Kent Gardens Elementary School in Mclean

[Anonymous]

The string of negative, anonymous posts really tells you very little. It could easily be the same 1-2 posters regurgitating complaints over and over again. The "reviews" of KGES on GreatSchools are generally postive, although this could be the same 1-2 posters manufacturing praise. Who knows?

It may well be that there is room for improvement at KGES. The notion that the least affluent school in McLean scores #84 out of over 250 elementary schools in NoVa, however, doesn't strike me as a sign there's a major problem. If all the McLean schools had top test scores, someone else would be complaining that they just "teach to the test."

[Anonymous]

Drop the top 100 school rankings if you want. Just look at the SOL data for the 7 McLean Schools. KGES last more than any other school. Can't blame it on ESOL. Can't blame it on GT. Can't blame it on number of teachers with master's degrees. Can't blame it on crowding. Explain it.

http://peelbacktheapple.blogspot.com/p/kges-1-in-finishing-last-place.html

Lowest level of advanced readers in 1st and 2nd grade. Explain it.

http://peelbacktheapple.blogspot.com/2011/02/kges-low-scores-cannot-be-blamed-on-not.html

If you can't explain it, who do you blame it on? Why don't you care?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drop the top 100 school rankings if you want. Just look at the SOL data for the 7 McLean Schools. KGES last more than any other school. Can't blame it on ESOL. Can't blame it on GT. Can't blame it on number of teachers with master's degrees. Can't blame it on crowding. Explain it.

http://peelbacktheapple.blogspot.com/p/kges-1-in-finishing-last-place.html

Lowest level of advanced readers in 1st and 2nd grade. Explain it.

http://peelbacktheapple.blogspot.com/2011/02/kges-low-scores-cannot-be-blamed-on-not.html

If you can't explain it, who do you blame it on? Why don't you care?

Does there have to be "blame"? Does the refusal to assign "blame" automatically mean indifference?

KGES serves less affluent neighborhoods that the rest of McLean, and it has slightly higher percentages of demographic groups that tend to score lower on standardized tests. Perhaps there's less time spent at KGES focusing on SOLs than at other schools.

It just seems like such thin beer to turn into a personal crusade. Have you thought about moving into another district or going private? Most people seem happy with KGES. The students go on to attend Longfellow, which is generally considered one of the best middle schools in the county, and then McLean, which isn't chopped liver.

[Anonymous]

You all are really cracking me up (and alternately scaring the crap out of me)! From what I can tell from the SOL scores, it looks like Kent Gardens is a very high achieving school! If you don't like the principal, I can understand that, but this school looks great to me.

I'm just wondering what all this striving for the best of the best of the best school/demographics is for? Seriously, are you expecting your child to save the world from cancer? I mean really, not sarcastically, is it THAT important that your child be in the best, best, "best" school? If your child is really THAT special and talented, won't s/he do great things regardless of where s/he goes to school? Would it be o.k. if your child was just a regular smart child and not king of whatever hedge fund? I just don't get this mindset. I went to a top-10 law school after graduating from a state school in the mid-west.... and guess what... a lot of my class mates came from Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Harvard, Penn, Stanford, West Point. We all got to the same point and most of them paid a heck of a lot more than I did to get there.

I just find this No. Va. area has a large (?) contingent of parents who are chasing intellectualism as a competitive sport when, in my opinion, it's not the be all and end all. Perspective seems to be out of whack in this area. My kids' school isn't even on the 100 list and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the least!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are really cracking me up (and alternately scaring the crap out of me)! From what I can tell from the SOL scores, it looks like Kent Gardens is a very high achieving school! If you don't like the principal, I can understand that, but this school looks great to me.

I'm just wondering what all this striving for the best of the best of the best school/demographics is for? Seriously, are you expecting your child to save the world from cancer? I mean really, not sarcastically, is it THAT important that your child be in the best, best, "best" school? If your child is really THAT special and talented, won't s/he do great things regardless of where s/he goes to school? Would it be o.k. if your child was just a regular smart child and not king of whatever hedge fund? I just don't get this mindset. I went to a top-10 law school after graduating from a state school in the mid-west.... and guess what... a lot of my class mates came from Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Harvard, Penn, Stanford, West Point. We all got to the same point and most of them paid a heck of a lot more than I did to get there.

I just find this No. Va. area has a large (?) contingent of parents who are chasing intellectualism as a competitive sport when, in my opinion, it's not the be all and end all. Perspective seems to be out of whack in this area. My kids' school isn't even on the 100 list and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the least!

What is this? Common sense? Can we trade you and your family to McLean for Pomme Sauvage? We'll even throw in a second-round draft pick!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are really cracking me up (and alternately scaring the crap out of me)! From what I can tell from the SOL scores, it looks like Kent Gardens is a very high achieving school! If you don't like the principal, I can understand that, but this school looks great to me.

I'm just wondering what all this striving for the best of the best of the best school/demographics is for? Seriously, are you expecting your child to save the world from cancer? I mean really, not sarcastically, is it THAT important that your child be in the best, best, "best" school? If your child is really THAT special and talented, won't s/he do great things regardless of where s/he goes to school? Would it be o.k. if your child was just a regular smart child and not king of whatever hedge fund? I just don't get this mindset. I went to a top-10 law school after graduating from a state school in the mid-west.... and guess what... a lot of my class mates came from Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Harvard, Penn, Stanford, West Point. We all got to the same point and most of them paid a heck of a lot more than I did to get there.

I just find this No. Va. area has a large (?) contingent of parents who are chasing intellectualism as a competitive sport when, in my opinion, it's not the be all and end all. Perspective seems to be out of whack in this area. My kids' school isn't even on the 100 list and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the least!

FABULOUS post!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
KGES serves less affluent neighborhoods that the rest of McLean, and it has slightly higher percentages of demographic groups that tend to score lower on standardized tests.

KGES serves the less affluent? Do you even know what your talking about? Your source, please?

The latest results comparing 2000-2007 are now available. Read em and weep.

http://peelbacktheapple.blogspot.com/p/comments-about-kges-from-other-online.html

The only reason people are "basically" happy with KGES is because they don't even know how they are being played by the school and the county. This PTA rakes in $350K a year. Less affluent, my arse! Try, we'll take all the money you'll give us and we won't have anything to show for it because you're so stupid, you just want to sleep well at night and give yourself some kind of illusion that you're doing the best for you kids. You are misinformed and lazy.


The silver lining is that this can be changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are really cracking me up (and alternately scaring the crap out of me)! From what I can tell from the SOL scores, it looks like Kent Gardens is a very high achieving school! If you don't like the principal, I can understand that, but this school looks great to me.

I'm just wondering what all this striving for the best of the best of the best school/demographics is for? Seriously, are you expecting your child to save the world from cancer? I mean really, not sarcastically, is it THAT important that your child be in the best, best, "best" school? If your child is really THAT special and talented, won't s/he do great things regardless of where s/he goes to school? Would it be o.k. if your child was just a regular smart child and not king of whatever hedge fund? I just don't get this mindset. I went to a top-10 law school after graduating from a state school in the mid-west.... and guess what... a lot of my class mates came from Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Harvard, Penn, Stanford, West Point. We all got to the same point and most of them paid a heck of a lot more than I did to get there.

I just find this No. Va. area has a large (?) contingent of parents who are chasing intellectualism as a competitive sport when, in my opinion, it's not the be all and end all. Perspective seems to be out of whack in this area. My kids' school isn't even on the 100 list and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the least!

I love you.

[Anonymous]

If you are reading posts and blogs about schools that you don't even attend....get a life, or at least get lost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You all are really cracking me up (and alternately scaring the crap out of me)! From what I can tell from the SOL scores, it looks like Kent Gardens is a very high achieving school! If you don't like the principal, I can understand that, but this school looks great to me.

I'm just wondering what all this striving for the best of the best of the best school/demographics is for? Seriously, are you expecting your child to save the world from cancer? I mean really, not sarcastically, is it THAT important that your child be in the best, best, "best" school? If your child is really THAT special and talented, won't s/he do great things regardless of where s/he goes to school? Would it be o.k. if your child was just a regular smart child and not king of whatever hedge fund? I just don't get this mindset. I went to a top-10 law school after graduating from a state school in the mid-west.... and guess what... a lot of my class mates came from Princeton, Duke, Notre Dame, Harvard, Penn, Stanford, West Point. We all got to the same point and most of them paid a heck of a lot more than I did to get there.

I just find this No. Va. area has a large (?) contingent of parents who are chasing intellectualism as a competitive sport when, in my opinion, it's not the be all and end all. Perspective seems to be out of whack in this area. My kids' school isn't even on the 100 list and it doesn't hurt my feelings in the least!

I love you.

Ignorance is bliss!

[Anonymous]

Ignorance is

not understanding what great opportunities you have by having access to almost every school in Fairfax County,

not understanding that your child is already ahead of 90+% of the children in this country or the world,

not recognizing that someone is always going to be smarter and more talented and have a better resume than you so you might as value yourself for something other than your educational pedigree.

Being smart, well educated and well rounded are good things, but they are not the most important things in this world. And as for reading posts that I don't have a personal stake in... I call that LEARNING about my world. Here's what I've learned... I don't want my kids exposed to the hyper-competitive, elitist mindset that seems to be standard in "the best" Fairfax County public schools. I'll take regular folks who aren't ashamed if their kids want to be plumbers or manage a shoe store over the hyper-competitive, elitist folks anyday. I'm the last person who would support the Sarah Palin/joe-six-pack mentality, but some on this board make Sarah Palin's mediocrity battle cry look legitimate!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignorance is

not understanding what great opportunities you have by having access to almost every school in Fairfax County,

not understanding that your child is already ahead of 90+% of the children in this country or the world,

not recognizing that someone is always going to be smarter and more talented and have a better resume than you so you might as value yourself for something other than your educational pedigree.

Being smart, well educated and well rounded are good things, but they are not the most important things in this world. And as for reading posts that I don't have a personal stake in... I call that LEARNING about my world. Here's what I've learned... I don't want my kids exposed to the hyper-competitive, elitist mindset that seems to be standard in "the best" Fairfax County public schools. I'll take regular folks who aren't ashamed if their kids want to be plumbers or manage a shoe store over the hyper-competitive, elitist folks anyday. I'm the last person who would support the Sarah Palin/joe-six-pack mentality, but some on this board make Sarah Palin's mediocrity battle cry look legitimate!

I love you, too.

[Anonymous]

OK, the Kent Gardens haters are truly and honestly school snobs.

I'm not going to join the 'all FCPS schools are wonderful' bandwagon, though. Some have more at-risk and ESOL kids than others, and you run the risk at these schools of getting ignored in the shuffle by an administration that can't pay attention to kids who're not otherwise at risk.

Of course at the fabulously wealthy schools you run the high risk of meeting a pack of alpha moms (*), and that is *so* dependent on the luck of what moms are in your DC's grade. A school that was great five years ago might be worse now with a new and incompetent administrator/tion, a pack of alpha moms taking over the PTA, etc.

(*) I imagine it might be theoretically possible for an alpha mom to show up at a school that's heavily minority and/or poor, and be able to more easily run the PTA as her own personal fiefdom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Less affluent, my arse! Try, we'll take all the money you'll give us and we won't have anything to show for it because you're so stupid, you just want to sleep well at night and give yourself some kind of illusion that you're doing the best for you kids. You are misinformed and lazy.

Living in the least affluent part of McLean hardly means you are in the poor-house, any more than having your child attend the elementary school with some of the lowest test scores in McLean does not mean your child will turn out to be illiterate.

To measure the relative affluence of the different McLean school districts, our research team looked at the number of single-family houses that have sold since 2009 for $800,000 or less (well below the average value of a house in McLean). Not surprisingly, Kent Gardens had the most homes in this category among the seven schools you so frequently compare:

1. Kent Gardens
2. Haycock
3. Churchill Road
4. Chesterbrook
5. Franklin Sherman
6. Great Falls
7. Spring Hill

Here's a thought: if you think Kent Gardens students are under-performing, volunteer at the school and stop worrying about how it compares to Spring Hill. It's quite unlikely that people in Spring Hill spend much time comparing themselves to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Less affluent, my arse! Try, we'll take all the money you'll give us and we won't have anything to show for it because you're so stupid, you just want to sleep well at night and give yourself some kind of illusion that you're doing the best for you kids. You are misinformed and lazy.

Living in the least affluent part of McLean hardly means you are in the poor-house, any more than having your child attend the elementary school with some of the lowest test scores in McLean does not mean your child will turn out to be illiterate.

To measure the relative affluence of the different McLean school districts, our research team looked at the number of single-family houses that have sold since 2009 for $800,000 or less (well below the average value of a house in McLean). Not surprisingly, Kent Gardens had the most homes in this category among the seven schools you so frequently compare:

1. Kent Gardens
2. Haycock
3. Churchill Road
4. Chesterbrook
5. Franklin Sherman
6. Great Falls
7. Spring Hill

Here's a thought: if you think Kent Gardens students are under-performing, volunteer at the school and stop worrying about how it compares to Spring Hill. It's quite unlikely that people in Spring Hill spend much time comparing themselves to you.

That would be great, but you've got to provide the data sources. We can't just take your word for it. Additionally, 50% of the students at KGES come from outside our boundaries, from places like Haycock, Springill, Chesterbrook, etc. Only half of your numbers apply if those are good numbers to begin with. If you review the Spring Hill scores specifically, they have progressed from a lower peforming school to one of the highest performing schools thanks to the new Principal they have who has been willing to work and improve the school. It again makes the case that we need new management at KGES and we could be doing much better if we had the change in management that our kids deserve.

Obviously, you are in realestate and you want to sell homes to people who would have to go to KGES and you don't want them to know there are much better schools to attend in McLean. I hope you will help support the change we need so that people will want to live here because they KNOW it is a good place to live and not because people have LIED to them or buried the TRUTH.