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DC Public and Public Charter Schools
Reply to "Lee or Breakthrough"
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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here - I’ve seen other references to the low test scores at Lee and Montessori across the board. Can anyone truly speak to this? Or speak to how their child transitioned into traditional middle school after montessori? As for other child, she doesn’t currently have a waitlist spot at Lee bc she got into a school we ranked higher bc we foolishly just wanted a spot - any spot - for IPL pre-K. I don’t know if I can add a request for a waitlist spot now. Do I ask Lee or someone at the school board about this? There must be someone who can officially offer guidance. [/quote] You can fill out a posy lottery application. If you choose it will move your preschooler to either "sibling accepted" or sibling enrolled category. Lee, like most school i assume, will always accommodate siblings.[/quote] Yes, concur with the advice above about post lottery application. I would think it's early enough in the summer you have a pretty good chance of getting your PK kid in if you enroll your older kid. Lee definitely wants to try to get siblings in together (have heard it multiple times from the head of school). We know people at Breakthrough that seem to like it a lot (though none of our close friends, so can't give super detailed advice). We just finished our second year at Lee (kid in primary and kid in lower el) and have been really happy with the school, even through the pandemic. There is transience as there is everywhere in DC, but there are also a lot of long term families that have been there since the founding. I know a few kids that finished 5th grade this year decided to go to Truth for 6th instead of staying at Lee, and some others are staying for 6th. But pretty much everyone we're friends with is continuing in upper el. As to the test scores, I don't have a kid in a testing grade yet, so admittedly haven't done a lot of due diligence. Although Lee is the more established school between the two, it is still relatively young in terms of testing grades. So when you're working with a smallish sample size, take it for what it's worth. For us, the socialization, classroom consistency, etc was a driving factor in our decision. The question about progression is an interesting one. Again I don't have upper el experience, but I have witnessed the differentiation in primary and lower el classrooms. My son has a kid in his class who is extremely bright in many ways (math, writing, drawing, music, etc) and is probably functioning at least 2 grades above his age. And I have seen how the teachers are able to challenge him using the materials available because they are able to progress the lessons and individualize. [/quote] That's good to hear how they differentiate with the younger kids. Does anyone have experience with the quality of the elementary Lee teachers and how effectively they challenge the older kids? Do most older kids stay at Lee or leave for other schools?[/quote] I have a kid in Elementary at Lee and we are concerned about academic progress. I think some of the Elementary teachers are good and some not as good or at least not as experienced. Our kid was flailing for years and it was brushed off as “one day it will just click.” While that may be true for some kids, when our 9 year old wasn’t reading at grade level and didn’t have basic math understanding, we got concerned. A year ago we proactively had him evaluated and he was found to have several learning disabilities. We haven’t given up on the school, but are keeping a close eye on what happens academically. We think it’s overall a good place and hope things can turn around for our kid. Another side consideration is that there has been a lot of community disagreement this year about including gender identity and anti-racism lessons. I understand that this issue inspires passion on all sides. For us, our primary concern is whether our kid is learning anything at all.[/quote] I’m a Lee parent opposed to the ABAR curriculum solely because of the bandwidth it has required. I would prefer the administration and teachers focus on the basics like reading and writing. Montessori didn’t translate well virtually and I predict lots of learning loss next year that will continue to widen their achievement gap. [/quote] With all due respect, the ABAR curriculum has only required extra bandwidth because a few vocal parents have been opposing it and it is unfortunate that this has even become an issue in 2021. The vast majority of Lee families support the ABAR curriculum. Lee staff do focus on reading, writing, math, and many other areas, and it has been a tough year for all schools and students. While children certainly need to learn the basics, there is also so much more to a quality education and Lee is trying to prepare children to be part of an inclusive and respectful community of socially responsible citizens with many other important skills, understanding, acceptance, compassion, and empathy. [/quote]
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