Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This notion that everything is just great at Hardy fails the truth test. Branding those who raise concerns as trolls or 'haters' or racists does nothing to address the schools' fundamental issues. As a blogger in another thread concluded, yes, there is something wrong at Hardy. It's past time to fix it

Nobody is branding every criticism of Hardy as the product of trolls, haters, or racists. And nobody is saying that everying is "just great." Hardy is solid, but not perfect. It works for some families, but not for others. It could stand to improve, sure. But branding Hardy and its students as ill=prepared failures is unfair and also fails the truth test.

Admittedly, we all have different standards. However, I find it difficult to label a school in which 28% of the kids are not proficient in math and 34% are not proficient in reading "solid." The DCCAS is not a hard test.

You are mixing the solidity of the school (teaching and learning) with the weakness of the ES and SES background of 50% of the OB students (the remaining 50% of OBs come from solid ES, such as Brent, and comparable SES to the IBs. eg. Capitol Hill) . This means that on average you have at school some 40% of students who come from weaker ES (this % is much higher in 8th grade than in the current 6th grade, where I'd say is around 20%). This same figure for Deal is close to 0%, as the school accepts kids only from feeder ES, none of which is a weak ES.

In this context, the school is doing a pretty "solid" job. The advanced kids are pushed further up, by the honors classes (see the Proficient and Advanced DC-CAS scores). The mid-tier students receive a strong support and in several cases move up to honors. For the students coming from the weakest context, the school provides "solid" support too.
The DCAS below proficiency share is in fact significantly lower than the share of students from weak ES.

This is a DCPS school, not an elective charter school targeting gifted or relatively stronger students. It is a very serious school, with committed teachers, a new Principal with an impressively solid curriculum and vision, and with a very high retention rate and no "clean-up expulsions", which are very common in most charters .

Please do not mix up the teaching/learning environment which is extremely solid, and the "diversity" in the student body.

Some IB parents are bothered or concerned by the presence of the latter category. Some parents do no care (as long as their kids are challenged in the honors more advanced classes). Some parents see the diversity as an opportunity for their priviledged kids to receive a preview of real life, of Washington DC and of America, with their non-Caucasian communities, and a large range of SES.

If you are IB (and thus most likely Caucasian and with a relatively priviledged SES status), we recommend that you visit this solid school, and decide whether it is a good fit for you kid depending on which type of parent you are and which type of kid you have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This notion that everything is just great at Hardy fails the truth test. Branding those who raise concerns as trolls or 'haters' or racists does nothing to address the schools' fundamental issues. As a blogger in another thread concluded, yes, there is something wrong at Hardy. It's past time to fix it

Nobody is branding every criticism of Hardy as the product of trolls, haters, or racists. And nobody is saying that everying is "just great." Hardy is solid, but not perfect. It works for some families, but not for others. It could stand to improve, sure. But branding Hardy and its students as ill=prepared failures is unfair and also fails the truth test.

Admittedly, we all have different standards. However, I find it difficult to label a school in which 28% of the kids are not proficient in math and 34% are not proficient in reading "solid." The DCCAS is not a hard test.

For the most part, scores reflect the input (stock) and not the value added (flow). That's why feeder percentage is so relevant.

(I say this as someone who has taught at a major American university.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This notion that everything is just great at Hardy fails the truth test. Branding those who raise concerns as trolls or 'haters' or racists does nothing to address the schools' fundamental issues. As a blogger in another thread concluded, yes, there is something wrong at Hardy. It's past time to fix it

Nobody is branding every criticism of Hardy as the product of trolls, haters, or racists. And nobody is saying that everying is "just great." Hardy is solid, but not perfect. It works for some families, but not for others. It could stand to improve, sure. But branding Hardy and its students as ill=prepared failures is unfair and also fails the truth test.

Admittedly, we all have different standards. However, I find it difficult to label a school in which 28% of the kids are not proficient in math and 34% are not proficient in reading "solid." The DCCAS is not a hard test.

You're entitled to your view. But you also need to realize that the DCAS is a test of demographics more than anything else. So yes, there is a cadre of low-performing kids that come into Hardy (some, I might add, come from IB schools - they are not all OOB students). And those students to poorly on their DCAS tests. But there is also a cadre of high-performing students (some from IB, some from OOB) at Hardy - and those students do great on their DCAS and go on to succeed at Wilson, at DCPS magnets, and at prestigious private schools. The great thing about Hardy is that it serves both sets of students quite well. The notion that Hardy is not "solid" for your kid because there other kids for whom it is not necessarily "solid" is incorrect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This notion that everything is just great at Hardy fails the truth test. Branding those who raise concerns as trolls or 'haters' or racists does nothing to address the schools' fundamental issues. As a blogger in another thread concluded, yes, there is something wrong at Hardy. It's past time to fix it

Nobody is branding every criticism of Hardy as the product of trolls, haters, or racists. And nobody is saying that everying is "just great." Hardy is solid, but not perfect. It works for some families, but not for others. It could stand to improve, sure. But branding Hardy and its students as ill=prepared failures is unfair and also fails the truth test.

Admittedly, we all have different standards. However, I find it difficult to label a school in which 28% of the kids are not proficient in math and 34% are not proficient in reading "solid." The DCCAS is not a hard test.

Anonymous wrote:This notion that everything is just great at Hardy fails the truth test. Branding those who raise concerns as trolls or 'haters' or racists does nothing to address the schools' fundamental issues. As a blogger in another thread concluded, yes, there is something wrong at Hardy. It's past time to fix it

Nobody is branding every criticism of Hardy as the product of trolls, haters, or racists. And nobody is saying that everying is "just great." Hardy is solid, but not perfect. It works for some families, but not for others. It could stand to improve, sure. But branding Hardy and its students as ill=prepared failures is unfair and also fails the truth test.

This notion that everything is just great at Hardy fails the truth test. Branding those who raise concerns as trolls or 'haters' or racists does nothing to address the schools' fundamental issues. As a blogger in another thread concluded, yes, there is something wrong at Hardy. It's past time to fix it

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not the PP, but you said "Jelleff is off-limits for Hardy team use," which is patently untrue.

Not the other PP, but as a practical matter it is true. During the times that sports teams would use it -- after school during the spring and fall -- it is off limits.

Theoretically, Hardy could use the field during the day for PE. But they have never applied to do that. Currently days it is used by the British School of Washington for their PE.

That mames sense. I've also noticed that the British School parks its school buses in the Jelleff lot. Presumably the British school pays DPR for its day time use rights and the parking privileges. As we all know, in the DC government money talks. If someone is woing to pay extra for use of a taxpayer supported facility, they will get priority. Because Hardy has no fields of its own to speak of, the admin needs to figure out how to get DPR to give its teams use rights once the Maret and British school agreements expire. This will probably require getting the mayors office involved so that DPR listens. But for now, the situation for Hardy is still unfavorable.

Why, why, why do you speak, uninformed parent!!

Hardy can access the field at PE as much as they like during the school hours. Sometimes the coaches do, some other times they don't, because they have a huge indoor facility and gym,which is so large that it can be simultaneously host two basketball games (4 teams), 3 volleyball games (6 teams). At this huge and exclusive space caters to a population of less than 400 kids.

370 kids divided by 8 time periods at school, means that at each period you only have about 45 Hardy students doing PE... Only 45 !!! These 45 kids have for their exclusive use a huge indoor gym. All for themselves. Plus a smaller but new and perfectly functional outdoor field, and a tennis court... Why should these 45 kids leave the school and use the Jelleff fields? They only do it on special occasions (football & baseball team practice and games) .
British school has ridiculous indoor facilities (and only for younger kids). That's why they are bused elsewhere and that's why you can see them on the Jelleff fields.

Let me repeat it: 370 Hardy students divided by 8 time periods/day, means that at each period, and each day, you have only about 45 students at PE. Each of these students has an exclusive per capita sqf sport space availability which is larger than any of the other public/private schools in NW DC. And they have it each and every day (not only for one semester/year as at Deal). They have it in house (no need to take buses like the British School). No need to share with private outsiders (St Albans).

And on top of this, if this was not enough, if the coaches wish , they can also go to Jelleff fields during school hours.

Go and see the Hardy indoor gym and check my math if you wish.

Hardy facilities are bigger than the ncs and sfs mega gyms? Have you seen the 4 story rock climbing wall and 5 bbal courts at ncs?

How many kids do the bbal courts serve at NCS? I was not comparing absolute size, but size relative to a 370 kids enrollment.

I think this thread's basketball-centric perspective on Hardy's sports facilities suggests that the program offerings are not as diverse as they should be, certainly in comparison to what is available at Deal. One thing Hardy should do is make its sole playing field a more regular size by eliminating some of the on-site parking on the school yard.

Eh eh eh.. The PP must be a professional blogger!.. The above message is just too perfect in generating annoyance (again?) and replies...Who are you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not the PP, but you said "Jelleff is off-limits for Hardy team use," which is patently untrue.

Not the other PP, but as a practical matter it is true. During the times that sports teams would use it -- after school during the spring and fall -- it is off limits.

Theoretically, Hardy could use the field during the day for PE. But they have never applied to do that. Currently days it is used by the British School of Washington for their PE.

That mames sense. I've also noticed that the British School parks its school buses in the Jelleff lot. Presumably the British school pays DPR for its day time use rights and the parking privileges. As we all know, in the DC government money talks. If someone is woing to pay extra for use of a taxpayer supported facility, they will get priority. Because Hardy has no fields of its own to speak of, the admin needs to figure out how to get DPR to give its teams use rights once the Maret and British school agreements expire. This will probably require getting the mayors office involved so that DPR listens. But for now, the situation for Hardy is still unfavorable.

Why, why, why do you speak, uninformed parent!!

Hardy can access the field at PE as much as they like during the school hours. Sometimes the coaches do, some other times they don't, because they have a huge indoor facility and gym,which is so large that it can be simultaneously host two basketball games (4 teams), 3 volleyball games (6 teams). At this huge and exclusive space caters to a population of less than 400 kids.

370 kids divided by 8 time periods at school, means that at each period you only have about 45 Hardy students doing PE... Only 45 !!! These 45 kids have for their exclusive use a huge indoor gym. All for themselves. Plus a smaller but new and perfectly functional outdoor field, and a tennis court... Why should these 45 kids leave the school and use the Jelleff fields? They only do it on special occasions (football & baseball team practice and games) .
British school has ridiculous indoor facilities (and only for younger kids). That's why they are bused elsewhere and that's why you can see them on the Jelleff fields.

Let me repeat it: 370 Hardy students divided by 8 time periods/day, means that at each period, and each day, you have only about 45 students at PE. Each of these students has an exclusive per capita sqf sport space availability which is larger than any of the other public/private schools in NW DC. And they have it each and every day (not only for one semester/year as at Deal). They have it in house (no need to take buses like the British School). No need to share with private outsiders (St Albans).

And on top of this, if this was not enough, if the coaches wish , they can also go to Jelleff fields during school hours.

Go and see the Hardy indoor gym and check my math if you wish.

Hardy facilities are bigger than the ncs and sfs mega gyms? Have you seen the 4 story rock climbing wall and 5 bbal courts at ncs?

How many kids do the bbal courts serve at NCS? I was not comparing absolute size, but size relative to a 370 kids enrollment.

I think this thread's basketball-centric perspective on Hardy's sports facilities suggests that the program offerings are not as diverse as they should be, certainly in comparison to what is available at Deal. One thing Hardy should do is make its sole playing field a more regular size by eliminating some of the on-site parking on the school yard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not the PP, but you said "Jelleff is off-limits for Hardy team use," which is patently untrue.

Not the other PP, but as a practical matter it is true. During the times that sports teams would use it -- after school during the spring and fall -- it is off limits.

Theoretically, Hardy could use the field during the day for PE. But they have never applied to do that. Currently days it is used by the British School of Washington for their PE.

That mames sense. I've also noticed that the British School parks its school buses in the Jelleff lot. Presumably the British school pays DPR for its day time use rights and the parking privileges. As we all know, in the DC government money talks. If someone is woing to pay extra for use of a taxpayer supported facility, they will get priority. Because Hardy has no fields of its own to speak of, the admin needs to figure out how to get DPR to give its teams use rights once the Maret and British school agreements expire. This will probably require getting the mayors office involved so that DPR listens. But for now, the situation for Hardy is still unfavorable.

Why, why, why do you speak, uninformed parent!!

Hardy can access the field at PE as much as they like during the school hours. Sometimes the coaches do, some other times they don't, because they have a huge indoor facility and gym,which is so large that it can be simultaneously host two basketball games (4 teams), 3 volleyball games (6 teams). At this huge and exclusive space caters to a population of less than 400 kids.

370 kids divided by 8 time periods at school, means that at each period you only have about 45 Hardy students doing PE... Only 45 !!! These 45 kids have for their exclusive use a huge indoor gym. All for themselves. Plus a smaller but new and perfectly functional outdoor field, and a tennis court... Why should these 45 kids leave the school and use the Jelleff fields? They only do it on special occasions (football & baseball team practice and games) .
British school has ridiculous indoor facilities (and only for younger kids). That's why they are bused elsewhere and that's why you can see them on the Jelleff fields.

Let me repeat it: 370 Hardy students divided by 8 time periods/day, means that at each period, and each day, you have only about 45 students at PE. Each of these students has an exclusive per capita sqf sport space availability which is larger than any of the other public/private schools in NW DC. And they have it each and every day (not only for one semester/year as at Deal). They have it in house (no need to take buses like the British School). No need to share with private outsiders (St Albans).

And on top of this, if this was not enough, if the coaches wish , they can also go to Jelleff fields during school hours.

Go and see the Hardy indoor gym and check my math if you wish.

Hardy facilities are bigger than the ncs and sfs mega gyms? Have you seen the 4 story rock climbing wall and 5 bbal courts at ncs?

How many kids do the bbal courts serve at NCS? I was not comparing absolute size, but size relative to a 370 kids enrollment.

Thought I'd jump in just to help this thread out a little longer. Maybe my post will pop it into the next page?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy's limits to the use of the Jelleff field are less stringent than those applied by private schools.

Even at the most expensive and fancy private schools, sports facilities are available to students during restricted hours. Since maintenance costs are high (and many schools are operated on a for profit basis) ALL private schools lease out to private users and teams their fields and facilities, including during school hours.

For instance, the Field School, St Albans/National Cathedral, Burke etc lease their school swimming pool to private swim teams (see NCAP website under training hours and facilities), or for individual club members on a fee basis. For a fee of about $120/month , you can have access to the St Alban pool or Field School pool, everyday at set times. Of course pool is off-limits to students during those hours.

The limits of Hardy's access to Jelleff is a false argument, given that it only applies to 2 hours/day and 6 months/year, and that the fields are for Hardy students during all school hours, everyday.

Moreover, students at all schools, even the most expensive ones, do not have 100% availability of theirs sport fields and facilities, as these are leased out for several hours a day to private users, to make up for mainteinance costs and profits.

Burke doesn't have a swimming pool. The Burke listed there is not the private school, it is Burke Racket and Swim in Burke, VA. Neither St. Albans nor Field is listed on the NCAP website. Burke (the school), Field and St. Albans all have zoning orders limiting their ability to rent to outside groups, it's on the DC Office of Zoning website.

If Hardy chooses not to use the Jelleff field -- and they don't -- why does it matter what their reason is? As a practical matter the students don't get to use the field.

St Albans/ncs swim teams have exclusive use of their pool until 5:30 every day during the school year. Other teams come in later. Its odd that hardy teams can't use their own field until its dark out.

The school is quite used to being in the dark.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not the PP, but you said "Jelleff is off-limits for Hardy team use," which is patently untrue.

Not the other PP, but as a practical matter it is true. During the times that sports teams would use it -- after school during the spring and fall -- it is off limits.

Theoretically, Hardy could use the field during the day for PE. But they have never applied to do that. Currently days it is used by the British School of Washington for their PE.

That mames sense. I've also noticed that the British School parks its school buses in the Jelleff lot. Presumably the British school pays DPR for its day time use rights and the parking privileges. As we all know, in the DC government money talks. If someone is woing to pay extra for use of a taxpayer supported facility, they will get priority. Because Hardy has no fields of its own to speak of, the admin needs to figure out how to get DPR to give its teams use rights once the Maret and British school agreements expire. This will probably require getting the mayors office involved so that DPR listens. But for now, the situation for Hardy is still unfavorable.

Why, why, why do you speak, uninformed parent!!

Hardy can access the field at PE as much as they like during the school hours. Sometimes the coaches do, some other times they don't, because they have a huge indoor facility and gym,which is so large that it can be simultaneously host two basketball games (4 teams), 3 volleyball games (6 teams). At this huge and exclusive space caters to a population of less than 400 kids.

370 kids divided by 8 time periods at school, means that at each period you only have about 45 Hardy students doing PE... Only 45 !!! These 45 kids have for their exclusive use a huge indoor gym. All for themselves. Plus a smaller but new and perfectly functional outdoor field, and a tennis court... Why should these 45 kids leave the school and use the Jelleff fields? They only do it on special occasions (football & baseball team practice and games) .
British school has ridiculous indoor facilities (and only for younger kids). That's why they are bused elsewhere and that's why you can see them on the Jelleff fields.

Let me repeat it: 370 Hardy students divided by 8 time periods/day, means that at each period, and each day, you have only about 45 students at PE. Each of these students has an exclusive per capita sqf sport space availability which is larger than any of the other public/private schools in NW DC. And they have it each and every day (not only for one semester/year as at Deal). They have it in house (no need to take buses like the British School). No need to share with private outsiders (St Albans).

And on top of this, if this was not enough, if the coaches wish , they can also go to Jelleff fields during school hours.

Go and see the Hardy indoor gym and check my math if you wish.

Hardy facilities are bigger than the ncs and sfs mega gyms? Have you seen the 4 story rock climbing wall and 5 bbal courts at ncs?

God, another who can't read. She said the square footage per capita was bigger. I don't know if it's true or not, but at least debate the actual point. Kind of stupid to be comparing to NCS and STA anyway, since they're private schools with tough admissions and even higher price tags.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy's limits to the use of the Jelleff field are less stringent than those applied by private schools.

Even at the most expensive and fancy private schools, sports facilities are available to students during restricted hours. Since maintenance costs are high (and many schools are operated on a for profit basis) ALL private schools lease out to private users and teams their fields and facilities, including during school hours.

For instance, the Field School, St Albans/National Cathedral, Burke etc lease their school swimming pool to private swim teams (see NCAP website under training hours and facilities), or for individual club members on a fee basis. For a fee of about $120/month , you can have access to the St Alban pool or Field School pool, everyday at set times. Of course pool is off-limits to students during those hours.

The limits of Hardy's access to Jelleff is a false argument, given that it only applies to 2 hours/day and 6 months/year, and that the fields are for Hardy students during all school hours, everyday.

Moreover, students at all schools, even the most expensive ones, do not have 100% availability of theirs sport fields and facilities, as these are leased out for several hours a day to private users, to make up for mainteinance costs and profits.

Burke doesn't have a swimming pool. The Burke listed there is not the private school, it is Burke Racket and Swim in Burke, VA. Neither St. Albans nor Field is listed on the NCAP website. Burke (the school), Field and St. Albans all have zoning orders limiting their ability to rent to outside groups, it's on the DC Office of Zoning website.

If Hardy chooses not to use the Jelleff field -- and they don't -- why does it matter what their reason is? As a practical matter the students don't get to use the field.

St Albans/ncs swim teams have exclusive use of their pool until 5:30 every day during the school year. Other teams come in later. Its odd that hardy teams can't use their own field until its dark out.

Read, please. It's not their own field. It's annoying that DC leased the closest field to a private school, but that's not Hardy's fault.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I'm not the PP, but you said "Jelleff is off-limits for Hardy team use," which is patently untrue.

Not the other PP, but as a practical matter it is true. During the times that sports teams would use it -- after school during the spring and fall -- it is off limits.

Theoretically, Hardy could use the field during the day for PE. But they have never applied to do that. Currently days it is used by the British School of Washington for their PE.

That mames sense. I've also noticed that the British School parks its school buses in the Jelleff lot. Presumably the British school pays DPR for its day time use rights and the parking privileges. As we all know, in the DC government money talks. If someone is woing to pay extra for use of a taxpayer supported facility, they will get priority. Because Hardy has no fields of its own to speak of, the admin needs to figure out how to get DPR to give its teams use rights once the Maret and British school agreements expire. This will probably require getting the mayors office involved so that DPR listens. But for now, the situation for Hardy is still unfavorable.

Why, why, why do you speak, uninformed parent!!

Hardy can access the field at PE as much as they like during the school hours. Sometimes the coaches do, some other times they don't, because they have a huge indoor facility and gym,which is so large that it can be simultaneously host two basketball games (4 teams), 3 volleyball games (6 teams). At this huge and exclusive space caters to a population of less than 400 kids.

370 kids divided by 8 time periods at school, means that at each period you only have about 45 Hardy students doing PE... Only 45 !!! These 45 kids have for their exclusive use a huge indoor gym. All for themselves. Plus a smaller but new and perfectly functional outdoor field, and a tennis court... Why should these 45 kids leave the school and use the Jelleff fields? They only do it on special occasions (football & baseball team practice and games) .
British school has ridiculous indoor facilities (and only for younger kids). That's why they are bused elsewhere and that's why you can see them on the Jelleff fields.

Let me repeat it: 370 Hardy students divided by 8 time periods/day, means that at each period, and each day, you have only about 45 students at PE. Each of these students has an exclusive per capita sqf sport space availability which is larger than any of the other public/private schools in NW DC. And they have it each and every day (not only for one semester/year as at Deal). They have it in house (no need to take buses like the British School). No need to share with private outsiders (St Albans).

And on top of this, if this was not enough, if the coaches wish , they can also go to Jelleff fields during school hours.

Go and see the Hardy indoor gym and check my math if you wish.

Hardy facilities are bigger than the ncs and sfs mega gyms? Have you seen the 4 story rock climbing wall and 5 bbal courts at ncs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hardy's limits to the use of the Jelleff field are less stringent than those applied by private schools.

Even at the most expensive and fancy private schools, sports facilities are available to students during restricted hours. Since maintenance costs are high (and many schools are operated on a for profit basis) ALL private schools lease out to private users and teams their fields and facilities, including during school hours.

For instance, the Field School, St Albans/National Cathedral, Burke etc lease their school swimming pool to private swim teams (see NCAP website under training hours and facilities), or for individual club members on a fee basis. For a fee of about $120/month , you can have access to the St Alban pool or Field School pool, everyday at set times. Of course pool is off-limits to students during those hours.

The limits of Hardy's access to Jelleff is a false argument, given that it only applies to 2 hours/day and 6 months/year, and that the fields are for Hardy students during all school hours, everyday.

Moreover, students at all schools, even the most expensive ones, do not have 100% availability of theirs sport fields and facilities, as these are leased out for several hours a day to private users, to make up for mainteinance costs and profits.

Burke doesn't have a swimming pool. The Burke listed there is not the private school, it is Burke Racket and Swim in Burke, VA. Neither St. Albans nor Field is listed on the NCAP website. Burke (the school), Field and St. Albans all have zoning orders limiting their ability to rent to outside groups, it's on the DC Office of Zoning website.

If Hardy chooses not to use the Jelleff field -- and they don't -- why does it matter what their reason is? As a practical matter the students don't get to use the field.

St Albans/ncs swim teams have exclusive use of their pool until 5:30 every day during the school year. Other teams come in later. Its odd that hardy teams can't use their own field until its dark out.