I am hoping Burke will help get them secure and confident and feel more able. It works better for our family and public school didn't nurture x enough or make them feel seen. My public kid has enough confidence and doesn't need coddling. There are different paths for different kids and not sure my B kid will ever have that kind of personality and yes, it is worrisome but public was not a good fit and Burke is making it better. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably 1/4 of the 8th grade class is leaving for high school.

From Field? No. Closer to 10% last year and this year. But they do add 35 or so kids as new admits.

Way more than that leaving Burke. No idea how that compares to other years.

Why is this, do you have any idea?

Too small (socially, extra curriculars, sports). Not rigorous/challenging.

Not worth the price tag unless your kids need the extra small size. (Most of the kids who are leaving would be fine in a large public school and don’t need the hand holding that Burke provides.)

Most of the kids who stay at Burke through HS do not need any hand-holding. There are plenty of high-achieving, smart kids at Burke who are there because they like the community and don't want the disruptions and lack of transparency at a large public school. HS at Burke is rigorous and the teachers know the students well.

Oh stop. I have kids at public and Burke. Trust me they disrupt at Burke in their own way including my kid. My public kid is way more able to cope in real world..which is why we put the other in Burke. Stop bashing public cause your kid can't hang. Both serve their purpose.

How are you preparing your private school kid for the real world if you think they can't hang in public school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Probably 1/4 of the 8th grade class is leaving for high school.

From Field? No. Closer to 10% last year and this year. But they do add 35 or so kids as new admits.

Way more than that leaving Burke. No idea how that compares to other years.

Why is this, do you have any idea?

Too small (socially, extra curriculars, sports). Not rigorous/challenging.

Not worth the price tag unless your kids need the extra small size. (Most of the kids who are leaving would be fine in a large public school and don’t need the hand holding that Burke provides.)

Most of the kids who stay at Burke through HS do not need any hand-holding. There are plenty of high-achieving, smart kids at Burke who are there because they like the community and don't want the disruptions and lack of transparency at a large public school. HS at Burke is rigorous and the teachers know the students well.

Oh stop. I have kids at public and Burke. Trust me they disrupt at Burke in their own way including my kid. My public kid is way more able to cope in real world..which is why we put the other in Burke. Stop bashing public cause your kid can't hang. Both serve their purpose.

They've been incapable of articulating a vision for where they are going and who the school is for. In down years they take anyone. In up years they get aspirational but...they haven't raised any substantial money, they still have a largely "particular needs" population, loads of junior teachers---There's a tough "we need to knock heads" swagger in the ( all white) c suite that trickles down and is a joy killer in what used to be a spirited quirky cool place and is now a disorganized also-ran..

Field is a school striving to leave its niche of extra support, no-cut sports, and very small class sizes. The signature support for ADHD and executive-function-challenged kids has evidently been abandoned.

The investment in competitive sports teams, new science buildings, etc. is a counterweight to the move to larger class sizes, and pushing out better teachers for more-expensive teachers with better degrees.

It's an interesting experiment. Not the right fit for previous generations of Fieldies, but may well find its footing as it pushes forward.