Declining enrollment at APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The schools population will undoubtedly increase after the Missing Middle Housing is approved by the board later this year. It’s the most ambitious residential upzoning in the country.

Yes, building a bunch of $800K+ townhouses will make such a big difference

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools population will undoubtedly increase after the Missing Middle Housing is approved by the board later this year. It’s the most ambitious residential upzoning in the country.

Yes, building a bunch of $800K+ townhouses will make such a big difference

NP. It actually will. I know plenty of ppl in townhouses more expensive than that with school aged kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The schools population will undoubtedly increase after the Missing Middle Housing is approved by the board later this year. It’s the most ambitious residential upzoning in the country.

Yes, building a bunch of $800K+ townhouses will make such a big difference

NP. It actually will. I know plenty of ppl in townhouses more expensive than that with school aged kids.

And the ambitious plan allows for up to 8 family sized units on a single family home lot. That’s denser than DC’s rowhouses. After the board approves it, and with the very high housing demand among young families, the upzoned tear down / rebuild transition will be swift.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

Amen. You don't get a second chance to learn to read. Young kids' brain development means that K-2 is a critical period for literacy development. If it doesn't happen then, it gets much, much harder to do later. Shifting the focus to social skills is schools running away from their own mission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

Amen. You don't get a second chance to learn to read. Young kids' brain development means that K-2 is a critical period for literacy development. If it doesn't happen then, it gets much, much harder to do later. Shifting the focus to social skills is schools running away from their own mission.

You think kids only learn to read if they are in in-person school receiving instruction from a teacher from age 5 on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

Amen. You don't get a second chance to learn to read. Young kids' brain development means that K-2 is a critical period for literacy development. If it doesn't happen then, it gets much, much harder to do later. Shifting the focus to social skills is schools running away from their own mission.

You think kids only learn to read if they are in in-person school receiving instruction from a teacher from age 5 on?

Obviously not. But studies are clear that students who don’t figure out reading by 3rd grade have significantly worse outcomes in education and life. Hence the idea that you can’t just take a year off and expect everyone to catch up later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

Amen. You don't get a second chance to learn to read. Young kids' brain development means that K-2 is a critical period for literacy development. If it doesn't happen then, it gets much, much harder to do later. Shifting the focus to social skills is schools running away from their own mission.

You think kids only learn to read if they are in in-person school receiving instruction from a teacher from age 5 on?

Not only did schools close in March 2020, but libraries did too. I spent a small fortune buying books for my 6 yo. I know many didn't those resources. Some probably wouldn't even know what to purchase, let alone how to help their kid learn to read those materials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

K-3 kids do need academic knowledge. When they go into fourth grade they aren’t going to be able to google how to do long division. If schools don’t plan on teaching academics, it would be nice if the schools would communicate that to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

K-3 kids do need academic knowledge. When they go into fourth grade they aren’t going to be able to google how to do long division. If schools don’t plan on teaching academics, it would be nice if the schools would communicate that to parents.

Our elementary principal actually said this to us parents a lot. She told us over and over that their focus was on social emotional health, not learning. Unfortunately this meant that hours and hours every day were spent going kid by kid to ask them about how their weekend went or to share their favorite food. It was excruciatingly painful and a giant waste of time. Unfortunately there weren't exactly other options at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

Amen. You don't get a second chance to learn to read. Young kids' brain development means that K-2 is a critical period for literacy development. If it doesn't happen then, it gets much, much harder to do later. Shifting the focus to social skills is schools running away from their own mission.

You think kids only learn to read if they are in in-person school receiving instruction from a teacher from age 5 on?

Not only did schools close in March 2020, but libraries did too. I spent a small fortune buying books for my 6 yo. I know many didn't those resources. Some probably wouldn't even know what to purchase, let alone how to help their kid learn to read those materials.

How dare you have the audacity to demand schools be open for learning!

[Anonymous]

APS has been growing this year

https://www.apsva.us/statistics/monthly-enrollment/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS has been growing this year

https://www.apsva.us/statistics/monthly-enrollment/

Almost back to pre-pandemic numbers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For those of us with K-3 students, the biggest issue with remote learning wasn't a lack of socialization but a lack of learning. Kids that age just aren't independent learners and cannot learn to read or write via iPad. No additional communication from APS would fix that.

I think it needed to be communicated to parents -- whether they would received this message is another matter -- that the priority for early elementary kids is not acquisition of testable academic skills, but building a social/emotional foundation that will allow kids to acquire academic knowledge when they need to.

No, iPads aren't the way to do that. But parents didn't want to/couldn't provide the hands on sort of stuff that kids need, and they weren't willing to agree to an alternative plan of stories and chores and projects.

I know the ATS parents will be after me with pitchforks now. I don't care.

What are you talking about? One goal of K-2 is to get kids functioning socially in a school setting, but another goal is getting kids reading, writing and doing basic math so they can access the upper elementary curriculum. To have kids come into 3rd grade unable to read or write a sentence is absolutely a problem. Having APS coach parents to give their kids chores or practice social interactions is zero help.

Those early grades are essential to give kids the academic tools to learn (and to diagnose LDs for kids who need extra help). It's not a solution to only focus on social emotional learning. It's a huge huge fail.

Amen. You don't get a second chance to learn to read. Young kids' brain development means that K-2 is a critical period for literacy development. If it doesn't happen then, it gets much, much harder to do later. Shifting the focus to social skills is schools running away from their own mission.

You think kids only learn to read if they are in in-person school receiving instruction from a teacher from age 5 on?

DP. Kind of depends on recognizing that not all households resemble wealthy white ones,with time for quaint trips to the library and buying barrels of books.