APS Sinking Ship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

I was reacting to this:

Anonymous wrote:I think PP means that unlike Alexandria, not all schools in Arlington are high poverty. I think, but correct me if I am wrong, but almost all Alexandria schools have high poverty. So, people live there regardless of schools because they all struggle. Arlington, in contrast, only has poor schools in the south. South Arlington will always be cheaper than North Arlington because you can live in the community and chose to avoid high poverty schools.

It made it sound like people were OK with the schools all being high poverty. Um, no. In Alexandria, people with means live wherever and send their kids to private. In Arlington and in Fairfax, people with means live in north Arlington (or certain specific parts of FFX) and send their kids to public schools with very low FARMS rates. In none of these school systems are the majority of higher-income people generally OK with sending their kids to school with lower-income kids. Regardless of how people VOTE, what you really want to look at is how do people spend their money. Economists will call this revealed preferences.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

which, by the way, is why all that stuff on AEM and the primary we just had is total BS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

We're not in love with the idea of a school that has such a huge imbalance. We're not ready to give up our easy commutes, which mean we get to spend more time with our kids, and hopefully, will allow for some involvement at school. We found a few privates we could afford, but since we are staunch atheists parochial school is out and the other schools we like would add so much to our commute what we'll try public first, starting with the choice options. Either way, we don't plan to move.
- current SA home owner

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

which, by the way, is why all that stuff on AEM and the primary we just had is total BS

Thank you. It never ceases to amaze me that some of the loudest screamers on AEM choiced out of Drew into Montessori, but that’s okay. Meanwhile, those of us who were rezoned should just shut up and not express any concerns because racism!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

We're not in love with the idea of a school that has such a huge imbalance. We're not ready to give up our easy commutes, which mean we get to spend more time with our kids, and hopefully, will allow for some involvement at school. We found a few privates we could afford, but since we are staunch atheists parochial school is out and the other schools we like would add so much to our commute what we'll try public first, starting with the choice options. Either way, we don't plan to move.
- current SA home owner

Did you get a choice spot? That’s getting harder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

We're not in love with the idea of a school that has such a huge imbalance. We're not ready to give up our easy commutes, which mean we get to spend more time with our kids, and hopefully, will allow for some involvement at school. We found a few privates we could afford, but since we are staunch atheists parochial school is out and the other schools we like would add so much to our commute what we'll try public first, starting with the choice options. Either way, we don't plan to move.
- current SA home owner

Did you get a choice spot? That’s getting harder.

We tried for Montessori PK-4 - waitlisted and holding at #14. Every time I see these threads, I end up researching private schools. At this rate, we need a residents of SA support group. I love living here, but I can't stop worrying about schools because the things that saved me from my crappy public in the 90s is not an option, even if we make decent money because everything is so expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

I was reacting to this:

Anonymous wrote:I think PP means that unlike Alexandria, not all schools in Arlington are high poverty. I think, but correct me if I am wrong, but almost all Alexandria schools have high poverty. So, people live there regardless of schools because they all struggle. Arlington, in contrast, only has poor schools in the south. South Arlington will always be cheaper than North Arlington because you can live in the community and chose to avoid high poverty schools.

It made it sound like people were OK with the schools all being high poverty. Um, no. In Alexandria, people with means live wherever and send their kids to private. In Arlington and in Fairfax, people with means live in north Arlington (or certain specific parts of FFX) and send their kids to public schools with very low FARMS rates. In none of these school systems are the majority of higher-income people generally OK with sending their kids to school with lower-income kids. Regardless of how people VOTE, what you really want to look at is how do people spend their money. Economists will call this revealed preferences.

Er, no. Lots of people locate for particular ES's in Alexandria (usually in the GWMS period if they plan to stay for MS, to avoid Hammond) The folks who locate "wherever" are the subset who decided that private is an option (many would have sent to private anyway)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

Bailing on an underperforming high poverty school is not “opportunity hoarding.” It’s leaving to find opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

Bailing on an underperforming high poverty school is not “opportunity hoarding.” It’s leaving to find opportunity.

How do you bring opportunity to those schools? I think most of us are worried about sacrificing our kids' education for kids who have to start from so far behind? I'm all for integration, but what do you do when 2/3s of your kids' class is learning in English for the first time, can't read, and didn't attend school until recently? It's great that they've made it, but how do you catch them up so that all the kids are at the same level? How can you be sure your kid is still learning? It's the same argument over and over. No one has come up with a solution that works across the board. Which just makes everyone paranoid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

Bailing on an underperforming high poverty school is not “opportunity hoarding.” It’s leaving to find opportunity.

How do you bring opportunity to those schools? I think most of us are worried about sacrificing our kids' education for kids who have to start from so far behind? I'm all for integration, but what do you do when 2/3s of your kids' class is learning in English for the first time, can't read, and didn't attend school until recently? It's great that they've made it, but how do you catch them up so that all the kids are at the same level? How can you be sure your kid is still learning? It's the same argument over and over. No one has come up with a solution that works across the board. Which just makes everyone paranoid.

We need to go back to tracking which is how most of us were raised

That's the easiest solution

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

Bailing on an underperforming high poverty school is not “opportunity hoarding.” It’s leaving to find opportunity.

How do you bring opportunity to those schools? I think most of us are worried about sacrificing our kids' education for kids who have to start from so far behind? I'm all for integration, but what do you do when 2/3s of your kids' class is learning in English for the first time, can't read, and didn't attend school until recently? It's great that they've made it, but how do you catch them up so that all the kids are at the same level? How can you be sure your kid is still learning? It's the same argument over and over. No one has come up with a solution that works across the board. Which just makes everyone paranoid.

There is a solution that works across the board: busing. Integration and inclusion. Separate isn't equal so anything that separates students will end up unequal. What's lacking isn't evidence, but the political will, esp since everyone who bought before Amazon is now sitting in a gold mine (or so they think).

A few thoughts about your question though. First, what is your description based on? Are you looking at tables and doing mental math about what these classrooms must be like, or are you going from what you know they are like? Second, just how bad for your particular kid is the scenario you describe, being in a setting with people of varying experience, and if that is harmful for your kid, why? People fight to get kids into Montessori because kids of differing abilities teach each other there, so why is it undesirable in this context? Why do you see education as a zero-sum game of the teacher's attention, esp since (going out on a limb here) your kid gets the attention of two educated parents at home to compensate, and is almost never absent?

I have a kid at Carlin Springs w a disability, so I know the administration there is extremely inclusion-minded and open to meeting all students where they are, for whatever reason that they are there. As Title 1 schools, the SA neighborhood schools aren't without resources. The option system is strong in SA IMO to assuage the concerns of parents like you (and me, TBH, my other kid is at an option school) by giving us a path to an environment that's NA-like without us having to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

We're not in love with the idea of a school that has such a huge imbalance. We're not ready to give up our easy commutes, which mean we get to spend more time with our kids, and hopefully, will allow for some involvement at school. We found a few privates we could afford, but since we are staunch atheists parochial school is out and the other schools we like would add so much to our commute what we'll try public first, starting with the choice options. Either way, we don't plan to move.
- current SA home owner

Did you get a choice spot? That’s getting harder.

We tried for Montessori PK-4 - waitlisted and holding at #14. Every time I see these threads, I end up researching private schools. At this rate, we need a residents of SA support group. I love living here, but I can't stop worrying about schools because the things that saved me from my crappy public in the 90s is not an option, even if we make decent money because everything is so expensive.

I realize this is just anecdotal, but so are these message boards: I'm part of an UMC community that frequently moves in and out of Arlington (State Department). On our online forums, parents with kids in South Arlington elementary schools consistently state that they are happy with their schools and recommend them (it's not that people disparage the higher levels, it just doesn't seem to come up as often). I'm sure you talk with your neighbors for other first hand accounts, but try not to let these boards discourage you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No One is ignoring that acps is mostly serving underprivileged/under performing students. It’s widely known and accepted. It has been that way for decades and isn’t worthy of note.

And soon it will be true of south Arlington as well.

What has changed in south Arlington?

Bifurcation. Housing prices have gone way up. Way up. And at the same time, more and more CAFs. Thus what you get are very wealthy who can afford a SFH, and the very poor who can only afford to live here through large subsidies.

The wealthy also can afford to send their kids to private instead of a public school in which 6 or 7 kids out of 10 don’t speak English and live in poverty. It’s not that these parents are “racist” it’s that they know in a classroom situation like that is triage and the teachers are going to put most of their time and effort to the kids that need the most help. And that’s not the kid living in a 850k reno, and TBH shouldn’t be. And when the rich kids bail, the imbalance gets worse, and the worse the imbalance is, the more it repels UMC and MC families who would consider a 40 or 50 percent FRL school but not a 70 or 80 percent one.

Ah yes. That.
- former south Arlington homeowner

It's not racism, it's opportunity hoarding. (And it's not just families in south Arlington, it's the whole system, including people that insist on "neighborhood" boundaries that don't cross route 50---or Lee Highway.) There's no sense that everyone has some civic responsibility to improve the public school system for all kids. No one wants to walk the walk.

Bailing on an underperforming high poverty school is not “opportunity hoarding.” It’s leaving to find opportunity.

How do you bring opportunity to those schools? I think most of us are worried about sacrificing our kids' education for kids who have to start from so far behind? I'm all for integration, but what do you do when 2/3s of your kids' class is learning in English for the first time, can't read, and didn't attend school until recently? It's great that they've made it, but how do you catch them up so that all the kids are at the same level? How can you be sure your kid is still learning? It's the same argument over and over. No one has come up with a solution that works across the board. Which just makes everyone paranoid.

There is a solution that works across the board: busing. Integration and inclusion. Separate isn't equal so anything that separates students will end up unequal. What's lacking isn't evidence, but the political will, esp since everyone who bought before Amazon is now sitting in a gold mine (or so they think).

A few thoughts about your question though. First, what is your description based on? Are you looking at tables and doing mental math about what these classrooms must be like, or are you going from what you know they are like? Second, just how bad for your particular kid is the scenario you describe, being in a setting with people of varying experience, and if that is harmful for your kid, why? People fight to get kids into Montessori because kids of differing abilities teach each other there, so why is it undesirable in this context? Why do you see education as a zero-sum game of the teacher's attention, esp since (going out on a limb here) your kid gets the attention of two educated parents at home to compensate, and is almost never absent?

I have a kid at Carlin Springs w a disability, so I know the administration there is extremely inclusion-minded and open to meeting all students where they are, for whatever reason that they are there. As Title 1 schools, the SA neighborhood schools aren't without resources. The option system is strong in SA IMO to assuage the concerns of parents like you (and me, TBH, my other kid is at an option school) by giving us a path to an environment that's NA-like without us having to move.

Busing would be great, but the school board has been so resistant to it. We could easily have socioeconomic schools that way.

My descriptions are based on statistics from schools in Arlington and what I have seen and been told by other parents. If you have a school with 60% ESL kids, some of whom we know are new arrivals and new to school in general, that poses an educational issue that doesn't seem like its been adequately addressed. Otherwise, APS wouldn't be dealing with claims that it is under serving the population. I'm well aware that there are people of varying experience (I count myself as one of them). I did question what my kid could be learning while most of the class is focused on catching up. It's one thing when it's a couple of kids - it's another when it's most of the class - that's a huge disparity to overcome.

Education isn't a zero sum game when it comes to attention, but I don't think its unreasonable to expect that your kid will learn at school, not written off as being okay. I don't want to compensate, I want to enrich. I want to be part of a diverse school, which is why we live in SA. Majority-minority is not diverse (I went to a school like that). And the choice system clearly is a lottery - not everyone gets a spot. Differentiation is supposed to answer some of this by teaching to different skill levels, but it's not perfect; with all of those resources, those schools still have half the student body that can't pass the tests. Maybe the scores should be broken down further into how long those kids have been in school, but I question how does school system plan to remedy that gap?