To Cambridge or to Brookline? "Elementary Schools"

[brightdoglover]

There are more poor people sending kids to school in Cambridge (to be blunt). A lot fewer (if any) in Brookline, and virtually none in Belmont.
The current Japanese princess (or is it queen?) went to school in Belmont. Tour buses with Japanese tourists go past the house and ooh ahh. (data point)

[Lefleur]

The issue some people I know have with Cambridge elementary schools is that they are assigned by lottery and each school has it's own "flavor" - educational philosophy, student body demographics, etc. I don't mean to imply one flavor is necessarily better than another flavor, but if you need to be okay with the fact that your children may end up in a school that isn't what you were hoping/wishing for. From the CPS website: "students register, and are assigned to school in Cambridge, under a Controlled Choice Plan which uses a variety of diversity factors and assignment preferences, including socio-economic status (determined by free and reduced price meal eligibility,) siblings, proximity, and race or ethnicity in a narrowly tailored manner."

For example, a former colleague of mine moved to Cambridge in late summer (quick job offer/relocation type deal) and, coincidentally, rented a place literally across the street from an elementary school (she found a great apartment - the school was just a nice coincidence). You can probably guess what happened next - her two kids ended up assigned to a school on the complete other side of Cambridge, basically as far from her place (near Porter) as you can get in the city limits. In the end it was not a big deal, but it was an interesting experience for her, coming from another state with the neighborhood schools concept, to put her kids on a bus in front of another elementary school and send them across the city (and back) each day.

The biggest surprise some friends of mine had is that not all Cambridge elementary schools run on the same schedule (each school sets its own). For example, Kennedy-Longfellow runs from 7:55 AM - 1:55 PM, while Morse runs from 8:25 AM - 2:25 PM, King Open runs from 8:55 AM - 2:55 PM, MLK Jr. runs from 7:55 AM - 3:55 PM, and so on.

Here's a brief run-down of Cambridge schools (all are k or jk - 8):
Amigos School - dual language (Spanish/English) immersion model - bilingualism and
biliteracy emphases

Baldwin School - Developmental Design instructional model, music program, lots of 7th & 8th grade electives

Cambridgeport School - Comprehensive Student Portfolios model, most classes are mixed to encompass 2-grades (such as 5/6 and 7/8)

Fletcher-Maynard Academy - Extended School Day approach (8 hours), emphasis on technology (every 5-8th grader gets their own laptop), students wear uniforms, 6-8th grade international travel program

Graham and Parks School - emphasis on social justice, "child-centered learning," multi-grade classrooms and looping single-grade classrooms, focus on "school democracy"

Haggerty School - Co-Teaching model (3rd - 5th grade classrooms have a special educator and a general education teacher - they work to be particularly inclusive to children with special needs), Italian language program for the younger grades

Kennedy-Longfellow School - experiential/"real life learning" program, independent-oriented "Intensive Studies Program"

King Open School - English and Portuguese bilingual program, multi-grade classrooms

MLK Jr. School - Mandarin Chinese program, extended school day program, all students take electives every semester

Morse School - Core Knowledge emphasis, big gardening program

Peabody School - professional development school for Lesley University, music program integrated into curriculum, school "social contract" emphasizing emotional growth

Tobin School - Montessori (no class divisions until age 8)

As you can tell, while there are some shared/common programs and themes across schools, each one has a distinct identity.

Hope this is helpful!

[lissy123]

We are a mixed race family living in Medford. I do not think the Medford middle school would be right for my daughter. She is very talented re drawing. Altho not shy at all, she will need some time to settle in to her new school. She is going in ot the 5th grade. WHich Cambridge middle schools would you recommend?
thanks

[katesp]

I know a lot about Brookline schools and would pick Brookline, specifically North Brookline in a heartbeat. Feel free to email with any ?s.

[mbagla]

Roma FE,
What did you end up going with - Brookline or cambridge? And which specific school? How was your experience? My husband and I are deciding between the two cities and your experiences would help!

MB