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

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

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

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]IB here.

For the of god, the relevant distinction is Feeder versus Non-Feeder.

I have long desired higher in-bound enrollment at Hardy. The sole reason for this is that the four (soon to be five, perhaps) feeder schools prepare students well. To the extent that Hardy is made up of such students, the learning environment will be strong.

Listen, I want my kids to have classmates that live nearby, too. But, what I really want is a good learning environment, and this depends more on Feeder-Non-Feeder than IB-Feeder / Non-IB-Feeder. Parents complaining about the surge of feeder students being all OOB feeder students are undermining legitimate progress. (Not to mention that, from what I hear, this is false.) It is silly, petty and/or loaded with unstated biases. Perhaps racist doesn't apply (it probably doesn't), but you deserve to be called out.

Any increase in feeder enrollment in Hardy is a great step forward. It should be applauded. [/quote]

Agree that increase in feeder enrollment is a positive sign. I'd also agree that academic performance is more important for many parents than IB percentage.

However I disagree that IB percentage is unimportant in itself, and I disagree that advocating and organizing to increase IB, in and of itself, is somehow questionable and "needs to be called out". It's a completely appropriate and desirable objective, to have Hardy majority-IB (IB meaning students who live within the Hardy boundary).

In your case, it sounds like IB is only a proxy for academic preparation. Then you would be consistent to only evaluate academic preparation. But it is legitimate for other families to also value IB percentage, as an end in itself. In addition to other criteria like academic preparation, test scores, facilities......... uniforms   :)

[/quote]

It's great that OOB students that go to a Hardy feeder, like Hyde Addison, continue on to Hardy.  They are presumably better prepared than the schools they otherwise would have been assigned to.  When you think about it, it's a bit of a no-brainer because the feeder elementary and Hardy offer a better education than they otherwise would have had, and eventually feed to Wilson HS.

The question that Hardy's admin needs to ask itself is why the school is not a choice for IB parents, particularly those that have sent their kids to high performing elementary schools that are in the Hardy feeder pattern.  Why is the takeup rate so much lower than for Deal, with similar IB demographics?  If Hardy hasn't run focus groups and roundtables with such prospective parents at the IB elementary feeders, then they should.  These are parents who have already committed to public school and probably leave it somewhat reluctantly.  Listen to them.  Find out what they feel they need from Hardy, and try to address it.  Whether a school or a business, sales  is more than touting and PR.  It is understanding your customer's needs and responding to needs to prospective customers, thereby expanding your market share.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics