Posts by mellowskipper

Susan James said:In Washington, D.C., you could get into at least 10 different high schools with just 60 points. 😬

Which ten?
And please, let's not talk about the cutoff score—that’s just whatever number the application portal accepts to let you hit "submit." The official threshold is one thing, but the actual reality of getting in is something else entirely.
And obviously, I’m not talking about private schools. I suppose you could probably walk into any of those with 20 points if you just made a massive donation to the school's endowment.

Eric Morgan54 said:Not really sure how they'd spin this—they’re technically subjects, just tucked inside some experimental program.

Under Section 135 of the Education Act—(3) A student's parent has both the right and the duty to stay in the loop regarding everything in the school's curriculum and lesson plans posted on their website: that includes mandatory and elective subjects, interdisciplinary modules, extracurriculars, experimental tracks, and special programs and requires parental consent for participation in all those areas, except for the core subjects that make up the basic educational standard.

Our only move is to file a lawsuit in federal court, since you can't appeal the Department of Appeals decision.

And frankly, by the time that lawsuit actually wraps up, your kid might already be graduating.

Between evening practices, language lessons, violin rehearsals...
When you actually sit down and tally it all up, they’re running at a higher capacity than most working adults I know. It's honestly a bit embarrassing.

hiddendriver34 said:You can always give it a shot 😉, but honestly, I doubt any of them would take you. If you're trying to transfer during freshman year, they look at whether your middle school scores are equal to or higher than the lowest score of someone already enrolled there.

If you're looking to transfer during sophomore year, they stop caring about those old middle school grades. Instead, they look at the grades you finished with in ninth grade, plus your attendance record and whatever other hoops that specific school decides to jump through to see if you're a good fit. On top of that, if the school is packed to the rafters, getting in will be an uphill battle. If a few kids happen to drop out, they might be a little more open to transfers.

Well, that was pure irony. In some small town, you could scrape together enough points to hit the threshold for a high-tier prep school, but in Washington, D.C., those same points might only get you into a vocational trade school. I suppose you really need a perfect 4.0 to even be considered for a serious academy.
And yet, everyone ends up right back where they started.
Obviously, not everyone goes off to MIT or a top research university, but a fair amount of them do.

Mark Walker4 said:Look, I'm speaking from experience regarding island life. My old man is from Mackinac Island and I've got family there, so I know how it works. You've basically got the choice between a general high school diploma or a three-year vocational track for cooking, serving, or pastry making. With a 3.5 GPA, you're looking at a career in food service and that's about it...

stormymarlin22 said:My score for MIT is 56, but I think the last person who got in last year had a 62

Well, there it is—the threshold has been lowered. I suppose he’ll be enrolling now.
With a score of 56, you probably couldn't even land a job as a line cook in Washington, D.C.—if that's even possible. It’s a truly insane situation, I guess.
Maybe I should just enroll in high school over on Mackinac Island—just a thought—and then, if things don't pan out, look into transferring to Washington, D.C. around the mid-year break. Or maybe not. I guess we'll see.
Is that stunt even physically possible? I mean—I guess you could try, but whether it actually works is a different story entirely. Maybe.

Mark Walker4 said:So basically, you're missing like two points to get into a high school out in the middle of nowhere, there are still five spots left, but whatever—you don't meet the requirements, so just go work at a bakery instead...

Poor kids from the rural areas who can't get into a decent high school because they only scored 60 points. I suppose the professors on this forum would say—well, at least for our Washington, D.C. kids—that if you aren't a straight-A student, you simply aren't cut out for academic life.
Personally, I’d suggest they look into becoming an electrician or a plumber—at least those guys actually make money.

Well, I suppose I welcome the decision. Though, if you read how the article wraps up, it makes it sound like there’s going to be some massive nationwide invasion of high schools in cities like Chicago or Austin—as if students from every corner of the country are suddenly descending on them all at once.

Sarah Hall53 said:For grades 5 through 8, the foreign language electives will stay just that—electives. It’s only being made mandatory for the 4th graders. If it isn't a requirement, it means it'll fall under those B1 time slots.

I mean, what is the actual point of making an elective language mandatory for fourth graders?

I’m not entirely certain—especially if we're talking about those schools out in the middle of nowhere where the next closest one might be a thirty-minute bus ride away
Just move the teenager over if the rest of the group is staying put...
What I mean is—it sounds a lot simpler than it actually would be to pull off in practice.

Eric Morgan54 said:Also curious—what kind of trouble did she run into?
Some journalist needs to step up and ask what happens with parental consent. Did the Department of Education even think about that? Of course not. But what’s the actual fix for parents who refuse to sign off on their kids joining these nationwide school programs?

The likely solution will probably just be transferring those kids to the nearest alternative school. And honestly, that isn't nearly as simple or feasible as it sounds—especially when you consider we're talking about kids going through puberty. We should probably keep that in mind...

Jason Morgan said:Which circus?

Well, she actually laid it out—basically stripping physics away from electrical engineers while letting history classes slide right through.
To me, it sounds like a complete circus.

Heaven forbid a mechatronics technician tries to enroll in a mechatronics program through the engineering school—that’s strictly reserved for the high school kids with the honors diplomas
Well, I suppose that's just how the world works now. So, we might as well just scramble to get into one of those elite prep schools—fighting tooth and nail if necessary—since apparently that's the only way to actually open any doors worth walking through

Sarah Hall53 said:The thing is, it won't just be a quick 40-minute session once a week—it’s going to be structured. They’ll mandate one day for math, one for English, and then split the remaining two days among the other subjects. Your math teacher isn't going to be sitting there helping them finish their geography or English homework, and the English teacher certainly won't be diving into math or physics problems during that time.
I see this heading in one of two directions: either after that 40-minute circus where the teacher is expected to somehow juggle grading homework while also trying to enrich the curriculum and provide extra support, kids will still end up with a mountain of stuff to study at home—or, we'll eventually be banned from assigning homework altogether. And then, by some strange miracle, everyone will act shocked when the average student hasn't actually mastered the material and isn't pulling those straight A's parents always dream about.

If there are kids who struggle to complete their Math, English, or Spanish homework on their own—and actually need someone to walk them through the concepts—then fine, I support that. But I highly doubt the same teacher is going to stop a student from pulling out a worksheet from a completely different subject to finish it during that time.
And will they still have homework? Of course they will. They'll still be writing essays and putting together PowerPoint presentations at home.
Will they still need private tutoring? Absolutely. Some kids need it to pass, others need it to maintain a 4.0 GPA.
Anything else would just be pure delusion.

If they just bumped up the weight given to entrance exams, I guess the whole issue would be solved instantly.

Larry Walker24 said:Alright, back to the topic at hand:

Over 50 schools have signed up for full-day classes.

Here's a news clip since they just finished taking applications:

Out of all the places in Cincinnati, only Apple Valley is doing it.

I agree—we drifted way too far off-topic there. I’m hoping the mods will still move those posts to the right section.
Regarding the school schedule, if kids are out by 2:40 PM including lunch and homework time, then it’s really not that bad. I mean, looking at my situation—well, at least for my kid—with computer lab and a second language being in the opposite session, plus all the extra stuff being in the other block, the only thing left is maybe an early morning or late afternoon makeup class. Honestly, 40 minutes just to wrap up homework for the day seems reasonable. They get home by 3:00 PM, rest until 4:00 PM, or hang out with friends for a bit. Then they study in the evening, which is usually when extracurriculars happen anyway. If that was the option offered to me, I’d probably sign up in a heartbeat.

Kate Jackson4 said:Please, enlighten me... what exactly is "fair" about this scenario? ☕
Why on earth are students with lower scores moving forward?...

They move forward because nobody actually knows what the higher score threshold should be. If they just set a rigid rule saying, say, you need 50 points to qualify, then absolutely no one from that specific county would make the cut.

Carl Bishop2 said:Of course the issue is with the parents—I mean, what else would it be?
If we say the problem starts with the parents, then logically the system, the schools, and the teachers are essentially powerless, right? Because if they aren't the source of the problem, they can't fix it. According to that logic, everything only changes if the parents change first.
Does that actually make sense to you???

And apparently, this is an issue exclusive to parents living in New York City. It's almost as if families in smaller towns like Des Moines don't have high expectations for their kids, which explains why those children breeze right into prep school without any drama.
That’s obviously far from the truth—there are plenty of parents everywhere who push their children toward straight A's, piano lessons, and French classes. Some handle the pressure somehow, while others end up on antidepressants or, worse, engaging in self-harm...
But claiming that a child needs a perfect 4.0 GPA just to be considered "prep school material" is complete nonsense—and it's a notion being actively supported by the faculty. It implies you have to be flawless in everything, that you need a passion for every subject, an affinity for every task...
So, I have to ask you all—when you take something up, does everything always go perfectly, or are you allowed to mess up occasionally without being consumed by guilt?
These kids are starting from such a massive disadvantage just to get enrolled. They study purely for the sake of the grade, rarely for the actual joy of learning. And as for the system itself—it isn't just flawed.
It is so deeply broken that it honestly should have been overhauled yesterday.

Of course they don't have to. But if the entry requirements for prep school are limited strictly to students with a 76+ score, then fine—let it be that way in Syracuse, Columbus, or even Santa Monica... instead of just being some thing that happens in Washington, D.C.
Or maybe, I guess, the actual problem lies elsewhere altogether...

shadowtiger0 said:I don't entirely agree—there is definitely pressure coming from school, too. But yeah, modern society is pretty toxic, and those of us born in the 70s and 80s can see that clearly enough.

I personally know a guy who makes an absolute fortune online—and I mean literally making twice my annual salary in a single month. And here’s the kicker: he is miserable.

I remember when I was a kid, people actually looked happy going to work, and they were happy coming home. If someone was building a house out in the suburbs back then (which is basically part of the city now), twenty neighbors would show up, we'd grill some burgers, hang out, and just enjoy each other's company.

Everyone had way, way less material stuff than we do now, but I don't recall there being this much widespread depression and general dissatisfaction.

And most importantly—kids were actually allowed to be kids.

You're spot on. All those major longitudinal studies about what actually makes us happy seem to point toward the same thing: it isn't your level of education, your social standing, or how much money you pull in—it's having good, meaningful relationships with other people.

Sarah Hall53 said:Look, I’m saying it again—it isn't actually the school system itself that's doing the damage to kids' health, it's more about what parents end up doing to their children because of the pressure from school. You really think it's the teachers telling a kid that a 4.8 GPA is somehow "bad," or is it actually the parents who refuse to let them breathe unless they can post those straight-A report cards all over Facebook to show off?

Grubićka isn't talking about teachers; she's talking about the system. A system that spent years churning out straight-A students, until finally the dam broke, and now we have these massive national exams and entrance tests to separate the wheat from the chaff. The current state is unsustainable. It's exhausting for the professors, the kids, and the parents alike.
Of course, there's this cult of perfectionism. You have one type of parent who thinks their child is some kind of genius—they're doing elite sports, music, foreign languages, everything... and then suddenly, it turns out they aren't. Their body starts rebelling; symptoms start showing up. Psychosomatic, I guess. Because if you aren't a genius, what are you? Nothing.
Then there are the others who realize that if their kid only gets 70 points, they won't get into any decent school. So they squeeze the kids, they squeeze the schools, they pay for endless tutors and SAT prep, and heaven forbid you want to hang out with friends because you need to study. They're just doing what they feel they have to do. You can socialize once you get into high school, right?
And then there's that small group of third types—the ones who just let things happen. They'll enroll in something, and at least they'll be healthy and happy.
Anyway, my daughter just got back from Central Park—she's been out since 1:00 PM playing ping pong and rolling around, and she's starving.

Jason Morgan said:And honestly, who are these advocates for full-day programs anyway? It's a numbers game. Schools apply for these things so they can qualify for renovation grants and actually look halfway decent; they need the funding. That's the real driver here. What does a full-day schedule actually do for kids living out in the sticks? Most of them live right near their extended family, or their parents are busy running some kind of farm. For most of these rural schools, they don't need longer hours—they just need damn money.

I suppose I agree that's the reason.