APS Elementary Rankings
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Anonymous
It’s been said multiple times. Plenty of families do not want homework, to be told their kid needs to tuck their shirt in, to be held to behavior standards, to read and sign a weekly update. All the other stuff doesn’t work if there isn’t buy-in. |
Anonymous
ATS serves a population of kids that’s different from the population at my ES. Accordingly, needs/wants of the families differs. So not a one size fits all. I don’t want any homework. My children are devouring books on the weekends and after school because we read all the time with them and independently. I view reading as the most significant outside work in elementary school. My children and their fiends play outside in their neighborhood independently and for hours. This is what I want them spending time on. We have very few behavior problems—look there are a handful of kids—but generally kids come from strong families. So I don’t care about some huge emphasis on behavior; the kids are generally good kids. All of my kids friends parents when to college and most grad school. They are engaged in their work and their families. I don’t need ATS elective group of families to have engaged parents. I have them. I could see how my mindset would change being zoned for a different elementary school. |
Anonymous
You’re right that a lot has changed for everyone post Covid. But I know the biology SOL/immersion thing was still true a year or two ago (might not be 100% now, but immersion kids scoring higher) from talking to the teachers. I don’t know about other stats. |
Anonymous
It's probably a little unfair to make the comparison as a kid who is struggling to pass SOLs would probably drop immersion to focus on passing, but it's still good to see immersion students doing so well. |
Anonymous
Old fogies used to call this “school” but now we have to get buy-in. |
Anonymous
It’s almost like ATS should be the norm and niche schools designed solely for children of the upper middle class should become the option schools. |
Anonymous
Like MPSA and Immersion. |
Anonymous
Exactly. Politicians and elected school board members won't say it...but much of a child's educational attainment relies on parents demanding high academic performance from their kids. Schools can only do so much. |
Anonymous
In many well-off parts of Arlington sports take precedence over high academic performance. So I don't see the widespread adoption of ATS' pedagogy. On the other hand, a large number of immigrant families in the county, including the large Mongolian community, tend to prioritize high academic performance over everything else. |
Anonymous
“ In this article, research conducted in the United States since 1987 on the effects of homework is summarized. Studies are grouped into four research designs. The authors found that all studies, regardless of type, had design flaws. However, both within and across design types, there was generally consistent evidence for a positive influence of homework on achievement. Studies that reported sim- ple homework–achievement correlations revealed evidence that a stronger correlation existed (a) in Grades 7–12 than in K–6 and (b) when students rather than parents reported time on homework. No strong evidence was found for an association between the homework–achievement link and the outcome measure (grades as opposed to standardized tests) or the subject matter (reading as opposed to math). On the basis of these results and others, the authors suggest future research.” |
Anonymous
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I think homework can be beneficial for some kids, while others may not need it as much. Every child learns differently, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't always work.
For my child, I really wish they were at ATS, because they need the extra reinforcement of what’s covered in class. My oldest didn’t have regular homework until 5th grade, and they really struggled in middle school when it suddenly became an expectation. Studies can say one thing or another, but at the end of the day, I have to go by what works for my child. I truly believe my youngest would thrive in that kind of environment, but unfortunately, we didn’t get in. So instead, we’ve had to assign our own homework and also work with a tutor to help provide the support they need. |
Anonymous
+1. We could name that niche option school "Snowflake ES" and maybe put it in N Arlington.... |
Anonymous
| I like ATS except not as a public school. As a taxpayer I will pay for public kids doing STEM (TJ), language (Immersion) or Montessori (MPSA) because they are distinct and identifiable pedagogies. Not ATS. I respect parents who want that but that is private. |
Anonymous
But ATS' pedagogy is a traditional pre-1960s approach that eschew's the latest educational fads as they come and go like open classrooms, or relaxed dress codes, no homework, etc. There will probably always be a demand for that, and APS is meeting that demand. As long as the school produces results, APS will not get rid of it. On a related note, that's why HB is one of the few schools of its kind still in operation in the U.S. after similar experiments were shut down by other districts in the 1980s. The educational outcomes are still strong. |
Anonymous
This doesn't make sense. ATS, Immersion and Montessori are all lottery?! In that case all lottery schools should be rmeoved from the public school system then not just some. |