Reply to Would you live in Takoma Park, MD with young family?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We almost purchased a home and then decided not to. Here's why:

1. The commute into downtown (where we work) is long. You have to cross through local traffic and it takes twice as long as it should just based on distance alone. 
2. The schools are not good, despite what some may say. See the scores for yourself. Talk to some of the teachers about having to teach to the middle (which isn't so middle). We wanted a good public school option. 
[/quote]

I'm not going to argue with someone else's experience, but it sounds like PP here is describing a driving commute. I can see that being a challenge, but driving into the city also seems like such a waste of living as close in as Takoma Park. Why not just ride the Metro?

The schools are an interesting case. TPES is well regarded, as is Piney Branch but I can see what a PP said about stratification.  If you look at the scores, poor kids do significantly worse at Piney Branch than the statewide average. That is a bit worrying, because I always figure you should look at the scores of the kids who aren't getting outside enrichment to see how the school is really doing.  If you look at the schools around Piney Branch, poor kids test better at the other schools, even schools with much higher percentages of poor children.

BUT...it seems middle class kids do fine wherever, which pretty much confirms what we already know about test scores.  [/quote]

I live in Takoma Park (and love it) and am also surprised by the test scores for lower-income children. I'm not sure what is behind it. Is there a higher immigrant population than in other areas (which can mean language barriers in addition to income differences)? Or is the teaching of quality of the education actually worse than other areas nearby. Our children haven't started school yet so I really don't know.[/quote]

Yes, many very new immigrant families. And quite a few of those are refugees or from conflict torn areas so the kids sometimes are coping with trauma as well as culture shock and extreme poverty.[/quote]

This and they will be in section 8 housing and show little to no regard for the property.  T[b]hese families do not value education-that is why the scores are low. [/b] I have lived in a nice neighborhood in MOCO that had section 8 housing in parts of it.  Awful.  Random crap outside the house (Think tires, random couches etc...) and a total disrespect for other's property (would throw their garbage outside on the ground).  Do not buy in an area that has section 8.[/quote]

That's statistically not true. The children of immigrants statistically tend to be high achieving.[/quote]

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