Reply to Top private (Sidwell, GDS) versus top public (JKLM) for early years: what are the differences?

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Reply to "Top private (Sidwell, GDS) versus top public (JKLM) for early years: what are the differences? "

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was not thinking in "test scores' when I was asking for the potential differences in academic excellence. I was referring to knowledge, to learning, to cultural foundation. I was not saying academic excellence = happiness. I was saying your values are great, but I might have other ones, or slightly different ones, or.... Just let me judge "all by myself' (as my DC says) Don't patronize me. It is just a question that it is relevant for me when we talk about a school. Is it the only thing? Of course not! But please, if you know the answer just let me know. Thanks![/quote]

Sorry -- the relationship between posts 21:55 and 21:58 was unclear.  So if you don't mean scores and if you don't think previous discussions about differences in curriculum and pedagogy don't address the issue of academic excellence, then what kind of information are you looking for?  What would count as a satisfying answer to your question?[/quote]

Did private / public set a better foundation for sustainable -subsequent- learning? Did your DC love math when he/she was a 2nd grader? Did your DC read above grade, or at par in public / private? Did she / he developed, or further developed, a compelling enthusiasm for reading? Was she/he conscious about other cultures? Did he/she developed a passion for art, or music or butterflies (i.e. from beautiful colors to metamorphosis)? Did the school, in partnership with your family of course, help her/him to develop a deep love for learning, for getting to know, for exploring? Did he/she enjoyed learning? Did the school enhance / further developed his/her natural intellectual curiosity? Was she/he able to communicate -even briefly/modestly- in another language? Were you impressed about her/his knowledge in art, music, history..-you name it?
Thanks![/quote]

Ah, well, I suspect that people aren't going there for two reasons.  First, you're asking people to brag about their kids which risks outing them (and is likely to lead to a certain amount of abuse of the precious snowflake variety).  Secondly, for any individual kid, it's hard to say what's attributable to the school vs what would have happened anyway.  And it's inherently a YMMV situation -- the fact that one poster's kid emerges with a love of math doesn't increase the odds your kid will.

At this point, enough people have pointed out enough perceived differences that the obvious take away is that if you value what the private school partisans appreciate about their schools (rather than see those things as expensive frills), look at the school closely with those aspects in mind, compare your public option, and think about your own child's personality and interests.  Most schools -- on their walls and, to some extent, their websites -- display or describe what students are doing.  This was one of my favorite aspects of school visits.  And you can talk with actual kids who attend the different schools you're looking at (friends, neighbors, at post-admission open houses).  Before I made a decision, I had seen (without having to make a specific request and without doing anything unusual (just taking the tour, showing up for the interview, going to the informational sessions) 3rd graders doing a science experiment, lots of artwork, how well 5th graders could write in a foreign language, a sort of Williamsburgy history project that involved researching and then personifying an historical figure.  I also noticed which schools seemed to display all or most of the kids' work vs. a select few.  Told me not only about ethos but about the range of responses a particular assignment elicited.  You can see a lot by looking!
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Hi PP. I don't understand the first part of your post, to be honest :) (I don't say that badly, I just don't understand the bragging part and the outing thing) Anyhow, regarding the second part: I have visited 4 public schools (Mann, Key, Janney and Oyster), 4 charters (Yu Ying, Two Rivers, Creative Minds and Mundo Verde), and 3 privates (GDS, Sidwell and WIS). I spoke with the teachers, with some students, looked to their art projects, science projects, math projects.... I have analyzed their DC CAS scorings (for those schools which have them), their Great Schools ratings, the parents comments, their websites, their curriculums,... I know which schools have Blue Ribbon awards, how many do they have, when they were awarded. I know their testing trends, which school is a solid bet, which school has recently risen... I spoke with some friends who are education specialists, with friends who have children in private, in public. I agree with you, visits are crucial, seeing is key. That said, I just wanted more perspectives, more experiences, amplifying the "sample". I know I cannot assume attribution /causality from these posts. Of course. But so far, I got to know many enriching experiences and info from many nice families that have been struggling like us with such important decision: what is best for our child.
So to everyone who has shared their perspectives and experiences: thanks! [/quote]

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