Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure that Brent is better than Tyler SI, Maury, or Watkins up to around 2nd grade yet, but it will be shortly.

Demographics at Brent that lend themselves to a smooth ride for teachers and administrators, a tough-minded PTA, and a new principal unafraid of catering to middle-class parents are driving change into the upper grades to a greater extent than at the other schools.

Brent knows that its math and science offerings aren't strong, but isn't dragging its feet on the issue. With a PTA that raises almost as much annually as the other schools combined, very little public housing in the district in a public school system that doesn't support gifted and talented education/curricular offerings for advanced learners," and boatloads of upper-middle-class kids entering and, increasingly, staying on until 4th grade, Brent is poised to pass the competition.

Talk to Hill realtors - they'll tell you how couples with tiny tots scramble to buy homes in the Brent District in a way that you don't see elsewhere. Almost no quality 2-3 bedroom inventory below 700K there these days that stays on the market for long.

The MS feeder situation is indeed problematic. But then half a dozen elementary schools in Upper NW have been good for decades without feeding into a MS most middle-class families were OK with until very recently, and expanding charter opportunities are filling the gap. Most of the Brent 4th graders now head to Latin or Basis, and DCI at Walter Reed will get plenty eventually, too. The Brent PTA hasn't killed itself to lobby for a Stuart Hobson feeder because the school doesn't impress as much as anything else.


Point of fact: the Brent parents have lobbied repeatedly for a feed to Stuart Hobson and have been told by DCPS that it will not happen. Don't you think even the principals at these two schools see the benefit of a partnership and have asked higher ups for this? Dcps wants Brent and Maury to anchor programs at other middle schools on the Hill. Fortunately, parents if older kids at these schools have much better options for middle school at charters.

Maybe when somebody at central office wakes up to this reality, they may re think the grand " Ward 6 Middle School Plan" that was a complete crock, given that this outcome was completely predictable and predicted.