Anonymous
Post 05/20/2014 09:31     Subject: Re:Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:Nope, no one is bailing. Please join the listserv today and come to our family night on Friday. And welcome!


Awesome! How do I join the list serve? What time Friday? At the school, yes?
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2014 08:50     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:L-T reminds of how Brent was 7-8 years ago. As an IB Brent family, we considered Brent and the biggest problem I had was the way the Principal treated the staff. The physical structure of the school was also quite bad, especially the pitiful library. The kids and the teachers were great. So "treating the staff well" is an example, in my case, of something that "caters" to IB families-- OOB families perhaps didn't like the disrespectful treatment of teachers and staff either, but as OOB, they probably didn't feel they had the power to stand up to the principal because a principal can easily kick out troublesome OOB families, at least compared to IB families.

Anyway, the yelling at the staff made me very hesitant to commit to Brent. But Two Rivers and the Cluster had terrbile waitlists, so I felt it was my only realistic choice and since no school is perfect, I'd try to make a go of it with Brent.



Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whatever anyone's beef with the L-T principal is (doesn't cater to/welcome IB families, I personally would say she welcomes but doesn't necessarily cater to), I don't think anyone on the many, voluminous L-T threads has said that she doesn't treat her staff well. In fact, hiring and retention of great staff is one of her fortes. So I'm not sure the above poster's analogy is correct. Also, I think the remainder of the school is set to be renovated soon, right? The new ECE wing is gorgeous.


Where in the world did you get me say anything about the L-T principal not treating the staff well??? I was talking about a former pricipal at Brent. I have no idea what the issues are, if any, with L-T's principal. My point is that Brent is filled up with IB kids now, but it wasn't long ago that it that no one on Capitol Hill sent their kid to Brent if they had another option.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2014 08:22     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:L-T reminds of how Brent was 7-8 years ago. As an IB Brent family, we considered Brent and the biggest problem I had was the way the Principal treated the staff. The physical structure of the school was also quite bad, especially the pitiful library. The kids and the teachers were great. So "treating the staff well" is an example, in my case, of something that "caters" to IB families-- OOB families perhaps didn't like the disrespectful treatment of teachers and staff either, but as OOB, they probably didn't feel they had the power to stand up to the principal because a principal can easily kick out troublesome OOB families, at least compared to IB families.

Anyway, the yelling at the staff made me very hesitant to commit to Brent. But Two Rivers and the Cluster had terrbile waitlists, so I felt it was my only realistic choice and since no school is perfect, I'd try to make a go of it with Brent.



Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whatever anyone's beef with the L-T principal is (doesn't cater to/welcome IB families, I personally would say she welcomes but doesn't necessarily cater to), I don't think anyone on the many, voluminous L-T threads has said that she doesn't treat her staff well. In fact, hiring and retention of great staff is one of her fortes. So I'm not sure the above poster's analogy is correct. Also, I think the remainder of the school is set to be renovated soon, right? The new ECE wing is gorgeous.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2014 08:06     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
L-T reminds of how Brent was 7-8 years ago. As an IB Brent family, we considered Brent and the biggest problem I had was the way the Principal treated the staff. The physical structure of the school was also quite bad, especially the pitiful library. The kids and the teachers were great. So "treating the staff well" is an example, in my case, of something that "caters" to IB families-- OOB families perhaps didn't like the disrespectful treatment of teachers and staff either, but as OOB, they probably didn't feel they had the power to stand up to the principal because a principal can easily kick out troublesome OOB families, at least compared to IB families.

Anyway, the yelling at the staff made me very hesitant to commit to Brent. But Two Rivers and the Cluster had terrbile waitlists, so I felt it was my only realistic choice and since no school is perfect, I'd try to make a go of it with Brent.

Anonymous
Post 05/20/2014 07:32     Subject: Re:Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Nope, no one is bailing. Please join the listserv today and come to our family night on Friday. And welcome!
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2014 06:39     Subject: Re:Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
We just signed up for 1st grade at LT. Does anyone know if all families are continuing from K to 1st there? No one's bailing, yes?
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 22:28     Subject: Re:Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
^There have been a few other LT threads in the last couple of years that you might want to check out, which explain a lot. I don't think "cater" is the right word, I would go with welcome. The shining local example is the Maury principal, who knocks herself out to welcome IB families. The LT elementary school culture isn't known for being very friendly to professional, IB, or white parents.

Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 22:15     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
I am new to the system but what exactly does a principal have to do to 'cater' to the IB families specifically? What has the current LT principal not-done (or done) to the contrary?

I am not from the US and where I grew up PTAs did not exist and everyone went to whatever school was the closest. If you were too lazy/too dumb for public school and your parents could afford it, then you went to private to pay your way to graduation...the US system puzzles me but I have a 2yo and need to get a grip on it (which is why I am reading this forum). Thank you for your help in advance.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 15:02     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm an OOB LT parent (in Ward 6, but in-bounds for Payne).

I have to admit I get really tired of hearing how OOB families (or too much PTA/principal deference to them) is such a terrible thing.

I am the parent of a child at LT, and as such, I think I am entitled to just as much consideration as any other LT parent, regardless of my address.

I think it would be terribly inappropriate for a PTA or principal to respond to parents differently on the basis of whether they are IB or OOB.


I think when people are talking about "OOB" they are really referencing the "Ward 9" families more than anything else.


On the contrary, I suspect they are talking about families from Wards 7, 8, and 9....


12:37 here -- I suspect you're right -- I often think OOB is shorthand for "low-SES African-American" -- but that doesn't make me feel any better about it, or feel that those parents are entitled to any less consideration.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 14:13     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm an OOB LT parent (in Ward 6, but in-bounds for Payne).

I have to admit I get really tired of hearing how OOB families (or too much PTA/principal deference to them) is such a terrible thing.

I am the parent of a child at LT, and as such, I think I am entitled to just as much consideration as any other LT parent, regardless of my address.

I think it would be terribly inappropriate for a PTA or principal to respond to parents differently on the basis of whether they are IB or OOB.


I think when people are talking about "OOB" they are really referencing the "Ward 9" families more than anything else.


On the contrary, I suspect they are talking about families from Wards 7, 8, and 9....
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 13:06     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:I'm an OOB LT parent (in Ward 6, but in-bounds for Payne).

I have to admit I get really tired of hearing how OOB families (or too much PTA/principal deference to them) is such a terrible thing.

I am the parent of a child at LT, and as such, I think I am entitled to just as much consideration as any other LT parent, regardless of my address.

I think it would be terribly inappropriate for a PTA or principal to respond to parents differently on the basis of whether they are IB or OOB.


I think when people are talking about "OOB" they are really referencing the "Ward 9" families more than anything else.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 12:37     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
I'm an OOB LT parent (in Ward 6, but in-bounds for Payne).

I have to admit I get really tired of hearing how OOB families (or too much PTA/principal deference to them) is such a terrible thing.

I am the parent of a child at LT, and as such, I think I am entitled to just as much consideration as any other LT parent, regardless of my address.

I think it would be terribly inappropriate for a PTA or principal to respond to parents differently on the basis of whether they are IB or OOB.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 04:53     Subject: Re:Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
On the PTA, do OOB parents actually participate and contribute? I think at Watkins they are a fewer percentage and usually complain about the after-hours commute....

If there is that much residency fraud going on, has anyone contacted DCPS, DME or the Inspector General?

If Cobbs runs a tight ship but doesn't hand-hold the PTA, how does that impact the decision of the neighborhood to not attend the school? It seems that if it's a good school, then it's a good school. Of course if there's wide-spread residency fraud, that seems indicative of things gone amok.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2014 03:58     Subject: Re:Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
I wouldn't rule out a PP "needing a head check" as having been involved in the L-T PTA, having tried to work constructively with Cobbs and co. to make L-T upper middle income/neighborhood friendly past the early childhood program. You're forgetting that scores of IB parents haven't been treated well by OOB PTA parents, the PG County address cheating PTA parents, or the administration, and have moved on as a result.

Although I applaud any parent living on the blocks around Stanton Park who stays past PreK4, please don't try to convince neighborhood veterans that L-T's elementary program is enjoying a surge in popularity in-boundary. A modest uptick, maybe, a surge, no. We've been around too long to believe that old cannard. Once Cobbs is out of the way, we'll give boosters and relative newcomers (those who weren't on hand to sign petitions to dump the pre-Cobbs principal) the benefit of the doubt.



Anonymous
Post 05/17/2014 04:45     Subject: Ludlow Taylor - Choose It over Watkins for 1st Grade ?????
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:LT has a brighter future in the short-term and long-term. It is a normally structured school compatible with its catchment area. The staff is strong and the neighborhood is jumping in with both feet this year.


So I was told when I bought my home in NE seven years ago. I know half a dozen families of PreK and K kids who have found alternatives for the fall just on my block. Maybe another neighborhood is jumpng in with both feet this year? The early childhood staff is strong, that I'll give you.

If your kid is white and upper middle-income and you aren't super liberal, good luck.



WTF? If neighborhood people are giving it a chance sticking past ECE that is a good thing.


Yeah, I gotta second the WTF. The PPP needs a head-check.