Anonymous wrote:I think people are confused about why Mount Pleasant is such an expensive/desirable place to live but Bancroft is not a better school.

As has been noted on other threads, it's the chicken/egg problem.

OP we had Bancroft on our list, didn't get into LAMB, considered Marie Reed for PS-3, ended up elsewhere at a school with a terrific principal but not a language immersion school like Stokes or Oyster. We got the same feeling, vibe, whatever you want to call it, from visiting Bancroft that other parents had. Bad grammar & confusion from the admin staff, an overwhelming number of low-income Hispanics, terrible test scores. Also nightmarish drop-off traffic. Powell Elementary has many similar issues. It's got some very gung-ho parents and Michelle Obama has taken an interest in the school for the White House kitchen garden project. I think people are confused about why Mount Pleasant is such an expensive/desirable place to live but Bancroft is not a better school.

Anonymous wrote:It is better then a charter school, but not better then upper-NW publics though.

Wrong. Don't lie to the OP. Other than Oyster, the ONLY good Spanish Immersion schools are charters.

Anonymous wrote:Main concern w Bancroft is families leaving for better schools after the early years

That's a legitimate concern in any DCPS school, but especially low-performers. High SES families only use them for free PS/PK.

Main concern w Bancroft is families leaving for better schools after the early years

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This entire thread is nonsense. Bancroft has grown leaps and bounds for the last 4 years due in large part to admin.

Based on what empirical evidence? It doesn't show up in the testing results.

Reading Math
2009 31% 32%
2010 27% 29%
2011 27% 35%
2012 21% 34%


Not even 1/3 of students performing proficiently? Yikes, that sounds more like a detention center than an elementary school.

Where are you getting these data? From Bancroft's DCPS profile (http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Bancroft+Elementary+School)

2011 reading: 38%, math 53%
2012 reading: 35%, math 49%

Not stellar, but remember that 59% of Bancroft kids are English language learners and 80% are low income. That compares to 24% low income at LAMB, 25% low income at Oyster (which only has 16% ELL), etc. Huge differences in demographics.

Anonymous wrote:It is better then a charter school, but not better then upper-NW publics though.

No, not better than any of the charters that are talked about in this forum.

Anonymous wrote:This entire thread is nonsense. Bancroft has grown leaps and bounds for the last 4 years due in large part to admin.

Based on what empirical evidence? It doesn't show up in the testing results.

Reading Math
2009 31% 32%
2010 27% 29%
2011 27% 35%
2012 21% 34%


Not even 1/3 of students performing proficiently? Yikes, that sounds more like a detention center than an elementary school.

Anonymous wrote:It is better then a charter school, but not better then upper-NW publics though.

Better than what charter school? It is certainly better than many, maybe even most, but not all by any stretch of the imagination.

It is better then a charter school, but not better then upper-NW publics though.

Anonymous wrote:Deal's boundaries are likely to change. Analysis for all Ward 3 schools begins in 2013.
It seems very likely that Bancroft will only feed Lincoln and not Deal. Right now it feeds both.

I hope parents and council members will lobby to prevent this from happening. Shepherd feeds Deal and is further away (4 mi, vs. 3 mi for Bancroft). Here's the current Deal boundary map

http://dcps.dc.gov/DCPS/Files/downloads/SCHOOLS/Boundary%20Maps%20-%202009/DCPS-Attendance-Zones-Middle-Schools-September-2009.pdf

I've also heard mention of having Bancroft feed into Oyster Adams.

Deal's boundaries are likely to change. Analysis for all Ward 3 schools begins in 2013.
It seems very likely that Bancroft will only feed Lincoln and not Deal. Right now it feeds both.

This entire thread is nonsense. Bancroft has grown leaps and bounds for the last 4 years due in large part to admin.

Have you complained?

I also go to Bancroft because it feeds to Deal. I am saddened that my child is not being challenged though. The principal is not around much.