Maybe CMI and the folks at the new IMYC middle school will create a high school option. That makes more sense than a CMI/IT/Bridge high school.

For high school, we're betting on either one of the application DCPS, a new charter, or one of the other existing high schools looking more appealing (Cap city, Haynes, Roosevelt, or Eastern).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we really all so sure that these new charters are delivering an excellent education? For the record, I DO have a child in elementary school at one of them,and while I am happy, there is no question that it is a work in progress. That is not a bad thing - it is just a fact. Planning for a HS is fine but let's make sure the founders/administrators/etc at these schools live up to what they have promised. Frankly, I hear grumbling from parents at all of these schools - particularly from those who believe (rightly or wrongly) that their children are gifted. Again, this is not me - but I hear the chatter. Perhaps it is just upfront justification for why they will abandon the school after 3rd grade to go private. Not a financial option for my family despite our middle-class status.

I think most non-privates will have difficulty addressing the needs of kids who are ahead of the curve re: DCPS standards; DCPS takes a hard stance against any programs that recognize and address the needs of such students, I believe (though I could be wrong) because those programs that existed in the past in this area were essentially used as ways to segregate students along race lines. Very sad fpr educators at the charters who succeeded in crafting excellent programs and now find themselves with their proverbial hands tied, no longer able to support the kids whose academic 'excellence" (such as it can be described when vetted against DCPS standards) they helped to create, and for parents who are watching their kids mark time in class being exposed to the same material over and over rather than being challenged and learning and growing at their best level.

Not sure what the answer is, as I'm not interested in a private education for DD. Currently trying to arrange life/schedule to allow for homeschooling as an option in the next couple of years.

--HRCS K parent

Interesting thought process. Do you feel even with the more exploratory learning model (or immersion school programming) that some children aren't getting more?

15:24 here, I think kids at immersion schools are probably being challenged in a different way, but I don't think OSSE allows charters to teach radically different material than other schools unless that was part of the school's charter.

Charters are part of the DCPS system, and OSSE seems to be showing a lot more interest in charters. If there are any charters out there that are doing anything close to giving kids more than the DCPS standard, my guess is when OSSE gets wind of it those charters feel the pain and are forced to comply. At our charter this year we're hearing over and over again about DCPS standards, and we're also hearing, for the first time, parents of kids in upper grades, kids who've been with our school's learning model from the start, saying their kid is bored, unchallenged, learning the same things they learned last year. Just reading between the lines so I can't say for sure that DCPS governance is the issue, but I strongly believe the changes at our school and increasing OSSE oversight are tied.

I think the one exception is Basis, as it was chartered to basically teach kids high school concepts in the middle school years (which again, I don't know that the concepts taught are different so much as they are taught earlier), but that doesn't do much for us right now as my DD is in K, and I'm not sure that learning model would be a good fit for her anyway -- who knows how she'll grow and change? Her PS, PK and the current year have been fabulous, but I'm told from parents of older kids that it's in first grade that you hit the roadblocks. We'll stick it out at our current charter for now as it's a great school in many ways and has been a great fit for DD; I'm hoping the administration can find a way to do things differently and meet kids where they are, but also trying to figure out a plan B/next steps as I don't want DD to have 4 unfulfilling years while we wait to see if/what new charters are developed that would keep her challenged.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

I'm sorry to hear that! I hope you get a chance to come and tour the school and meet some of the parents in real life. However, many of the school choices represented here are great places and I hope you find the right choice for your child.

PP you quoted. Thanks. That was a very refreshing response.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

I'm sorry to hear that! I hope you get a chance to come and tour the school and meet some of the parents in real life. However, many of the school choices represented here are great places and I hope you find the right choice for your child.

Not who you are responding to, but kudos on actually giving a classy, warm response to this type of comment. It is very appreciated, especially on DCUM which is so often everything but classy and warm!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

Then you should definitely not list the school among your picks for the lottery. You should not run the risk of subjecting yourself (or your children) to a school where you don't like the comments from people who identify themselves as CM parents on an anonymous forum.

Not who you're responding to but we're on the same page: since I'm clear we wouldn't go to CM if we got in, we're not applying at all.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

It's not just you, I have the same feeling, although mine was also reinforced by a CM open house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we really all so sure that these new charters are delivering an excellent education? For the record, I DO have a child in elementary school at one of them,and while I am happy, there is no question that it is a work in progress. That is not a bad thing - it is just a fact. Planning for a HS is fine but let's make sure the founders/administrators/etc at these schools live up to what they have promised. Frankly, I hear grumbling from parents at all of these schools - particularly from those who believe (rightly or wrongly) that their children are gifted. Again, this is not me - but I hear the chatter. Perhaps it is just upfront justification for why they will abandon the school after 3rd grade to go private. Not a financial option for my family despite our middle-class status.

I think most non-privates will have difficulty addressing the needs of kids who are ahead of the curve re: DCPS standards; DCPS takes a hard stance against any programs that recognize and address the needs of such students, I believe (though I could be wrong) because those programs that existed in the past in this area were essentially used as ways to segregate students along race lines. Very sad fpr educators at the charters who succeeded in crafting excellent programs and now find themselves with their proverbial hands tied, no longer able to support the kids whose academic 'excellence" (such as it can be described when vetted against DCPS standards) they helped to create, and for parents who are watching their kids mark time in class being exposed to the same material over and over rather than being challenged and learning and growing at their best level.

Not sure what the answer is, as I'm not interested in a private education for DD. Currently trying to arrange life/schedule to allow for homeschooling as an option in the next couple of years.

--HRCS K parent

Interesting thought process. Do you feel even with the more exploratory learning model (or immersion school programming) that some children aren't getting more?

I am trying to get into one of these schools, if we do, we will still move to a Deal neighborhood so that we have a more solid middle/ high school option.

I also hear the same concerns from two rivers parents.

Anonymous wrote:Are we really all so sure that these new charters are delivering an excellent education? For the record, I DO have a child in elementary school at one of them,and while I am happy, there is no question that it is a work in progress. That is not a bad thing - it is just a fact. Planning for a HS is fine but let's make sure the founders/administrators/etc at these schools live up to what they have promised. Frankly, I hear grumbling from parents at all of these schools - particularly from those who believe (rightly or wrongly) that their children are gifted. Again, this is not me - but I hear the chatter. Perhaps it is just upfront justification for why they will abandon the school after 3rd grade to go private. Not a financial option for my family despite our middle-class status.

I think most non-privates will have difficulty addressing the needs of kids who are ahead of the curve re: DCPS standards; DCPS takes a hard stance against any programs that recognize and address the needs of such students, I believe (though I could be wrong) because those programs that existed in the past in this area were essentially used as ways to segregate students along race lines. Very sad fpr educators at the charters who succeeded in crafting excellent programs and now find themselves with their proverbial hands tied, no longer able to support the kids whose academic 'excellence" (such as it can be described when vetted against DCPS standards) they helped to create, and for parents who are watching their kids mark time in class being exposed to the same material over and over rather than being challenged and learning and growing at their best level.

Not sure what the answer is, as I'm not interested in a private education for DD. Currently trying to arrange life/schedule to allow for homeschooling as an option in the next couple of years.

--HRCS K parent

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

I'm sorry to hear that! I hope you get a chance to come and tour the school and meet some of the parents in real life. However, many of the school choices represented here are great places and I hope you find the right choice for your child.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

Then you should definitely not list the school among your picks for the lottery. You should not run the risk of subjecting yourself (or your children) to a school where you don't like the comments from people who identify themselves as CM parents on an anonymous forum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CMI parent here: I am not interested in combining with IT and Bridges in a high school. Definitely not appealing to me.

If CM doesn't go to 12th now, then you would just leave after 8th grade then. No harm no foul right?

Not necc no harm no foul because the energy invested in planning such a high school might take away from each school's plans/actions/fundraising, etc., when they could be invested in just creating a really great PK-8 institution.

DCI feeders seemed to have done it without too many hitches. Separate personnel would need to be hired.

You cannot know if there were not too many hitches because we will never know what the feeder schools could have been doing instead of devoting resources to DCI. Also, I suspect that DCI is not, in the end, what some of the feeder school parents envisioned when the planning first started and would now only send their kids there as a last resort or would reluctantly send kids there with reservations. CMI, IT and Bridges are very different schools that are not unified by a common goal, like language immersion, so the comparison to DCI is unwarranted. Now, back to OP's question: I plan to stay at my school until 8 or try for a Latin or Basis if middle school does not work out to be good.

Which school are you at now? Isn't it impossible to get into Basis or Latin at 8th?

NP here. Don't have kid at either school but interested in both. The more I read comments from CM parents on DCUM a the more turned off I get. I know one should not judge a school based on an anonymous forum but justs a feeling I get.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:CMI parent here: I am not interested in combining with IT and Bridges in a high school. Definitely not appealing to me.

If CM doesn't go to 12th now, then you would just leave after 8th grade then. No harm no foul right?

Not necc no harm no foul because the energy invested in planning such a high school might take away from each school's plans/actions/fundraising, etc., when they could be invested in just creating a really great PK-8 institution.

DCI feeders seemed to have done it without too many hitches. Separate personnel would need to be hired.

You cannot know if there were not too many hitches because we will never know what the feeder schools could have been doing instead of devoting resources to DCI. Also, I suspect that DCI is not, in the end, what some of the feeder school parents envisioned when the planning first started and would now only send their kids there as a last resort or would reluctantly send kids there with reservations. CMI, IT and Bridges are very different schools that are not unified by a common goal, like language immersion, so the comparison to DCI is unwarranted. Now, back to OP's question: I plan to stay at my school until 8 or try for a Latin or Basis if middle school does not work out to be good.