Reply to Schools splitting from large ineffective school systems

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Reply to "Schools splitting from large ineffective school systems - could the 4 Ws split from MCPS?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]It makes you wonder why people pay extra for the privilege of sending their kids to such under-resourced schools with second-rate staff, doesn't it?[/quote]

I don't think the W schools get the worse teachers. We chose to pay a premium to live in a W school after living in DC and SS.

We also talked to friends IRL that were in SS and W schools. Both groups had complaints some the same and some differences. Both groups complained about the curriculum, grading system, MCPS.

SS friends all expressed concern about their schools and didn't share the rosy picture that gets painted here. They complained that there were a handful of engaged parents but most parents don't participate in anything. It wasn't about not giving money but not coming to events, volunteering, helping to fund raise, after school classes would never fill so they would get cancelled. They also complained that the curriculum was too slow and if your child is at grade level you're at the top of the class. Most of the teachers time is spent with disruptive kids and helping kids who aren't prepared. Bullying came up a lot and with boys more physical bullying. They worried about their kids being academically prepared and if they could afford to live in a W school they would have bought there. They were considering less expensive parochial schools for middle and high school.

W friends all expressed concern about the curriculum. All the kids were bored doing basic things. No issues with disruptive kids or the teacher spending time with kids on the bottom but huge classes , bad grading system with no real info and bad curriculum. A big complaint at some of the W schools was capping reading levels. Some schools do and some don't but they felt the ceiling of MCPS holding back strong performers. Bullying came up more in the context of girls and exclusion type behavior. Virtually no complaints about physical bullying at all. They complained that there were so many school activities that they were constantly volunteering or sending a check for something. They didn't worry about their kids not being academically prepared but didn't think they were reaching their potential. If they could afford a top private school for multiple kids they would switch to private.

We ended up choosing the W area. We didn't want to deal with the property crime that we experienced pre-kids in SS and DC. I liked and have been surprised at how safe it is out here. Kids don't have to lock up their bikes and less traffic on the neighborhood roads. We were worried about resale and the W school areas have held their value better than SS. If the W schools get worse, its really because of MCPS pulling more crap but we can always supplement. If the SS schools get worse. its a crime and safety issue and that I have less ability to handle. [/quote]

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