80-85% of the room at the open house was white.

Of course nobody can tell to a person looking around a room who is poor and who is rich. Race and income do not correlate to a person. There are also many middle and upper income blacks in DC. However, unlike many places (Appalachia, or Baltimore for instance) where there are many low income and unemployed whites - DC has very few poor whites or whites without college degrees. In DC The unemployment rate among whites is less than 3%. In DC a room that is 80% white will likely not reflect the economic diversity of the city, nor of DC school parents as a whole.

60+% of DC school children are African American. Many of whom come from upper income families but many of whom are poor.

30% of DC's children are under the poverty line. 10% of DC's residents live in deep poverty (below half of the poverty line).
The rate of poverty among black DC residents is 28%. The rate of poverty among Hispanics is 18% (DC Fiscal Policy Institute - In the Wake of the Great Recession, Poverty Rates in DC Remain High for Certain Groups Sept 2012-a bit dated but still makes the point.) Unemployment rates among blacks is 19%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It wasn't a very diverse crowd SES-wise. Looked EXACTLY like the open house I went to for an expensive Montessori school in Bethesda.

How could you tell a persons economic status just by looking at them? Is this code for saying everyone was white?

No, not white, a fair amount of racial and ethnic diversity, but when 1/2 the questions are about organic food . . .

My husband did note that the people who turn out for this are likely the people with the means to do so. He thinks the school will be more diverse than the open house. But Montessori will always skew the applicant pool a bit.

Not pp, but no, not everyone was white. A similar mix as at many of the open houses at desirable charters, it seemed. They showed a map of applicants and they pulled from all over the city, with the majority from the Eastern part, it seemed, with some all the way at the southern tip of DC. It looked like it could be a tough commute for some of those admitted students!

Anonymous wrote:It wasn't a very diverse crowd SES-wise. Looked EXACTLY like the open house I went to for an expensive Montessori school in Bethesda.

How could you tell a persons economic status just by looking at them? Is this code for saying everyone was white?

They are fine. Just dont expect your kid to walk away fluent any time soon. Really it is just good to stimulate their brains.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:30 minutes Spanish at the end of the day, after nap, four days a week. A program called Isabella and Ferdinand. Oddly when they mentioned staff they have hired and have yet to hire they did not mention a Spanish teacher.

Isabella and Ferdinand is a contracted program that has its own teacher--sort of like Language Stars. So no need to hire a teacher.

I'm not familiar with either of those programs. Do you think they're good?

[quote=Anonymous]I left with more confidence. The team seemed passionate and competent. Parents did seem a bit nervous though. Not sure why. Seems like it may have been more of a "I can't believe my baby is already growing up and going to leave the nest and go to school." vibe from the parents. I suspect people did not know what Montessori is and were too embarrassed to ask basic questions. [/quote]

I think the space created some of the awkwardness. Not the typical parent/teacher environment. It threw me off somewhat. I half expected to ask if I wanted bottle service. Plus the size and shape of the room must have made it tough to address the audience. Add in that one of the founders broke her foot the day before and couldn't stand and the other distractions from the kids and people walking through, tough to hold an audience under those circumstances.

Anonymous wrote:30 minutes Spanish at the end of the day, after nap, four days a week. A program called Isabella and Ferdinand. Oddly when they mentioned staff they have hired and have yet to hire they did not mention a Spanish teacher.

Isabella and Ferdinand is a contracted program that has its own teacher--sort of like Language Stars. So no need to hire a teacher.

They are contracting out the Spanish instruction - that is what the program Isabel and Ferdinand is.

30 minutes Spanish at the end of the day, after nap, four days a week. A program called Isabella and Ferdinand. Oddly when they mentioned staff they have hired and have yet to hire they did not mention a Spanish teacher.

The apparent lack of SES diversity also disturbed me. The map they showed about what neighborhoods the admitted students are from made me more encouraged - it looked like a more diverse mix of the city.
In talking with the founders they seem very committed to educational equity.
I don't know what else they can do- besides knock on doors to drum up more diversity in applicants next year. I would be willing to help in such efforts.

This is too funny to me because i think the founders thought they were bringing montessori to the disadvantaged urban youth of DC. That was their vibe early on. I knew this was going to happen!

I did not bring my kid- but I am glad people did. You can tell a lot about a school leader by how they interact with kids. I vote bring your kid. If you have trouble hearing - move up to the front.

It wasn't a very diverse crowd SES-wise. Looked EXACTLY like the open house I went to for an expensive Montessori school in Bethesda.

Thanks.