Creative Minds feedback

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former CMI parent here -

generally feedback:
- CMI had a cult following from when it opened in 2012 till about 2019. In 2019 MV8 opened its doors and it was an obvious choice for a lot of the CMI current families or families that would have gone there otherwise (similar location, but plus Spanish immersion and DCI feeder ... no brainer).
- The biggest fault of CMI is that its its too "in the middle" -- no immersion, no feeder, sad test scores -- because of this there really isn't a good reason to go there over your DCPS and parents are really forced to take a shot at the lottery every year ... which causes an extreme amount of student turnover.
3. With all of that said, the campus is lovely and you will be completely happy there in prek3/4 .. you will just likely want to lottery out as you age up.

Also a former CMI parent and definitely part of the early cult. All this is true.

This is fascinating, why was it a cult and what went wrong?

In 2008 Dc started offering free prek, With universal free pre-k where was more incentive to stay in the city for longer. DC then had a huge Baby boom (especially in the greater petworth area) where you could still easily afford a 3+ bedroom row house in the 2010s. - but a lot of the DCPS elementary schools, at that time, weren't really considered (by Upper Middle Class) a place you would be willing to send your 3 year old -- (Powell hadn't renovated, John lewis, formally West hadn't renovated, poor test schools etc) .. so charters Boomed. CMI opening in 2012 was the perfect timing for all of those upper middle class families, that would never send their kid to DCPS, but would happily all go to CMI's private school like campus for free. Now, 11 years later.. DCPS has improved greatly, way more better charters have opened, there are early education campuses (like military), and tons of daycares that offer free prek ..... there is literally no good reason to go CMI unless you lose the lottery.

Spot on.

Unfortunate even with the DCPS improvements and other better charters, that area (and most of the city) still have the feeder concerns.

Maybe that can be fixed with Wells for that part of the city?

I'm super unclear on why CMI isn't one of those "better charters"-- I would think having a few years' head start would be an advantage.

The re-enrollment and test score numbers speak for themselves here. But specifically, they had a questionable administration until 2020 who had a heavy focus on special education. They also doubled down on some very very strict covid polices that made a lot of people jump ship in Fall 21.

It wasn’t that she (and let’s be honest,it was the principal who decided) focused on special education. She focused on one type of SE (for her own son) to the detriment of all others. Dyslexics were not supported and several parents of kids with autism were referred out.

Her kid also ran wild throughout the school interrupting other classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

Because MV, Powell, and Bruce Monroe start clearing waitlists in K, and DCB and Stokes generally make more offers at K as well. But it’s been a funny few years with pandemic, LAMB SD closing, and DCB expanding, so less confident that it will be quite as easy as MV and the bilingual DCPS schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

Check out previous years waitlist data for schools.

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay

There are significantly more seats in dual language schools in K and there are generally a lot more seats as charters (MV, DCB, Stokes) expanded. Plus, BM and Powell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

Lots of spots open up in K

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

Lots of spots open up in K

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay
Use this data, OP. You can see that some schools offer a lot of seats for K, either because the class size goes up relative to PK4, or they have entire additional classrooms. Mundo Verde clears its K waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Is CMI going to move to a new location?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

Lots of spots open up in K

https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/aaron2446/viz/MSDCSeatsandWaitlistOfferData_draft/MSDCPublicDisplay
Use this data, OP. You can see that some schools offer a lot of seats for K, either because the class size goes up relative to PK4, or they have entire additional classrooms. Mundo Verde clears its K waitlist.

Also don't forget that Tyler is going entirely immersion, so if you are PK3, you will catch their first all immersion K class, which will have tons of additional seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former CMI parent here -

generally feedback:
- CMI had a cult following from when it opened in 2012 till about 2019. In 2019 MV8 opened its doors and it was an obvious choice for a lot of the CMI current families or families that would have gone there otherwise (similar location, but plus Spanish immersion and DCI feeder ... no brainer).
- The biggest fault of CMI is that its its too "in the middle" -- no immersion, no feeder, sad test scores -- because of this there really isn't a good reason to go there over your DCPS and parents are really forced to take a shot at the lottery every year ... which causes an extreme amount of student turnover.
3. With all of that said, the campus is lovely and you will be completely happy there in prek3/4 .. you will just likely want to lottery out as you age up.

Also a former CMI parent and definitely part of the early cult. All this is true.

This is fascinating, why was it a cult and what went wrong?

In 2008 Dc started offering free prek, With universal free pre-k where was more incentive to stay in the city for longer. DC then had a huge Baby boom (especially in the greater petworth area) where you could still easily afford a 3+ bedroom row house in the 2010s. - but a lot of the DCPS elementary schools, at that time, weren't really considered (by Upper Middle Class) a place you would be willing to send your 3 year old -- (Powell hadn't renovated, John lewis, formally West hadn't renovated, poor test schools etc) .. so charters Boomed. CMI opening in 2012 was the perfect timing for all of those upper middle class families, that would never send their kid to DCPS, but would happily all go to CMI's private school like campus for free. Now, 11 years later.. DCPS has improved greatly, way more better charters have opened, there are early education campuses (like military), and tons of daycares that offer free prek ..... there is literally no good reason to go CMI unless you lose the lottery.

Spot on.

Unfortunate even with the DCPS improvements and other better charters, that area (and most of the city) still have the feeder concerns.

Maybe that can be fixed with Wells for that part of the city?

Wells has about 70% IB participation, and Petworth doesn't feed to Wells.

[Anonymous]

What were your spanish choices? Bruce Monroe waitlists a lot of in bound families now if they are not spanish speakers for PK 3/4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

NP here. I have tried for 7 years straight to get into a charter spanish school and never got a waitlist number that got me even remotely close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

NP here. I have tried for 7 years straight to get into a charter spanish school and never got a waitlist number that got me even remotely close.

Sounds like you missed the MV expansion and MV's fall from grace generally. They've cleared their Kindergarten waitlist already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

NP here. I have tried for 7 years straight to get into a charter spanish school and never got a waitlist number that got me even remotely close.

Sounds like you missed the MV expansion and MV's fall from grace generally. They've cleared their Kindergarten waitlist already.

Mundo Verde and Stokes EE have been going deep into their elementary waitlists for years. Unless PP has the absolute worst lottery number multiple years in a row, I think PP is being selective about which schools they were trying for (i.e., just DCB and Stokes Brookland).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

NP here. I have tried for 7 years straight to get into a charter spanish school and never got a waitlist number that got me even remotely close.

Sounds like you missed the MV expansion and MV's fall from grace generally. They've cleared their Kindergarten waitlist already.

Mundo Verde and Stokes EE have been going deep into their elementary waitlists for years. Unless PP has the absolute worst lottery number multiple years in a row, I think PP is being selective about which schools they were trying for (i.e., just DCB and Stokes Brookland).

A lot of people from Petworth just want LAMB or DCB due to the commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where did you get in, OP?

OP here. We got offered a spot at Bethune. I had asked for feedback previously about that school, which was mostly positive, but I don’t love the space (they’re looking for a new space and will move soon) and heard about the recent turnover. Our inbound is Truesdell.

I would take Bethune over CMI, especially if Spanish is important to you. You will definitely be able to lottery into a Spanish immersion school in kindergarten.

Op here. Help me understand how you can say that so definitively about K?

NP here. I have tried for 7 years straight to get into a charter spanish school and never got a waitlist number that got me even remotely close.

Sounds like you missed the MV expansion and MV's fall from grace generally. They've cleared their Kindergarten waitlist already.

Mundo Verde and Stokes EE have been going deep into their elementary waitlists for years. Unless PP has the absolute worst lottery number multiple years in a row, I think PP is being selective about which schools they were trying for (i.e., just DCB and Stokes Brookland).

A lot of people from Petworth just want LAMB or DCB due to the commute.

Right, but it’s then disingenuous to say you/PP tried for 7 years straight to get into an immersion charter, if you were only lotterying for 1-2 schools. If you really want that DCI feed, you have to cast a wider net, including dealing with a crappy commute for a year or two.