We are in NOVA and have chosen our neighborhood school. It is 70%(+) FARMS and 50% spanish-speaking. Test scores are not great. Our experience is similar to other pp's - DS is doing fine academically and seems challenged. Is learning things that his peers (at other schools) are learning. The school understands its population and knows how to challenge the kids who are better prepared and more engaged, and how to help those who are not.

The challenge for us also is on the social side of things. Very hard to arrange playdates, do birthday parties, etc. Beyond the 50% spanish speaking, there also are many immigrant families speaking a variety of languages.

One thing that I've noticed, which PP's haven't mentioned, is that the general social environment/culture at the school seems...lacking. That is, the school is not a hub for everyone, the way that my school was when I was growing up. When they hold social functions, parties, etc., there are a LOT of people who do not come. (The same people tend to be there every time.) Another example - for back-to-school night, very few people come. Also things like classroom parties don't happen, unless one of the American parents steps forward to organize it (and since there are few of us, and many of us WOH, it's particularly hard). I think the families who have non-American cultural backgrounds maybe just don't expect that school is something they would participate in beyond simply sending their child there each day to learn.

Our child is thriving. At Montgomery Knolls, which has 46% ESOL and 64% FARMS. Has 17 students in first grade class. Our child had maybe 2-3 other peers at the same academic level last year in K but has more this year. DC had many friends in K class last year that were not from our socio-economic class, and I liked that. This year DC spends more time in class with close friends from our neighborhood (same socio-economic class) but seems friendly with all the kids. We are very pleased with the choice we made to try out MKES. We've had great teachers and a wonderful experience. But I would feel differnently if DC were the only kid in the class at DC's level or the only neighborhood kids going to MKES. This year there seem to be no chronic behavior problems. Last year in K there were two kids with chronic behavior issues, and only one of those kids was a lower socio-economic kid.

One question... Parents say their child is thriving but how is the academic peer group? I pulled DC prior to starting at a Title1 for this reason/concern alone. I was really worried that overall material covered would be diminished in some way.

Because of the behavior issues, right PP?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our school isn't a Title I school although it is a FOCUS school. I suppose it would qualify as Title I rather than FOCUS except that there is a magnet program there. My experience is mixed. I have two kids, one of which is in a class that has few behavioral problems. The other is in a class that seems to have quite a few behavioral issues. The kids have reduced class sizes in levels K to 2nd, but in 3rd grade the class size took a big jump. I think that has hampered the learning environment, especially since it coincided with a move to a new curriculum and there have been hiccups with that transition. In all candor, at this point I'd like to consider moving my child but haven't located any reasonable alternatives.

The problems you describe sound more like they have to do with the transition to Curriculm 2.0 and the class size rather than your kids going to school with kids from a lower SES, no?

Last year we had the same kids and it was okay (it was not great, it was just okay). This year the class size doubled (literally) and it's not been a good thing.

Anonymous wrote:Our school isn't a Title I school although it is a FOCUS school. I suppose it would qualify as Title I rather than FOCUS except that there is a magnet program there. My experience is mixed. I have two kids, one of which is in a class that has few behavioral problems. The other is in a class that seems to have quite a few behavioral issues. The kids have reduced class sizes in levels K to 2nd, but in 3rd grade the class size took a big jump. I think that has hampered the learning environment, especially since it coincided with a move to a new curriculum and there have been hiccups with that transition. In all candor, at this point I'd like to consider moving my child but haven't located any reasonable alternatives.

The problems you describe sound more like they have to do with the transition to Curriculm 2.0 and the class size rather than your kids going to school with kids from a lower SES, no?

Our school isn't a Title I school although it is a FOCUS school. I suppose it would qualify as Title I rather than FOCUS except that there is a magnet program there. My experience is mixed. I have two kids, one of which is in a class that has few behavioral problems. The other is in a class that seems to have quite a few behavioral issues. The kids have reduced class sizes in levels K to 2nd, but in 3rd grade the class size took a big jump. I think that has hampered the learning environment, especially since it coincided with a move to a new curriculum and there have been hiccups with that transition. In all candor, at this point I'd like to consider moving my child but haven't located any reasonable alternatives.

Anonymous wrote:16:21 hit the nail on the head in terms of describing the social aspects of establishing friendships, playdates, etc. And I could go into greater detail here...if you are interested, just post back and ask.

Sure, I'd like to hear more. I was mostly thinking about the academic aspect when I posted, but I am interested to hear about the social aspects as well. And thanks to everyone who has responded!

16:21 hit the nail on the head in terms of describing the social aspects of establishing friendships, playdates, etc. And I could go into greater detail here...if you are interested, just post back and ask.

I have two kids in a Title I elementary school in Silver Spring. There are benefits and disadvantages, but we feel we made the right choice. The benefits are as others have said, small class sizes, as well as (in our school, at least) really devoted teachers. There is extra funding in Title I to pay for more aides, and my understanding is that Title I schools are the most protected when it comes to budget cuts. I have nieces and nephews in two other MCPS schools, and both now have "part-time" guidance counselors. Ours is still full time. I also like my kids are around students of different cultures. I grew up in an all-white community and it was an adjustment for me to gain some cultural understanding when I hit college. I'm happy that my kids will grow up with Hispanic friends, Asian friends, recently-immigrated friends, etc.

One con is that we have struggled with play dates and building friendships that last. My kids seem to make a lot of "school friends" that they play with at recess but aren't able to come over and play on weekends because their parents don't drive or because their parents aren't comfortable sending them to a "stranger's" home. And, sadly, it seems a lot of kids move away a lot. There are often a lot of new students in my kids' classes, and a lot of their old friends have moved to other schools.

We have tried to reach out to friends, and DH is Hispanic so I think that makes a big difference (our school is predominantly Hispanic). I've tried to arrange some get-togethers with no success (I speak Spanish, but have an accent), but when DH calls, they seem more likely to happen. It's not a HUGE issue, but it is something that I noticed a lot of people don't mention when raving about their Title I school.

My kids LOVE their school (DC #3 will be in K in a couple years and we have no plans to change).

DD is at a high FARMS school in Silver Spring. She is being challenged where she is and, like PP, has only 15 kids in her class. She gets so much more individual attention than her friends who live in more affluent areas and have 20-30 kids in their class. It has been a great experience so far and I can't imagine changing anything. We might consider applying her to the HGC for 3rd grade (which we might have done regardless of where she was), but for now everything is great as it is.

Name the school and you might get more helpful input. Fwiw, my nephew attends a title 1 elem in Silver Spring. He is literally the only white kid in his class, and he is one of only a few non-farms kids. He is thriving academically. There are only 15 kids in his class, and he is doing math and reading well above grade level. He will likely end up in a magnet for ms. Socially, it's a different story. He doesn't have many good friends at school. Here's what I mean by that: none of the kids from his class play sports in the same league (not cheap) or go to ccd at the local catholic elem. So that's one of the major differences I see when comparing his elem experience to my kid's experience. And, the number of kids with serious issues (behavioral) is significantly different when comparing my nephews title 1 school to my neighborhood school. Both schools have kids with issues, but the percentage is very different.

Are you able to take a tour with a counselor during the school day? That might give you a better feel.

Doing wonderfully in PS. Kids are great, teachers are sweet and capable, facility is lovely, title 1 resources are abundant. Will do wonderful in PK. I don't think we will stick around after that for a number of reasons, many not having to do with the school.

I'm curious to hear from parents who sent their child to a neighborhood public elementary in an area that was on its way up, but the demographics of the local public school hadn't caught up yet. The kind of place where most people of means would perhaps choose private instead, but some would choose to try the public school. Any success stories with this? Parent or teacher perspectives welcome!