Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Why do you feel the need to bash Janney parents unprompted, and then in this Trumpian way of casting them as too poor to afford private? The nice thing about AU Park is that it is pretty free of this sort of snobbery.

Obviously it is not. Somebody posted a brag thread about Janney raising over $1M at the PTA auction. (No, obviously I didn't read it, but it was apparently 14 pages long - so you can if you like).

It's beyond tacky. And OF COURSE it's a Janney thread. No other school (even those that raise more money) are so desperate to talk about it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Why do you feel the need to bash Janney parents unprompted, and then in this Trumpian way of casting them as too poor to afford private? The nice thing about AU Park is that it is pretty free of this sort of snobbery.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what exactly should Principal Pride at Hardy be doing differently in order to attract parents at Key to send them to Hardy?

As has been said for years, if most of the 4th grade at Key went on to Hardy, it would drive the average test scores up immediately. The same can be said of the other feeder schools to Hardy. Would advanced classes help?

They have honors classes and advanced math but parents report they are very crowded. Hardy, like all DCPS middle schools, will be getting additional funding for STEM activities and clubs (assuming hte Council funds it.

It is just a very slow process. For 2016-17 Hardy offered fewer round 1 seats for OOB students (25-6th /10-7th /10-8th) in the lottery but for 17-18 it has offered 25/30/30.

Anonymous wrote:So what exactly should Principal Pride at Hardy be doing differently in order to attract parents at Key to send them to Hardy?

As has been said for years, if most of the 4th grade at Key went on to Hardy, it would drive the average test scores up immediately. The same can be said of the other feeder schools to Hardy. Would advanced classes help?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We put three kids through Key, oldest is in high school now. As hard as it is to believe now, when we started Key was under-enrolled. The #1 issue for the PTA was getting enrollment up, because the school was under-resourced and in periodic danger of being closed. The PTA had to raise money for a lot of basics. It only took few years for the situation to reverse, now crowding is the issue.

Throughout our time at Key middle school has been the issue, Hardy is a few years away as it has been for the past decade! The difference was 10+ years ago it was easy to get into Deal, now it's basically impossible. So just about everyone either goes private, goes charter, or moves for middle school. The most popular privates and charters have admission years for fifth grade or lower, sixth grade admissions are rare, so there is a steady erosion in students in third grade and beyond.

Which is sad, because Key is a lovely community. Because it is a neighborhood school you will see the families from school all the time. My kids are still friends with their Key friends even though they don't go to school together any more.

Thanks -- if the same great teachers have been there the whole time, why has the reputation just changed in recent years? What made it more desirable?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

The same is true of Janney. A very typical HHI is $300-450K and I know many families (dozens) with incomes >$500K. Several over a million.

Just a perfect Janney response. Never change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

The same is true of Janney. A very typical HHI is $300-450K and I know many families (dozens) with incomes >$500K. Several over a million.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

Anonymous wrote:

I think this is something that intrigues me. There are several parents of Key students whose HHI is enough that they could easily afford private, and yet they still choose public.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...

If only Janney had such a rule. But then, Janney families are all boosterish and need public schools. They can't go private like Key and Mann.

Anonymous wrote:We put three kids through Key, oldest is in high school now. As hard as it is to believe now, when we started Key was under-enrolled. The #1 issue for the PTA was getting enrollment up, because the school was under-resourced and in periodic danger of being closed. The PTA had to raise money for a lot of basics. It only took few years for the situation to reverse, now crowding is the issue.

Throughout our time at Key middle school has been the issue, Hardy is a few years away as it has been for the past decade! The difference was 10+ years ago it was easy to get into Deal, now it's basically impossible. So just about everyone either goes private, goes charter, or moves for middle school. The most popular privates and charters have admission years for fifth grade or lower, sixth grade admissions are rare, so there is a steady erosion in students in third grade and beyond.

Which is sad, because Key is a lovely community. Because it is a neighborhood school you will see the families from school all the time. My kids are still friends with their Key friends even though they don't go to school together any more.

Anonymous wrote:new poster here. The old saying on this board was "First rule of Key, don't post on DCUM about Key." In many cases on this forum you get a lost of boosters or detractors about whatever school - and I'll dare to say it - often misinformation is spread. Key is a very nice community school - with a very nice community-centered feel (line up on the blacktop, kids/families staying to play on the playground after school etc). It's a pretty small community (so you may easily be outed/recognizable just posting on DCUM! Seriously!) We love it (2 kids there). High test scores and lots of extremely bright kids. There is not a gifted/talented type of differentiation program like they have in some other school systems, but have found that there are high expectations all around. Like any school - there is going to be a variety of teacher quality -
but have found our kids have had good to some real exceptional standouts. As at any DCPS school, there is a curriculum that the teachers - which can be frustrating esp starting in 3rd (again, this is across DCPS - public vs. going private). The parents are very engaged and like a number of other schools raise money for supplements. A teacher plus an aide through first grade. Different after school programs. Nice science extras and computers. Etc. Large international population. There has been a historic drop from around 60 kids in 3rd grade to around 40 by 5th. And most families do not currently go to Hardy. But as another poster mentioned, that trend is starting to change and a lot of parents across the feeder schools are engaged in the future of Hardy - and the younger age enrollment at Key has been growing...