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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

NP here. This is a very real problem. There's a reason so many of our neighbors tried Shepherd and left. We're IB for Shepherd and have to make the choice between Shepherd and a HRC for the Fall too. We have a few weeks left until May 1 and we're torn. The commute would be an issue, and it's nice to have closer ties with neighborhood classmates. It's just not the same at charters where the classmates are all over the city.

There are benefits to walking to school, having school friends in the neighborhood, and being close by for volunteering, PTA meetings, etc. But Shepherd is NOT a progressive school and [b]employs many out of date practices that are in direct conflict with accepted socio emotional practices. There are some bad teachers and the leadership does little to fix this situation. [/b]The bad teachers love the principal because she just leaves them alone. They know the principal blindly supports them even when multiple parents provide evidence of their performance issues. There's too much homework. The leadership doesn't welcome input from parents. It's a shame because Shepherd could be such a great school, but there's been a long history of ineffective principals.

That said, Shepherd just got approval for a new Vice Principal position and the benefits of the neighborhood school are still there. It's just that Shepherd isn't even close to operating on the same level as many of the other Deal/Wilson feeders and the current Principal isn't on the path to get us there.

We'll probably stick with Shepherd and try to be a part of the positive change. It's just very difficult to make headway when the leadership won't work with us and some booster parents are working against us by claiming everything is already great.[/quote]

OP again -- thanks for sharing this, it's sobering to hear. I totally understand you won't want to name names or anything, but can you shed a little more light on what this has looked like in your experience? Any examples that could help illustrate how these concerns have showed up for your family? If we do wind up at Shepherd, it'd be very helpful to know more about what to be keeping an eye out for, esp. since this is our first elementary school experience. [/quote]

Not PP, but 10:04 here.  The only thing I can think of is the green/yellow/red color chart system for behavioral management.  It was a pretty much a non-issue for my kid, who wasn't bothered by it.  But I've known a handful of parents who said their kids were bothered by it, either because of feeling shame for always being on "red," or because they were very anxious/fearful of the possibility of being on "red."  However, it's important to note that not all teachers use it.

I also wish they could move to something evidence-based like Responsive Classroom, but I'm not sure if that will happen anytime soon (do any DCPS schools use it?).  Also, some HRCSs also use the color chart system--a recent thread mentioned that CMI does.[/quote]

Yes many DCPS schools use Responsive Classroom, but implementation can be spotty. So much is teacher dependent.[/quote]

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