Reply to Is there a MoCo equivalent to Duke Ellington School for the Arts?

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Reply to "Is there a MoCo equivalent to Duke Ellington School for the Arts?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No, but your kid can apply to Duke Ellington and could be accepted as an out of District resident. You’d have to pay tuition though, or move to DC.

Nothing MCPS has compares with that. But I also know from parents at Duke Ellington that the academics aren’t great, so you’d be giving up quite a bit to have your kid attend it. [/quote]
I know students this year going from Duke to Yale, Hopkins and Smith.

Not saying this is across the board - but I think it might be improving [/quote]

That is definitely not the norm. People in DC whose kids are serious about academics generally avoid Duke Ellington even when they are very talented. [/quote]

They are probably going for arts, not academics.  Most of the talented kids do outside Mcps.  YAA, MCYO, PVYO, etc.  [/quote]

Agree. Those who are serious about academics go with a stronger school and do arts outside of school. Duke Ellington is good for those who are serious about arts but not academics.[/quote]

Yeah, that's not true at all. MOST art students are actually very passionate about their art AND academics as well. MOST students want a school that excels in both. They shouldn't have to choose and they aren't doing that at Duke Ellington, but please pretend you know more about this.[/quote]

Duke Ellington is rigorous. PP knows nothing, for sure.[/quote]

Hello! Former Duke Ellington and Einstein parent here.

My oldest graduated from Duke Ellington in 2013. My family then moved to the Kensington/Bethesda area in 2019, and my second child went to Einstein.It’s true that Einstein doesn’t hold up to Duke Ellington in some disciplines of the arts, but I would not say that the academics at Ellington are better than Einstein. I will never forget when my oldest told me that a lot of her peers had a hard time reading simple passages during her freshman year. DCPS was a nightmare to deal with, and it was actually one of the reasons we left the district.I think it’s unfair to compare Einstein to Ellington simply because Ellington can afford its staff and facilities through both government funding and paid partnerships. The arts are not cheap, and Ellington kids get much more training throughout the school day. Even then, my daughter still had to do training outside of school because her teachers strongly encouraged it.

My son went to Einstein, and we loved it. Yes, he did training after school, but he most likely would have had to do that even if he had gotten into Ellington. I know this might be an unpopular opinion that gets downvoted, but I was very impressed by Einstein's academics (both AP and IB). They have a lot to offer that Ellington simply didn't.

I also liked how seriously Einstein took the VAPA program. They have a dedicated website, an orientation video of the program, and everything.Neither school is a bad choice for the arts, but we will be sending my youngest to Einstein. If Einstein parents want a stronger VAPA program or more courses, the key is seeking out extra funding.

Maybe a Facebook booster group should be created to get that started!
[/quote]

This was very insightful! Thank you. We could be working with the academy head and see what steps we can take to find additional funding.[/quote]

Einstein probably has much stronger academics than Ellington.  However, things have changed since 2019 and many AP and other classes have been removed and the course offerings are limited.  The students are forced to go to MC, which is an issue with schedules and after-school activities, and classes that also meet after school.  Many kids are forced to drop activities and sports in their junior and senior years to go to MC.  The parents who talk about things from 5+ years ago are not giving an accurate picture of what is going on now.  Einstein could be a great school and if they improved the academic offerings more of the smarter kids in the area would stay, which would help.[/quote]

I have a junior at Einstein and am interested in what APs have been cut since 2019? Just the sciences? My kid takes IB science which is frustrating scheduling wise because it’s a two year course, but it’s not less rigorous. I’m not aware of any juniors leaving Einstein for advanced academics at MC, or planning on it senior year. My VAPA kid and most of their friends take 4 AP/IB level courses at a time. I do agree the principal is uninspiring but the teachers are great and we’ve found the general vibe of the school very warm and vibrant.[/quote]

Most of the teachers are great and try hard.  A few are ok, but that’s at any school.  There are no ap science classes, no ap music, etc.  There is only the bare minimum for engineering and computer science so many of those kids leave for Wheaton or Blair.  My kids will not do the two year IB classes as it conflicts with other things.  There are a few juniors this year who do it and many more seniors.  Dual enrollment is more common for seniors especially when you only need Math and English.  The kids who do it generally drop out of the arts to do it, which is where the problem comes in as they are forced to choose academics over arts and they should be able to do both all four years.  It’s more common with the music vs theatre students to drop out especially with marching band as many of the classes are in the evenings.  You can do some during the day but you are required to take morning classes at school so that limits what is offered in the afternoon.  There are a lot of great people and things going on at Einstein and with more effort and the principal listening to families, staff and students it could be a really great school meeting all students needs. Many of the current teachers could teach the ap classes needed as well as other higher level classes.  There are some really smart and capable teachers who are not being used to their potential.  Some of the new teachers this year are really good.

Some kids do better with the structure of IB, especially humanities, but others do better with ap.  There is no reason not to offer both. [/quote]

They used to offer both AP and IB science. They didn't get enough students signing up to justify having both classes, so they kept the IB classes, because they're an IB school and need to offer them.[/quote]

It true at all.  Many of our kids want ap science and have been told no.  At least offer it and if 15+ students sign up, make the class happen.  If not, then cancel the class.  It’s an issue because if the double periods.  [/quote]

Yes, that is the history. The shift began after a new AP/IB coordinator was hired around 2020. His goal was to get more advanced students to take the IB classes, which had low enrollments, and the science department dropped their AP classes to focus on IB instead.[/quote]

Why does Einstein even have IB in the first place? Kennedy was designed as the DCC IB school.

BTW I’ve heard directly from teachers that Brown is the one trying to turn Einstein into an IB school instead of an arts school.[/quote]

Einstein has had an IB program for over 20 years, and it predates Kennedy's.[/quote]

Starting in 2027 Einstein students will be able to go to BCC for IB, so I'm not sure if Einstein will be able to also sustain IB then.[/quote]

Not my kid. They will be an 11th grader at Einstein in 2027.[/quote]

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