Reply to Hyattsville? Love/Hate it? Is it safe?

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[quote=Anonymous]Schools
The people on our block send their kids to a mix of public (neighborhood and charter) and private (independent and parochial) schools. There's a large homeschooling community around here too. Candidly, my sense is that the public schools aren't perceived as being strong, and that many view the schools as this area’s Achilles heel, but this seems to be slowly changing for the better (too slowly for some). I see a lot of energy being put into the local schools by parents, particularly the elementary schools. There are some highly-regarded public charter or specialty schools nearby where admission is determined by lottery (Montessori, French Immersion, and Spanish Immersion) and there's an arts magnet program at the local middle school. A new elementary school (Felegy) which opened a few years ago in West Hyattsville has an arts specialty program as well. Many neighborhood kids test into a strong public math and science magnet program (Eleanor Roosevelt) in Greenbelt for high school. Some well-regarded private schools in the area include an early education laboratory program (Center for Young Children) under the College of Education at the University of Maryland, a classical Great Books curriculum and Montessori program at the local Catholic elementary/middle school (St. Jerome), a Catholic boys high school with a national profile (DeMatha), a recently-opened charter school (The College Park Academy), and a progressive Quaker School (Friends Community School), among others. Art Works and Joe’s Movement Emporium run beloved after-school programs. Parents choose from a wide range of nearby summer camp options for seemingly every interest under the sun. As I keep emphasizing, there's been an influx of young families in the area in the past 5-10 years and there are some great local educational opportunities, but there’s a great deal of poverty in this area and a large immigrant population. Test scores reflect all of these aspects of Hyattsville life. I hear widespread concern about the quality of our public schools compared to those in neighboring counties and some believe that this is one factor keeping people from moving to the area and keeping property values lower than you'd expect. However, I've seen first-hand a number of highly educated and engaged parents who are deliberately choosing to get involved in the local public schools to transform and improve them. Pride in our local elementary schools is widespread. I have seen the enormous difference a small group of people have been able to effect in a few years. I see signs that this effort is strong, growing, and will continue into the future. There’s work to be done, but a lot of people who are committed to doing it.[/quote]

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