Anonymous
Post 10/12/2024 14:47     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Parents matter the most, but that doesn’t mean the school doesn’t matter.

A lot of families leave DCPS around middle school for this reason.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 23:41     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Parents matter much more. As long as the school draws from families with good parents that care about education and manners and kindness and all that, it'll be fine.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 23:35     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
School, but in all reality its the particular teacher your child has and are they a good fit. You can be at the best school with a bad teacher and it be a terrible experience. You can be at the worst school with a great teacher and it be a good experience.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 23:26     Subject: Re:What matters more- the parents or the school?
Parents always matter more. Specifically, parental income and support of academics matters more.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 12:44     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:Parents have more of an impact for kids in the middle of the pack. For those on either end of the needs or abilities spectrum, the school has more of an impact. Choosing a private school is making a choice on both levels, parent and school.


Disagree with this. The school is best for average kids. If your kid is well above or below average, then their needs fall back on the parent. The school can only accommodate do much outside of average.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 12:10     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Parents have more of an impact for kids in the middle of the pack. For those on either end of the needs or abilities spectrum, the school has more of an impact. Choosing a private school is making a choice on both levels, parent and school.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 12:06     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Private schools select not for Type-A personalities, but instead for families where education is a high priority.


LOL


You laugh, but you do realize private school admissions at least for K-8 are much more about the parents than the kids, right? And not just about income levels (though yes, about that).
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 12:01     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:Private schools select not for Type-A personalities, but instead for families where education is a high priority.


LOL
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 10:42     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
You start with the local public and see if your kid does well and if so just stay public.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 10:40     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Parents 100% matter more. This is why failing schools will still be failing schools no matter what the teachers do or how much money is thrown (wasted) at them. You just can’t. It’s the parents. Parents are the single most important factor in a child’s education.


I agree with this completely, but the reason OP is asking is to try to decide whether, because "parents matter more," is it okay to send their kid to a crappy school?

One thing that parents who care about education do is make sacrifices so that their children are in the best educational environments. This could mean private school. This could mean moving to a boring neighborhood in a good public school district. This could mean paying a lot and/or driving them to outside academic enrichment. This could mean scheduling and paying for tutors. This could mean spending hours every night sitting with them, reading together or talking about math problems or whatever else.

It's not simply that wealthy parent = great outcome for the kid. It's that wealthy parents tend to care about the educational development of their kid, and they devote resources (time, money or both) to fostering that development. You can't skip the middle step.



Yes, it is. In fact, they can benefit even more. “Crappy” schools often have tons of resources poured into them that are underutilized. Motivated kids can take advantage of this without any competition. My kids go to a crappy school and are doing amazingly well. They found some like-minded kids to be friends with, are helpful in class, and have developed a lot of empathy and tolerance. My 8th grader is in precalc- it has not hindered them academically in the least. The school does far more to get their academic needs met and challenged, through outside programs, if necessary, than a better performing public school or average private would be willing to do
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 09:07     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:Parents 100% matter more. This is why failing schools will still be failing schools no matter what the teachers do or how much money is thrown (wasted) at them. You just can’t. It’s the parents. Parents are the single most important factor in a child’s education.


I agree with this completely, but the reason OP is asking is to try to decide whether, because "parents matter more," is it okay to send their kid to a crappy school?

One thing that parents who care about education do is make sacrifices so that their children are in the best educational environments. This could mean private school. This could mean moving to a boring neighborhood in a good public school district. This could mean paying a lot and/or driving them to outside academic enrichment. This could mean scheduling and paying for tutors. This could mean spending hours every night sitting with them, reading together or talking about math problems or whatever else.

It's not simply that wealthy parent = great outcome for the kid. It's that wealthy parents tend to care about the educational development of their kid, and they devote resources (time, money or both) to fostering that development. You can't skip the middle step.

Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 09:04     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:A free, walkable neighborhood school with neighborhood friends is ideal.


+1 definitely for ES. For HS, the school matters more- does it offer a wide range of advanced classes, extracurricular activities. motivated peer group.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 08:58     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Parents 100% matter more. This is why failing schools will still be failing schools no matter what the teachers do or how much money is thrown (wasted) at them. You just can’t. It’s the parents. Parents are the single most important factor in a child’s education.
Anonymous
Post 10/10/2024 08:54     Subject: What matters more- the parents or the school?
Anonymous wrote:Private schools select not for Type-A personalities, but instead for families where education is a high priority.



Not necessarily. The majority of private schools have mediocre academics. The parents just want their kids away from the poors.

There are highly rigorous private schools that you have to test into and have an exclusive admissions process, but that is not most.