Morningside vs. Decatur vs. Fernbank/Oakhurst

[kaabye]

I have lived in Morningside for a few years and are daughter attends Morningside elementary. Decatur is nice as well but it tends to be more isolated from the rest of Atlanta than Morningside/Va Highlands. Most parents walk the kids to school at Morningside so it really creates a nice atmosphere. 500-700 is a good price range to work with in Decatur or Morningside but most homes are older so you generally won't get the big closets and full finished basements as you do in the burbs.

At a recent birthday party we were told about some the "progressive" teaching in the decatur schools from another parent and it made me very glad our kids are at morningside

I would ask to tour the schools and talk to the teachers and admins to get a feeling for the methods and how they line up with your thoughts.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by kaabye

I have lived in Morningside for a few years and are daughter attends Morningside elementary. Decatur is nice as well but it tends to be more isolated from the rest of Atlanta than Morningside/Va Highlands. Most parents walk the kids to school at Morningside so it really creates a nice atmosphere. 500-700 is a good price range to work with in Decatur or Morningside but most homes are older so you generally won't get the big closets and full finished basements as you do in the burbs.

At a recent birthday party we were told about some the "progressive" teaching in the decatur schools from another parent and it made me very glad our kids are at morningside

I would ask to tour the schools and talk to the teachers and admins to get a feeling for the methods and how they line up with your thoughts.

What did they mean by "progressive" teaching?

I'm curious about the overall impression of CSD...

[mama23]

Thanks all for your input. I'm curious what was meant by "Decatur being isolated from the rest of ATlanta"? I'm not sure if this is a plus or a minus.

I've toured quite a few private schools in the area (6) and both Fernbank & Oak Grove in DeKalb. I was quite shocked at the state of most of the facilities compared to what I am used to. I know that is not what I should be judging, but I do believe the esthetics of what a child is surrounded by has some impact on the learning environment.

I know what you mean by "progressive" sometimes being a bit too unconventional. I guess what I'm really looking for is child-centered with a strong basis in best practices in developmental education - not academics being pushed for NCLB legislation purposes. but don't want to start a debate on that

again, I really appreciate the input. thanks

[goozer]

Originally Posted by mama23

Thanks all for your input. I'm curious what was meant by "Decatur being isolated from the rest of ATlanta"? I'm not sure if this is a plus or a minus.

As a former City of Decatur resident, I'll chime in: I suspect the poster was referring to the fact that Decatur has a self-contained "Mayberry-esque meets earthy/liberal" vibe to it that is very different from anywhere else in Atlanta. Whereas, Morningside and Druid Hills have a slightly more upscale liberal vibe where I think you will find more wealth and a greater number of business executives who spend weekends on the golf course (although nothing like the more conservative buckhead/sandy springs neighborhoods). I loved living in Decatur, and I truly wish I could transport the neighborhood up to metro DC where I currently live.

Decatur is a fantastic place to raise kids in my opinion. Some of my favorite memories include bringing my toddler son out to the weekly summer concerts in the square, and the annual Decatur beach party where a few tons of sand are dumped in the middle of Ponce De Leon (the main drag through the city) and the street is closed while hundreds of kids frolic.

[modr8rzadums]

Re Decatur's progressive pedagogy. I have three kids in Decatur schools so I have a good bit of experience with them. K-3 schools in Decatur (Oakhurst, Clairemont & Winnona Park) are all Expeditionary Learning schools. For more info on what that means go to this website...

Expeditionary Learning

In 4th grade, all of the kids converge at Glennwood Academy and shift to an International Baccalaureate program. In a couple of years, 4th and 5th grade will move to a new school that they are building on the 5th Avenue school site.

Here is the website for IB...

The International Baccalaureate offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools

The websites do a pretty good job of detailing Decatur's educational philosophies. In a nutshell, Decatur focuses on project based learning rather than traditional textbook/worksheet based learning. The kids learn by taking on large projects or expeditions on an important topic. Math, language arts, social studies, Spanish, art/music and science instruction are all woven together so that kids can see how all of these subjects relate to each other instead of seeing them as completely separate disciplines.

We do have worksheets on occasion for things like number operations that just have to be drilled a bit, but they are rare. Homework is on the light side, and most of it relates to projects the kids are working on rather than drill sheets or reading from textbooks. You begin to see more textbooks in middle and high school but there are precious few in elementary.

Some parents do not like this method of learning b/c there are not many worksheets/homework assignments and graded test sheets to give them a definitive idea of how their child is doing. Parents have to take a look at where they are in their projects and expeditions and really won't see a final grade until the projects are finished.

Project based, interdisciplinary learning is a bit of a leap of faith. You have to have faith that your kid will learn a good bit by doing and by self discovery instead of by direct instruction. There is some lecturing and lots of reading, but the lecturing usually serves as a set up to get the projects started.

ELOB and IB require a kid who is somewhat self motivated, who is flexible in his/her thinking and has some mental stamina. The kids really have to think hard sometimes. Some kids who come to Decatur from other more traditional schools have a little trouble getting into the mindset that makes this work, but they do seem to get there after a few months.

I'm not into bubble tests, but our scores on the CRCT and MAP are some of the best in the state so their approach does work. It's not for everyone though.

Re Decatur being isolated, goozer has it right. We are a bit self contained b/c it's a close knit community. Our kids walk to school together. We have a lot of our own cultural events. We have a lot of our own restaurants and stores, etc. I admit, I can go several days without venturing out of Decatur. However, I have dared to set foot into Atlanta and seem to have been able to cope just fine. Our Atlanta friends don't seem to think we are weird either.

If you are really interested in Atlanta, I'd take a look at Mary Lin Elementary or perhaps Springdale Elementary as opposed to Morningside. There's nothing wrong with Morningside at all, but from what you say about yourself, you might find yourself more at home at Lin or Springdale. I'm particularly fond of Mary Lin, which is served by Candler Park, Inman Park and Lake Claire. These are all funky little neighborhoods with lots or really great, interesting people and wonderful parks, festivals, etc. Lin is a terrific school too.

Fernbank is a great school, but things are getting dicey in DeKalb (the Superintendent is under criminal investigation, and they are operating under an interim Super.) so I'd be a little nervous about it. I have a friend who works in DeKalb County Schools as a central office administrator, and she does not speak highly of the system at all. There are a lot of problems in central admin. There are parents trying to turn it around, but it's not there yet.

[sjuraud]

Have you considered renting for a year or two until you get a better idea of where you'd be happy buying? I also like City of Decatur a lot and it's in your price range. I would live there if I could afford it. I did rent for about 5 years in Oakhurst. It's also nice, but a little funkier/edgier in my opinion. It was much more recently gentrified.

I was in Seattle a few weeks ago with the wife. There is no way anywhere in Atlanta is going to come off as clean as everything we saw in Seattle. It's just won't be the same here. Also be aware that City of Decatur and areas nearby are very gay friendly. This might be what one of the posters previous was referring to as "progressive". I mean that in a way of you'll often see lesbian couples strolling around holding hands or out to eat somewhere. Not in the running around butt naked San Francisco style. So if you have a problem with that lifestyle, you might be happier in a neighborhood farther to the North.

[mama23]

I'd like to rent for awhile - but this is a pretty disruptive move for our family, so as little shifting as possible would be good for the kids.

we are also looking at The Children's School and Mary Lin Elementary.

we are having a hard time making the housing & school options fit in such a short amount of time. wish us luck.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by mama23

I'd like to rent for awhile - but this is a pretty disruptive move for our family, so as little shifting as possible would be good for the kids.

we are also looking at The Children's School and Mary Lin Elementary.

we are having a hard time making the housing & school options fit in such a short amount of time. wish us luck.

Mary Lin is awesome.


Also look into Springdale Park Elementary--Mary Lin and Springdale Park are in the same general area.

[seattlemom1000]

Can you tell us what you finally chose? My family is moving from Seattle to Atlanta this summer and considering many of the same schools and neighborhoods. Now that you are there, your insight would be very helpful for me. Thanks!