We know ACPS is bad but WHY

[Anonymous]

I have heard for so many years that ACPS is not a great school district. But why is that the case? Many Alexandria residents care about education, pay high taxes and support the city bettering the schools. It seems like there is an invisible barrier to progress here and I can't understand why that is. Not much seems to have changed in decades. Can anyone provide any insights?

[Anonymous]

They reject a portion of funds is my understanding so they can make certain policy decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They reject a portion of funds is my understanding so they can make certain policy decisions.

Can you elaborate?

[Anonymous]

I posted on the other thread that we moved. Many of those people also send the kids to private school as they get older. Once you are inside the schools you see the older grades have a lot of kids that come from poverty and face issues in their life that are bigger than the current school day. This has not changed and likely will not change.

[Anonymous]

Poor people. It’s self perpetuating. The rich people go to private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Poor people. It’s self perpetuating. The rich people go to private schools.

That’s part of it. There are also lots of small(er) reasons. One of them is that they’re using outdated literacy curricula. Get with the times, acps.

[Anonymous]

Largest high school in state of Virginia because ACPS can’t figure out how to build a new school. Superintendent and Board Chair send their kids to private schools rather than their own district.

[Anonymous]

Often comes down to culture. There’s an interesting new book out on towns that succeed in educating all kinds of kids. Districts that Succeed is the name of the book. We went from a district like this (MCPS) to one that cares and let me tell you it came down to employee culture - ie caring. It starts with this.

DMV districts are all challenged by too much money and not enough caring. MCPS has 3 billion to spend a YEAR - yet cares little for the children under its welfare. Sexual abuse is rampant. Curriculum has been crap: for years they stuck with failing Curriculum 2.0, poor leadership (Jack Smith?). A district can maybe coast with one of these issues but not all of them. Lived in Alexandria for 2 years - guessing it’s similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted on the other thread that we moved. Many of those people also send the kids to private school as they get older. Once you are inside the schools you see the older grades have a lot of kids that come from poverty and face issues in their life that are bigger than the current school day. This has not changed and likely will not change.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They reject a portion of funds is my understanding so they can make certain policy decisions.

Can you elaborate?

I have no idea what this person is talking about, and doubt they'll be able to elaborate because they don't know what they're talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted on the other thread that we moved. Many of those people also send the kids to private school as they get older. Once you are inside the schools you see the older grades have a lot of kids that come from poverty and face issues in their life that are bigger than the current school day. This has not changed and likely will not change.

+100.

Currently have a 5th grader in ACPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I posted on the other thread that we moved. Many of those people also send the kids to private school as they get older. Once you are inside the schools you see the older grades have a lot of kids that come from poverty and face issues in their life that are bigger than the current school day. This has not changed and likely will not change.

+100.

Currently have a 5th grader in ACPS.

Do you plan to move, go private, or stay in ACPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Often comes down to culture. There’s an interesting new book out on towns that succeed in educating all kinds of kids. Districts that Succeed is the name of the book. We went from a district like this (MCPS) to one that cares and let me tell you it came down to employee culture - ie caring. It starts with this.

DMV districts are all challenged by too much money and not enough caring. MCPS has 3 billion to spend a YEAR - yet cares little for the children under its welfare. Sexual abuse is rampant. Curriculum has been crap: for years they stuck with failing Curriculum 2.0, poor leadership (Jack Smith?). A district can maybe coast with one of these issues but not all of them. Lived in Alexandria for 2 years - guessing it’s similar.

Does MCPS refer to Montgomery County? If so, I thought they were "Up there" with the best. I would be interested to know where you moved to that you feel is so much better (might put it on our list!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Poor people. It’s self perpetuating. The rich people go to private schools.

That’s part of it. There are also lots of small(er) reasons. One of them is that they’re using outdated literacy curricula. Get with the times, acps.

It’s all of it. ACPS schools preform exactly how you’d expect given their demographics, they just don’t have schools that lack poor kids and preform well to make the system as a whole look better.

[Anonymous]

My son goes to GWMS (7th). I don't think it is "bad," just too big. His teachers have been good, for the most part. It's just not very personal with 600 plus kids per grade crammed into that building. They need to make another middle school.