Reply to Two Rivers elementary families -- what is your MS plan

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What happened to Two Rivers? I've been out of DC for 8 years and now moving back so trying to get a handle on the school landscape, especially around the Hill. I swore TR was one of the most sought-after charter school back then. Was I completely wrong? Has something going majorly wrong since I moved away?[/quote]

I'm not totally sure what went wrong. I think a lack of attention to core academics, and some really challenging behaviors that the school was not adequately coping with.

I will say, I don't think it was ever actually that great at the middle school level, it's just that parents in that part of town were hard-up for good schools and wanted to believe it would work out. Preschool parents are sheeplike and clueless and a school can have a long waitlist without actually being that great if it has the buzz.[/quote]

I think TR's descent from grace has been slowed by the fact that JO Wilson has been in a crap building for a while now and is not finally getting their much-needed renovation but this also means a swing space and some upheaval so that school has not gotten the IB buy in that you see at places like L-T or Payne over the last decade or so. People get scared off by the test scores and then they visit the school and it's just in rough shape. But it's really a hidden gem that is soon to be not-so-hidden I think (when the renovated school is done). Really great and experienced teaching staff with a strong focus on academics plus solid specials programs (the performing arts program is a standout).

I think TR continues to soak up people who are IB for JO and get put off by the condition of the school and the test scores and just feel more comfortable at TR where there are a lot more umc families. It helps TR maintain a solid base of families even if it's really not a destination for people who have other options (you don't see L-T families lottery to TR even though you do see them going to SWS or even CHmL) and people tend to leave TR well before 5th if their lottery results are any indication.

Now what happens when JO gets their renovation... I will be curious to see how this impacts TR for sure. I do think that a lot of TR families would be surprised to discover that JO likely has superior academics if they could compare the schools side by side. But most people don't -- the look at test scores online and they get "a vibe" as a prospective PK family who knows basically nothing about elementary education and they don't give JO a chance. If the new building makes more families give JO a chance I think TR could wind up folding.[/quote]

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