Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 14:15     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All things considered, the question is it more OK to move to Fairfax, MoCo or elsewhere in search of more elementary and MS challenge, or pay for a private school. Not by us.

We're more OK with supplementing to stay in our home of 20 years, near longtime friends and neighbors. We're more OK with living across the street from one of the local libraries and down the road from the Smithsonian museums. We wish that our by-right DCPS schools provided more challenge for our kids, but they don't. Pretty clearly, we can't begin to change that in the years they have left in DCPS.

What are you suggesting we do?


Trying to better understand the issue leading to the lack of challenge in these schools more than anything. Particularly since the schools serve neighborhoods with relatively high SES families. Is it the teachers (e.g. high turnover, not a lot of years teaching, poor classroom management)? Is it the DCPS curriculum (not going deep enough, trying to cover too much, not focusing on foundational academics)? Is it lack of homework to confirm mastery of subject, or too much homework?

In your opinion what are the issues contributing to the lack of challenge?


This one is not difficult. It's that more than 3/4 of the students in DC public schools are low SES and minority. Many school system leaders still equate academic tracking and GT programs with discrimination against low-income minority children, all the way from K to 12th.

Had Michelle Rhee/Fentee lasted a decade ago, things would probably be quite different in DCPS by now. Rhee gave speeches pledging much more support for "advanced learners" system wide. In a nutshell, if your kid works more than a year ahead of grade level in math or reading in a DCPS ES and your classroom teacher isn't interested in challenging them, they won't be pushed. You take up the matter up with admins, but they're free to ignore you, since their higher-ups don't expect them to serve students who work ahead of grade level. For some students, the arrangement means that school is too easy across the board, generally in 4th and 5th grades as well as middle school.

I'm not convinced that things are all that much better in the DC burbs, super duper test-in GT programs in Fairfax and MoCo serving less than 10% of students countywide. I hear similar complaints from DC friends who moved to VA and MD. So parents supplement.


I thought this thread was specifically about Brent, Maury and LT where the demographic issues you cite are not a significant factor. The pp was commentimg on the statement about these schools and their feeder SH not being particularly challenging as mentioned by an earlier poster. Why are those schools not sufficiently challenging?
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 14:00     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:No law on GT education in DC, no mandate, no real funding. MD and VA passed GT ed laws in the 80s.


and NYC just ended theirs
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 12:43     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
No law on GT education in DC, no mandate, no real funding. MD and VA passed GT ed laws in the 80s.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 12:42     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:All things considered, the question is it more OK to move to Fairfax, MoCo or elsewhere in search of more elementary and MS challenge, or pay for a private school. Not by us.

We're more OK with supplementing to stay in our home of 20 years, near longtime friends and neighbors. We're more OK with living across the street from one of the local libraries and down the road from the Smithsonian museums. We wish that our by-right DCPS schools provided more challenge for our kids, but they don't. Pretty clearly, we can't begin to change that in the years they have left in DCPS.

What are you suggesting we do?


Trying to better understand the issue leading to the lack of challenge in these schools more than anything. Particularly since the schools serve neighborhoods with relatively high SES families. Is it the teachers (e.g. high turnover, not a lot of years teaching, poor classroom management)? Is it the DCPS curriculum (not going deep enough, trying to cover too much, not focusing on foundational academics)? Is it lack of homework to confirm mastery of subject, or too much homework?

In your opinion what are the issues contributing to the lack of challenge?


This one is not difficult. It's that more than 3/4 of the students in DC public schools are low SES and minority. Many school system leaders still equate academic tracking and GT programs with discrimination against low-income minority children, all the way from K to 12th.

Had Michelle Rhee/Fentee lasted a decade ago, things would probably be quite different in DCPS by now. Rhee gave speeches pledging much more support for "advanced learners" system wide. In a nutshell, if your kid works more than a year ahead of grade level in math or reading in a DCPS ES and your classroom teacher isn't interested in challenging them, they won't be pushed. You take up the matter up with admins, but they're free to ignore you, since their higher-ups don't expect them to serve students who work ahead of grade level. For some students, the arrangement means that school is too easy across the board, generally in 4th and 5th grades as well as middle school.

I'm not convinced that things are all that much better in the DC burbs, super duper test-in GT programs in Fairfax and MoCo serving less than 10% of students countywide. I hear similar complaints from DC friends who moved to VA and MD. So parents supplement.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 10:23     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ok right. If you are able to supplement heavily then that is different. That doesn’t seem very common among hill families fwiw.


Not sure what you count as supplementing, but strong academic home inputs are normal on Cap Hill. There's no shortage of book worm families here, kids taught and tutored via Outschool, music lessons, art classes, museum visits, STEM-minded parents who help with homework, academic break and summer camps etc. The high SES kids who attend our Ward 6 middle schools may not be pushed in these institutions, but many they seem destined for elite colleges anyway.


I thought these schools were well regarded here. How is it that the kids are not pushed at these institutions and that's ok?


people exaggerate when they talk about supplementing. most parents are happy with schools and don’t feel their elementary kid has to be “pushed.” my personal grip right now is that the writing is boring af but I think they have to do that to prepare for PARCC.

what Hill parents do have time and money for is enrichment - classes, camps, trips, etc.
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 10:19     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:All things considered, the question is it more OK to move to Fairfax, MoCo or elsewhere in search of more elementary and MS challenge, or pay for a private school. Not by us.

We're more OK with supplementing to stay in our home of 20 years, near longtime friends and neighbors. We're more OK with living across the street from one of the local libraries and down the road from the Smithsonian museums. We wish that our by-right DCPS schools provided more challenge for our kids, but they don't. Pretty clearly, we can't begin to change that in the years they have left in DCPS.

What are you suggesting we do?


Trying to better understand the issue leading to the lack of challenge in these schools more than anything. Particularly since the schools serve neighborhoods with relatively high SES families. Is it the teachers (e.g. high turnover, not a lot of years teaching, poor classroom management)? Is it the DCPS curriculum (not going deep enough, trying to cover too much, not focusing on foundational academics)? Is it lack of homework to confirm mastery of subject, or too much homework?

In your opinion what are the issues contributing to the lack of challenge?
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 09:41     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
All things considered, the question is it more OK to move to Fairfax, MoCo or elsewhere in search of more elementary and MS challenge, or pay for a private school. Not by us.

We're more OK with supplementing to stay in our home of 20 years, near longtime friends and neighbors. We're more OK with living across the street from one of the local libraries and down the road from the Smithsonian museums. We wish that our by-right DCPS schools provided more challenge for our kids, but they don't. Pretty clearly, we can't begin to change that in the years they have left in DCPS.

What are you suggesting we do?
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 07:43     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ok right. If you are able to supplement heavily then that is different. That doesn’t seem very common among hill families fwiw.


Not sure what you count as supplementing, but strong academic home inputs are normal on Cap Hill. There's no shortage of book worm families here, kids taught and tutored via Outschool, music lessons, art classes, museum visits, STEM-minded parents who help with homework, academic break and summer camps etc. The high SES kids who attend our Ward 6 middle schools may not be pushed in these institutions, but many they seem destined for elite colleges anyway.


I thought these schools were well regarded here. How is it that the kids are not pushed at these institutions and that's ok?
Anonymous
Post 10/13/2021 06:28     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:Ok right. If you are able to supplement heavily then that is different. That doesn’t seem very common among hill families fwiw.


Not sure what you count as supplementing, but strong academic home inputs are normal on Cap Hill. There's no shortage of book worm families here, kids taught and tutored via Outschool, music lessons, art classes, museum visits, STEM-minded parents who help with homework, academic break and summer camps etc. The high SES kids who attend our Ward 6 middle schools may not be pushed in these institutions, but many they seem destined for elite colleges anyway.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2021 22:24     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:Ok right. If you are able to supplement heavily then that is different. That doesn’t seem very common among hill families fwiw.


Totally different experience. Mid-elementary at one of these schools and like 1/4 of my kid’s class does Mathnasium.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2021 20:15     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Ok right. If you are able to supplement heavily then that is different. That doesn’t seem very common among hill families fwiw.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2021 20:03     Subject: Re:Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
I concur, other than with your last line, PP. Even the three not-so-great Ward 6 neighborhood middle schools can work very well for nerdy families providing high-octane academic inputs to kids outside school. I attended a rural public middle school and high school ranked in the bottom third in my state, yet went on to an Ivy. My parents were hostile to TV. We read an awful lot.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2021 19:48     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
The fact of the matter is that high-SES families on the hill are a pretty diverse group. Some are academically motivated and want their kids to be on a path to the best colleges. Some value diversity more than academic outcome and are ok with their kid getting 4s and maybe some 3s on the parcc as long as the kid is having a happy school experience and learning the good soft skills that a diverse environment provides. Some are saving up for private high school and figure that their kids will make up for any academic lost ground then. Some parents are aware that their kids are not academic all stars and a school that provides just a “grade level” education is adequate bc their kids wouldn’t test into the advanced tracks elsewhere anyhow. Counting the number of Maury kids at EH doesn’t prove anything. Decide what your values are and decide if the hill schools align. For most families not aiming for a public path to the ivies, the hill schools are fine. If you have a very smart kid and want to keep them in public, hill schools probably aren’t for you.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2021 19:13     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
We've found very engaged faculty and staff who care about students and know the kids.
Anonymous
Post 10/12/2021 15:25     Subject: Brent vs. Maury vs. Ludlow-Taylor
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Maury lost about 1/3 of its rising 5th graders a few years back; 35+ stayed for 5th, most of those intentionally headed to EH.


You think 20+ IB Maury families will head to EH next year & stay for the whole year? No way.


I don’t know the exact numbers but yes, I expect there to be plenty. What you’re missing is that the kids want to go to EH!


That's great! and I can see why--new building, fields, sports teams, tv broadcasting studio


Identified as one of the 10 worst schools in the whole city during the last round of OSSE star ratings... I mean, I actually think those star ratings have tons of issues, but it is clear that EH has serious issues that a shiny new building is not going to fix.


Thanks, do you have anything helpful to add for the parents actually considering EH? Do you think we ... can't read and somehow don't know that?


The above is a reason to be incredibly skeptical of the claim that a "majority" of Maury families are headed there next year.