Young Scholars Admittance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

life is unfair. It is unfair that children face discrimination and disabilities too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

life is unfair. It is unfair that children face discrimination and disabilities too.

Seems like a poor answer. You support school imposed discrimination? I just don't understand why they wouldn't want all children to partake?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

life is unfair. It is unfair that children face discrimination and disabilities too.

Seems like a poor answer. You support school imposed discrimination? I just don't understand why they wouldn't want all children to partake?

Are you in a very low performing pyramid? If so, then I empathize with you and feel that all students in the pyramid should be eligible. If you're somewhere like Oakton and nowhere near being at the poverty level, then no, those funds and programs are not meant for you. Should we all be eligible for welfare?

[Anonymous]

What elementary school has Young Scholars going on all these trips? The YS program at my daughter's school hasn't done any trips in the last four years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My rich white kid has been invited to Young Scholars programs.

My kids are in an urban school system in another part of Virginia and our Young Scholars program has tons of UMC white kids in it.

[Anonymous]

Is someone really complaining about Young Scholars? One of the best ways to close the achievement gap based on identifying kids who need extra resources and have the talent to achieve? Wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

So can mine, which is why we did a sleep in at the Maryland Science Center with a bunch of kids in his STEM Club. I can provide him those opportunities but the kids in Young Scholars come from backgrounds where they are not likely to have those type of opportunities, even participating in a STEM.

Does your child have the opportunity to participate in extra curricular activities or visit museums or participate in enrichment because of where you are as a family? If so, then provide those options for you child. If not, then I would conduct further investigation into the Young Scholars program. My family can provide those opportunities for my kid and we choose to do so. I am glad that FCPS has a program to try and provide similar, but probably not the same quality of opportunities I can provide my kid, for kids who don't have access to those programs through their parents.

we are a pretty busy and do the best we can to provide those kinds of opportunities but when their friends get to do this stuff, they'd like to join. It's always great to be part of a peer group when exploring these things. If they're enrichment that the school can provide, then it should be an option for all. why not open this program to everyone? All kids rich or poor can benefit from exploring these topics together.

You're too busy to do it yourself but you want the school to do it for your kid. That is what I am hearing. I have the money to provide those opportunities for my child and it is important to me so I make the time. The kids in Young Scholars are supposed to be kids who don't have the money or support at home and who are interested and who could benefit from the challenge. It is a way to help bridge the education gap that exists, mainly due to income difference, lack of information about programs, and a lack of family support for enrichment.

If you are in a position to provide that, then do so. There are clubs and programs that it sounds like you could provide if you decide to prioritize it. My kid loves STEM so we found clubs and programs that he enjoys. He likes them because he is with other kids who enjoy STEM as well. So we make the time. Your response says to me "it sounds great but we are busy with other things so we don't prioritize it but he should be able to participate through the school program because it sounds cool and will save us the time in doing it on our own."

well yeah. the school is doing something cool and my kid would like to participate in the event with some of their friends. Is that bad?

You could ask your kid if they want to do things like that and then find those programs and enroll your kid in them. There are kids at your kids school who can’t afford those programs or don’t have the support to do it other then their parents being “too busy” or your family being “too busy.” Essentially you sound like you have a choice and choose to prioritize other things. The kids in Young Scholars are supposed to be kids who have obstacles that prevent them from participating.

It sounds like you could even organize an outing with your kid and his friends, which is what we do.

Do you complain that the kid who is a grade level or two behind has extra time with a reading Teacher? Or that the kid who has dyslexia works with a reading specialist at school? Or the kid who is behind in math has someone spend extra time with them on math?

Young Scholars is supposed to be for bright kids who are traditionally under represented in AAP to develop the skills and curiosity to be able to participate in a program like AAP. it is supposed to help kids from backgrounds with less catch up with kids who have more opportunities.

It is not for my kid who goes to science club and RSM on the weekends because he likes STEM. We can afford the club and RSM, he enjoys it, so we make the time for it. We don’t go and look for extra math time at school or to participate in Young Scholars.

[Anonymous]

Anyone can participate in the program. It's aimed at URMs and FARMS. FCPS cannot fund a program that discriminates. Even rich white kids can join, parents just need to call their guidance counselor and ask that they be identified as one. It also counts for 'experience points' in TJ admission.

[Anonymous]

And here is the link for Free and Reduced Meals (Another TJ admission factor). It's based on the honor system where one does not have to provide documentation that they are low-income, they only have to identify as one.
https://www.fcps.edu/frm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone can participate in the program. It's aimed at URMs and FARMS. FCPS cannot fund a program that discriminates. Even rich white kids can join, parents just need to call their guidance counselor and ask that they be identified as one. It also counts for 'experience points' in TJ admission.

The populace of Fairfax County is literally structured around avoiding URMs. How ironic that rich families want to be considered among the poor URMs, of course, when it benefits them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

life is unfair. It is unfair that children face discrimination and disabilities too.

Agree that sometimes the best answer to give is "life is unfair"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is someone really complaining about Young Scholars? One of the best ways to close the achievement gap based on identifying kids who need extra resources and have the talent to achieve? Wow.

Someone earlier mentioned this program has been around for a while. The gap is not closing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

life is unfair. It is unfair that children face discrimination and disabilities too.

Seems like a poor answer. You support school imposed discrimination? I just don't understand why they wouldn't want all children to partake?

Are you in a very low performing pyramid? If so, then I empathize with you and feel that all students in the pyramid should be eligible. If you're somewhere like Oakton and nowhere near being at the poverty level, then no, those funds and programs are not meant for you. Should we all be eligible for welfare?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It just seems unfair that my kid hears about this stuff and asks if they can do it, and I have to tell them no. Then when they ask why, I have to tell them that it's not our fault. Essentially though, its discrimination.

My kid could absolutely benefit from cool STEM trips.

life is unfair. It is unfair that children face discrimination and disabilities too.

Seems like a poor answer. You support school imposed discrimination? I just don't understand why they wouldn't want all children to partake?

Are you in a very low performing pyramid? If so, then I empathize with you and feel that all students in the pyramid should be eligible. If you're somewhere like Oakton and nowhere near being at the poverty level, then no, those funds and programs are not meant for you. Should we all be eligible for welfare?

But the program is not for poor people. It's also for English language learners, black or hispanic of any means and for 2E which I think is some kind of learning disabilities/gifted combo? So a middle class hispanic kid gets enrichment that my kid doesn't... because they're hispanic? That's not great.

I think if it was just a poverty related thing, it wouldn't seem so bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is someone really complaining about Young Scholars? One of the best ways to close the achievement gap based on identifying kids who need extra resources and have the talent to achieve? Wow.

Someone earlier mentioned this program has been around for a while. The gap is not closing.

There was a great story in the Post a long time ago that profiled some students who had been YS when they were younger. It made a huge difference for them. You don’t know that it hasn’t closed the gap for those who did it. The overall statistics on current gaps don’t answer that question because demographics keep changing in Fairfax. Early intervention is the best strategy.