Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Title I had smaller class sizes. That may have been just happenstance-- there were about 60 kids so too many kids for two classrooms, but not quite enough to fully occupy three.

Title I schools get certain funding and certain donors. Obviously it wasn't as wealthy a school overall, but it wasn't so bad.

I’m under the impression that title I schools are required to have smaller class sizes (and get funding to get to that point)

Is the true? Our title 1 has class sizes of 24-26.

I don't think that's true. Sometimes the funding is used for an extra aide, which means a smaller adult-child ratio, but that's not the same thing as a small class size.

Our Title I has small class sizes because people don't want to go there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Title I had smaller class sizes. That may have been just happenstance-- there were about 60 kids so too many kids for two classrooms, but not quite enough to fully occupy three.

Title I schools get certain funding and certain donors. Obviously it wasn't as wealthy a school overall, but it wasn't so bad.

I’m under the impression that title I schools are required to have smaller class sizes (and get funding to get to that point)

Is the true? Our title 1 has class sizes of 24-26.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Behavioral issues in the classroom, attrition in second and above, higher grading standards, and way more bells and whistles because of PTA funding that make academics more fun and interesting for the kids. Not better teachers, but a better environment to let teachers thrive.

Have been at DCPS schools with 50%, 20%, and <5% at-risk.

When my child was a 2nd grader at Janney they had a child in the class who was out of control and the school had no idea what to do.
We came from a Title 1 school where behavior was managed.

It did not matter what bells and whistles were available because the students could not even engage with basic learning

The issue here, in DC (and elsewhere) it’s really hard to move a kid or get them help if the parents don’t participate in the process. Less likely to happen at Janney than elsewhere, but it’s a multi year process anywhere

Anonymous wrote:The Title I had smaller class sizes. That may have been just happenstance-- there were about 60 kids so too many kids for two classrooms, but not quite enough to fully occupy three.

Title I schools get certain funding and certain donors. Obviously it wasn't as wealthy a school overall, but it wasn't so bad.

I’m under the impression that title I schools are required to have smaller class sizes (and get funding to get to that point)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you've moved from a title 1 elementary in DC to an upper NW elementary in DC, how did the type of instruction change? At our current title 1 school, there are many kids below grade level, but also a good number on or above grade level. At upper NW schools, it seems most of the kids are at or above grade level. Does this result in the students being challenged more in the classroom?

The difference has everything to do with the household that the child comes from. Children from households with college-educated parents begin school already ahead. This is not to take away from parents in Title 1 schools, but it has less to do with teacher skill and more to do with the child's exposure and ability to practice what is learned in school each day.
I have actually seen teachers in NW do LESS than teachers in Title 1 school simply because their students are going to achieve at high rates regardless. Teachers in Title 1 schools really have to work hard to move the needle.

There is no doubt that Title 1 teachers have a much harder job (we've been at both kinds of DCPS schools). I was always deeply, deeply impressed with our Title 1 teachers.

I don't see a huge difference in teacher quality at the non Title 1 DCPS. Seems like the same pool, and they do have slightly different jobs.

The parents are the non-title 1 are much more demanding, so I think there are more boundaries in place separating the teachers and the parents. I felt much closer to the Title 1 teachers, they texted me all the time and chatted at pick up and the relationship was just warmer. The non Title 1 teachers are more distant and we definitely are not supposed to text them -- the communication is more structured.

All that said, the teachers all seem good and there is no doubt my kid is learning more in a more peaceful environment at the non-Title 1.

I worked as an aide in NW elementary school. There was no such thing as doing less in K classrooms. Almost all kids were grade level in or above in our classroom. Two children needed more help in small groups and received the help daily.
Kids were absolutely challenged, but it wasn't hard for them.They came to school prepared to do well. The challenge also came from other kids.
They were fighting for their right to be kids and play as much as possible every free second. One kid even said it on day one or two that he wanted to play. It cut deep.
This was hard watch, because it was 2021-22 and kids really needed to play after a year in isolation.
K is extremely hard in DCPS if you asked me. K is when childhood ends in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Behavioral issues in the classroom, attrition in second and above, higher grading standards, and way more bells and whistles because of PTA funding that make academics more fun and interesting for the kids. Not better teachers, but a better environment to let teachers thrive.

Have been at DCPS schools with 50%, 20%, and <5% at-risk.

When my child was a 2nd grader at Janney they had a child in the class who was out of control and the school had no idea what to do.
We came from a Title 1 school where behavior was managed.

It did not matter what bells and whistles were available because the students could not even engage with basic learning

Both can be true, PP.

Anonymous wrote:Behavioral issues in the classroom, attrition in second and above, higher grading standards, and way more bells and whistles because of PTA funding that make academics more fun and interesting for the kids. Not better teachers, but a better environment to let teachers thrive.

Have been at DCPS schools with 50%, 20%, and <5% at-risk.

When my child was a 2nd grader at Janney they had a child in the class who was out of control and the school had no idea what to do.
We came from a Title 1 school where behavior was managed.

It did not matter what bells and whistles were available because the students could not even engage with basic learning

Anonymous wrote:If you've moved from a title 1 elementary in DC to an upper NW elementary in DC, how did the type of instruction change? At our current title 1 school, there are many kids below grade level, but also a good number on or above grade level. At upper NW schools, it seems most of the kids are at or above grade level. Does this result in the students being challenged more in the classroom?

The difference has everything to do with the household that the child comes from. Children from households with college-educated parents begin school already ahead. This is not to take away from parents in Title 1 schools, but it has less to do with teacher skill and more to do with the child's exposure and ability to practice what is learned in school each day.
I have actually seen teachers in NW do LESS than teachers in Title 1 school simply because their students are going to achieve at high rates regardless. Teachers in Title 1 schools really have to work hard to move the needle.

Anonymous wrote:Behavioral issues in the classroom, attrition in second and above, higher grading standards, and way more bells and whistles because of PTA funding that make academics more fun and interesting for the kids. Not better teachers, but a better environment to let teachers thrive.

Have been at DCPS schools with 50%, 20%, and <5% at-risk.

I agree with all of these. I've been at a school that was around 45% at-risk and one that is more like 4 or 5%.

at the wealthier school: notably fewer screens and more hands-on project work. The threshold to get harder, more challenging work is higher (so the same number of kids are getting the challenging work in each school, but at the wealthier school their qualifying scores seem to be higher). Far fewer behavior issues, so the kids are all calmer (they aren't tense and bracing for violence, which happened at our old school in upper elementary). They have more time for science and social studies, and a completely different curriculum for ELA that is much more challenging and requires more detailed reading and writing and content knowledge, and an additional writing curriculum that didn't exist at the old school.

Behavioral issues in the classroom, attrition in second and above, higher grading standards, and way more bells and whistles because of PTA funding that make academics more fun and interesting for the kids. Not better teachers, but a better environment to let teachers thrive.

Have been at DCPS schools with 50%, 20%, and <5% at-risk.

The Title I had smaller class sizes. That may have been just happenstance-- there were about 60 kids so too many kids for two classrooms, but not quite enough to fully occupy three.

Title I schools get certain funding and certain donors. Obviously it wasn't as wealthy a school overall, but it wasn't so bad.

Title I was more flexible. They would send kids up a classroom for a work period to be with a group that was a good fit. I really had no problem with it in K-1st. The schools tend to be smaller in enrollment, which can be good or bad depending on your preference.

You start to notice a difference in grades 3-5 when attrition makes for fewer high performing kids.

We were at a Title 1 charter and local "Upper NW elementary"
Hands down instruction was better at Title 1.
Projects were done at school by the students and you saw evidence of the work that the kids did.

At our local elementary school the instruction was done at home by the parents - or through tutors.

Title 1 had its challenges - but if the teachers worked as hard at the upper NW - these kids would be challenged and doing some interesting things.

If you've moved from a title 1 elementary in DC to an upper NW elementary in DC, how did the type of instruction change? At our current title 1 school, there are many kids below grade level, but also a good number on or above grade level. At upper NW schools, it seems most of the kids are at or above grade level. Does this result in the students being challenged more in the classroom?