Reply to Is angst about PK3 mostly from families who want to stay in DC long term?

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Reply to "Is angst about PK3 mostly from families who want to stay in DC long term?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote] There is a certain type of family in DC, where both parents likely have advanced through life's ladders, ….make in the $200-300k range.  …..[b]There are probably [u]tens of thousands of these types of families in DC[/u]-[/b] not lobbyist level paychecks, but solid and enough to afford a $700-900K house. Now these types of people are [b]living east of Rock Creek, [/b] …. they are simply not where their predecessor cohort was, because of how expensive property has become in DC.[/quote]

So here is what I don't understand, as an affluent, educated Gen-Xer who's lived in DC since the 90s and has all the things you cite in your [edited] post:  why aren't the schools better in your D.C. neighborhood?  You're right — there are so. many. of. you 30-somethings now in DC and you are most definitely concentrated in several neighborhoods.  Like Petworth, or Brookland. You have the numbers to make Elementary School XYZ decent from K-5th grade.  So why isn't it / why the angst over just going to your IB school when Archer turns 5 y.o.?

(for a primer on how that happens over a period of &lt; 10 years see e.g. Brent, Maury, LT, Ross, Hearst.  In fact, see Deal MS — a place where _none_ of my ward 3 neighbors sent their kids in the 90s and which now has, what? 2,000 kids and is the do-or-die for most of the city).

[/quote]

First of all, the schools around Petworth are pretty good already.  Parents have put a ton of work into Powell and Barnard, and those are just the ones I know of.  I can't really speak to Brookland, but Langdon has four stars, and you have to remember that area has a ton of charter competition as well as many Catholic school families.  Parents have worked very hard for Langley and Seaton and Miner and Payne, maybe you just haven't happened to meet them.  The really hard part is getting DCPS to work with you on creating a decent middle school, and without that, there's only so far an elementary school can progress.  Stuart-Hobson is making progress and I'm optimistic about Brookland.

The angst is because the schools still aren't that great for upper elementary and the middle school is unacceptable in most parts of the city.  It isn't really about PK3 at all, it's about wanting to secure a long-term path.[/quote]

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