Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

The demographics of DC combined with the government culture and the lottery create very dysfunctional public school systems. Everyone works at cross purposes. Schools, parents, administrators, teachers, and the district. Plus charters. The lottery is great on a micro level (can help families get access to better schools) but toxic on a macro level (creates a sense of instability in the system and schools, creates a lot of churn, disincentivizes people to have a "make it work" attitude even with more minor challenges).

I think some people have no issues with this and navigate it well. I find it stressful and unsettling. My kid is in middle elementary and we are now figuring out middle school. I thought nothing could ever be as stressful and annoying as PK lotteries. I was incorrect. Stakes are much higher for MS and there are simply not enough spots at decent schools to go around. There's this weird intensity among parents, especially where I am (Capital Hill) but this is countered by an almost apathetic or aggressively neutral attitude among schools, likely just as a self-protective measure because some of the parents are so intense. I simply cannot have another conversation about math tracking. I'm tired of all of it.

I think I'd find a lot of this in the burbs as well which is why I'd rather leave the area altogether, but I think I personally am better suited to deal with the way suburban districts handle these issues better than I deal with DC public schools.

I think the fundamental issue is that voters in DC are liberal Democrats and they reflexively vote for very liberal candidates, without realizing that very liberal Democratic politicians are extremely opposed to raising academic standards and tracking and gifted and talented programs. They think all of that is racist and they will never, ever support it. They think the purpose of schools is to fight inequality. If you voted for different people, you'd get a different result and schools would look different than they do today.

Of course NYC is also very progressive and has tracking and true test-in high schools. It is possible to be both. Personnaly, I would take the NYC model over the 50% chance you can get into Basis or having an opaque entry system at Walls and Banneker.

In my books, there's a superior model, even here in this area, in Arlington. Any MS student can enroll in 7th and 8th grade honors ("intensified") classes in all core subjects there but the curricula aren't dumbed down for stragglers. HS students at neighborhood schools need to meet academic prerequisites to take AP classes or pursue IBD at Washington-Liberty. The sky's the limit on AP exams and advanced STEM in VA. Any HS can enroll in a hands-on class at Arlington Tech, one per semester, with transportation from their school provided. At the tech school, even the most academic students can train to be this or that, a qualified welder, an EMT, a vet tech even a small plane pilot. Everybody's challenged, everybody's included. No need to be progressive, conservative, take an entrance exam or whatever. What the most academic kids need to do in Arlington is work hard in MS HS to qualify to take the most rigorous classes up the chain.

Yes - this is a good model. Very permissive early entry but no watering down of content/rigor + hard prerequisites for advancement. Of course, in many places this still would not mollify the equity police and Arlington demographics are a bit more suited to such model, ie, the great majority of kids are not deficient laden.

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread up, as we have to make a decision on where to move this summer!

Really interested to hear people’s responses for Option B.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC excels at creating its own difficulties with academic tracking at the MS and HS levels in DCPS and DCPCS, too. Even BASIS isn't offering the rigor it could under a superior tracking and admissions system. You've already got the economies of scale in DCPS (e.g. Deal) and the demographics to create more (Stuart Hobson, Hardy) without the political will.

OP, I'd start in Arlington and stay there. 10 years ago, Upper NW might have been worth it from K-12. I don't think it is these days.

Just so we’re clear on the relationship between DCUM and reality:

In 2014-15, 495 students took the SAT at Wilson. The average composite score, excluding the since-discontinued writing section, was 966.

In 2024-25, 699 students took the SAT at Jackson-Reed (fka Wilson). The average composite score was 1072.

This is the kind of objective, measurable increase in both enrollment and test scores that DCUM will describe as “decline.”

I doubt the se is tight enough to call that difference in scores significant (let alone that the underlying test has changed… twice? In the meantime)

Is that what you would say if the average SAT score at JR had fallen from 1072 to 966 over the last decade?

Anonymous wrote:At the risk of stirring the pot, where would you move neighborhood wise and with elementary school factor in

Scenario A: Spanish immersion or

Scenario B: No immersion. Prioritize minimal commute, great academics, and limited reliance on edtech/screens (to the extent it’s even possible…)

We are not wealthy. We like our current Neighborhood a lot, charming. But we need to leave our rental and find a new one.

No idea if able to stay in DC long term (jobs, etc.) so don’t want to panic about MS and HS too much, though that train of thought comes in from time to time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC excels at creating its own difficulties with academic tracking at the MS and HS levels in DCPS and DCPCS, too. Even BASIS isn't offering the rigor it could under a superior tracking and admissions system. You've already got the economies of scale in DCPS (e.g. Deal) and the demographics to create more (Stuart Hobson, Hardy) without the political will.

OP, I'd start in Arlington and stay there. 10 years ago, Upper NW might have been worth it from K-12. I don't think it is these days.

Just so we’re clear on the relationship between DCUM and reality:

In 2014-15, 495 students took the SAT at Wilson. The average composite score, excluding the since-discontinued writing section, was 966.

In 2024-25, 699 students took the SAT at Jackson-Reed (fka Wilson). The average composite score was 1072.

This is the kind of objective, measurable increase in both enrollment and test scores that DCUM will describe as “decline.”

I doubt the se is tight enough to call that difference in scores significant (let alone that the underlying test has changed… twice? In the meantime)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC excels at creating its own difficulties with academic tracking at the MS and HS levels in DCPS and DCPCS, too. Even BASIS isn't offering the rigor it could under a superior tracking and admissions system. You've already got the economies of scale in DCPS (e.g. Deal) and the demographics to create more (Stuart Hobson, Hardy) without the political will.

OP, I'd start in Arlington and stay there. 10 years ago, Upper NW might have been worth it from K-12. I don't think it is these days.

Just so we’re clear on the relationship between DCUM and reality:

In 2014-15, 495 students took the SAT at Wilson. The average composite score, excluding the since-discontinued writing section, was 966.

In 2024-25, 699 students took the SAT at Jackson-Reed (fka Wilson). The average composite score was 1072.

This is the kind of objective, measurable increase in both enrollment and test scores that DCUM will describe as “decline.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC excels at creating its own difficulties with academic tracking at the MS and HS levels in DCPS and DCPCS, too. Even BASIS isn't offering the rigor it could under a superior tracking and admissions system. You've already got the economies of scale in DCPS (e.g. Deal) and the demographics to create more (Stuart Hobson, Hardy) without the political will.

OP, I'd start in Arlington and stay there. 10 years ago, Upper NW might have been worth it from K-12. I don't think it is these days.

Just so we’re clear on the relationship between DCUM and reality:

In 2014-15, 495 students took the SAT at Wilson. The average composite score, excluding the since-discontinued writing section, was 966.

In 2024-25, 699 students took the SAT at Jackson-Reed (fka Wilson). The average composite score was 1072.

This is the kind of objective, measurable increase in both enrollment and test scores that DCUM will describe as “decline.”

Anonymous wrote:DC excels at creating its own difficulties with academic tracking at the MS and HS levels in DCPS and DCPCS, too. Even BASIS isn't offering the rigor it could under a superior tracking and admissions system. You've already got the economies of scale in DCPS (e.g. Deal) and the demographics to create more (Stuart Hobson, Hardy) without the political will.

OP, I'd start in Arlington and stay there. 10 years ago, Upper NW might have been worth it from K-12. I don't think it is these days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

The demographics of DC combined with the government culture and the lottery create very dysfunctional public school systems. Everyone works at cross purposes. Schools, parents, administrators, teachers, and the district. Plus charters. The lottery is great on a micro level (can help families get access to better schools) but toxic on a macro level (creates a sense of instability in the system and schools, creates a lot of churn, disincentivizes people to have a "make it work" attitude even with more minor challenges).

I think some people have no issues with this and navigate it well. I find it stressful and unsettling. My kid is in middle elementary and we are now figuring out middle school. I thought nothing could ever be as stressful and annoying as PK lotteries. I was incorrect. Stakes are much higher for MS and there are simply not enough spots at decent schools to go around. There's this weird intensity among parents, especially where I am (Capital Hill) but this is countered by an almost apathetic or aggressively neutral attitude among schools, likely just as a self-protective measure because some of the parents are so intense. I simply cannot have another conversation about math tracking. I'm tired of all of it.

I think I'd find a lot of this in the burbs as well which is why I'd rather leave the area altogether, but I think I personally am better suited to deal with the way suburban districts handle these issues better than I deal with DC public schools.

I think the fundamental issue is that voters in DC are liberal Democrats and they reflexively vote for very liberal candidates, without realizing that very liberal Democratic politicians are extremely opposed to raising academic standards and tracking and gifted and talented programs. They think all of that is racist and they will never, ever support it. They think the purpose of schools is to fight inequality. If you voted for different people, you'd get a different result and schools would look different than they do today.

Of course NYC is also very progressive and has tracking and true test-in high schools. It is possible to be both. Personnaly, I would take the NYC model over the 50% chance you can get into Basis or having an opaque entry system at Walls and Banneker.

In my books, there's a superior model, even here in this area, in Arlington. Any MS student can enroll in 7th and 8th grade honors ("intensified") classes in all core subjects there but the curricula aren't dumbed down for stragglers. HS students at neighborhood schools need to meet academic prerequisites to take AP classes or pursue IBD at Washington-Liberty. The sky's the limit on AP exams and advanced STEM in VA. Any HS can enroll in a hands-on class at Arlington Tech, one per semester, with transportation from their school provided. At the tech school, even the most academic students can train to be this or that, a qualified welder, an EMT, a vet tech even a small plane pilot. Everybody's challenged, everybody's included. No need to be progressive, conservative, take an entrance exam or whatever. What the most academic kids need to do in Arlington is work hard in MS HS to qualify to take the most rigorous classes up the chain.

Yes - this is a good model. Very permissive early entry but no watering down of content/rigor + hard prerequisites for advancement. Of course, in many places this still would not mollify the equity police and Arlington demographics are a bit more suited to such model, ie, the great majority of kids are not deficient laden.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

The demographics of DC combined with the government culture and the lottery create very dysfunctional public school systems. Everyone works at cross purposes. Schools, parents, administrators, teachers, and the district. Plus charters. The lottery is great on a micro level (can help families get access to better schools) but toxic on a macro level (creates a sense of instability in the system and schools, creates a lot of churn, disincentivizes people to have a "make it work" attitude even with more minor challenges).

I think some people have no issues with this and navigate it well. I find it stressful and unsettling. My kid is in middle elementary and we are now figuring out middle school. I thought nothing could ever be as stressful and annoying as PK lotteries. I was incorrect. Stakes are much higher for MS and there are simply not enough spots at decent schools to go around. There's this weird intensity among parents, especially where I am (Capital Hill) but this is countered by an almost apathetic or aggressively neutral attitude among schools, likely just as a self-protective measure because some of the parents are so intense. I simply cannot have another conversation about math tracking. I'm tired of all of it.

I think I'd find a lot of this in the burbs as well which is why I'd rather leave the area altogether, but I think I personally am better suited to deal with the way suburban districts handle these issues better than I deal with DC public schools.

I think the fundamental issue is that voters in DC are liberal Democrats and they reflexively vote for very liberal candidates, without realizing that very liberal Democratic politicians are extremely opposed to raising academic standards and tracking and gifted and talented programs. They think all of that is racist and they will never, ever support it. They think the purpose of schools is to fight inequality. If you voted for different people, you'd get a different result and schools would look different than they do today.

Of course NYC is also very progressive and has tracking and true test-in high schools. It is possible to be both. Personnaly, I would take the NYC model over the 50% chance you can get into Basis or having an opaque entry system at Walls and Banneker.

In my books, there's a superior model, even here in this area, in Arlington. Any MS student can enroll in 7th and 8th grade honors ("intensified") classes in all core subjects there but the curricula aren't dumbed down for stragglers. HS students at neighborhood schools need to meet academic prerequisites to take AP classes or pursue IBD at Washington-Liberty. The sky's the limit on AP exams and advanced STEM in VA. Any HS can enroll in a hands-on class at Arlington Tech, one per semester, with transportation from their school provided. At the tech school, even the most academic students can train to be this or that, a qualified welder, an EMT, a vet tech even a small plane pilot. Everybody's challenged, everybody's included. No need to be progressive, conservative, take an entrance exam or whatever. What the most academic kids need to do in Arlington is work hard in MS HS to qualify to take the most rigorous classes up the chain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

The demographics of DC combined with the government culture and the lottery create very dysfunctional public school systems. Everyone works at cross purposes. Schools, parents, administrators, teachers, and the district. Plus charters. The lottery is great on a micro level (can help families get access to better schools) but toxic on a macro level (creates a sense of instability in the system and schools, creates a lot of churn, disincentivizes people to have a "make it work" attitude even with more minor challenges).

I think some people have no issues with this and navigate it well. I find it stressful and unsettling. My kid is in middle elementary and we are now figuring out middle school. I thought nothing could ever be as stressful and annoying as PK lotteries. I was incorrect. Stakes are much higher for MS and there are simply not enough spots at decent schools to go around. There's this weird intensity among parents, especially where I am (Capital Hill) but this is countered by an almost apathetic or aggressively neutral attitude among schools, likely just as a self-protective measure because some of the parents are so intense. I simply cannot have another conversation about math tracking. I'm tired of all of it.

I think I'd find a lot of this in the burbs as well which is why I'd rather leave the area altogether, but I think I personally am better suited to deal with the way suburban districts handle these issues better than I deal with DC public schools.

I think the fundamental issue is that voters in DC are liberal Democrats and they reflexively vote for very liberal candidates, without realizing that very liberal Democratic politicians are extremely opposed to raising academic standards and tracking and gifted and talented programs. They think all of that is racist and they will never, ever support it. They think the purpose of schools is to fight inequality. If you voted for different people, you'd get a different result and schools would look different than they do today.

Of course NYC is also very progressive and has tracking and true test-in high schools. It is possible to be both. Personnaly, I would take the NYC model over the 50% chance you can get into Basis or having an opaque entry system at Walls and Banneker.

Anonymous wrote:Bumping this thread up, as we have to make a decision on where to move this summer!

Really interested to hear people’s responses for Option B.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wouldn't. And I say that as someone with a kid in DCPS who is doing fine.

But if I had to do it again, I'd have pushed my spouse MUCH harder to move out of DC before our our kid was old enough that it would be hard to do. It's not even that I think schools are so much better elsewhere, it's more that I think DC's public school system is highly dysfunctional and stressful to navigate, and I think I personally would prefer to parent in a district where you just live in the best pyramid you can and then make do. That has it's drawbacks too, but I think I'm better suited to them.

Do you mean another district in the DMV or leave the area entirely?

What dysfunctions stand out?

The demographics of DC combined with the government culture and the lottery create very dysfunctional public school systems. Everyone works at cross purposes. Schools, parents, administrators, teachers, and the district. Plus charters. The lottery is great on a micro level (can help families get access to better schools) but toxic on a macro level (creates a sense of instability in the system and schools, creates a lot of churn, disincentivizes people to have a "make it work" attitude even with more minor challenges).

I think some people have no issues with this and navigate it well. I find it stressful and unsettling. My kid is in middle elementary and we are now figuring out middle school. I thought nothing could ever be as stressful and annoying as PK lotteries. I was incorrect. Stakes are much higher for MS and there are simply not enough spots at decent schools to go around. There's this weird intensity among parents, especially where I am (Capital Hill) but this is countered by an almost apathetic or aggressively neutral attitude among schools, likely just as a self-protective measure because some of the parents are so intense. I simply cannot have another conversation about math tracking. I'm tired of all of it.

I think I'd find a lot of this in the burbs as well which is why I'd rather leave the area altogether, but I think I personally am better suited to deal with the way suburban districts handle these issues better than I deal with DC public schools.

I think the fundamental issue is that voters in DC are liberal Democrats and they reflexively vote for very liberal candidates, without realizing that very liberal Democratic politicians are extremely opposed to raising academic standards and tracking and gifted and talented programs. They think all of that is racist and they will never, ever support it. They think the purpose of schools is to fight inequality. If you voted for different people, you'd get a different result and schools would look different than they do today.

Of course NYC is also very progressive and has tracking and true test-in high schools. It is possible to be both. Personnaly, I would take the NYC model over the 50% chance you can get into Basis or having an opaque entry system at Walls and Banneker.

Agree, NYC is liberal and has a less dysfunctional school system. Boston too.

The issues in DC has to do with activist factions and government corruption. It's not a left-right issue. It's cultural.

You sound unacquainted with how the left views education policy. Ask JLG if she supports tracking or test-in schools or flunking kids who don't show up for school or punishing kids who assault teachers.

I think there’s less room for this kind of squishiness in NYC. Mamdani started out campaigning to get rid of the admissions test at Stuy and tech and immediately had to back off. Same with Wu and Latin, same with the previous mayor in SF with Lowell.