Woodhaven vs. Allandale - discuss (Austin: schools, move, design)

[BevoLJ]

Originally Posted by blakely

While there is some truth to this, I don't think this will be a problem in Woodhaven....it's a little more "down-to-earth-Eanes", if you will. I have a few friends who live in Woodhaven and they are just about the kindest, most "regular" types I can think of.

In any well-funded district, you are going to have people with money and kids who have a lot more than yours (I mean the collective "you") do. It kind of goes with the territory. But there's good lessons to be taught along with that.

Ah, yes very right. Woodhaven is very much the 'down-to-earth-Eanes" I was tired last night so I don't think I said what I really meant to say. Woodhaven is a very wonderful neighboorhood and the part of EISD where many of the Professors from UT and higher ranking state government officials and judges live. Also a retired NBA player and two ex-NFL players live over there. When I was a kid I met Earl Campbell at one of my parents things and I asked him if I could do a book report on him. After school I would walk over to his house over in that neighborhood and talk to him for my report. What an amazing guy, with more heart than just about anyone I'd ever met. Was a big deal for a kid my age growing up in Austin. =)

Sorry of the off topic there. But yes, that part of EISD is very laid back and much more down to earth than other parts of Westlake. However no matter what you kids growning up in EISD will be growing up with the kids of the Dells and John Paul DeJoria's of the world. Although to be fair Dejoria and his family just might be the most down to earth family in all of Austin. Well except maybe Sandra Bullock. Ok, point being not all billionaires and celebs are snobs, but coming from your neighborhood in DC it might actually be less snoby.

And as blakey said growing up around that can be a big lesson in itself. One other draw back to EISD. I don't know if Westlake High is still this way, but when I was a kid it had a huge cocaine problem. Maybe that is because of more money for kids to spend I don't know. Also that was back in the early 90's so it may be cleaned up now and I don't think coke is as popular as it was when I was younger. I remember it was just everywhere all the time.

[hilsmom]

I'll have to ask my friend (who happens to be the daughter of a former UT football coach and went to Westlake) exactly which neighborhood her family lived in. Likely NOT Woodhaven, but she and her dad (the former coach) are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. I mean, truly - not a snobby side to either of them. She was my very first friend in college and still near and dear to me even though she now lives all the way on the other side of the country. And her dad would take her friends to dinner anytime they visited her at school - it was so cool to see him on TV and go "Hey, I've had dinner with him!"

I have lived slightly "above my station" much of my life - I was an only child and my parents sent me to schools where I was not exactly a "rich girl" by comparison. I'm kind of used to some level of snobbery, but have also met some of the nicest people in those same circles. You'll find jerks at every income level, right?

Keep the advice coming!

[atlanta hope]

I've been looking at Allandale too -- I think it's a great neighborhood and centrally located for work since a lot of IT growth is in the North/NW part of town. I've heard good things about Gullet, but then I've also heard that for middle school, some parents put their kids in private school. I'm not sure how many parents that would do that, but I thought I'd mention it. I don't really care about the TAKS scores so much so I'll base my decision on other factors. Check out greatschools.com to read some parent feedback on the schools -- you can find some good stuff on there (like which schools teach to the test).

As far as preschools go, there are a fair number of good schools in the North Central/NW area. You can get on some discussion boards on Yahoo (I think it's called AustinEd) to ask questions and read discussions about things like preschools or kids' activities. I've learned a lot from parenting lists.

You mention that you don't want to find people just like you, that you don't want to get harassed... I think it's safe to say you'll find most places in Austin people have a live and let live attitude. Austin folks are really friendly and welcoming. I have some religious neighbors that I thought might look down on me for being agnostic, but they've been nothing but kind and respectful. No one has tried to convert me to their religion -- yet, anyway.

I considered the EANES school district briefly... since who wouldn't want their kids to attend the best public schools? Already my only child feels entitled, so I don't want (and can't afford) to feed that desire to keep up with the Jones'. I'm happier having her with a mix of ethnic and economic diversity and not being so interested in material things.

Good luck!

[hilsmom]

atlanta hope - where are you currently? and how old are your children?

I find diversity appealing in neighborhood/school makeup. My daughter currently goes to a center 3 days a week and I love that her school is very diverse.

I will check out the lists you recommended - I am not as interested in test scores and what not as your average parent, since I think those and school ratings are not exactly the end all be all. I worked in education policy for a while, so I am fairly skeptical of all things testing and rating related. I definitely am not happy with the "teach to the test" scenario - I spent my middle school years being taught to the test in English class. It felt like a huge waste of my time to do writing drills - BLAH!

My good friend who grew up outside of Houston has some good stories about her classmates trying to "convert" her. Anyway, I am pretty friendly and have friends of all types - I just want to make sure I am not moving into a neighborhood where I am the ONLY liberal and the ONLY non-church goer, so much so that I would be an outcast.

Just out of curiosity, what are the rates for nannies in the Austin area? I'm wondering if that might be a workable solution for us if and when we have #2.

[orngkat]

You might also peruse the Allandale newsletter to get a feel for what's going on.

[LittleCityATX]

Just curious, assuming that any given test was well written and correlated well with knowledge of the subject, why would you be against 'teaching to the test'? In every math class I've ever had there were tests and if you learned the material you did well on the tests. Isn't that 'teaching to the test'? Is a state administered test automatically 'bad' or are you saying that they are poorly designed?

[hilsmom]

It isn't that I am against tests in general - they CAN be a useful tool for assessing where a particular student is in their learning process. However, I disagree with the way they are being used in the current education system. Testing one class of students against another, that kind of thing - it is ridiculous. And "teaching to the test" bothers me if it is what is being done most of the year so that a the class can pass a test at the end. It is rigid and stifles learning, only asking kids to regurgitate what they have been taught to pass testing.

I could go into more detail, but that is the 2 second version.

[LittleCityATX]

Ok that's interesting. I'm kind of surprised though because India, China, England, etc. have extremely competitive testing systems that filter out lower quality students (in regards to going to prestigious universities) and their systems produce incredibly well educated students (at least in science and engineering, not sure about liberal arts) whereas our system is known for producing good but not great students. It seems odd to me that foreigners send their kids to the US to get top quality university educations while our own kids are doing less well. Maybe it's mostly a cultural thing.

Thanks though. (Sorry about straying off topic.)

[hilsmom]

Originally Posted by LittleCityATX

Ok that's interesting. I'm kind of surprised though because India, China, England, etc. have extremely competitive testing systems that filter out lower quality students (in regards to going to prestigious universities) and their systems produce incredibly well educated students (at least in science and engineering, not sure about liberal arts) whereas our system is known for producing good but not great students. It seems odd to me that foreigners send their kids to the US to get top quality university educations while our own kids are doing less well. Maybe it's mostly a cultural thing.

Thanks though. (Sorry about straying off topic.)

Well, that is the view the media portrays. However, this is not the whole story. At one of the conferences at the education association I used to work for here in DC, we heard from school officials in one of these countries who said they actually are looking to our system for clues on how to spur innovation, because we are ahead of them in entrepreneurship. The teaching to the test system doesn't really encourage free thinking, which is what our system does better. Of course, our system isn't perfect, but I think that parents in the US would go NUTS if we tried to implement the type of schools those countries have - longer school days, 6 days a week, sometimes kids are taken away from their families to attend school. We have enough resistance to year round schooling, which most education policy experts agree is the best way to do things.

Oh, and the idea of "filtering out students" - that wouldn't fly in this country. Our education system is built to teach ALL students, not just the ones deemed worthy.

[atlanta hope]

I'm in SW Austin currently, but getting divorced -- so downsizing to a more manageable house and more central location. (I do adore SW and South Austin though. I think I'll like Allandale or Crestview just as much once I get moved). My daughter just turned 4.

We talked to one nanny and she charged $15/hour. Not sure if that's the going rate or not. In Atlanta it was $12-15/hour, I'm assuming it's probably the same here. There are PLENTY of preschools and home run programs -- lots of blends of Waldorf, Montessori and Reggio Emilia. I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Feel free to message me if you have specific questions.

Originally Posted by hilsmom

atlanta hope - where are you currently? and how old are your children?

I find diversity appealing in neighborhood/school makeup. My daughter currently goes to a center 3 days a week and I love that her school is very diverse.

I will check out the lists you recommended - I am not as interested in test scores and what not as your average parent, since I think those and school ratings are not exactly the end all be all. I worked in education policy for a while, so I am fairly skeptical of all things testing and rating related. I definitely am not happy with the "teach to the test" scenario - I spent my middle school years being taught to the test in English class. It felt like a huge waste of my time to do writing drills - BLAH!

My good friend who grew up outside of Houston has some good stories about her classmates trying to "convert" her. Anyway, I am pretty friendly and have friends of all types - I just want to make sure I am not moving into a neighborhood where I am the ONLY liberal and the ONLY non-church goer, so much so that I would be an outcast.

Just out of curiosity, what are the rates for nannies in the Austin area? I'm wondering if that might be a workable solution for us if and when we have #2.