Good Lord! Who digs up a year and a half old question? Yikes!

Eastern overall is a pretty good school - if you're in the magnet program. Many of the teachers in the program are kind and understanding, while also being strict. Of course, there are always different relationships that different students have with the teachers, but all in all, many of them are pretty good at what they do. As a magnet kid, I can say that this program (which I'm still in the middle of) definitely helped me grow academically. My writing is a lot better, and I've had the chance to develop skills that range from shooting footage to philosophy of a sort. However - if you or your child is extremely sensitive to criticism, you should be wary, because while the teachers are great and friendly and understand if you have anything going on, they won't hold back on healthy criticism. Another note about the magnet program - it gives you the opportunity to participate in county or statewide contests, which is amazing and promotes teamwork, as well as real-life skills. Another nice thing about the magnet program is the amount of diversity. I've gotten the chance to meet people from all different cultures, and have a pretty diverse friend group. One con about the magnet program, though, it can make kids extremely stuck up and leave them feeling superior. If you are a magnet parent, or even a teacher, I would advise you to talk about how all of the students are equal, no matter which program you are or are not in.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that while the magnet program is great, the non-magnet is less so. As a magnet student, I have seen many examples where teachers are more friendly to magnet kids than other students. For example, if a magnet kid gets into a fight with a non-magnet kid, the teacher will most likely side with the non-magnet. Additionally, the magnet program and the rest of the school feel rather disjointed. I don't really know any nm kids except for one. This isn't because I'm actively avoiding them, it's just that I don't get the opportunity to socialize with them. I will say, though, being able to socialize with like-minded people has enabled me to find some really great friends. Another con- there have been issues with fights and I hear about drug issues as well. I have often been stuck in the hallway, and once got body-slammed into a locker because somebody mistook me for somebody else. However, these fights typically aren't very bad so long as you avoid offending random people in the hallway. If you use your manners and don't act extremely snobby, you should be fine. Additionally, most of my non-magnet teachers are really great, and I haven't really had any issues with bad teachers.

Now let's talk about the physical school. It's gotten pretty bad, especially when compared to other magnet schools such as Takoma Park. You regularly see cockroaches, and sometimes mice and mold. Some of the lockers are very hard to open, and the bathrooms have a massive amount of graffiti and the toilet fixtures are sub-par. The non-magnet program doesn't get enough funding, to the point where we have to use half-broken arrows in p.e., or there are classes being taught in the middle of the hallway. I think that this school desperately needs a renovation and more funding.

Overall, if you are a magnet kid, this school will be amazing for you. If not, I suggest trying to find another school to go to.

I agree with assessments of it being a great school in a not-so-great building. The school needed to be rebuilt 20 years ago. There’s water damage everywhere, falling ceiling tiles, lead all in the water tiles, reports of asbestos, the whole shebang. Once I literally had a cockroach fall ON MY HEAD. I’m still traumatized. But in a weird way the depressing building almost contributes to the camaraderie among students (like how soldiers form friendships with their unit =)). And you always have stories to one-up the whiny Takoma kids when they try and whine about their brand new, state of the art building. And the students are really great. I’ve made friends with students both inside the magnet and out, there’s a lot of really goofy, weird, fun kids who’ve had all different kinds of experiences. Forget what you’ve heard about bullying and vulgarity, those people are mostly just rasicts who can’t handle a majority-minority school. The gym classes are a joke (my gym teacher quit in the middle of the year to become a firefighter, of all things!) and the science classes are really hit-or-miss, but you can’t beat the foreign language teachers, they’re all great. The humanities teachers are all fabulous as well, you form really close relationships with them and you learn a lot. My reading comprehension and writing skills have improved A LOT since I joined the program, and I’m really able to analyze text much more easily. The workload is really nowhere near as much as you would expect, and there are a lot of nights when I have no homework at all. Sixth grade is probably the most fun year, since you do a whole bunch of projects and plays (Greekfest!!!), but seventh and eighth are probably the most informative, and not without their fun projects. I really learned a lot about analytical writing from IDRIP, and all that will be really useful. The teachers are all really charismatic, fun, and engaging, and the classes have really taught me a lot.

TL;DR: Eastern is falling apart, but it’s extremely charismatic and educational

Just for those who are not going into HS magnets - it is absolutely possible to take AP’s starting 9th grade, although you and your student may have to meet with a counselor and insist on it. Many Eastern kids have taken AP Lang in 10th grade - many could probably handle it in 9th grade since some of it is a repeat of Ms. Ray’s magnet reading class. AP Lit comes after AP Lang and if you are in an IB school you can take the 2 year series of IB English.

Students throughout the county regularly take AP NSL or APUSH in 9th grade. Math is usually wherever you are in the series but I have heard of kids who didn’t get into Blair being allowed/encouraged to work ahead and skip to a higher level. Science I am less clear about because it is not our DC’s strength.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks so much for taking the time to write this out -- it's so helpful to hear about your dd's experience. The part about the cohort vs. the pathologically boring home HS really hit home. My oldest is at our home HS and we think highly of it. I know my dd could put together a rigorous program there overall, but not in all subjects in all years. I think English is particularly weak until you get to the AP level, and that would drive my dd nuts coming out of Eastern.

And yes, you're right, the drama at Eastern is not limited to girls, but that's the drama I hear reflected back from my girl! They are all smart and competitive -- and that can have its downsides for sure. As per my dd it's been very tense this week -- students wanting to find out but not wanting to talk too openly about it for fear of hurting other people's feelings. One of my dd's closest friends didn't get into either program that my dd did, and both my dd and I are so sad (and frankly shocked at one of the decisions) but dd isn't talking to her friend about it because her friend is too upset. I think so many really smart kids are not getting their needs served because of the space limitations at all levels -- elementary, middle, and high schools.

This is absolutely going on with the boys at Eastern, too. Not "drama" per se, but the not wanting to hurt feelings and not knowing how to comfort people who didn't get in but you think should definitely have gotten in to various programs. I very much agree with the bolded above. I wish there were more spots.

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this out -- it's so helpful to hear about your dd's experience. The part about the cohort vs. the pathologically boring home HS really hit home. My oldest is at our home HS and we think highly of it. I know my dd could put together a rigorous program there overall, but not in all subjects in all years. I think English is particularly weak until you get to the AP level, and that would drive my dd nuts coming out of Eastern.

And yes, you're right, the drama at Eastern is not limited to girls, but that's the drama I hear reflected back from my girl! They are all smart and competitive -- and that can have its downsides for sure. As per my dd it's been very tense this week -- students wanting to find out but not wanting to talk too openly about it for fear of hurting other people's feelings. One of my dd's closest friends didn't get into either program that my dd did, and both my dd and I are so sad (and frankly shocked at one of the decisions) but dd isn't talking to her friend about it because her friend is too upset. I think so many really smart kids are not getting their needs served because of the space limitations at all levels -- elementary, middle, and high schools.

Anonymous wrote:13:59, thanks from me as well -- you wrote a great and very informative post. Can I ask a clarifying question -- your DD took a mixture of AP and IB classes, but not through the RMIB program -- e.g. at B-CC or similar?

My Eastern 8th grader just got into RMIB and I'm not 100% convinced it's the right choice for her (although it is her choice at the end of the day) but I think she's got so much invested in getting in, especially because the girls at Eastern created so much drama around it, that she won't necessarily think critically about her options. I know neither your nor my DD can step in the same river twice, but if you have any other insights into why your DD chose a program other than RMIB, I would very much appreciate hearing them!

Yes, DC went to a non-RM IB program.

The bold sounds very much like what we experienced, but it wasn't just the girls creating drama. All the kids in the Eastern magnet are very smart. They all know the value of the education they have at Eastern and don't want to go back to a boring school (well, most of them). They also are usually competitive to some extent. It is very hard to hear everyone around you talking about applying to and getting accepted at a "special" school when you don't have anything to talk about. I mean as an adult, it's manageable, but to a MS student, it's a bit difficult social thing to navigate.

Our DC was basically in this situation. I ruled out CAP because I thought of it as a program that was "more of the same" at Eastern. By this I meant that CAP does a lot of group projects, which was also common at Eastern. This causes a certain kind of stress about working in groups and having to take the load when other people flake out. I wanted DC to have the experience before she went to college that she had to do all the work all by herself. (Note: I'm not saying CAP is a bad program, only that I didn't think it was a fit for DC.)

DC and I also had a serious discussion about RM. It is the same curriculum as IB is the same everywhere. The difference is the cohort you are with for 4 years -- very bright motivated interesting kids. But, for us, it was at least an hour and a half of commuting every day. After some discussion, DC agreed that the commute wasn't worth the trade-off but still wanted to apply to "see if she could get in," i.e. just for self-validation. So, we had another discussion, and I explained how it wasn't fair to kids who really wanted to go there to take a space and then make others waitlisted. In the end, DC didn't apply.

Instead she applied to some very prestigious private schools, and she got into some of them. But, after visiting, she seemed to be turned off in some ways because the tremendous privilege she saw was actually a turn off for her after her experience at Eastern, which was of course much more diverse in terms of race and SES.

So, DC ended up at the home HS, which was very easy to the point of being pathologically boring. I think I under-estimated the latter point. Some kids really need intellectual stimulation, and it's not permitted in class to read books or do other stuff even when you already know the material. Int he beginning, DC would get in trouble for this kind of stuff, until teachers figured out that DC knew the material already and was generally reading novels or the news on her phone and not BuzzFeed or Instagram. But, it was still often painful to sit thru classes where teachers would read the chapter aloud in English, where kids didn't know who won WWII, etc. Ultimately, DC found her peeps and few teachers who got her and kept her sane. DC also participated in a sport that took up tons of free time, almost like a full-time job in addition to school. She would never have been able to do that at RM. But, in fairness, I probably underestimated the value of the cohort at RM. For some kids, that cohort is really critical -- for all kinds of different reasons. And, that cohort is same-age, whereas at a home school, the advanced kids are often scattered in classrooms as older kids, which is tough in 9th grade and when you're new. DC took a lot of AP classes and advanced math, which meant she was always with kids 1-2 years older and often didn't have a lot of friends in class. Over time that got better, but the first semester of 9th grade was a bit isolating in the classroom.

Nothing is perfect. Ultimately, IMO, I would leave the choice up to the child after some discussion. They have to live it for 4 years, so you might as well make them own it. I did say a few times, "Well, that is the decision you made, nothing is perfect.... there would have been downsides to RM too."

13:59, thanks from me as well -- you wrote a great and very informative post. Can I ask a clarifying question -- your DD took a mixture of AP and IB classes, but not through the RMIB program -- e.g. at B-CC or similar?

My Eastern 8th grader just got into RMIB and I'm not 100% convinced it's the right choice for her (although it is her choice at the end of the day) but I think she's got so much invested in getting in, especially because the girls at Eastern created so much drama around it, that she won't necessarily think critically about her options. I know neither your nor my DD can step in the same river twice, but if you have any other insights into why your DD chose a program other than RMIB, I would very much appreciate hearing them!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a little disappointed. I feel they were talking all the fun fun things, seems they were trying hard to sell this program.
I didn't hear anything about the writing curriculum at the English section. I was looking forward to hearing how they help kids to develop writing skills, instead they had a little drama presentation.
How's the writing instruction there?

The writing instruction is fantastic. They write a 10 page fully-researched paper in seventh grade, giving them all the scaffolding that they need to understand what is truly needed to be able to accomplish something like that.

They were selling the program because, unlike in years past where the kids chose themselves and applied, this year kids were chosen with no application. The 8th graders wanted to highlight all the good parts so people could understand how good the program is. They didn't, however, highlight the New York trip, which is a big thing in 8th grade.

+1. Eastern has without a doubt the best writing instruction in the county. 7th grade IDRP paper is the bane of every 7th grader’s existence and they all want to burn their papers by the end of the year, but they have all learned to write papers for college and beyond. DC declined HS IB program, because required paper structure/teaching by comparison was worse than Eastern, so no point doing.

In HS, due to Eastern experience, DD had no problem knocking out class papers and essays effortlessly w/ good grades. Frustrated though because she got LESS comment and instruction on papers than at Eastern.

Now in college, DD has written papers that drew the attention of professers and provided her unique opportunities.

There were definitely things I did not like about Eastern, but, on balance, DD says it was the best educational experience she had in MCPS.

BTW, DD’s closest friends still are from Eastern program.

So socially and academically - a win.

Just wondering - can you elaborate on the bolded part above? Did you mean that the IB program would have had a lot more of the same (writing), so no point doing? Or, by "worse than" did you mean it would have been easier than the Eastern program? (Genuinely curious about if the IB program would be a good fit for students from Eastern program.)

IB has a requirement to write a 4000 word (16 pp) paper called "extended essay". It is supposed to be an independent research paper. When the student does this, they also have to take a class called "TOK" or Theories of Knowledge in which they get the instruction and time to write. IB is very process-oriented, so in addition to writing a substantive paper or essay, students are frequently asked to accompany that paper with various sub-essays about the process of essay-writing and thinking.

TBH, DD viewed TOK and these IB process essays as sort of BS busywork where you could say anything. DD had already written a 10 page paper as part of IDRP. As is common, the draft IDRP was even longer than 10 pages, and she had to cut it down. During IDRP, kids got good substantive feedback about their topic, their thesis and their reasoning in the paper in addition to explicit instruction in how to take notes, use a card system, write biblio and footnotes, quote, line edit and organize the paper overall. By contrast, by the time IB selection came around, DD had heard thru the grapevine that teachers almost never engaged substantively with the paper topics nor did they give much in the way of constructive comments on the organizational writing. DD ultimately decided that she had already learned to write a paper at Eastern and that it was not a challenge to write a slightly longer paper than the IDRP. Plus, the TOK class effectively knocks out time for an elective and the IB program is pretty rigid in terms of what you must take. DD decided she would rather choose more classes of interest and took a mix of IB classes and AP classes.

I think IB can be a good fit for Eastern students and other of DD's friends from Eastern did do IB. The extended essay was not a big deal for them, while by contrast it was a struggle for students who never had good explicit writing instruction in MS. I think it comes down to where you want to go after high school (IB test scores do provide easy entry to many global universities, many of which are significantly less expensive than US universities and just as well regarded), and what the student's interests are in terms of the subject of IB classes v. other available classes. I personally thought IB Film Studies sounded cool, but DD did not and was interested in other AP topics not available in IB.

So, YMMV.

Thank you - this is great feedback!

Eastern has been an amazing experience for my DD. Really, really good teachers and amazing instruction. Agree with PP about IDRP and the writing process.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a little disappointed. I feel they were talking all the fun fun things, seems they were trying hard to sell this program.
I didn't hear anything about the writing curriculum at the English section. I was looking forward to hearing how they help kids to develop writing skills, instead they had a little drama presentation.
How's the writing instruction there?

The writing instruction is fantastic. They write a 10 page fully-researched paper in seventh grade, giving them all the scaffolding that they need to understand what is truly needed to be able to accomplish something like that.

They were selling the program because, unlike in years past where the kids chose themselves and applied, this year kids were chosen with no application. The 8th graders wanted to highlight all the good parts so people could understand how good the program is. They didn't, however, highlight the New York trip, which is a big thing in 8th grade.

+1. Eastern has without a doubt the best writing instruction in the county. 7th grade IDRP paper is the bane of every 7th grader’s existence and they all want to burn their papers by the end of the year, but they have all learned to write papers for college and beyond. DC declined HS IB program, because required paper structure/teaching by comparison was worse than Eastern, so no point doing.

In HS, due to Eastern experience, DD had no problem knocking out class papers and essays effortlessly w/ good grades. Frustrated though because she got LESS comment and instruction on papers than at Eastern.

Now in college, DD has written papers that drew the attention of professers and provided her unique opportunities.

There were definitely things I did not like about Eastern, but, on balance, DD says it was the best educational experience she had in MCPS.

BTW, DD’s closest friends still are from Eastern program.

So socially and academically - a win.

Just wondering - can you elaborate on the bolded part above? Did you mean that the IB program would have had a lot more of the same (writing), so no point doing? Or, by "worse than" did you mean it would have been easier than the Eastern program? (Genuinely curious about if the IB program would be a good fit for students from Eastern program.)

IB has a requirement to write a 4000 word (16 pp) paper called "extended essay". It is supposed to be an independent research paper. When the student does this, they also have to take a class called "TOK" or Theories of Knowledge in which they get the instruction and time to write. IB is very process-oriented, so in addition to writing a substantive paper or essay, students are frequently asked to accompany that paper with various sub-essays about the process of essay-writing and thinking.

TBH, DD viewed TOK and these IB process essays as sort of BS busywork where you could say anything. DD had already written a 10 page paper as part of IDRP. As is common, the draft IDRP was even longer than 10 pages, and she had to cut it down. During IDRP, kids got good substantive feedback about their topic, their thesis and their reasoning in the paper in addition to explicit instruction in how to take notes, use a card system, write biblio and footnotes, quote, line edit and organize the paper overall. By contrast, by the time IB selection came around, DD had heard thru the grapevine that teachers almost never engaged substantively with the paper topics nor did they give much in the way of constructive comments on the organizational writing. DD ultimately decided that she had already learned to write a paper at Eastern and that it was not a challenge to write a slightly longer paper than the IDRP. Plus, the TOK class effectively knocks out time for an elective and the IB program is pretty rigid in terms of what you must take. DD decided she would rather choose more classes of interest and took a mix of IB classes and AP classes.

I think IB can be a good fit for Eastern students and other of DD's friends from Eastern did do IB. The extended essay was not a big deal for them, while by contrast it was a struggle for students who never had good explicit writing instruction in MS. I think it comes down to where you want to go after high school (IB test scores do provide easy entry to many global universities, many of which are significantly less expensive than US universities and just as well regarded), and what the student's interests are in terms of the subject of IB classes v. other available classes. I personally thought IB Film Studies sounded cool, but DD did not and was interested in other AP topics not available in IB.

So, YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:It's a great program in a not-so-great school, and it feels divided, like two schools in one building. My kid learned how to write/read/research - skills that are invaluable. And she had fun in all those cool classes. Gym and Art and math/science were not so great. So it's a trade-off. One we'd do again - the enriched instruction is really amazing - but know what you're getting.

Have to agree. My DC is current 9th grader who went through. Really excellent at teaching writing and research. Really disappointing math/science.

(I have no idea why the county feels it necessary to separate math/science and English/history enrichment into separate schools. DC is struggling a bit this year at Blair (CAP) in honors science and math classes possibly because of the poor instruction at Eastern in those topics. Nothing that going to office hours and studying with Khan Academy wouldn't mostly take care of, though.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you elaborate on what you did not like about Eastern? DS is sold on the curriculum and teachers but we don't understand the rest of it.

What about the administration? Is there bullying? Do the magnet kids interact with the rest of the school? Do they feel like they are part of he school? Would a boy who is not very athletic stand out?

Is there a parent of a boy at Eastern who can provide some help?

Athleticism is not cachet at magnet schools, or generally at east-county schools. This is not the culture of club soccer and lacrosse.

How does the rest of the school react to the possibly more academic kids, especially boys, in the magnet? Is it easy for them to make friends outside the program?

I have a boy that went to Eastern and not into traditional sports. Never bullied - not once. That said, doesn't have any close friends outside the program - that's hard to do since he has all his classes with the same kids - even PE would have a cohort of his magnet friends due to the way scheduling works.

NP here with DD in 7th grade at Eastern's magnet program. I once asked her what the social dynamic is like with the comprehensive kids and she said that the boys all seem to get along fine. They seem laid back and don't have conflicts, bullying, etc. The girls, however, have a different situation, but I attribute that to mean-girl, middle school behavior, and not so much magnet vs. comprehensive behavior.

I have a boy in 7th grade at Eastern and the program has been transformative for him socially. In my experience, there is much more space in both the HGCs and the middle school magnets for boys who arent't into sports or otherwise don't conform to masculine gender norms than in our home school - I think this is particularly true of Eastern given its humanities focus. While my son has not made friends outside the magnet (he really only has a couple of classes with non-magnet kids), he's made a great group of male (and female) friends in the magnet.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you elaborate on what you did not like about Eastern? DS is sold on the curriculum and teachers but we don't understand the rest of it.

What about the administration? Is there bullying? Do the magnet kids interact with the rest of the school? Do they feel like they are part of he school? Would a boy who is not very athletic stand out?

Is there a parent of a boy at Eastern who can provide some help?

Athleticism is not cachet at magnet schools, or generally at east-county schools. This is not the culture of club soccer and lacrosse.

How does the rest of the school react to the possibly more academic kids, especially boys, in the magnet? Is it easy for them to make friends outside the program?

I have a boy that went to Eastern and not into traditional sports. Never bullied - not once. That said, doesn't have any close friends outside the program - that's hard to do since he has all his classes with the same kids - even PE would have a cohort of his magnet friends due to the way scheduling works.