Anonymous
05/12/2014 21:45
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
Plus a million!!! Thank you!!
Anonymous
05/12/2014 21:44
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
That was going to be my question. The ES we are zoned for is a 5 on Great Schools but everyone we've talked to has really positive things to say about it (and importantly, send their kids there). If you haven't already, it's worth talking to the neighbors.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 20:42
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
It is, but there is NO objective way to measure quality teaching. And let's face it, kids from poor families generally have lower educational aspirations. Go to a school with a low GreatSchools.com rating and those kids will be your child's peers. They will be soaking up a culture of low expectations. I lived in a poor neighborhood in Alabama as a kid. My parents were great and always encouraged education. But at age 11, I literally believed that most people had sex by age 13. Why? Because that is what my neighborhood friends said. And did. And my school friends didn't talk about sex so they never told me any different. For the record, I didn't have sex until late teens. And I have a Ph.D.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 20:23
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
To the barcroft hater, have you ever even talked to the parents there. Never heard anything but positive. The homes around the school are mostly white, only the apartments have the minority pools. Like two different worlds.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 19:02
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
OP have you visited the schools in the district you say is 5 out of 10? I say this because a lot of schools that look dismal on paper are actually happy nurturing environments where your kids would learn and grow. Just want to make sure you are basing this on firsthand knowledge and not "reputation" which is what most DCUMers do. You may be able to have your cake and eat it too...
Anonymous
05/12/2014 17:50
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
The neighborhood was one of our most important factors- weighed together with the school ratings. I wanted a place where my kids could bike around the neighborhood, walk to their friends, etc... and not worry about through traffic. We bought in a quiet neighborhood and my teenage kids have been running to friends houses, biking all over the neighborhood, walk to the local shopping plaza and library, play night tag and stay out until after dark for years... Fortunately we have a great school system to boot. The house itself is nice enough for us and we've been happy here for 15 years. Many of the DCUMs would slam my location and the house because it isn't in an urban neighborhood and it's a 70's colonial but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 16:14
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
Exactly why Great Schools isn't very useful.
I find the test scores and breakdowns by demographic very useful. I also find the FARM rate very useful.
I guess FARM rates are useful if you're trying to avoid poor kids.
But isn't that what the whole 'good school' thing is all about?
Apparently it is for some people. I want a high-quality school. Why should I care if the FARMS rate is high?
http://www.fairtest.org/teacher-quality-important-cannot-overcome-poverty
The point of this article is that poorer kids have lower test scores than wealthier kids, even with strong teaching. That's not exactly surprising and has nothing to do with my kids, who are not poor. If a high-FARMS school offers honors and AP classes ensuring that intelligent and strongly-motivated students are challenged, again, why would I care if some of the other students are poor?
I am beginning to think that what school your kids go to is a status symbol for some parents. If you can't afford private school, the next best thing is to brag about how great the public school you got your kid into is. And for it to be a status symbol it has to be devoid of poor children.
I am the PP you quoted and, yes, I think you're right. Such an eff'ed up world view.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 16:13
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:
I am beginning to think that what school your kids go to is a status symbol for some parents. If you can't afford private school, the next best thing is to brag about how great the public school you got your kid into is. And for it to be a status symbol it has to be devoid of poor children.
There are plenty of families who can afford private who prefer the public schools.
I don't think it makes sense to brag about "getting your kid into" a school they attend soley by virtue of their address. On the other hand, the higher-ranked public schools often have a good sense of community and a high level of student and parent involvement in school-related activities. If you take pride in that, it may come across as arrogant.
I don't doubt that kids can find challenging classes at most area public schools. Most local public school systems are pretty good. But do they attend a school where most people actually seem to be excited and take pride in the school, or challenge one another to do better? That may be a bit harder.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 16:06
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
Exactly why Great Schools isn't very useful.
I find the test scores and breakdowns by demographic very useful. I also find the FARM rate very useful.
I guess FARM rates are useful if you're trying to avoid poor kids.
But isn't that what the whole 'good school' thing is all about?
Apparently it is for some people. I want a high-quality school. Why should I care if the FARMS rate is high?
http://www.fairtest.org/teacher-quality-important-cannot-overcome-poverty
The point of this article is that poorer kids have lower test scores than wealthier kids, even with strong teaching. That's not exactly surprising and has nothing to do with my kids, who are not poor. If a high-FARMS school offers honors and AP classes ensuring that intelligent and strongly-motivated students are challenged, again, why would I care if some of the other students are poor?
I am beginning to think that what school your kids go to is a status symbol for some parents. If you can't afford private school, the next best thing is to brag about how great the public school you got your kid into is. And for it to be a status symbol it has to be devoid of poor children.
Maybe in DC but not elsewhere.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 16:05
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
Exactly why Great Schools isn't very useful.
I find the test scores and breakdowns by demographic very useful. I also find the FARM rate very useful.
I guess FARM rates are useful if you're trying to avoid poor kids.
But isn't that what the whole 'good school' thing is all about?
Apparently it is for some people. I want a high-quality school. Why should I care if the FARMS rate is high?
http://www.fairtest.org/teacher-quality-important-cannot-overcome-poverty
The point of this article is that poorer kids have lower test scores than wealthier kids, even with strong teaching. That's not exactly surprising and has nothing to do with my kids, who are not poor. If a high-FARMS school offers honors and AP classes ensuring that intelligent and strongly-motivated students are challenged, again, why would I care if some of the other students are poor?
I am beginning to think that what school your kids go to is a status symbol for some parents. If you can't afford private school, the next best thing is to brag about how great the public school you got your kid into is. And for it to be a status symbol it has to be devoid of poor children.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 16:02
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:We preferred to live in a nice big house in DC. Our children attend private school. I hope one day DCPS gets its act together!
And if bullfrogs had wings, they wouldn't get their asses wet.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 15:53
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
Exactly why Great Schools isn't very useful.
I find the test scores and breakdowns by demographic very useful. I also find the FARM rate very useful.
I guess FARM rates are useful if you're trying to avoid poor kids.
But isn't that what the whole 'good school' thing is all about?
Apparently it is for some people. I want a high-quality school. Why should I care if the FARMS rate is high?
http://www.fairtest.org/teacher-quality-important-cannot-overcome-poverty
The point of this article is that poorer kids have lower test scores than wealthier kids, even with strong teaching. That's not exactly surprising and has nothing to do with my kids, who are not poor. If a high-FARMS school offers honors and AP classes ensuring that intelligent and strongly-motivated students are challenged, again, why would I care if some of the other students are poor?
Anonymous
05/12/2014 15:48
Subject: Re:HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Schools are overrated. The home environment is what counts. The school does very little. Poor Performing schools draw from areas with mostly bad environments. Good Schools don't. I'd get the house. You're at the whim of redistricting anyways.
This is what people who pick the house always say and it vastly underestimates the amount that a school counts. You don't get a second crack at early education, especially with working parents who aren't going to be conducting a virtual late afternoon home school to make up for deficiencies in their school curriculum. Even if you have a SAH parent kids don't want to sit for another school session after being at an inferior school all day. My sister (who doesn't live around here) pulled her second child from private school to save $$, thinking that the school itself didn't matter that much and that their local public would be fine. Now that they've both graduated HS, she regrets it and says she can see a real difference in the education her second child received as a result.
Go for the good school district. The value of your property is far more likely to increase and you'll have either enough equity to make changes over time or to sell for a big profit and move when you no longer care about the schools.
This is all well and good, but if you pick a house where you spend 2-3 extra hours per day in the car, I think the advantage you get from school is a wash. And that is the tradeoff most people are making for good schools, not for curb appeal or crown molding. People underestimate the value of time and the effect it has on kids. Me. I'd rather have my time with my kid and I'd like to be less stressed when spending it with him. You can throw out all the anecdotes you want. There are just as many from high achievers from bad schools. Every metric that measures school quality is simply a surrogate measure or parental income.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 15:21
Subject: Re:HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Schools are overrated. The home environment is what counts. The school does very little. Poor Performing schools draw from areas with mostly bad environments. Good Schools don't. I'd get the house. You're at the whim of redistricting anyways.
This is what people who pick the house always say and it vastly underestimates the amount that a school counts. You don't get a second crack at early education, especially with working parents who aren't going to be conducting a virtual late afternoon home school to make up for deficiencies in their school curriculum. Even if you have a SAH parent kids don't want to sit for another school session after being at an inferior school all day. My sister (who doesn't live around here) pulled her second child from private school to save $$, thinking that the school itself didn't matter that much and that their local public would be fine. Now that they've both graduated HS, she regrets it and says she can see a real difference in the education her second child received as a result.
Go for the good school district. The value of your property is far more likely to increase and you'll have either enough equity to make changes over time or to sell for a big profit and move when you no longer care about the schools.
Anonymous
05/12/2014 15:21
Subject: HELP US DECIDE, home you love or school you would wnat your kids to attend
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you define school quality. Did you actually research whether people are happy with the school or just go by Great Schools?
Using the population that is attending the school is a terrible way to judge the quality of the education.
Exactly why Great Schools isn't very useful.
I find the test scores and breakdowns by demographic very useful. I also find the FARM rate very useful.
I guess FARM rates are useful if you're trying to avoid poor kids.
But isn't that what the whole 'good school' thing is all about?
Apparently it is for some people. I want a high-quality school. Why should I care if the FARMS rate is high?
http://www.fairtest.org/teacher-quality-important-cannot-overcome-poverty