Anonymous wrote:We think it’s several things. A bunch of young teachers with weak classroom management skills because they’re young, inexperienced and poorly trained/mentored combined with too many kids who can’t handle IB Middle Years academics in core subjects that aren’t tracked. Science, social studies and ELA are taught without honors classes even in 8th grade. Also, admins seem to let disrupters get away with disrupting time and time again. We will go after this year, which won’t solve DCI’s chronic classroom disruption problems.

I find this oft repeated line amusing. It is what you all do when you have nothing else to complain about or no actual solutions. DCPS has lots of tenured dead weight. If it was as simple as teachers with lots of years then Eastern and a bunch of other crappy schools would be Bronx Science.

Do better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frustrating. What can be done?

NP. Teacher shortages are everywhere and schools are doing the best that they can. Aside from increasing salaries to get "better" teachers, there's only so much mentoring and training can do when they're on their own with an out of control cohort. It's a problem ALL schools are dealing with post-pandemic. The real solution is tracking and pulling kids out of the IB track that aren't prepared for it. But the school isn't going to reverse their "IB for all" philosophy, so I think parents are going to have to either deal with it or not.

I would look where the blame lies: the feeders.

I disagree. Yes the feeders are weak and kids enter under-prepared. But the crux of the issue is the IB for All model in an urban environment. IB is developed to be a rigorous, advanced program for kids who need and want an advanced curriculum. It is not designed for, and is not appropriate for, all students; particularly students from challenging backgrounds that need additional supports and equitable access to an appropriate curriculum. If we wouldn't put every kid in an AP course, why would we put them in IB? It's a lack of understanding about IB from parents and intentional ignorance from the school. So all DCI teachers can do is water down IB to approximately grade level content or teach content that isn't appropriate for their students. But that just sets teachers up to fail and frustrates students. DC parents will still fight over seats because it's better than the alternatives, but that doesn't make it a good model or one that serves all of it's students well.

+100.

Smart post, PP. As somebody who earned the IB Diploma, has taught in IB World international schools and sent my kids to a DCI feeder, I've been baffled by how little most fellow feeder/DCI parents seem to know or care about the IB curriculum, essentially a GT program created to serve the university-bound children of European diplomats. I taught high school students in international schools abroad who came from privileged backgrounds, weren't SpEd and were fairly diligent yet ultimately failed to earn enough IB points to qualify for a Diploma.

What seems to happen in the feeders and at DCI is that admins convince gullible parents without IB background that IB World Schools don't track academically in core subjects as a matter of policy, other than perhaps for math. False. One big international school I taught at in Asia offers honors middle school classes in English, science and social students although there aren't underprivileged students in the school who aren't on academic merit scholarships.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frustrating. What can be done?

NP. Teacher shortages are everywhere and schools are doing the best that they can. Aside from increasing salaries to get "better" teachers, there's only so much mentoring and training can do when they're on their own with an out of control cohort. It's a problem ALL schools are dealing with post-pandemic. The real solution is tracking and pulling kids out of the IB track that aren't prepared for it. But the school isn't going to reverse their "IB for all" philosophy, so I think parents are going to have to either deal with it or not.

I would look where the blame lies: the feeders.

I disagree. Yes the feeders are weak and kids enter under-prepared. But the crux of the issue is the IB for All model in an urban environment. IB is developed to be a rigorous, advanced program for kids who need and want an advanced curriculum. It is not designed for, and is not appropriate for, all students; particularly students from challenging backgrounds that need additional supports and equitable access to an appropriate curriculum. If we wouldn't put every kid in an AP course, why would we put them in IB? It's a lack of understanding about IB from parents and intentional ignorance from the school. So all DCI teachers can do is water down IB to approximately grade level content or teach content that isn't appropriate for their students. But that just sets teachers up to fail and frustrates students. DC parents will still fight over seats because it's better than the alternatives, but that doesn't make it a good model or one that serves all of it's students well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frustrating. What can be done?

NP. Teacher shortages are everywhere and schools are doing the best that they can. Aside from increasing salaries to get "better" teachers, there's only so much mentoring and training can do when they're on their own with an out of control cohort. It's a problem ALL schools are dealing with post-pandemic. The real solution is tracking and pulling kids out of the IB track that aren't prepared for it. But the school isn't going to reverse their "IB for all" philosophy, so I think parents are going to have to either deal with it or not.

I would look where the blame lies: the feeders.

Anonymous wrote:Frustrating. What can be done?

NP. Teacher shortages are everywhere and schools are doing the best that they can. Aside from increasing salaries to get "better" teachers, there's only so much mentoring and training can do when they're on their own with an out of control cohort. It's a problem ALL schools are dealing with post-pandemic. The real solution is tracking and pulling kids out of the IB track that aren't prepared for it. But the school isn't going to reverse their "IB for all" philosophy, so I think parents are going to have to either deal with it or not.

Frustrating. What can be done?

We think it’s several things. A bunch of young teachers with weak classroom management skills because they’re young, inexperienced and poorly trained/mentored combined with too many kids who can’t handle IB Middle Years academics in core subjects that aren’t tracked. Science, social studies and ELA are taught without honors classes even in 8th grade. Also, admins seem to let disrupters get away with disrupting time and time again. We will go after this year, which won’t solve DCI’s chronic classroom disruption problems.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, because disruptive middle school kids, most of them low SES, aren't handled well at DCI as a general rule and classes aren't tracked academically for all core subjects. In a nutshell, disruptive kids get away with being rowdy in class over and over at the expense of serious students in the DCI middle school. The problem worsens between 6th and 8th grades. Parents of serious students complain to admins but their pushback comes to nothing.

We're hoping to have a better option for high school, Walls, Banneker, MacArthur or a private. Buyer beware.

There aren’t many relative to many other schools - low at-risk population. Speaks to the quality of teacher at dci if there are frequent disruptions.

Anonymous wrote:I’m not prepared to believe that it’s much worse at BASIS, the Latins and Deal. No way. My 8th grader wants out of DCI because of the disruptions.

So go already?

I’m not prepared to believe that it’s much worse at BASIS, the Latins and Deal. No way. My 8th grader wants out of DCI because of the disruptions.

Anonymous wrote:The middle school disruptions can be such a problem that they drive some UMC DCI families to other schools. Many of the disruptive kids obviously don't belong in IB Middle Years classes. They need remedial education, counseling, wrap-around services, all of which they're not getting from DCI.

Well you can say that about every DCPS and charter middle school in this city, and I can tell you that it is much worst at other schools.

It’s all relative isn’t it.

The middle school disruptions can be such a problem that they drive some UMC DCI families to other schools. Many of the disruptive kids obviously don't belong in IB Middle Years classes. They need remedial education, counseling, wrap-around services, all of which they're not getting from DCI.

Anonymous wrote:The frequency of disruptions at DCI varies a lot from teacher to teacher. Luck of the draw.

This is very true. And gets better in HS, but still not perfect.

The frequency of disruptions at DCI varies a lot from teacher to teacher. Luck of the draw.