Reply to Student Stratification at Selective High Schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I have a kid at Walls and am fine with the offering there. They have a fun urban lifestyle, a wonderful peer group, exposure to GW --and the track record of college acceptances is great. Super-intense schools might be good for some, but I like that my kid gets to be a kid, and also gets a good shot at future opportunities.[/quote]

Sounds fabulous but hasn't been for us, not remotely. We've found Walls to be a very mixed bag for our strong humanities student. My kid's Walls English classes were chaotic and inadequate in 9th and 10th grade. The students read no classic lit whatsoever, there was no set curriculum, and they did little writing. The French teacher quit mid-year and wasn't replaced. The kids weren't even supervised in French for most of the spring or assigned any work. The facility just isn't too hot.  The school orchestra is weak on a good day.  We have up after the first year and headed to Strathmore/MCYO for a serious string ensemble. The track record of college acceptances doesn't seem half as good as it could be, given the talent pool in DC. Guidance counselors are overwhelmed and much less than helpful so we've hired our own (cha-ching, ouch). Walls doesn't teach AP Bio or Chem every year, so we've paid for AP STEM summer courses. The principal isn't too bright, dynamic or effective and the kids know it.  I could go on.

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