Is FCPS overhyped? even top rated schools seem meh?

[Anonymous]

I take what's posted here with a grain of salt. FCPS did fine by our kids, recent graduates. One of the most vocal FCPS-haters around is a super conservative right-wing MAGA who pulled her kids out of public school around the time of Covid and sent them to O'Connell. She's incredibly unpleasant, and she's spent years since she pulled her kids out of FCPS bad-mouthing FCPS and trolling School Board members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We came from city public elementary/middle which I thought would be bar set low. But we would get teachers calls and emails if kids would do poorly on assessments and would be invited to talk to teachers to set a plan to improve and know exactly where children need help or more advanced material. I am surprised with the level of indifference and "cattle-like" experience from what was touted as top suburban publics in one of the top educated metro areas. Classes are overcrowded and teachers seem overwhelmed and overloaded. Grading is incredibly slow and it's hard to see if your kid is truly thriving or failing based on this info posted online, it's this unclear. Not to mention try to get access to the information where exactly they need help.

I do see tons of test prep places of all kinds. Is this what essentially becomes the necessary extension of school here? There is a lot of focus on sport, but we aren't a sports family, so it's like an alternative universe. I don't see the academic culture, am I completely off base?

Graduated in the 90s and kids are in FCPS now. I went to college in the Northeast and was clearly from a mid-tier school (although that includes New England boarding/prep schools). Schools are fine but kids will get what they put in - meaning if you want a top tier education out of FCPS, you either need a super motivated kid or to do some pushing. It is absolutely a "cattle-like" experience because it's so big and administratively heavy. Kids and students have to work to get the value out of FCPS - if you are passive you will be unhappy with the results.

There are lots of extracurriculars available which is mostly due to the size of the schools which either becomes a way to get a well-rounded HS experience or burn out completely. The teachers who run programs (sports, music, arts) and very dedicated and really make the whole experience worthwhile. Families need to figure out how to balance what is available and what works - so many families here feel the need to do everything and be the best and their kids are disasters.

Kids in grade school are often bored unless they are in the 25-40% of the pack. The "hard" homework years I rarely ever saw anything come home yet high grades and good teacher reports. The laptops are wholly unregulated and become a problem.

Is that good or bad? Depends. Know lots of happy FCPS families and lots who are happier now that they are private.

[Anonymous]

Just talk to the kids. Seriously, go around and talk to kids who have gone to FCPS for k-12. If you are impressed than I think that lets you know how the schools are doing. If you think they are mostly clueless, than that also lets you know how the schools are doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Number of good teachers continues to shrink. Bad administration continues the downward slide. At this point parents are doing the heavy lifting to supplement as needed.

Without a new school board and superintendent less than a decade away from rivaling Baltimore school system.

Don't be hyperbolic.

It may be on that trajectory, but it will assuredly take more than a decade to get there.

[Anonymous]

Won't get as bad as Baltimore universally, but the number of decent schools will shrink further.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here.

If teachers had all of the TWD/ER days with no meetings/PD a lot more could be done. We have a ridiculous amount of TWD and honestly the days that we have PD are mostly a waste of time. Teachers on Monday will be doing another equity training when they could be grading/planning.

Class sizes should be maxed at certain levels. IMO all classes should be capped at 25 kids. If teachers go above that cap they should be paid more and have additional planning time.

I wish that stupid diversity training thing was it for Monday. It would still be most of a day free. Some teachers have meetings for the rest of the day as well, and many of us have to drive 30 minutes to another school for an another completely useless, poorly done PD. They talk about equity, but there is none for us - some teachers have 1 prep and hardly any PD or meetings, and others have 4 preps and meetings and PD for two departments. I'm so over this.

Public schools continue to decrease in relevance among those with choices. Good teachers will do well in the private/homeschooling/co-op sector.

Most of us do not have money to pay for private schools in addition to high RE taxes. Even for old homes taxes doubled in last 10 years. And quality of education is just going down while stupid admin is still focusing on dated woke agendas like you all say and who knows what. It's sort of annoying to have to hear that in order to get quality education we have to pay for private schools, what's the point of moving to a "good school district"? Merely for peer pressure to have to tutor your kids to keep up with other tutored kids higher standards?

It sucks but it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here.

If teachers had all of the TWD/ER days with no meetings/PD a lot more could be done. We have a ridiculous amount of TWD and honestly the days that we have PD are mostly a waste of time. Teachers on Monday will be doing another equity training when they could be grading/planning.

Class sizes should be maxed at certain levels. IMO all classes should be capped at 25 kids. If teachers go above that cap they should be paid more and have additional planning time.

I wish that stupid diversity training thing was it for Monday. It would still be most of a day free. Some teachers have meetings for the rest of the day as well, and many of us have to drive 30 minutes to another school for an another completely useless, poorly done PD. They talk about equity, but there is none for us - some teachers have 1 prep and hardly any PD or meetings, and others have 4 preps and meetings and PD for two departments. I'm so over this.

Public schools continue to decrease in relevance among those with choices. Good teachers will do well in the private/homeschooling/co-op sector.

Most of us do not have money to pay for private schools in addition to high RE taxes. Even for old homes taxes doubled in last 10 years. And quality of education is just going down while stupid admin is still focusing on dated woke agendas like you all say and who knows what. It's sort of annoying to have to hear that in order to get quality education we have to pay for private schools, what's the point of moving to a "good school district"? Merely for peer pressure to have to tutor your kids to keep up with other tutored kids higher standards?

What are dated woke agendas? Can you give specific examples?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Number of good teachers continues to shrink. Bad administration continues the downward slide. At this point parents are doing the heavy lifting to supplement as needed.

Without a new school board and superintendent less than a decade away from rivaling Baltimore school system.

I think certain areas of Fairfax will start to look a lot more like ACPS where the majority of UMC/ UC families in certain neighborhoods send their kids to private schools. This already happens in some places but it will become more widespread unless there's a sea change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here.

If teachers had all of the TWD/ER days with no meetings/PD a lot more could be done. We have a ridiculous amount of TWD and honestly the days that we have PD are mostly a waste of time. Teachers on Monday will be doing another equity training when they could be grading/planning.

Class sizes should be maxed at certain levels. IMO all classes should be capped at 25 kids. If teachers go above that cap they should be paid more and have additional planning time.

I wish that stupid diversity training thing was it for Monday. It would still be most of a day free. Some teachers have meetings for the rest of the day as well, and many of us have to drive 30 minutes to another school for an another completely useless, poorly done PD. They talk about equity, but there is none for us - some teachers have 1 prep and hardly any PD or meetings, and others have 4 preps and meetings and PD for two departments. I'm so over this.

Public schools continue to decrease in relevance among those with choices. Good teachers will do well in the private/homeschooling/co-op sector.

Most of us do not have money to pay for private schools in addition to high RE taxes. Even for old homes taxes doubled in last 10 years. And quality of education is just going down while stupid admin is still focusing on dated woke agendas like you all say and who knows what. It's sort of annoying to have to hear that in order to get quality education we have to pay for private schools, what's the point of moving to a "good school district"? Merely for peer pressure to have to tutor your kids to keep up with other tutored kids higher standards?

What are dated woke agendas? Can you give specific examples?

Did you read the previous post replied to? "Teachers on Monday will be doing another equity training when they could be grading/planning"






It's been posted here, read other replies not too far back. Someone posted I won't be engaging in political discussions. What I see is overcrowded schools with too few teachers for too few students, inconsistent approach to testing and HW and very slow grading that makes it difficult for parents to know soon enough when kids need help even if they have ability to help their kids. This is especially challenging for transient crowd (which DC metro area has plenty of), kids who relocated from other districts and especially other metro areas with different schools, standards, parent body, resources, etc. Multiple posts here pointed out bloated admin, too many things teachers have to keep up with

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here.

If teachers had all of the TWD/ER days with no meetings/PD a lot more could be done. We have a ridiculous amount of TWD and honestly the days that we have PD are mostly a waste of time. Teachers on Monday will be doing another equity training when they could be grading/planning.

Class sizes should be maxed at certain levels. IMO all classes should be capped at 25 kids. If teachers go above that cap they should be paid more and have additional planning time.

I wish that stupid diversity training thing was it for Monday. It would still be most of a day free. Some teachers have meetings for the rest of the day as well, and many of us have to drive 30 minutes to another school for an another completely useless, poorly done PD. They talk about equity, but there is none for us - some teachers have 1 prep and hardly any PD or meetings, and others have 4 preps and meetings and PD for two departments. I'm so over this.

Public schools continue to decrease in relevance among those with choices. Good teachers will do well in the private/homeschooling/co-op sector.

Most of us do not have money to pay for private schools in addition to high RE taxes. Even for old homes taxes doubled in last 10 years. And quality of education is just going down while stupid admin is still focusing on dated woke agendas like you all say and who knows what. It's sort of annoying to have to hear that in order to get quality education we have to pay for private schools, what's the point of moving to a "good school district"? Merely for peer pressure to have to tutor your kids to keep up with other tutored kids higher standards?

What are dated woke agendas? Can you give specific examples?

Did you read the previous post replied to? "Teachers on Monday will be doing another equity training when they could be grading/planning"






It's been posted here, read other replies not too far back. Someone posted I won't be engaging in political discussions. What I see is overcrowded schools with too few teachers for too few students, inconsistent approach to testing and HW and very slow grading that makes it difficult for parents to know soon enough when kids need help even if they have ability to help their kids. This is especially challenging for transient crowd (which DC metro area has plenty of), kids who relocated from other districts and especially other metro areas with different schools, standards, parent body, resources, etc. Multiple posts here pointed out bloated admin, too many things teachers have to keep up with

I don’t know why wealthy white families think their kids don’t also benefit from discussions on equity.


When we have “equity trainings”, it’s not at all what the naysayers here are thinking. It’s generally centered around looking at our own schools specific testing data and recognizing areas with disproportionate low scores. It’s an opportunity for middle and high school staffs to have teachers collaborate who typically aren’t able to meet with each other and they’ll share various strategies with each other that have worked while also seeking out ideas on how to better support areas we’re struggling. The thing about effective educational practices is they are almost always applicable to all levels. My strategies for SpEd. are useful for the MLL teachers, and AAP teachers hear them and with slight modifications potentially apply them to AAP curriculum.


Also academics is a small part of the puzzle; addressing disproportionate data in behavior, social interactions, school culture, etc. helps ALL students learn in a happy and healthy environment. And if the data is showing minority students feel like other students are increasingly engaging in prejudiced behaviors, then yes, that’s also an area where I as a shire parent probably want my school to have targeted interventions (but I also don’t want racist kids, so results may very here).

[Anonymous]

Also when my grading is slow it’s because I’m assigning high quality work that requires me to read and provide student specific feedback.

The way of yesteryear was slap a grade on it, maybe three words, move on.


You can have lots of quick grades for rather hollow work if that is what you want, or you can have 7-9 grades where the teacher provides actual useful information and the student engaged in an assignment that targeted actual skills.


Your choice

[Anonymous]

The DMV area is full of very smart people educated with masters degrees and PhDs. They have smart babies, and then they raise them to be even smarter, pushing them to get good grades, tutoring them, advancing them, etc. The schools are the benefactors of all these smart and pushed kids. The schools rankings go up as the smart kids supplementing goes up. It’s not all from the schools. Teacher competency and engagement varies quite a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woke school board and culture destroyed it 10 years ago. It's only limping by because the parents are basically tutoring the children on their own dime

It’s been mediocre forever.

At least compared to states that value education.

Yup issues go way back. It's too big and the kids are using out on true education. Our high school is oversized you feel like no one oversees anything. They act like this kids are in college because it's easier than trying to keep up and care about the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woke school board and culture destroyed it 10 years ago. It's only limping by because the parents are basically tutoring the children on their own dime

It’s been mediocre forever.

At least compared to states that value education.

Yup issues go way back. It's too big and the kids are losing out on true education. Our high school is oversized you feel like no one oversees anything. They act like this kids are in college because it's easier than trying to keep up and care about the kids.

[Anonymous]

Lots of people cheat and lie about their address to get their kid into the higher ranked schools. I’m floored by how many admit to this. So so many fraudulent addresses.