Alexandria Redistricting Process Starting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still years away from having a kid in school, but I'm curious about the animosity towards Mount Vernon. I've lived in Del Ray for a few years now, and it's FULL of kids. It seems like the community and school have a great relationship, and neighbors of ours even moved just blocks away from where they were to get into the district instead of Jefferson-Houston. Are standardized test scores really that important? Don't kids learn at different paces and in different ways? Isn't socialization and making friends and being creative and inspired to learn important too, especially at the elementary level?

I am a parent zoned for Mt. Vernon and we decided to send our kids to another public in the city. We also applied to several parochial and private schools as alternatives because we were that unimpressed with Mt. Vernon. The kids you see at the playground on the weekends, and in and around Del Ray are not the kids who populate the school. Watch the busses drop off in the morning - it's a demographic that is 60+% Hispanic/ESL and not the yuppie Del Ray families who descend on the playground during the weekends and evenings. We toured the school. We spoke with the principal. We talked to neighbors. We reviewed test scores and curriculum. The school is NOT succeeding. IMO, it's worse than Jefferson Houston. The school is entirely devoted to Spanish immersion, not because del ray families want their kids to learn Spanish, but because the zoned population can't speak English and were failing subjects in English, failing test scores, etc., so they are trying to reach them in Spanish. The classes we saw were chaotic and noisy. The school is huge with 900+ children, the majority of which are ESL. Resources are focused toward ESL families and non-ESL children are not taught Spanish, But are expected to learn math and science in a language that isnt English. The English speaking kids are failing Bc they aren't learning Spanish, but are expected to do math word problems in Spanish. The SPANISH speaking kids are still failing even with immersion. And the dual language doesn't carry over into middle school, so all the kids will have to learn back in English again anyway.

Why would I subject my bright English-speaking children to such a flawed and failing institution? Especially at the start of their academic careers? We are appalled that this school is forced on us with the failing dual language paradigm. It should be an optional charter school. Dual language shouldn't be forced on any family.

We are very happy with our chosen public. Thank god for the admin transfer process. Otherwise, like many other families we know, we would be fleeing to Arlington or Fairfax ASAP!

I have heard they are changing the curriculum to teach Spanish-speaking kids more Spanish fundamentals (they were assuming some basic Spanish skills that weren't there), but I think that is very recent so I am not sure if people would see the effects yet.

Also, how recent was your experience and where were you able to transfer?

[Anonymous]

We've got a toddler and live in Del Ray and we don't know anyone who is sending their kids to MVCS (we just don't know anyone with school-aged kids--at least not yet).

So boards like this are helpful, if not overwhelming and confusing (so much contradiction!).

I am curious if people who have chosen MVCS recently can tell me what they like and don't like about the school and also what I should think about in terms of the school being a good fit for my child when the time comes. I want to get information about how it currently is and also where you think it is headed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still years away from having a kid in school, but I'm curious about the animosity towards Mount Vernon. I've lived in Del Ray for a few years now, and it's FULL of kids. It seems like the community and school have a great relationship, and neighbors of ours even moved just blocks away from where they were to get into the district instead of Jefferson-Houston. Are standardized test scores really that important? Don't kids learn at different paces and in different ways? Isn't socialization and making friends and being creative and inspired to learn important too, especially at the elementary level?

I am a parent zoned for Mt. Vernon and we decided to send our kids to another public in the city. We also applied to several parochial and private schools as alternatives because we were that unimpressed with Mt. Vernon. The kids you see at the playground on the weekends, and in and around Del Ray are not the kids who populate the school. Watch the busses drop off in the morning - it's a demographic that is 60+% Hispanic/ESL and not the yuppie Del Ray families who descend on the playground during the weekends and evenings. We toured the school. We spoke with the principal. We talked to neighbors. We reviewed test scores and curriculum. The school is NOT succeeding. IMO, it's worse than Jefferson Houston. The school is entirely devoted to Spanish immersion, not because del ray families want their kids to learn Spanish, but because the zoned population can't speak English and were failing subjects in English, failing test scores, etc., so they are trying to reach them in Spanish. The classes we saw were chaotic and noisy. The school is huge with 900+ children, the majority of which are ESL. Resources are focused toward ESL families and non-ESL children are not taught Spanish, But are expected to learn math and science in a language that isnt English. The English speaking kids are failing Bc they aren't learning Spanish, but are expected to do math word problems in Spanish. The SPANISH speaking kids are still failing even with immersion. And the dual language doesn't carry over into middle school, so all the kids will have to learn back in English again anyway.

Why would I subject my bright English-speaking children to such a flawed and failing institution? Especially at the start of their academic careers? We are appalled that this school is forced on us with the failing dual language paradigm. It should be an optional charter school. Dual language shouldn't be forced on any family.

We are very happy with our chosen public. Thank god for the admin transfer process. Otherwise, like many other families we know, we would be fleeing to Arlington or Fairfax ASAP!

That is absolutely untrue. The school will be 100% dual language precisely because the, as you put it, "del ray families" wanted dual language (I would argue the kids on the bus are also "del ray families" just not of the socio-economic group you like to recognize as living there). Every year there were more kindergartners, white/black and non Spanish speaking, families that were left out of the dual language classes. They added another class, than two, and finally decided that the entire school would be dual language. I do not have children that attend MVCS, we transferred out but if you did indeed visit the school as often as you say, that would be the first thing they told you. In previous years the Spanish instruction for math and science was by immersion (which is why we opted out) but it is no longer taught that way. Also, there are not, nor do I think there ever was, 900+ students in the school. Last year was the largest enrollment ever and it was 817. There is plenty to complain about at MVCS but at least get your facts straight. One real positive, it has a very engaged and supportive PTA and community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still years away from having a kid in school, but I'm curious about the animosity towards Mount Vernon. I've lived in Del Ray for a few years now, and it's FULL of kids. It seems like the community and school have a great relationship, and neighbors of ours even moved just blocks away from where they were to get into the district instead of Jefferson-Houston. Are standardized test scores really that important? Don't kids learn at different paces and in different ways? Isn't socialization and making friends and being creative and inspired to learn important too, especially at the elementary level?

I am a parent zoned for Mt. Vernon and we decided to send our kids to another public in the city. We also applied to several parochial and private schools as alternatives because we were that unimpressed with Mt. Vernon. The kids you see at the playground on the weekends, and in and around Del Ray are not the kids who populate the school. Watch the busses drop off in the morning - it's a demographic that is 60+% Hispanic/ESL and not the yuppie Del Ray families who descend on the playground during the weekends and evenings. We toured the school. We spoke with the principal. We talked to neighbors. We reviewed test scores and curriculum. The school is NOT succeeding. IMO, it's worse than Jefferson Houston. The school is entirely devoted to Spanish immersion, not because del ray families want their kids to learn Spanish, but because the zoned population can't speak English and were failing subjects in English, failing test scores, etc., so they are trying to reach them in Spanish. The classes we saw were chaotic and noisy. The school is huge with 900+ children, the majority of which are ESL. Resources are focused toward ESL families and non-ESL children are not taught Spanish, But are expected to learn math and science in a language that isnt English. The English speaking kids are failing Bc they aren't learning Spanish, but are expected to do math word problems in Spanish. The SPANISH speaking kids are still failing even with immersion. And the dual language doesn't carry over into middle school, so all the kids will have to learn back in English again anyway.

Why would I subject my bright English-speaking children to such a flawed and failing institution? Especially at the start of their academic careers? We are appalled that this school is forced on us with the failing dual language paradigm. It should be an optional charter school. Dual language shouldn't be forced on any family.

We are very happy with our chosen public. Thank god for the admin transfer process. Otherwise, like many other families we know, we would be fleeing to Arlington or Fairfax ASAP!

That is absolutely untrue. The school will be 100% dual language precisely because the, as you put it, "del ray families" wanted dual language (I would argue the kids on the bus are also "del ray families" just not of the socio-economic group you like to recognize as living there). Every year there were more kindergartners, white/black and non Spanish speaking, families that were left out of the dual language classes. They added another class, than two, and finally decided that the entire school would be dual language. I do not have children that attend MVCS, we transferred out but if you did indeed visit the school as often as you say, that would be the first thing they told you. In previous years the Spanish instruction for math and science was by immersion (which is why we opted out) but it is no longer taught that way. Also, there are not, nor do I think there ever was, 900+ students in the school. Last year was the largest enrollment ever and it was 817. There is plenty to complain about at MVCS but at least get your facts straight. One real positive, it has a very engaged and supportive PTA and community.

Thank you for this. Nice to have some reason! Just to clarify: the math and science is or is not taught in Spanish currently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still years away from having a kid in school, but I'm curious about the animosity towards Mount Vernon. I've lived in Del Ray for a few years now, and it's FULL of kids. It seems like the community and school have a great relationship, and neighbors of ours even moved just blocks away from where they were to get into the district instead of Jefferson-Houston. Are standardized test scores really that important? Don't kids learn at different paces and in different ways? Isn't socialization and making friends and being creative and inspired to learn important too, especially at the elementary level?

I am a parent zoned for Mt. Vernon and we decided to send our kids to another public in the city. We also applied to several parochial and private schools as alternatives because we were that unimpressed with Mt. Vernon. The kids you see at the playground on the weekends, and in and around Del Ray are not the kids who populate the school. Watch the busses drop off in the morning - it's a demographic that is 60+% Hispanic/ESL and not the yuppie Del Ray families who descend on the playground during the weekends and evenings. We toured the school. We spoke with the principal. We talked to neighbors. We reviewed test scores and curriculum. The school is NOT succeeding. IMO, it's worse than Jefferson Houston. The school is entirely devoted to Spanish immersion, not because del ray families want their kids to learn Spanish, but because the zoned population can't speak English and were failing subjects in English, failing test scores, etc., so they are trying to reach them in Spanish. The classes we saw were chaotic and noisy. The school is huge with 900+ children, the majority of which are ESL. Resources are focused toward ESL families and non-ESL children are not taught Spanish, But are expected to learn math and science in a language that isnt English. The English speaking kids are failing Bc they aren't learning Spanish, but are expected to do math word problems in Spanish. The SPANISH speaking kids are still failing even with immersion. And the dual language doesn't carry over into middle school, so all the kids will have to learn back in English again anyway.

Why would I subject my bright English-speaking children to such a flawed and failing institution? Especially at the start of their academic careers? We are appalled that this school is forced on us with the failing dual language paradigm. It should be an optional charter school. Dual language shouldn't be forced on any family.

We are very happy with our chosen public. Thank god for the admin transfer process. Otherwise, like many other families we know, we would be fleeing to Arlington or Fairfax ASAP!

That is absolutely untrue. The school will be 100% dual language precisely because the, as you put it, "del ray families" wanted dual language (I would argue the kids on the bus are also "del ray families" just not of the socio-economic group you like to recognize as living there). Every year there were more kindergartners, white/black and non Spanish speaking, families that were left out of the dual language classes. They added another class, than two, and finally decided that the entire school would be dual language. I do not have children that attend MVCS, we transferred out but if you did indeed visit the school as often as you say, that would be the first thing they told you. In previous years the Spanish instruction for math and science was by immersion (which is why we opted out) but it is no longer taught that way. Also, there are not, nor do I think there ever was, 900+ students in the school. Last year was the largest enrollment ever and it was 817. There is plenty to complain about at MVCS but at least get your facts straight. One real positive, it has a very engaged and supportive PTA and community.

No actually you are wrong and the pp is correct.

The school board voted on this so you can find the info on line.
They choose Spanish dual language bc it's a proven method to improve
Learning and test scores for ESL students. That some Del Ray parents
Might like the dual language was a tertiary reason at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still years away from having a kid in school, but I'm curious about the animosity towards Mount Vernon. I've lived in Del Ray for a few years now, and it's FULL of kids. It seems like the community and school have a great relationship, and neighbors of ours even moved just blocks away from where they were to get into the district instead of Jefferson-Houston. Are standardized test scores really that important? Don't kids learn at different paces and in different ways? Isn't socialization and making friends and being creative and inspired to learn important too, especially at the elementary level?

I am a parent zoned for Mt. Vernon and we decided to send our kids to another public in the city. We also applied to several parochial and private schools as alternatives because we were that unimpressed with Mt. Vernon. The kids you see at the playground on the weekends, and in and around Del Ray are not the kids who populate the school. Watch the busses drop off in the morning - it's a demographic that is 60+% Hispanic/ESL and not the yuppie Del Ray families who descend on the playground during the weekends and evenings. We toured the school. We spoke with the principal. We talked to neighbors. We reviewed test scores and curriculum. The school is NOT succeeding. IMO, it's worse than Jefferson Houston. The school is entirely devoted to Spanish immersion, not because del ray families want their kids to learn Spanish, but because the zoned population can't speak English and were failing subjects in English, failing test scores, etc., so they are trying to reach them in Spanish. The classes we saw were chaotic and noisy. The school is huge with 900+ children, the majority of which are ESL. Resources are focused toward ESL families and non-ESL children are not taught Spanish, But are expected to learn math and science in a language that isnt English. The English speaking kids are failing Bc they aren't learning Spanish, but are expected to do math word problems in Spanish. The SPANISH speaking kids are still failing even with immersion. And the dual language doesn't carry over into middle school, so all the kids will have to learn back in English again anyway.

Why would I subject my bright English-speaking children to such a flawed and failing institution? Especially at the start of their academic careers? We are appalled that this school is forced on us with the failing dual language paradigm. It should be an optional charter school. Dual language shouldn't be forced on any family.

We are very happy with our chosen public. Thank god for the admin transfer process. Otherwise, like many other families we know, we would be fleeing to Arlington or Fairfax ASAP!

That is absolutely untrue. The school will be 100% dual language precisely because the, as you put it, "del ray families" wanted dual language (I would argue the kids on the bus are also "del ray families" just not of the socio-economic group you like to recognize as living there). Every year there were more kindergartners, white/black and non Spanish speaking, families that were left out of the dual language classes. They added another class, than two, and finally decided that the entire school would be dual language. I do not have children that attend MVCS, we transferred out but if you did indeed visit the school as often as you say, that would be the first thing they told you. In previous years the Spanish instruction for math and science was by immersion (which is why we opted out) but it is no longer taught that way. Also, there are not, nor do I think there ever was, 900+ students in the school. Last year was the largest enrollment ever and it was 817. There is plenty to complain about at MVCS but at least get your facts straight. One real positive, it has a very engaged and supportive PTA and community.

No actually you are wrong and the pp is correct.

The school board voted on this so you can find the info on line.
They choose Spanish dual language bc it's a proven method to improve
Learning and test scores for ESL students. That some Del Ray parents
Might like the dual language was a tertiary reason at best.

2/09/2013 09:45 Subject: City of Alexandria - Mt. Vernon Elem School - likely to return to traditional calendar [Up]
Anonymous

Welcome to MVCS, the next Jefferson-Houston failing elementary school in the city! We are Del Ray residents with two rising Kindergarteners, and there is NO WAY we will be sending our kids to MVCS based on last week's school board meeting.

The school board and principal made it obviously clear that the sole focus of the school is on ESL kids and funding their programs, at the expense of declining programs and attention to native English speakers. For what we pay in property taxes, we are disgusted.

Make MVCS a charter school and let us transfer our kids elsewhere until the school can formalize it's identity and stop reverse discrimination against English speakers!

So the school board approved the proposal to shift MVCS back to a traditional calendar year last night.

This without polling parents.

This without a committment to fully fund the alternative summer learning program.

The meeting was a fiasco, IMO, and demonstrated exactly why we will not be sending our rising Kindergartener to MVCS. Every discussion was about helping ESL students and pumping more and more finding into programs for ESL students at the expense of the non-ESL kids. We would have been excited for the intercession program for our child, and the opportunity to learn and expand his horizons in different areas during school vacation breaks.

Now, that taxpayer money which would have benefitted our non-ESL son is going to be pumped into more and more ESL programs during the summer, which will not benefit him at all

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/60/343146.page

[Anonymous]

When we toured MVCS last year, the principal himself said that the school is slated to become one of the largest schools in the city if not the largest elementary school with the population to exceed 900 students. It may not be there yet, but that is where the school is headed.

And the school board has made it very clear time and time again that funding and support to MVCS is primarily earmarked for ESL families, ESL programs, and reaching that demographic. That some del ray families who are non-ESL like the idea is coincidence. Not the primary reason.

We talked to neighbors and opted not to send our children to MVCS. We know many other families who did not. We know families who are transfers at Maury, Charles Barrett (lots of MVCS defectors there), and maybe one at Lyles-Crouch. I think most go to Charles Barrett. We also know several who are at St. Mary's, St. Rita's, and Burgundy Farm. Lots of Burgundy families in Del Ray.

To say that Del Ray families want MVCS is a gross overstatement.

[Anonymous]

And there are lots of Del Ray families who chose MVCS for their kids and are happy with the choice - and are excited that their kids are learning Spanish in addition to the regular curriculum!

[Anonymous]

I used to live in Del Ray. My take from talking to the parents: they all loved the year-round calendar and the intercession program (which I think used to be better). Years ago, people were vying for spots in the dual-language program (I know many whose kids did not get in). There are some great teachers, and a few pretty bad ones (I met a real strange MVCS teacher at party once). The PTA is great. Parents in general did feel like their kids were not getting as much attention as they would like.

I think people were pretty disappointed when they did away with the year-round calendar and the intercession program. I was, because that's the one thing people really seemed to like. For us, it was the final nail in the coffin in deciding to move, even though we loved Del Ray.

[Anonymous]

Prospective parents of any school (MVCS or any other) need to talk to the people that know that school: the neighbors with kids who attend, the teachers, the principal, the parents on the playground after school, the parents at PTA meetings and school events...

The parents who chose to have their kids attend a different school, or chose to move to a different neighborhood, undoubtably have valid reasons for making their decisions, but, more often then not, their knowledge of a particular school is based on a first impression, rumors, playground chatter, a bad vibe on a bad day, a preconceived notion, etc.- but in the end, they don't really know that much about the school because their kids never went there.

Talk to the parents whose kids attend, who know what happens day to day, who know the teachers. Ask what they like, what they'd change, what their kids are doing - and you will have much more accurate information to help you decide whether a school is a good fit for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prospective parents of any school (MVCS or any other) need to talk to the people that know that school: the neighbors with kids who attend, the teachers, the principal, the parents on the playground after school, the parents at PTA meetings and school events...

The parents who chose to have their kids attend a different school, or chose to move to a different neighborhood, undoubtably have valid reasons for making their decisions, but, more often then not, their knowledge of a particular school is based on a first impression, rumors, playground chatter, a bad vibe on a bad day, a preconceived notion, etc.- but in the end, they don't really know that much about the school because their kids never went there.

Talk to the parents whose kids attend, who know what happens day to day, who know the teachers. Ask what they like, what they'd change, what their kids are doing - and you will have much more accurate information to help you decide whether a school is a good fit for your kid.

We did all this and still refused to send our kids to MVCS. Horrible test scores and failing benchmarks don't lie. Parents whose kids couldn't do word problems in 3rd grade bc they were in Spanish (and their non-ESL kids didn't learn Spanish well) don't lie. Parents who sent their older child but refused to send younger siblings because the programs are going downhill don't lie. The noisy and chaotic classes we visited don't lie. The friends whose non-ESL second grader was bullied by mean-girl ESL kids didn't lie. Sure, some parents will select it for immersion or select it to get out of Jefferson Houston. But many of us in del ray did do our homework and decided MVCS was not for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've got a toddler and live in Del Ray and we don't know anyone who is sending their kids to MVCS (we just don't know anyone with school-aged kids--at least not yet).

So boards like this are helpful, if not overwhelming and confusing (so much contradiction!).

I am curious if people who have chosen MVCS recently can tell me what they like and don't like about the school and also what I should think about in terms of the school being a good fit for my child when the time comes. I want to get information about how it currently is and also where you think it is headed.

Hi,

We are Del Ray parents enrolling our eldest child in MVCS right now. I'm only commenting here because you, like me, actually want info you can use. We have some ambivalence about the school. It's huge and we do not believe the Dual Language program exists because of the outcry from parents on the south side of Glebe. And I say that as someone who is sending my child there in 5 months so I think I have some credibility. It's clear to me that the program is designed to help improve the scores for ESL children and bring kids of different races and backgrounds together -- which are both fine reasons to have the program.

(As an aside, I was really upset that they killed the year-round school for budget cuts, but alas, here we are.)

We are going to be MVCS parents because we've done our homework, talked to friends and neighbors and think Dual Language *could* be a great thing for our children, and want to continue to create a lasting relationship with our neighborhood. In chatting with the staff, I feel comfortable enough to start out at MVCS and transfer if necessary. I will only do that if I feel my child isn't getting the attention to be his best, not because the FAMIS rate is high.

[Anonymous]

I am really amazed at the anti-MVCS vitriol of the one poster claiming to speak for "Del Ray Families" about MVCS. I am an MVCS parent. One student in 4th, one in K. We love the school. The principal is engaged, dynamic, and has cultivated a great staff. The parent community is really wonderful -- and yes, there is a large contingent of Del Ray families in that number. It is big (I think the current enrollment is 812 compared to the 411 or so at Maury), and that can be overwhelming at first. But they do a great job of making the school feel small in the way classes are located in the building. Neither of my kids has ever had a bad teacher. In fact, I have been extremely impressed by each teacher. No doubt we lucked out a bit with our older student, because I know that there were some bad apples in the past, but they are gone now. I am blown away by how great the dual language program is for my K student. It has gotten better and better every year. Those K kids are truly getting literacy in two languages in a way that was not consistent in prior years. The first couple of years we had administrative turnover and we had central office mandated programs (Success For All -- good riddance!) that made things a bit rough. But Mr. Balas (that's the principal) has really done a fantastic job righting the ship. Teacher morale is high, and the school is a happy environment. My older kid is TAG and I think the level of attention and challenge has been exactly what it should be. And my younger gets the appropriate attention and challenge as well. I could not be happier with our decision to stay an MVCS family. Is the school perfect? Nope. No school is. Are there lots of poor and disadvantaged kids there. Yes. But for the most part their families are just as concerned and just as dedicated to getting their kids a good education as wealthier families. Can the size be a problem - sure - it is hard to do "all school" events because of the number of people, so things like concerts/plays are done by grade level. On test scores: if you actually look at the test data from last year's SOLs - MVCS native English speakers score the same or higher than their peers at other schools on the SOLs. In fact, MVCS math scores last year were higher than those at Barrett! (And yes, they learned in Spanish. And yes, the tests were in English). And the "subgroups" at MVCS - scored higher than the subgroups at other ACPS schools. Clearly the notion that "everyone is failing" is simply not true. Nor is it true that "most Del Ray families" transfer out or go to private schools. We walk to school every day with tons of Del Ray kids -- 7 of them are from our immediate block alone. Yes, there are families around us that chose to send their kids to other ACPS schools, but there are also families zoned for Maury, Barrett, Cora Kelly, J-H, and even George Mason that transferred to MVCS. Everyone has their reasons for their choices. My kids are bilingual, happy and thriving at MVCS. I'm sure those who chose other schools are happy and thriving wherever they went. I guess my point is - the best way to know whether a school is the right fit for you is to talk to people who currently have kids in that school -- not those who had kids there 10 years ago and not those who transferred to other schools or moved out of the neighborhood. I have no problem saying that if the administrative turnover and success for all program had continued, we might have made a different decision for our K student. I'm tremendously glad we didn't have to make that decision. We value the dual language education and the real sense of community at MVCS. We love that our kids can walk to school and on the weekends can walk to any number of classmates' houses to find people to play with. And we love the community support for the school from the surrounding neighborhood and from all of the families, no matter their economic resources.

[Anonymous]

Oh yeah, meant to say: welcome new MVCS parent - glad you chose to give it a try! I miss year-round calendar too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still years away from having a kid in school, but I'm curious about the animosity towards Mount Vernon. I've lived in Del Ray for a few years now, and it's FULL of kids. It seems like the community and school have a great relationship, and neighbors of ours even moved just blocks away from where they were to get into the district instead of Jefferson-Houston. Are standardized test scores really that important? Don't kids learn at different paces and in different ways? Isn't socialization and making friends and being creative and inspired to learn important too, especially at the elementary level?

I am a parent zoned for Mt. Vernon and we decided to send our kids to another public in the city. We also applied to several parochial and private schools as alternatives because we were that unimpressed with Mt. Vernon. The kids you see at the playground on the weekends, and in and around Del Ray are not the kids who populate the school. Watch the busses drop off in the morning - it's a demographic that is 60+% Hispanic/ESL and not the yuppie Del Ray families who descend on the playground during the weekends and evenings. We toured the school. We spoke with the principal. We talked to neighbors. We reviewed test scores and curriculum. The school is NOT succeeding. IMO, it's worse than Jefferson Houston. The school is entirely devoted to Spanish immersion, not because del ray families want their kids to learn Spanish, but because the zoned population can't speak English and were failing subjects in English, failing test scores, etc., so they are trying to reach them in Spanish. The classes we saw were chaotic and noisy. The school is huge with 900+ children, the majority of which are ESL. Resources are focused toward ESL families and non-ESL children are not taught Spanish, But are expected to learn math and science in a language that isnt English. The English speaking kids are failing Bc they aren't learning Spanish, but are expected to do math word problems in Spanish. The SPANISH speaking kids are still failing even with immersion. And the dual language doesn't carry over into middle school, so all the kids will have to learn back in English again anyway.

Why would I subject my bright English-speaking children to such a flawed and failing institution? Especially at the start of their academic careers? We are appalled that this school is forced on us with the failing dual language paradigm. It should be an optional charter school. Dual language shouldn't be forced on any family.

We are very happy with our chosen public. Thank god for the admin transfer process. Otherwise, like many other families we know, we would be fleeing to Arlington or Fairfax ASAP!

That is absolutely untrue. The school will be 100% dual language precisely because the, as you put it, "del ray families" wanted dual language (I would argue the kids on the bus are also "del ray families" just not of the socio-economic group you like to recognize as living there). Every year there were more kindergartners, white/black and non Spanish speaking, families that were left out of the dual language classes. They added another class, than two, and finally decided that the entire school would be dual language. I do not have children that attend MVCS, we transferred out but if you did indeed visit the school as often as you say, that would be the first thing they told you. In previous years the Spanish instruction for math and science was by immersion (which is why we opted out) but it is no longer taught that way. Also, there are not, nor do I think there ever was, 900+ students in the school. Last year was the largest enrollment ever and it was 817. There is plenty to complain about at MVCS but at least get your facts straight. One real positive, it has a very engaged and supportive PTA and community.

Thank you for this. Nice to have some reason! Just to clarify: the math and science is or is not taught in Spanish currently?

Poster 14:23
Math and Science are taught in Spanish in the Dual Language program. This was concerning to us as mono-lingual speakers, but thinking about it we found it to be a pretty awesome benefit and exciting part of our children's education.