Plenty of tutoring goes on for kids at STA, athletes and non-athletes alike. Tutors can be seen during the school day working with kids during their free periods, and after lunch/before sports on or off campus. STA is strong academically but there is still a relatively broad range of student abilities, sometimes diverging by subject matter (student who is strong in humanities but works with a math science tutor; student who is strong in math science but works with a foreign language tutor). I doubt there is much difference in use of tutors between STA and other schools catering to academically proficient and/or ambitious kids/families--I just don't see this as controversial.

Explain why it is so common for these entitlement parents of private school children to feel so much shame and embarrassment they are driven to lie and tell half truths? What's so shameful about prepping for entrance tests and extra tutoring? Their attitude harks back to the Pilgrim days of Hester Prynne in Nathaniel Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of tutoring goes on for kids at STA, athletes and non-athletes alike. Tutors can be seen during the school day working with kids during their free periods, and after lunch/before sports on or off campus. STA is strong academically but there is still a relatively broad range of student abilities, sometimes diverging by subject matter (student who is strong in humanities but works with a math science tutor; student who is strong in math science but works with a foreign language tutor). I doubt there is much difference in use of tutors between STA and other schools catering to academically proficient and/or ambitious kids/families--I just don't see this as controversial.

Speaking of academic strenghts. We will likely apply DS to STA for 4th grade. He is very strong in Writing/English and more average in Math. He doesn't struggle with Math, but he's no mathematical powerhouse either. My question is would he feel out of place at STA from an academic standpoint? Also, how would this impact admissions? Thanks

I believe, granted on what my 3rd grade boy told me after the applicant-testing, that there is a rigorous math component to the in-house entrance exams. I had heard from a mother that her son actually cried afterwards. But my now STA C-Former (4th grade) is hardly a math whiz, and while there does seem to be a math whiz or two in his class, again, at least according to my boy, the majority of the boys are pretty average in math.

Thanks, this is very reassuring to hear.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of tutoring goes on for kids at STA, athletes and non-athletes alike. Tutors can be seen during the school day working with kids during their free periods, and after lunch/before sports on or off campus. STA is strong academically but there is still a relatively broad range of student abilities, sometimes diverging by subject matter (student who is strong in humanities but works with a math science tutor; student who is strong in math science but works with a foreign language tutor). I doubt there is much difference in use of tutors between STA and other schools catering to academically proficient and/or ambitious kids/families--I just don't see this as controversial.

Speaking of academic strenghts. We will likely apply DS to STA for 4th grade. He is very strong in Writing/English and more average in Math. He doesn't struggle with Math, but he's no mathematical powerhouse either. My question is would he feel out of place at STA from an academic standpoint? Also, how would this impact admissions? Thanks

I believe, granted on what my 3rd grade boy told me after the applicant-testing, that there is a rigorous math component to the in-house entrance exams. I had heard from a mother that her son actually cried afterwards. But my now STA C-Former (4th grade) is hardly a math whiz, and while there does seem to be a math whiz or two in his class, again, at least according to my boy, the majority of the boys are pretty average in math.

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of tutoring goes on for kids at STA, athletes and non-athletes alike. Tutors can be seen during the school day working with kids during their free periods, and after lunch/before sports on or off campus. STA is strong academically but there is still a relatively broad range of student abilities, sometimes diverging by subject matter (student who is strong in humanities but works with a math science tutor; student who is strong in math science but works with a foreign language tutor). I doubt there is much difference in use of tutors between STA and other schools catering to academically proficient and/or ambitious kids/families--I just don't see this as controversial.

Speaking of academic strenghts. We will likely apply DS to STA for 4th grade. He is very strong in Writing/English and more average in Math. He doesn't struggle with Math, but he's no mathematical powerhouse either. My question is would he feel out of place at STA from an academic standpoint? Also, how would this impact admissions? Thanks

Plenty of tutoring goes on for kids at STA, athletes and non-athletes alike. Tutors can be seen during the school day working with kids during their free periods, and after lunch/before sports on or off campus. STA is strong academically but there is still a relatively broad range of student abilities, sometimes diverging by subject matter (student who is strong in humanities but works with a math science tutor; student who is strong in math science but works with a foreign language tutor). I doubt there is much difference in use of tutors between STA and other schools catering to academically proficient and/or ambitious kids/families--I just don't see this as controversial.

?????

Here we go again, shucking and ducking, in the usual pretencious of a DCUM private school parent who is afraid to admit common truths. Tell us what you mean by extreme? I suppose we all have our own definition.

There is no shame in tutoring your child. Don't feel you have to hide or obscure the facts.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good.

I can think offhand of five STA boys who are on Varsity/JV teams and are somehow finding time for tutoring. Sorry.

Not to the extreme degree found in some schools. Sorry.

Anonymous wrote:

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good.

I can think offhand of five STA boys who are on Varsity/JV teams and are somehow finding time for tutoring. Sorry.

I'm using "aware" instead of high socio-economic. It is not unique to NW DC. Some parents put their trust in Everyday Math. Some went along with whole language for reading and no explicit phonics. Others made up for the instructional deficits outside of school. Simple concept.

?????????

Anonymous wrote:

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good. the meatheads are successful....a pun on the Sidwellian outlook.

Hey, NW D.C. has 2 distinctions of households: the "aware households" and by elimination -- the "unwaware households". Please define this new demographic term?

I'm using "aware" instead of high socio-economic. It is not unique to NW DC. Some parents put their trust in Everyday Math. Some went along with whole language for reading and no explicit phonics. Others made up for the instructional deficits outside of school. Simple concept.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would assume the selection bias continues to exist in a public HS with a high percentage of parents who are intellectuals (either academic or artistic or otherwise).

I think the point of the original post you quote was that you certainly cannot look exclusively at achievement statistics for these areas schools and infer anything about the actual teaching done there. In an ideal world, you would know all the attributes about your child and know what school helps the kid with those attributes at entry do best (according to whatever metric you or your child care about).

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good. the meatheads are successful....a pun on the Sidwellian outlook.

Let's assume you're correct. There are a group of students who have no additional instruction outside of school. That doesn't eliminate the possibility that these intense athletes are extremely bright (despite your disparaging comment about them being meatheads). The point was that if you were concerned with the performance of the SCHOOL (with regard to teaching), you would need to see how this group of students do in other teaching environments, compare, and judge the schools based on how these equally talented students did in these environments. By saying students who have no chance for exra instruction at home do well, you are only controling for one potential bias (good grades = high levels of afterschooling) but certainly not the main one (good grades = high iq = high levels of performance no matter how crappy the teaching). Or it could reflect the grading system employed which compensates athletes for less time. I don't know.

Anyway, this wasn't to put down StA which surely is a great school. But certainly not by your inadequate defense.

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good. the meatheads are successful....a pun on the Sidwellian outlook.

Hey, NW D.C. has 2 distinctions of households: the "aware households" and by elimination -- the "unwaware households". Please define this new demographic term?

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good. the meatheads are successful....a pun on the Sidwellian outlook.

Hot off the Press

Jocks and boys intense into sports get no afterschool tutoring at STA, home, Princeton Review, Kaplan, C-2 education, summer camps or Kumon

signed the private school booster

Anonymous wrote:I would assume the selection bias continues to exist in a public HS with a high percentage of parents who are intellectuals (either academic or artistic or otherwise).

I think the point of the original post you quote was that you certainly cannot look exclusively at achievement statistics for these areas schools and infer anything about the actual teaching done there. In an ideal world, you would know all the attributes about your child and know what school helps the kid with those attributes at entry do best (according to whatever metric you or your child care about).

Hmmph. Simply put there is afterteaching in aware households. STA teaches kids to write and has small class sizes. Practical instruction in math and science. The older kids who actually play sports on an intense level at STA have no time for afterschooling so you know the teaching is good. the meatheads are successful....a pun on the Sidwellian outlook.

I would assume the selection bias continues to exist in a public HS with a high percentage of parents who are intellectuals (either academic or artistic or otherwise).

I think the point of the original post you quote was that you certainly cannot look exclusively at achievement statistics for these areas schools and infer anything about the actual teaching done there. In an ideal world, you would know all the attributes about your child and know what school helps the kid with those attributes at entry do best (according to whatever metric you or your child care about).