to get in to a top tier school for sixth, and if you are undecided there's no way you're going to coast through 4th and 5th. Second, the notion that "the Key track has never been the academic track" is just nonsense. Key parents are obsessed with academics. In the past few years they raised tens of thousands of dollars for teacher professional development, a structured reading program, a foreign language program and a chorus teacher.

[quote=Anonymous]
The fact that Hardy continues to be horrible is not news either.  The difference this year (and the reason for the unbelievable angst amongst the 5th graders at Key) was that no-one could finagle their way into Deal.  That, and the fact that Latin is harder to get into, meant that there are no longer reasonable "fall back positions" for Key students.  That is also not going to change anytime soon.  Moving into the Deal boundaries or moving to an area with good schools are going to become more common choices for these families b/c the numbers aren't favorable.   [/quote]

Some truth here. I wouldn't call Hardy "horrible," just unappealing to Key parents. I've sat in a room where the principals of Deal, Latin and Hardy talked about their schools, and the difference in academic ambition between Hardy and the others was breathtaking. Parents who are considering privates might weigh them against Deal or Latin, but no one is doing that with Hardy. The arts curriculum at Hardy doesn't appeal to academically oriented families either. And the turmoil of the past 18 months -- with adults acting like children -- has scared a lot of people off.

Ward 3 is experiencing a baby boom, and the whole out-of-boundary system that DCPS relies on is headed for a train wreck. The kerfuffle at Hardy was just the beginning. Whether or not you like her proposal, you have to give Mary Cheh credit for recognizing that there is a problem and coming up with a constructive solution, which is more than anyone else is doing at this point. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics