I went to Oyster in Woodley Park as a kid and it still remains quite possibly the best public school in DC. However, there is now a 3+ year waiting list to get your kid enrolled. That should be a problem at all for the new President :)

Two words: Home School.

they are "in district" for francis-stevens in dupont.

I'm with Wallenda. We're talking about a man's children here, and the only factor that should play is what's best for their education. To take political reasons into consideration for what is essentially a family matter seems irresponsible.

I am sure the Secrete Service will scare the Obama’s away from any DCPS.

Oyster Elementary looks as secluded and posh as it's neighbor up the street (Maret). I think public elementary school is an easier ask, but what happens after that? Malia will be in HS before the end of the term.

They'll probably be crushed for either decision ("limousine liberals" if they go private, "irresponsible and patronizing" if they go public), so they should definitely not bow to public pressure.

They're just children, and lots of people are plopping them out in this country every single day. But to say that they are somehow more deserving of a quality education than any other child in this town just because they are the president-elect's children speaks volumes about your political leanings, and I'm sorry that your candidate didn't win.

the people whose knee-jerk reaction to public schools here is negative for reasons other than the ability to have plenty of room for the secret service proves that you don't know a lot about the schools in the city.

there are public elementary and middle schools in northwest DC that would be the envy of a TON of cities around this country. yeah, we have a lot of failing schools in DC, but there are jewels in DCPS, and trust me, obama's kids would be rocketed straight to the front of the line ahead of any waiting list if they wanted to get into one of these.

Hey Obama - If you're reading this:

Send 'em to KIPP DC - the highest performing public schools in all the land. No Shortcuts, No Excuses.

Go Big Dogs!

www.kippdc.org

Sidwell.

Goph - do you actually have kids in DCPS? I'm not tryingh to be a dick, but are you speaking from first-hand knowledge? Where are these "gems" and what empirical evidence is there to justify their "gem" status?

I lived in DC for 15+ years but what got me to move was the thought of my kid in DCPS.

on Oyster

It's not a waitlist issue -- it's an inbound vs. out of boundary issue.

On public/private debate

The main issue will probably be security. Educational philosophy tends to be the driver for selecting one private school over another, but many DC private schools are well suited and experienced accomodating SS detail.

On a related issue, the Obama's are interested in adopting a rescued puppy. Nice socially responsible statement, and even no pedigree mutts are cute as a puppies.

KIPP

I'd like to see Obama put his kids where his mouth is, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

We can see how Obama felt about Chicago public schools: good enough for the peasants, but not for his princesses.

He is in the bag for the incompetent teachers unions: school choice for his family, no choice for others.

Then there was a backlash saying they should get a rescue dog to "send a message," and getting a designer dog would make him look elitist.

What, because there's no symbolism at work in his presidency?

Seems like the socially responsible decision is kind of win-win for the family and a worthwhile humane cause.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=press_110508

On a different note -- Barney's getting a bad rap. I hate GWB as much as the next person, but that dipshit approached a strange dog with his hand over the dog's head without letting him sniff him first. He deserved to get bitten.

"But to say that they are somehow more deserving of a quality education than any other child in this town just because they are the president-elect's children speaks volumes about your political leanings, and I'm sorry that your candidate didn't win."

I don't think anyone is saying that. People are simply saying that if you have the means, you owe it to your kids to send them to private school. Personally, I don't necessarily agree with that, but it's different than what you're projecting.

Besides, I would imagine that it's the snarky Republicans out there that are more likely to encourage him to send them to DCPS. In other words, to make him actually walk the "public school model is ideal" walk (not that he is a staunch defender of the status quo). Republicans are probably the last people in the world that are going to criticize someone for sending their kids to private school.

@no more caffeine: I'm not sure exactly how that works. That's what the director told me in ~2005 and I didn't press for details. However, I do know that there is also a highly competitive lottery incorporated with enrollment as well. As people above have suggested, that may only apply to those that live outside of Oyster's zone.

"As people above have suggested, that may only apply to those that live outside of Oyster's zone."

It's called the "out of boundary" system. For every school there are some amount of slots set aside for kids not within the boundary (and the more kids from within the boundary that attend, the fewer the out of boundary slots there are. Although I suspect they make sure that there are at least some out of boundary slots even in the highly locally attended schools like Key or Murch). Every year there is a lottery for kids to fill any out of boundary slots that opened up. It used to be that you had to go downtown and wait in line (often queuing up the night before). Which is a pretty grueling way to show your dedication to your kids. Now it's all online.

So, it's not a "waiting list" per se. For out of boundary kids you get one shot every year to get one of those slots, and everyone's shot is equal. They may keep a waiting list throughout the year in case a slot opens up mid-term, but the heart of the system is more of a lottery.

DrLRonHoover:

Mu child is in DCPS elementary and, in my critical opinion, the experience has been excellent. It's much better than the pricey and well-respected preschool my child previously went to.

Somegirl- I like your comment.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are more out of boundary kids attending the Oyster school than in-boundary. Most of the families with kids who live in Woodley Park are ultra-wealthy and probably send their kids to private schools, and everyone else in the neighborhood is either elderly or are young empty-nesters.

downtown rez - does "excellent" include high standardized test scores? Working at or above grade level in Math and English?

Or is "excellent" simply code for "s/he's happy because s/he's learned that the Egyptians invented the blue laser in 3,500 B.C. and the class watches videos on inclusive multiculturalism every week?"

Good luck when s/he gets to high school. S/he can focus on avoiding knife fights and knowing gang signs instead of learning Latin and differential Calculus. And no, I'm not advocating private school. We moved to Montgomery County so that our kids would get a decent public education and they are.

What happened to the time-honored tradition of affluent parents shipping their little brats overseas? Because the way I hear it, in an old house in Paris that was covered in vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines. In two straight lines they broke their bread, and brushed their teeth, and went to bed. They left the house at half past nine, in rain or shine, and the smallest ones were Sasha and Malia.

Can you imagine this conversation if McCain/Palin won (hhuugghh....shudder...OK--better now)? We'd be talking about which schools offer creationist science classes for Willow, Piper, Bristol (wait-skip that one), Flak Jacket, Ace Freedom, or whatever their names are.

On second thought, they'd probably just be home schooled. We all know what happens when you let a Palin kid out of the house, after all.

drlronhoover: well, i wasn't going completely on hearsay. i'm going on some of the numbers that ceilio75 posted above, and from talks i've had with parents of children in those schools.

if i had children, i don't know exactly what i'd do, but that's why i support making dc public schools great, because if i do have children someday, i want to be able to stay here in the city and not bail out to the 'burbs.

monkey makes a good point! here's a little self-promotion: we're only two weeks from geography awareness week. maybe we can get ms. palin to sign up as a spokesperson...

It is in a nushell this, That is their Children and wherever they deceide that they go is their business. This should not be held against them because we voted him in nor should they feel they are obligated to what we want for THEIR KIDS. You don't want anyone telling you where to send your kids, you would have a fit if that were the case. I you choose private or public that is your choice.. key word YOUR, that has nothing to do with him running the country. At this point it is more about safety and allowing them to be kids for as long as possible.. Whether you know it or not, some things are not our business..

Sorry "Kansas", but not all journalists are that transparent, as much as you might like to believe. Perhaps you need to change channels, newspapers, or radio stations? If the journalists you're paying attention to are "sooooooo obvious" as you put it, perhaps it is YOU who needs to do something about it, instead of playing the "Monday morning quarterback."

That said, (whew, do I feel better) looking at the comments for school options outside of Sidwell Friends and G'Town Day, I feel compelled to remind folks there are a wealth of fantastic school choices that, gasp, exist outside of NW DC! (I know, you're all too afraid to go there, so you didn't even think of it, your loss) I do hope the Obamas change that and make it suddenly "cool" or "trendy" enough for some of you to venture off the Red Line. I also hope the Obamas do what is right, not just for their own family, but for the residents of the city they are about to adopt. When considering schools for their daughters, the Obamas need to look at schools in ALL of DC, and view it as a WHOLE, and not just as one NW quadrant, as so many others here tend to do.