Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child is finishing 5th grade at a Title I school, and I’ve been grateful for the experience—it has challenged many assumptions and biases I may have held going into PK. Like at many Title I elementary schools, the PK class was a very different demographic mix than 5th grade. Between families leaving for the suburbs during COVID, others opting out of upper elementary, and many leaving after 4th grade for charters, it was honestly upsetting at times to see how the community thinned out.

But in the end, my child is doing well both academically and socially, and they’ve had the benefit of a real sense of community throughout their elementary years.

At first, I was surprised by how much segregation existed within the school itself—that was a learning moment for me, and something I’ve worked intentionally to try to bridge. As more White and upper-middle-class families left, my child deepened their relationships with the classmates who remained. Some of those relationships have become close friendships; others are more casual. And yes, there are kids my child says are disruptive or fight too much—but I’ve seen my child develop empathy and learn how to navigate those dynamics, skills I know will serve them well in life.

I also worry about raising an entitled child, given our family’s income and the opportunities we can provide. I believe that being part of a Title I school community has helped instill a real sense of gratitude and perspective in my child—something I value deeply.

For me (and this may not be a popular opinion on DCUM), I also believe it’s important to push back against the constant pursuit of “the best” school, especially when there is a good-enough option right in your own neighborhood. When we always chase what seems "better," we risk teaching our kids that their individual success matters more than contributing to the community around them. Choosing your local school, even when it isn’t perfect, sends a powerful message: that community matters, that showing up matters, and that sometimes the right choice is one that asks us to be a little more selfless—for the good of all kids, not just our own.

In a similar position, and very happy with school in terms of teachers and principal. Agree that chasing the best school is pointless. However, I have the opposite feelings in terms of the local community—I have become a much harsher judge of parents that don’t get involved. My ability to empathize has decreased the more time I spend around the school.

Anonymous wrote:My child is finishing 5th grade at a Title I school, and I’ve been grateful for the experience—it has challenged many assumptions and biases I may have held going into PK. Like at many Title I elementary schools, the PK class was a very different demographic mix than 5th grade. Between families leaving for the suburbs during COVID, others opting out of upper elementary, and many leaving after 4th grade for charters, it was honestly upsetting at times to see how the community thinned out.

But in the end, my child is doing well both academically and socially, and they’ve had the benefit of a real sense of community throughout their elementary years.

At first, I was surprised by how much segregation existed within the school itself—that was a learning moment for me, and something I’ve worked intentionally to try to bridge. As more White and upper-middle-class families left, my child deepened their relationships with the classmates who remained. Some of those relationships have become close friendships; others are more casual. And yes, there are kids my child says are disruptive or fight too much—but I’ve seen my child develop empathy and learn how to navigate those dynamics, skills I know will serve them well in life.

I also worry about raising an entitled child, given our family’s income and the opportunities we can provide. I believe that being part of a Title I school community has helped instill a real sense of gratitude and perspective in my child—something I value deeply.

For me (and this may not be a popular opinion on DCUM), I also believe it’s important to push back against the constant pursuit of “the best” school, especially when there is a good-enough option right in your own neighborhood. When we always chase what seems "better," we risk teaching our kids that their individual success matters more than contributing to the community around them. Choosing your local school, even when it isn’t perfect, sends a powerful message: that community matters, that showing up matters, and that sometimes the right choice is one that asks us to be a little more selfless—for the good of all kids, not just our own.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a Title 1 EOTP. we have a rising first grader and a PK4.

I’m worried by late elementary their friends will all be gone.

What school are you at? I’ve worried about that at my child’s school but have found very few families have left (and some have turned down WOTP schools in the lottery).

We've had the same experience. A couple people in the class have left our EOTP school but going into first grade the class is remarkably in tact and has also had multiple families turn down WOTP and also DCI feeders.

This is easy to do in 1st grade. It willl be a different story in 4th grade as middle school becomes a reality.

Agreed. Report back in 4th and 5th grade. So, so many people will move.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a Title 1 EOTP. we have a rising first grader and a PK4.

I’m worried by late elementary their friends will all be gone.

What school are you at? I’ve worried about that at my child’s school but have found very few families have left (and some have turned down WOTP schools in the lottery).

We've had the same experience. A couple people in the class have left our EOTP school but going into first grade the class is remarkably in tact and has also had multiple families turn down WOTP and also DCI feeders.

This is easy to do in 1st grade. It willl be a different story in 4th grade as middle school becomes a reality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

The first PP said "it's not that hard to do." And the point is that it is in MANY schools. This is not just about EOTP vs WOTP. In many, I'd say most, DCPS it is very difficult.

Sure. At some schools, very difficult and maybe not possible. But I'm saying, at our school, it wasn't as hard as I had thought it would be. The first year was hard, we raised $500 total. The second year $1000 because we had learned a lot about how to do it. The capacity of the group compounds over time. So even if it feels impossible, it might be worth trying because over time, your ability may grow.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

The first PP said "it's not that hard to do." And the point is that it is in MANY schools. This is not just about EOTP vs WOTP. In many, I'd say most, DCPS it is very difficult.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Right. For some schools it is and for some schools it isn't. Like I said.

There are grants you can get over and over again and the application doesn't really change, so if you're short on time I'd recommend finding one of those and doing just that one. Don't take on more than you feel comfortable with!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Well my kid attends a community eligibility FARMs school and is one of very few white, non-Hispanic students -- and that is not at all realistic in our school. And applying for grants also takes time, time that parents in our school do not have.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

For some schools it is not realistic, but for others it is. There is a lot of variety in Title I schools. And the money does not need to come from families. There are lots of grants to apply for, and lots of individuals in the neighborhood who care and will chip in a bit even if their kids go elsewhere or they don't have kids at all. We had realtors and other businesses as sponsors for our big fundraiser. Harris Teeter sponsored our teacher appreciation lunch. Our law firm also gave a cash gift and some raffle prizes. The Target grant for field trips was very easy to write. If it's a very small PTA you can't raise much for lack of people to do the work, but with a fundraising team of 3-4 parents and a year or two of experience, it's totally doable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

This is extremely hard for many high-poverty schools in DCPS to do. It's not realistic at all.

Anonymous wrote:I had a different experience-- I really enjoyed being on the PTO despite being an introvert. I did feel that we made a difference by organizing social events but also by building the financial capacity of the organization. Starting with basic things like IRS paperwork, moving up to various grants and a big annual fundraiser, we found we could bring in $25-30K per year for the school plus various in-kind donations. No, it's not that big a deal, but spread across many parents it isn't too hard to do. That amount is about one-tenth of one percent of the school's total budget, but remember, most of the school's budget is allocated to necessary things that can't be changed. Of the school's *discretionary* budget, that they get to decide how to spend, it's a far bigger percentage. Over the years, the impact is visible.

If anyone is just too busy and doesn't want to make this their activity, that's totally fine and I 1000% understand. I just happen to like doing it. And by not using Donor's Choose or any other app that takes a big cut of the donations, we directed more to the school.

Anonymous wrote:Title I is a fairly broad designation that includes schools with 40% of students who just barely meet the low-income threshold, schools with 100% of students who all easily meet the low-income threshold, and everything in between. The differences in experiences here are likely largely driven by the more granular differences in SES makeup of the schools.

Anonymous wrote:Title I is a fairly broad designation that includes schools with 40% of students who just barely meet the low-income threshold, schools with 100% of students who all easily meet the low-income threshold, and everything in between. The differences in experiences here are likely largely driven by the more granular differences in SES makeup of the schools.