Anonymous wrote:All of the schools that formed DCI used other schools as models and formed mentee-type relationships with them. Now they are combining. It's hard to see how someone is viewing them as isolationist.

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Which is why I compared DCI to WIS and SSIMS, not to Westland. BCC and DCI are also very different in that BCC is a high school, and at this point DCI is a middle school.

One of the biggest problems I see with charters in DC is that they aren't willing to look to and learn from schools outside of the narrow sphere of charters to learn from. I work for a charter, I've sent my kids to charter, and it drives me around the twist when charters seek to "reinvent" something that someone else is already doing, as opposed to learning from other people's expertise.

What DCI is trying to do is wonderful. I hope they succeed. But if they're attitude is that they're the only school of their type, as opposed to connecting to and learning from other schools that are also IB, or multilingual, or blend multiple charters, then they'll have a much harder time becoming successful.

I have 2 questions after reading your post:

1) What exactly is it that you think DCI needs to learn and from which other schools? My understanding is that the main founders have spent immense amounts if time studying all sorts of schools. What specifically do you think DCI needs to learn and from which other schools?

2) what do you think DCI is "reinventing" unnecessarily? You say it makes you crazy, but you give absolutely no examples of specific things they're doing that is repetitive or unnecessary.

I understand your general sentiments, but please explain how they apply to DCI since you've posted them here.

I'm the poster asking the last 2 questions. I'll assume by your silence that, indeed, despite your general frustration with charters (the one you work at?) not learning from other schools as much as you think they could, you can't give examples of how this is a problem for DCI. From what I understand there has been such a high level of examination of other schools, plus let's face it, this is a collaboration between 5 different schools with different cultures, so there is a LOT of cross-fertilization and trying to take the best practices from all over the place. Which seems both exciting and scary.

Also was really curious what "reinventing" you felt DCI was doing, given that there is no other language-focused IB middle and high school in DC trying to pull off what they're trying to pull off. Was wondering what mistakes or overkill you thought DCI was committing because it was hard to think of what it would be. Not that they haven't made mistakes or won't make more - everyone starting something like this makes mistakes, some of them big! But your comments were puzzling when applied to DCI - I guess you don't really have specific reasons to apply the concerns about reinventing and not learning from other schools to DCI?

Not PP, but FYI, you are coming across as a bit defensive/insecure about DCI.

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Anonymous wrote:Future DCI parent here! If the haters are coming out the school must be good! So excited for it and the kids! See you soon when my kid starts. He's in a Spanish immersion feeder now, but is fluent in French, so I'm hoping he can take some courses in French to get a context away from home. No where else in the country would this be even a remote possibility.

Silver Spring International, and Washington International are both schools that have both French and Spanish immersions options at the middle school level, and are in this metro area. I'm sure there are many such schools around the country.

I think DCI is a great thing, and I hope it succeeds but it's not that rare of a model.

I didn't realize they combined five other charter schools.

NP, I also didn't realize those other 2 schools expect every student who goes K-12 to graduate fluent in 2 languages (English and first immersion language) PLUS proficient in a 3rd language.

It's true, there is a lot of hype around DCI that may be a bit over-excited, but PP saying "it's not that rare a model", please enlighten us where 5 bilingual charters representing 3 immersion languages collaborated to form an IB, language and "world citizen"-focused middle and high school where K-12 kids are expected to learn 3 languages? If it's not rare, name even 2 (even 1!) other similar models in the US.

Students are not expected to learn a third language at DCI. The third language is an elective.

For students feeding from an immersion school, I went to two DCI info sessions where they said they "expect" students to take on a 3rd language and graduate proficient. What's your source for it only bring an option and not an expectation?

A kid already enrolled.

From a feeder school or a new admit?

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Which is why I compared DCI to WIS and SSIMS, not to Westland. BCC and DCI are also very different in that BCC is a high school, and at this point DCI is a middle school.

One of the biggest problems I see with charters in DC is that they aren't willing to look to and learn from schools outside of the narrow sphere of charters to learn from. I work for a charter, I've sent my kids to charter, and it drives me around the twist when charters seek to "reinvent" something that someone else is already doing, as opposed to learning from other people's expertise.

What DCI is trying to do is wonderful. I hope they succeed. But if they're attitude is that they're the only school of their type, as opposed to connecting to and learning from other schools that are also IB, or multilingual, or blend multiple charters, then they'll have a much harder time becoming successful.

I have 2 questions after reading your post:

1) What exactly is it that you think DCI needs to learn and from which other schools? My understanding is that the main founders have spent immense amounts if time studying all sorts of schools. What specifically do you think DCI needs to learn and from which other schools?

2) what do you think DCI is "reinventing" unnecessarily? You say it makes you crazy, but you give absolutely no examples of specific things they're doing that is repetitive or unnecessary.

I understand your general sentiments, but please explain how they apply to DCI since you've posted them here.

I'm the poster asking the last 2 questions. I'll assume by your silence that, indeed, despite your general frustration with charters (the one you work at?) not learning from other schools as much as you think they could, you can't give examples of how this is a problem for DCI. From what I understand there has been such a high level of examination of other schools, plus let's face it, this is a collaboration between 5 different schools with different cultures, so there is a LOT of cross-fertilization and trying to take the best practices from all over the place. Which seems both exciting and scary.

Also was really curious what "reinventing" you felt DCI was doing, given that there is no other language-focused IB middle and high school in DC trying to pull off what they're trying to pull off. Was wondering what mistakes or overkill you thought DCI was committing because it was hard to think of what it would be. Not that they haven't made mistakes or won't make more - everyone starting something like this makes mistakes, some of them big! But your comments were puzzling when applied to DCI - I guess you don't really have specific reasons to apply the concerns about reinventing and not learning from other schools to DCI?

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Which is why I compared DCI to WIS and SSIMS, not to Westland. BCC and DCI are also very different in that BCC is a high school, and at this point DCI is a middle school.

One of the biggest problems I see with charters in DC is that they aren't willing to look to and learn from schools outside of the narrow sphere of charters to learn from. I work for a charter, I've sent my kids to charter, and it drives me around the twist when charters seek to "reinvent" something that someone else is already doing, as opposed to learning from other people's expertise.

What DCI is trying to do is wonderful. I hope they succeed. But if they're attitude is that they're the only school of their type, as opposed to connecting to and learning from other schools that are also IB, or multilingual, or blend multiple charters, then they'll have a much harder time becoming successful.

I have 2 questions after reading your post:

1) What exactly is it that you think DCI needs to learn and from which other schools? My understanding is that the main founders have spent immense amounts if time studying all sorts of schools. What specifically do you think DCI needs to learn and from which other schools?

2) what do you think DCI is "reinventing" unnecessarily? You say it makes you crazy, but you give absolutely no examples of specific things they're doing that is repetitive or unnecessary.

I understand your general sentiments, but please explain how they apply to DCI since you've posted them here.

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Anonymous wrote:WIS also does not offer immersion for Mandarin starting in preK4 which is why we did not bother to apply.

It is offered as a third language in MS.

Many schools offer Mandarin in middle school. If you want Mandarin immersion starting in preschool then Yu Ying is the only game in town, public or private.

Future DCI parent here. Not to quibble sign for this: http://www.mindbloompreschool.com/ caught my eye on the way to Costco last week. It's a Mandarin immersion preschool on RI Ave. NE. I have no idea whether it's legit.

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Anonymous wrote:WIS also does not offer immersion for Mandarin starting in preK4 which is why we did not bother to apply.

It is offered as a third language in MS.

Many schools offer Mandarin in middle school. If you want Mandarin immersion starting in preschool then Yu Ying is the only game in town, public or private.

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Anonymous wrote:Future DCI parent here! If the haters are coming out the school must be good! So excited for it and the kids! See you soon when my kid starts. He's in a Spanish immersion feeder now, but is fluent in French, so I'm hoping he can take some courses in French to get a context away from home. No where else in the country would this be even a remote possibility.

Silver Spring International, and Washington International are both schools that have both French and Spanish immersions options at the middle school level, and are in this metro area. I'm sure there are many such schools around the country.

I think DCI is a great thing, and I hope it succeeds but it's not that rare of a model.

I didn't realize they combined five other charter schools.

NP, I also didn't realize those other 2 schools expect every student who goes K-12 to graduate fluent in 2 languages (English and first immersion language) PLUS proficient in a 3rd language.

It's true, there is a lot of hype around DCI that may be a bit over-excited, but PP saying "it's not that rare a model", please enlighten us where 5 bilingual charters representing 3 immersion languages collaborated to form an IB, language and "world citizen"-focused middle and high school where K-12 kids are expected to learn 3 languages? If it's not rare, name even 2 (even 1!) other similar models in the US.

Students are not expected to learn a third language at DCI. The third language is an elective.

For students feeding from an immersion school, I went to two DCI info sessions where they said they "expect" students to take on a 3rd language and graduate proficient. What's your source for it only bring an option and not an expectation?

A kid already enrolled.

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Anonymous wrote:^^ Please no! Not the Sela nonsense again. Why do you infect every thread about DCI? Start naming the demand for Hebrew and I'll change my tube. Until then, please go away!

Listen, I think DCI is a great initiative, but do you really have to be so nasty with that school.
I hope people are DCI are more friendly than you are if you want that school to thrive.

Anonymous wrote:^^ Please no! Not the Sela nonsense again. Why do you infect every thread about DCI? Start naming the demand for Hebrew and I'll change my tube. Until then, please go away!

Anonymous wrote:Sela should focus on fillings its current available seats. It's not even clear how long the school can survive.