Reply to So how many IB are going to really be at Hardy?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Re # of IB kids-someone mentioned on this thread that hArdy met their goal of 50 IB 6th graders this year and met 100% capacity for that grade as well.[/quote]
Is that based on DCPS methodology of counting where students actually live or using Principal Pride's system, in which OOB students who attended an IB feeder are considered "in boundary"?[/quote]

Two observations on this question:

1.  it is a good example of the goalpost-moving that occurs with potential Hardy parents.  They announce they want something - more IB families - then when they get it, they announce that it's not quite right - not the right kind of IB families.  Reminds me of a few years ago - IB families met with DCPS officials and asked for a gifted and talented program at Hardy.  They got it - the SEM program - and it's great.  But of course, it was mostly ignored by these same IB families because it was not the right kind of gifted and talented program.

2.  People who complain about the wrong kind of IB families (ie, families that lotteried into IB schools)....I am not calling you racists.  But can you at least understand the perception that this creates?  There is some logic to saying "I want my kid to go to school with other kids from his high-performing school because I know these will be high-performing kids."   But to say "I only want my kids to go to school with high-performing kids from the white part of town"?   How are we supposed to view statements that have that message?[/quote]

This is just a ridiculous argument. IB means students who live within the boundary for the school in question. It is mendacious to try to expand this definition to somehow include students living in other wards coming from a feeder, and then criticize people for insisting on "the right kind" of IB families. There is only one kind - those who live within the school boundaries.

Aside from the race-baiting which has now reached epic proportions on this thread, I think there is some innocent misunderstanding here, and I blame the charter movement for that innocent misunderstanding. It is the charter movement that has apparently conditioned modern parents to think that it is a universally good thing to attend school with kids from all over the city, and to look upon geographic boundaries with suspicion. That's nice, you are welcome to attend charters if that is what you want, but many people still value a neighborhood school, with kids in attendance mostly from the neighborhood.

For the last few years, Hardy has basically served as a de facto city-wide charter school, with the IB participation no higher than what it would otherwise be if Hardy truly was a city-wide charter. There are many who want to see it become a true neighborhood school, and there seems to be some slow progress toward this (or maybe, quick progress - that question is the point of this thread).

Therefore PP, and others who think that we should only care about student performance, thanks for your input, you are entitled to your opinion. The ideal school that you describe is a charter school and you are welcome to select such an option for your kids. For some other parents, and many IB for Hardy, it is not only student performance, but also IB percentage that is important. (And student performance isn't there yet either, but that's been covered extensively above.)

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