ACPS -- what am I missing?
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Anonymous
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I know ACPS has maybe the worst reputation of the area publics, but my husband and I really, really like Alexandria and would like to consider sending our children to public elementary school and hopefully beyond. Oldest is a rising K and we're moving from D.C. for more space and lower crime. We'd consider houses inbounds for Barrett, Brooks, Mason, MacArthur and Mt. Vernon. Other than lower test scores compared to some APS and and FCPS schools (which I don't really care about since my kids will have plenty of home support), what am I missing? Politics aside, why do people hate ACPS? Is it really so different from the neighboring school districts?
This is probably for a different thread, but if we move farther south to FCPS, is Sandburg Middle any better than GW? I've heard really negative things about both, and of course there are the parents who like the schools fine. Thanks for your opinions! |
Anonymous
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I think one of the tragedies of ACPS is that it has potential and could be easier to manage given it’s a smaller jurisdiction compared to others. The Superintendent is incredibly frustrating and squanders so many opportunities while being more concerned with his own personal image. He’s really condescending to parents and dismissive of community input. And for whatever reason the school board has historically failed hold him and the school system accountable. The Superintendent also tend to misuse “equity” as a crutch and excuse for failing to act. For example, he resisted and initially prohibited outdoor lunch as a COVID mitigation strategy because not all schools have the same outside spaces.
We actually loved our local neighborhood school (Charles Barrett) but left ACPS after the pandemic and middle school. One of my biggest gripes is the failure to account for projected enrollment growth and no plans to build any new middle schools or a second high school. The buildings at the secondary school level are completely overcrowded and busting at the seams. This makes issues bigger and harder to manage. There has also been a failure over the years to fully fund schools, including insufficient capital investments to address infrastructure issues. The mold issue at GWMS was so bad students turned it into a science project, got media attention, and publicly shamed the system into finally dealing with the problem. Great life lesson in advocacy, but it should have never gotten to that point, The strengths of ACPS include the community and parental engagement, as well as some excellent and committed teachers. Just wish that could translate into a better system for the students. |
Anonymous
| OP-I recommend connecting with people on some of the ACPS Facebook groups or in person. Discussions on ACPS and Alexandria in general on this board get nutty in a way I’ve never experienced in real life and I’ve lived here for 17 years and have 2 kids in ACPS. It’s not all rosy, but I think the anonymity of this board lets people say things in a way they would never dream of saying it in person (not limited to ACPS-on almost any topic). It’s also impossible to tell if the extreme views (pro and con) are multiple people or 1 or 2 really vocal people. Or people who actually have any experience with the schools. |
Anonymous
| We love our neighborhood elementary school. The teachers and all staff are amazing, and supportive, and kind, and funny and smart. I really can't say enough good things. If you enter ACPS, and have no reason to pay attention to system wide issues, like school closures, or calendar changes, or facility issues, rebuilding schools and swing space, you'll probably really like it. ACPS did a pretty poor job during Covid, but it wasn't the first time they failed from the top. The schools themselves are pretty great, but it's absolutely brutal at the leadership and administration level, and that occasionally will drive you mad. But, you might be lucky enough not to know about it for awhile. |
Anonymous
I say things here I’ve said and will continue to say in ACPS school board meetings. This is a very broken school system, full of dilapidated and overcrowded buildings. That is a fact. Schools underperform especially when you look at the $$ in Alexandria city. That is a fact. The long term plan is to have one 5000 kid high school that the school board expects to be at capacity on day one. |
Anonymous
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https://alextimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/3.17.22-Layout.pdf
SEE OUR VIEW | 29 march 17 2022 Alexandria Times Times columnists need viewpoint diversity To the editor: I ask that you seek a greater diver- sity of views among those you feature in the yellow-background columns on the weekly opinion page. The substance of recent pieces by Alexandria education leaders Mark Eaton, Meagan Alderton and Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Ed.D., leaves much to be desired. Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter’s bromides on leadership offer no insight into his bail and prosecution decisions. I was disheartened to learn that no economically disadvantaged student – or perhaps one, concealed by rounding – at my neighborhood elementary school, Naomi L. Brooks, earned a passing grade in science last year. According to the Virginia Department of Education, the share of economically disadvantaged students at Naomi Brooks who passed science declined from 47% in 2018-2019 to 0% in 2020-2021; mathematics dropped from 39% to 3%. At Alexandria City High School, these figures decline from 56% to 26% and 58% to 28%, respectively. With no irony, the ACPS website header features “Equity for All” in large type. We have a duty to foster educational excellence and to hold public officials accountable for the same. Alexandria’s education leaders use this platform to pay lip service to unspec- ified equity goals rather than leading with concrete actions addressing the gravest scandal in our city: the staggering achievement gap among our most vulner- able children. Eaton ruminates on listening, Alder- ton writes vaguely about equity and Women’s History Month and Hutchings offers a paean to Black History Month. All are worthy perspectives but are hardly evidence of critical thinking, self-ex- amination or accountability. Potential factors in academic underachievement – parental engagement, the value placed on schoolwork versus social media and video games and what the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan called “the soft bigotry of low expectations” – go unexamined by these leaders. I applaud the Times’ motto from SEE BLOOMFIELD | 29 |
Anonymous
| The Superintendent is an unintelligent grifter, and the Board is a bunch of cowards BUT! our kids are thriving in ACPS (the middle school is the low point). Despite its size, the high school does a really good job. Our DC got into every college applied to and fostered wonderful relationships with very committed teachers and mentors. We love our elementary school. Sadly, it is a district that talks about equity and produces zero results, and as a human and community member it is rather enraging, but on a micro-level with our kids they are thriving. |
Anonymous
Unfortunately, not everyone’s kids have such a good experience. For others, the problems you identify result in a really bad experience for their kids. |
Anonymous
| I wrote the post about kids thriving - now that I read the sexual assault story - KEEP YOUR KIDS AWAY FROM HERE unless and until the leadership changes. |
Anonymous
| OP--you will receive so much hate for ACPS. We have two kids in one of the elementary schools you mention. One is on an IEP. Teachers have been excellent, support has been great, parent community is great. We've loved the school. Not sure what middle or high school holds, but you are good with any one of those elementary schools. Best to talk to parents with kids there if possible. This forum (as you can see) brings out the worst of humanity. |
Anonymous
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My son goes to GWMS. We like it well enough. There are definitely some issues - it is a big, overcrowded school, the facilities are not great, and kids definitely need to take responsibility for themselves (getting help from teachers, tracking and turning in assignments). There are some fights at school, but he doesn't feel too involved in them, since they don't involve him or anyone he knows.
The good parts are he is in all honors classes, the work is reasonably challenging and interesting, most of his teachers have been good, and he's made new friends within our neighborhood. There are a fair number of clubs and intramurals that interest him, and he likes being in band. |
Anonymous
Or the truth about bad ACPS experiences. I believe the bad experiences posted here based on my child two stints in ACPS where we fought over IEP eligibility and implementation as well as protection from bullying. |
Anonymous
| OP- I used to teach in Alexandria and my husband went to school there. I work in Arlington now and you don't get the same community feeling like you do in ACPS. Yes, GWMS is going to be a low point, but that is true for EVERY middle school. I love living in Alexandria and you will also. |
Anonymous
The model at Lyles Crouch has been successful, at least in part, due to the principal who has been there a long time (16ish years?). When she retires, who knows what will happen to the school. To me it seems more likely that the superintendent and school board would mold it to the rest of the district, because, equity. |
Anonymous
Same here. My DD is in 7th grade and she likes the school and doing very well. Unfortunately, we have to move before high school to either Arlington or back to Montgomery county, where We are originally from because high School in Alexander City public school it's not for my daughter. It's basically one or two high schools, and it's overcrowded. At the end of 8th grade, we will be moving to Bethesda. |