Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hear a lot about Whittier being a great DCPS in ward 4. What about Takoma? It was on the list a few pages ago which is why I ask.

We don’t have kids old enough yet but can’t wait (not) to do the lottery next year (we live in ward 4 but will be able to do drop off anywhere).

Not anti charter. But we like the idea of a DCPS.

IMO, which may not be worth much , Takoma is a wildcard. We liked the PK program when we visited (teachers seemed relatively engaged and class sizes were small) and the administration seems, for the most part, to know what's going on, especially compared to some of the other schools we visited (I'm looking at you, Brightwood and Barnard). But it didn't seem as organized or to have as strong a community as Whittier (so much school pride) or Height (PTO is super active). We know several families with kids in various grades there who love it and say they would absolutely choose it again... but we also have several friends who didn't have a good experience and transferred out (mostly to charters, but two to other DCPS schools that don't look any better than Takoma on paper) and know one PK3 family that had a terrible experience there pretty much all year and is trying to lottery into basically any other school in our area (or will go private) for PK4. Even that family, however, acknowledges that the families they know in the other PK3 class are super happy and that they probably wouldn't be planning to transfer out of they had ended up in the other PK3 class. So basically, it seems like kids' experiences there are highly variable depending on which teachers they get. I know that's obviously true at any school (some teachers are better than others... duh) but it seems like there may be more extremes amongst the teaching staff at Takoma, like you might get a longterm sub unqualified to teach PK followed by a PK teacher who doesn't respond to any parent emails or phone calls at all, or you might get an awesome PK teacher with tons of experience who sends you updates at least daily. That's why it seems like a wildcard to me.

Thanks for this. I was the one who asked about Takoma. Thank you for taking your time to answer. This is helpful.

Teacher specific seems like a risk had at any school (like you said) but are you thinking there may be more "bad" than good at Takoma than a Whitier or a charter? We have neighbors who love Breakthrough, DCB, etc.

This may not be the thread for that. Was only curious about why Whittier gets more attention than the other DCPS school less than a mile away. Almost feels like both schools would be part of the same overall Brightwood, Manor, Takoma community for all families to play at the playground, etc.

I think some interesting points have been made only about IB siblings having a preference over other IB students for PreK, especially now that there is separately also an IB equity preference. Most single child families do not meet the stereotype of 2 wealthy older parebts. Lots and lots of only children live with a single parent or extended family where access to nearby preK is no less important for those families.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading this thread is interesting because I can see both sides of every issue. I'm a lottery veteran (this will be our 5th year) and have seen it work well and also seen it screw people over. It's a tough system, but probably more fair than the old system where there were no charters or all city schools at all and going to a school outside our IB was nearly impossible.

But really the whole conversation just makes me very tired, and the more angry and defensive people get in these conversations, the more tired I get. We recently made the decision to move before our kid hits high school, and making that decision definitively has been such a relief. To just be done with this whole mess.

That's ultimately my biggest complaint about public school in DC. Not the lottery or sibling preference or "boundary fraud" or whatever. It's that the entire system is just exhausting and it never stops -- from PK to high school, there's some level of angst over your kids education and whether you've made the right choices with regards to the lottery, where you live, DCPS v. Charter, etc. It's draining. Right now we're looking at neighborhood outside DC and looking at high schools and the idea of just moving into a school district and then submitting enrollment paperwork and that's the end of it is so amazing.

I hear you. Except, our friends did this. Then discovered their MoCo zoned school was not serving their child -- with newly diagnosed ADHD -- at all well. And so, they have to go private because there are no other choices. Nothing is as easy as it should be or I remember from being a kid!!

But they likely would have wound up with the same choice in DC. As a parent of a kid with ADHD, I don't find the lottery to be helpful. Most charters are pretty bad with special needs and IEPs -- most parents of SN kids I know in the district will recommend sticking with DCPS, which tends to be more responsive and where the SN infrastructure is very well established. Some DCPS are better than others, but if your IB isn't doing a good job with yours, it's a total crapshoot whether you could get into another that would be any better, and sometimes it's hard to evaluate that from the outside anyway unless you can talk to families with similar issues who have been through it.

Basically if you have a child with SN, you have to get used to using all the resources at your disposal (and also learn how to get more resources at your disposal). I'm actually a bit surprised your friends went with a private because you have more rights at a by-right public school and if you make a stink about things, they pretty much have to provide your child with accommodations and services deemed necessary for your kid. A private does not. But the dirty secret in DC is that even though charters are also required to provide these accommodations, many do not, or are very ineffective at doing it even when they want to (charters have a harder time retaining SpEd staff, in part because they often do not pay as well). Charters in DC have a much lower percentage of kids with IEPs than DCPS schools, and there are multiple reasons for this but one of them is that a lot of families don't have a great experience with IEPs at Charters.

Anyway, long story short, everyone assumes that more choice is going to be better for kids with special needs, but that's not necessarily the case. There's no reason for your friends to assume that if they'd stayed in DC, their child's needs would have been better met, even with the lottery as an option.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

I think there is just one person questioning sibling preference and we are all arguing with her. I have never heard that take in my 20 years in DC.

Ha, you are probably right. Of all the (valid) things to criticize DC for, this seems like such an odd battle to pick. And FWIW, my kids are at our Title 1 IB middle and elementary, so sibling preference didn't really impact me either way, I just see bigger picture it is better for families across the city. And sure, maybe as a result, it will shut some families of charters, then they can enroll in IB or other schools - anybody who pays attention can notice how increasing enrollment in any schools is a benefit. Title 1 schools near me have benefited from increased staff, specials, instructional coaches an after school options due to increased enrollment, not to mention more parents to help/volunteer in various ways. As much as it may seem it may, the world does not end if you don't get into a school - and yes to agree with all of the other posters - silver lining of the past 5 years, the rose colored glasses are starting to come off, which I think is a good thing. And if you ever glimpse into the VA or MD forums, or actually talk to people who send their kids to school there, sure the feeder pyramids may be more clear, but parents find a whole bunch of other things to stress and worry about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

I think there is just one person questioning sibling preference and we are all arguing with her. I have never heard that take in my 20 years in DC.

Op is the one complaining about sibling preference.

Didn't the OP just ask an innocent question about when to expect results?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

I think there is just one person questioning sibling preference and we are all arguing with her. I have never heard that take in my 20 years in DC.

Op is the one complaining about sibling preference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

There's a really easy solution for that mind-boggling problem: Parents who don't want to drop kids off at multiple schools can send their kids to their in-bound DCPS schools and then they wouldn't have to worry about that. Oh, would it not be fair that families with many children would then basically have to go to their less-desirable IB schools instead of doing the lottery? It's funny how it's easy for you to presume that's a fine solution for the families that don't get sibling preference so that it doesn't inconvenience yours.

….Or the complaining PP can just go to her in-boundary school instead of complaining about sibling preference….

I only one kid btw and do not see how this is controversial at all. Makes a lot of sense from a city-wide perspective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

I think there is just one person questioning sibling preference and we are all arguing with her. I have never heard that take in my 20 years in DC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op you should just moved or pay for private. After reading all your comments I don’t think you are going to be happy at any school in DC (or maybe any where.)

I'm sure OP will take your educated thoughts under advisement. Hahahahahaha.

I am glad I can help!

Anonymous wrote:Op you should just moved or pay for private. After reading all your comments I don’t think you are going to be happy at any school in DC (or maybe any where.)

I'm sure OP will take your educated thoughts under advisement. Hahahahahaha.

There is a such thing as too many choices. That's what most people go thru with DCPS, Charters, and Privates. We had too many friends and acquaintances that moved to VA or MD for what they thought were greener pastures. The results were mixed and some just lied to save face.

At the end of the day, we decided to follow our neighbors advice. They are DC Lottery and DCPS vets DCPS for elem-Private MS-Banneker/Walls for HS. The private MS was critical b/c of placement if the HS didn't work out. No guarantees either way.....

Op you should just moved or pay for private. After reading all your comments I don’t think you are going to be happy at any school in DC (or maybe any where.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

They could give only one lottery number to all siblings so if they both lottery the same year they don’t get double chance at a good number. This leaves preference intact when you are leaving an older student enrolled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.

There's a really easy solution for that mind-boggling problem: Parents who don't want to drop kids off at multiple schools can send their kids to their in-bound DCPS schools and then they wouldn't have to worry about that. Oh, would it not be fair that families with many children would then basically have to go to their less-desirable IB schools instead of doing the lottery? It's funny how it's easy for you to presume that's a fine solution for the families that don't get sibling preference so that it doesn't inconvenience yours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have given the sibling preference a lot of thought. My view is that it is necessary in situations where a school is citywide (ie SWS, CHML) in order to reduce traffic and create efficiencies. It is not fair for PK lotteries for IB neighborhood schools. Each kid who is IB should have an equal shot regardless of sibling status.

So you want to create another incentive for families to forgo their neighborhood school and opt for a citywide or charter where they do get a sibling guarantee? This would be far worse than the status quo.

It boggles my mind that sibling preference is even a question on this thread. As a parent, having to drop your kids off at multiple schools is a huge inconvenience. (just visit the 100s of comments on the Maury/Miner potential merger, and those schools are only a few blocks apart). Step outside of your own world for a second and see the system as a whole, and there is no question. For the sake of the families, for less cars having to trek across town to different schools, for continuity in school communities, sibling preference should never be a question.