Reply to Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?

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Reply to "Hardy Middle School -- 5th grade in feeder school -- who's considering Hardy for 6th?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I know this is an old thread but if you are considering Hardy-don't.  I have two children who have been to Hardy and it's a mess. When my oldest child started there 5 years ago it was a lovely small school with a large art and music department.  By the time he graduated, art and music were not required, they changed the scheduling system so that there are the same amount of periods everyday(this eliminates being able to take 3 electives), and their Math, Language and Science Departments are a mess.  In 6th grade the principal keeps the numbers down to make the in-boundary families happy but over enrolls and floods the 8th grade.  This has happened twice and when I asked Principal Pride she said it was impossible to know who would enroll.  Really?

Their Math levels land most of their students one to two years behind their peers from the other feeder schools to Wilson. At Deal every student is offered at least Algebra 1 in the 8th grade. At Hardy only one section of Math receives Algebra 1.  Students have to be recommended and pass a test.  These test aren't normed and change from year to year.  Every student at Deal is being pushed to take AT LEAST ALGEBRA 1 in the 8th grade while Hardy students have to jump through hoops and beat out their classmates to get into the one section.  It's pathetic. When I asked the administration why 8th graders weren't taking Algebra 1 they said that most students would enter SWW and Wilson taking Algebra 1 as a freshman.  I can assure you that with two students in high school only at risk students are taking Algebra 1 as a freshman and those from Hardy.

The one saving grace of the school's education is what they call the SEM class.  It's a wonderful schoolwide enrichment class that shouldn't be an elective but a school wide class that is a project based learning focusing on STEM. All of DCPS is supposed to have rolled this out.  It is how most classes should be taught using best teaching practice and student exploration.  It gets kids excited about learning.  Unfortunately, this class is once in their day and only for a half year, then it's back to teachers standing in front of them droning on and on while students sit.

Are there great parts of Hardy?  Yes, of course.  Ms. Punwani is one of the best English teachers.  Their Dean of students is excellent and really connects with troubled middle schoolers.  Unfortunately, the staff is stretched for the amount of students they have.  The space is way too small.  Their special education department is old school DC baby and I feel the principal is not really worried about educating students but working on her 5 year plan to make it into Deal at any cost so she can move on to bigger and better things.

Of course this is just observation from a mom who used to teach middle school ages before her kids were born and who wanted more for my kids.  My kids are thriving in high school but their freshman years were hell on wheels getting caught up which included one of them having to take an online Math course over the summer recommended by the chair of the Math department who could not believe a smart kid had been left behind.

I don't want to start a fight but offer a view that is different than it sucks, it's getting better or it's great.

Hope this helps.[/quote]

You rock, PP.  We need to hear all this.  [/quote]

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