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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Dear OP, if you are getting worked up about this & your child is starting elementary school, you will have a stroke by 12th grade. Trust the process & supplement at home as needed. It will be alright.[/quote]

My kid is going into 4th grade. We're new to the area. They've had science and social studies thus far. I have every reason to be upset. Why should I trust the process when I know they could be getting better living elsewhere? It seems most of you are just accepting of this subpar status quo and that's concerning. [/quote]

Why not just homeschool? Or send your kid to private school? Why complain about PUBLIC SCHOOL that is designed to meet the needs of everyone? 
Just homeschool where you can teach what you want, when you want. 
Problem solved. [/quote]

DP but wow, you're a HUGE part of the problem with DCPS schools. Newsflash: all neighboring districts are better in every single way. I never thought I'd say I miss MCPS parents, but I do now. They FIGHT for their children and their education. This thread has just shown me what I've seen teaching in DCPS- apathetic parents which is why student behaviors are terrible and why student achievement is abysmal at best. If your response to legitimate problems is, homeschool or private, you have no real solutions. Public school children deserve the best and meeting the needs of all students includes providing elementary students with more than just reading and math. Do some work on yourself before posting here. [/quote]

It seems like this particular issue is mostly at charters, not at DCPS. Multiple DCPS parents have come in to say their schools do offer it daily. There's certainly a discussion about charter oversight and regulation.

I also think saying parents are apathetic because some elementary schools lack daily science class is a little much. I went to a top school district and don't at all remember having science daily until middle school.

Are you a current DCPS parent?[/quote]

Oh give it a break.  It is not a charter issue.  The reality is that schools with lots of low performing kids (DCPS or charter) don’t focus on science.  The big focus is on math and reading to try to get these kids at least doing better who are so behind which is as it should be.  Sure some topics may be introduced but it’s not the focus.

My kid is at a charter in elementary.  They do group science projects where they will learn and research the topic, write a presentation on it, edit this writing work, then do a poster and presentation to the parents of what they learned. They spend a few weeks on this.  That is real science.  Hands on, group project, researching, analyzing, presenting, etc…. But you can’t get to this stage if the kids can’t even read the research, let alone write a coherent paper and do a presentation.

[/quote]

Not all DCPS schools have lots of low performing students. Not all charters have lots of high performing students. You are right that schools with a lot of kids below grade level are going to focus much more on ELA and math, even in upper grades, because they need to get those kids up to grade level if at all possible before middle school. It's important. But it's not actually a DCPS v. charter issue.

Also, my kid's DCPS holds a science fair every year. One early grades, the projects are done on a classroom basis and they do it all together, research, create a presentation, and present it. Starting in 3rd kids do it on an individual basis, so by then they're all familiar with the process. And yes, they are expected to write coherently on their scientific project topic, synthesizing what they are learning in ELA about composition and applying it to their topic.

I think there was a time when DCPS schools didn't do much of this kind of thing, but at this point a decent number of DCPS are valid competitors for high achieving kids that 10-15 years ago might have gone to charters. Meanwhile, the bloom is off the rose at many charter schools. And even the ones that continue to be highly regarded are not necessarily doing science daily. For instance, at immersion programs, science and social studies often take a back seat to the target language, and students sometimes have to spend more time on math and ELA at these schools because the immersion process can delay skill acquisition in key areas (to be clear, I don't view this as a problem, kids are learning a second language and that's worthwhile, I'm just pointing out that the idea that all charters are offering more science than all DCPS is simply incorrect).[/quote]

I never said that charters are offering more science.  I said that schools with majority low performing kids do not focus on science which is true.

I was refuting you saying it’s a particular issue at charters just because some DCPS parents have chimed in. I gave an example of what my charter was doing, because I am an actual parent there.

Contrast this to you, who obviously have an issue with charters because you are making incorrect assumptions again.  My kid goes to an immersion charter and learning the science stuff I said above every year and also a second language.  Also kids at my school are not spending more time in math and ELA than non-immersion school.  They actually spend 50% less time in ELA.  Math same amount.

You lose credibility when you make broad statements and assumptions about schools where you don’t have kids.  [/quote]

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