This thread got ugly. To OP: my child didn't leave Eastern, but I know others did because the curriculum was too hard, the school environment too rough, or the child just missed his friends from home. The teaching and curriculum were top notch and I appreciated that during virtual the teachers were able to coordinate the work because the program is interdisciplinary. I heard about a lot more chaos and disorder from other schools. It helped that the Humanities teachers were all still lesson planning together. My child didn't mind the rough atmosphere. It was different but provided a lot of perspective. Being in a Title I / focus school is an experience that I think will give them a greater appreciation of how privileged and lucky they are. They have their whole life to be in elite institutions - once they go to college, they will be surrounded by people with a lot of wealth and that can be really corrosive.
I don't like the coordinator though. He can be rude. There is a school within a school feel and administrators give lip service to trying to avoid that, but in reality don't really do anything to improve the situation and have made some offensive remarks about how teachers feel about the non-magnet students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the school is in/near a really slummy part of the county. Drive a few blocks to piney branch and university and see for your self. It is one of the worst areas in the DC metro region and those kids go to Eastern. They have to go somewhere and they are not all bad but people need to ask if the crazy commute and exposure for their kids is worth it for the privilege of propping up the test score of a very seedy area. I dare a perspective magnet parent to drive though Knob Hill, Long Branch Garland or Quebec terrace at night and ask your self if that peer group is worth a fancy text book in middle school. There is a reason they put carrot programs that attract high flyers in schools like eastern or Blair which is near by on the same road as well.

If you do I suspect you will find your answer

How many racist dog whistles can you combine into one post? PP attempts to find out

I guarantee if you call PP on it she will claim that we are attacking her for being a minority.

Anonymous wrote:NP here. The school has good things about it and bad things as well. It has some great teachers and a few truly bad teachers. The principal is competent, the magnet administrator is not. Unfortunately the conversation on Eastern is not capable of nuance, because anyone voicing anything than a totally positive rah-rah attitude about Eastern is going to be discounted because of its hardcore boosters. Any bad experiences your child has at Eastern will be written off as the fault of your child, because if their precious Larla didn't experience the same thing, then it must not be true and must be because of the defects of your child.

The same with TPMS, then.

It's funny I remember thinking an anonymous forum could be a great place for people to come together and speak frankly about improvements. Instead speaking out just gets you doxxed and stalked.

Honestly, the non-magnet middles are a lot less drama. High school is also a lot less drama.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If memory serves, there were a few violent incidents there that seemed over the top for a MS. Wasn’t someone stabbed in the back and another mowed down by a vehicle? This was a few years ago.

You're thinking about Churchill

'Cause it's always about the "W's".

No but the " mowed down by a vehicle" happened at Churchill

Anonymous wrote:NP here. The school has good things about it and bad things as well. It has some great teachers and a few truly bad teachers. The principal is competent, the magnet administrator is not. Unfortunately the conversation on Eastern is not capable of nuance, because anyone voicing anything than a totally positive rah-rah attitude about Eastern is going to be discounted because of its hardcore boosters. Any bad experiences your child has at Eastern will be written off as the fault of your child, because if their precious Larla didn't experience the same thing, then it must not be true and must be because of the defects of your child.

I know DCUM (and humans) are prone to the bolded but want to put in a plug for the magnet coordinator. My child did have a bad experience, spoke to the coordinator, and received a response that was helpful, compassionate, and solution-oriented.

I recognize someone else may have experienced something different, but that's my two cents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If memory serves, there were a few violent incidents there that seemed over the top for a MS. Wasn’t someone stabbed in the back and another mowed down by a vehicle? This was a few years ago.

You're thinking about Churchill

'Cause it's always about the "W's".

Anonymous wrote:If memory serves, there were a few violent incidents there that seemed over the top for a MS. Wasn’t someone stabbed in the back and another mowed down by a vehicle? This was a few years ago.

You're thinking about Churchill

I don't know PP. I can say Eastern is a good school but at the same time I can tell you I would not recommend it for a child who is anxious, about academics or social issues. I can also tell you that if you are coming from a W it will feel different. You can think that's a good thing or a bad think. The school is not for everyone and that's okay.

NP here. The school has good things about it and bad things as well. It has some great teachers and a few truly bad teachers. The principal is competent, the magnet administrator is not. Unfortunately the conversation on Eastern is not capable of nuance, because anyone voicing anything than a totally positive rah-rah attitude about Eastern is going to be discounted because of its hardcore boosters. Any bad experiences your child has at Eastern will be written off as the fault of your child, because if their precious Larla didn't experience the same thing, then it must not be true and must be because of the defects of your child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If memory serves, there were a few violent incidents there that seemed over the top for a MS. Wasn’t someone stabbed in the back and another mowed down by a vehicle? This was a few years ago.

This is ridiculous. You guys awful spewing this nonsense. My kid from a W school never saw vaping there.

LOL! I can walk around with seeing, too!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please stop talking about the FARMS rate of the schools and alluding to its weight on some sort of morality equation. It is shouting out aporophobia. Why are you so afraid of those with fewer financial resources than you?

No but it is a harbinger for shitty outcomes and yes sometimes too many bodies sink the life boats. Really poor people have poor problems while other schools have kids all jockey to see who visits who’s beach house. I’ll take the latter outcome please. You do you

My friends mom was a teacher at the Elementary school next to eastern “New Hampshire Estates”, even that sweet old lady used to call it the third world. Not one of the parents on this board would send their kids to that school, not one of you. But you’ll send your kids to the middle school with them. Ok makes perfect sense

The elementary school next to Eastern is Montgomery Knolls. It's surrounded by middle class single family homes.

New Hampshire estate elementary is all of a mile away from eastern. Honestly who here would send their kids there? Why wouldn’t you? You think that environment is better with older kids in middle school?

NHE ES is a Title I primary school with a FARMS rate of 84%, while Eastern pulls from NHE as well as several additional neighborhoods and has a FARMS rate of 58%.

Eastern's feeder school are the New Hampshire/oak view, Montgomery Knolls/Pinecrest and I think highland view

Highland View feeds to SSIMS

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please stop talking about the FARMS rate of the schools and alluding to its weight on some sort of morality equation. It is shouting out aporophobia. Why are you so afraid of those with fewer financial resources than you?

No but it is a harbinger for shitty outcomes and yes sometimes too many bodies sink the life boats. Really poor people have poor problems while other schools have kids all jockey to see who visits who’s beach house. I’ll take the latter outcome please. You do you

My friends mom was a teacher at the Elementary school next to eastern “New Hampshire Estates”, even that sweet old lady used to call it the third world. Not one of the parents on this board would send their kids to that school, not one of you. But you’ll send your kids to the middle school with them. Ok makes perfect sense

The elementary school next to Eastern is Montgomery Knolls. It's surrounded by middle class single family homes.

New Hampshire estate elementary is all of a mile away from eastern. Honestly who here would send their kids there? Why wouldn’t you? You think that environment is better with older kids in middle school?

NHE ES is a Title I primary school with a FARMS rate of 84%, while Eastern pulls from NHE as well as several additional neighborhoods and has a FARMS rate of 58%.

Eastern's feeder school are the New Hampshire/oak view, Montgomery Knolls/Pinecrest and I think highland view

Anonymous wrote:the school is in/near a really slummy part of the county. Drive a few blocks to piney branch and university and see for your self. It is one of the worst areas in the DC metro region and those kids go to Eastern. They have to go somewhere and they are not all bad but people need to ask if the crazy commute and exposure for their kids is worth it for the privilege of propping up the test score of a very seedy area. I dare a perspective magnet parent to drive though Knob Hill, Long Branch Garland or Quebec terrace at night and ask your self if that peer group is worth a fancy text book in middle school. There is a reason they put carrot programs that attract high flyers in schools like eastern or Blair which is near by on the same road as well.

If you do I suspect you will find your answer

That's not why people send their kids there - maybe that's the effect MCPS is hoping for - but I sent my two kids through the magnet for the amazing instruction and peer group of super smart, unconventional kids who weren't obsessed with the latest tech/uggs/whatever. I do feel you - the school pulls from a heavily impacted community, but for us the magnet was totally worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please stop talking about the FARMS rate of the schools and alluding to its weight on some sort of morality equation. It is shouting out aporophobia. Why are you so afraid of those with fewer financial resources than you?

No but it is a harbinger for shitty outcomes and yes sometimes too many bodies sink the life boats. Really poor people have poor problems while other schools have kids all jockey to see who visits who’s beach house. I’ll take the latter outcome please. You do you

My friends mom was a teacher at the Elementary school next to eastern “New Hampshire Estates”, even that sweet old lady used to call it the third world. Not one of the parents on this board would send their kids to that school, not one of you. But you’ll send your kids to the middle school with them. Ok makes perfect sense

The elementary school next to Eastern is Montgomery Knolls. It's surrounded by middle class single family homes.

New Hampshire estate elementary is all of a mile away from eastern. Honestly who here would send their kids there? Why wouldn’t you? You think that environment is better with older kids in middle school?

NHE ES is a Title I primary school with a FARMS rate of 84%, while Eastern pulls from NHE as well as several additional neighborhoods and has a FARMS rate of 58%.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please stop talking about the FARMS rate of the schools and alluding to its weight on some sort of morality equation. It is shouting out aporophobia. Why are you so afraid of those with fewer financial resources than you?

No but it is a harbinger for shitty outcomes and yes sometimes too many bodies sink the life boats. Really poor people have poor problems while other schools have kids all jockey to see who visits who’s beach house. I’ll take the latter outcome please. You do you

My friends mom was a teacher at the Elementary school next to eastern “New Hampshire Estates”, even that sweet old lady used to call it the third world. Not one of the parents on this board would send their kids to that school, not one of you. But you’ll send your kids to the middle school with them. Ok makes perfect sense

The elementary school next to Eastern is Montgomery Knolls. It's surrounded by middle class single family homes.

New Hampshire estate elementary is all of a mile away from eastern. Honestly who here would send their kids there? Why wouldn’t you? You think that environment is better with older kids in middle school?