ACPS Jefferson Houston I.B. Program Middle School vs. GW open enrollment honors?

[Anonymous]

It makes me feel good to be able to look in the mirror and know I'm exposing my kids to a cross-section of America. I imagine it really sucks to allow yourself to fully consider what a suburban stooge you've become. But you probably don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It makes me feel good to be able to look in the mirror and know I'm exposing my kids to a cross-section of America. I imagine it really sucks to allow yourself to fully consider what a suburban stooge you've become. But you probably don't.

How is a FARMs percentage that is probably twice the national average truly a cross-section of America?

FWIW, my school assignments:
Leesburg 9 on GS, 22% FARMS
Smart's Mill 7 on GS, 14% FARMS
Tuscarora 6 on GS (2nd worst in LCPS), ?? FARMS

They are probably closer to the national averages, both in terms of race and poverty, than an 80% African-American, 70% FARMS school in DC/Alexandria City.

I also live within walking distance of a movie theater, non-chain restaurants, my town/county government buildings, and several shops/services (not as complete as it could be.) The library will be 100% walkable in a year or so too! So spare me the "ZOMG U R SO CAR-DEPENDANT" stuff.

My wife's commute is 25-30 minutes each way, mine is 15 counting daycare dropoff.

[Anonymous]

Oh wait, racial makeup. I'll let others decide which schools are a more accurate cross-section of Virginians.

Leesburg ES: 69% White, 21% Hispanic, 7% Black, 3% Asian
Smart's Mill MS: 71% White, 12% Hispanic, 10% Black, 6% Asian

Jefferson Houston ES: 74% Black, 14% Hispanic, 10% White (72% FARMS, 1 on GS)
Washington MS: 37% Black, 31% White, 30% Hispanic, 3% Asian (52% FARMS, 4 on GS)

VA average: 57% White, 9% Hispanic, 26% Black, 6% Asian (33% FARMS, 5 on GS)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the feedback. I had heard that some kids from MacArthur Elem are now at Jefferson Houston for the IB program and so I was wondering about it. I agree the Great Schools give JH a 1/10 but it is interesting to me how positive all the parent/student reviews are - I wonder why?

My guess is its the parents who didn't get into Lyles Crouch and can't afford their mortgage and private school so they are stuck at Jefferson Houston and are trying to make themselves feel better about it.

Your comment doesn't make any sense. These parents can opt out of Jefferson Houston to attend other Alexandria City Schools. I have met some of these parents and they recognized the schools problems and believe in the school. I am not sure that it would be the correct school for my family but they are very enthusiastic about the school.

If you want to know more about the school, call it and ask for a tour, they are very accommodating.




(Also, if you can afford some of the exclusive private schools in this area, why not chip in a little more in taxes so the plebes can have slightly better schools)

The failures of the Alexandria school system have nothing to do with money, or lack thereof. Forbes (I think it was) did a ranking of schools nationwide a few years back, based on money spent per pupil and test score results. Alexandria was number one in the country for most amount of money spent for the lowest scores. Money will not fix the problems of the Alexandria school system.

[Anonymous]

He/she is baaaack! Left-Alexandria-because-of-all-those-wretched-poor-people-who-live-in-public-housing-and-destroy-the-schools person. He/she is becoming as infamous as the Holton booster on another thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He/she is baaaack! Left-Alexandria-because-of-all-those-wretched-poor-people-who-live-in-public-housing-and-destroy-the-schools person. He/she is becoming as infamous as the Holton booster on another thread.

And I could just as well call you feels-better-because-she-is-the-wealthy-fish-in-a-poor-pond person.

[Anonymous]

Alexandria is poor? Give me a break. Sorry the air in you immediate area couldn't be purified of all the poors as I know you would like, but it doesn't mean the whole city is like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alexandria is poor? Give me a break. Sorry the air in you immediate area couldn't be purified of all the poors as I know you would like, but it doesn't mean the whole city is like that.

The non-poors go private or are underwater on their 1200 SF townhouse and go public.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, not me, stooge. And not true of many of the folks I know. So enjoy your little Richie Rich bubble!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Think again, Miss Queen of the Cul-de-Sac! Look, you're boring. You like boring places. And you're scared of anyone who doesn't have a life just like yours. You can't "protect" your kids forever!

I like living near people who value education, steady employment, and avoiding drug addition.

Maybe it makes you feel superior, the big fish in the small pond, to be living and schooling your kids in a high FARMS area.

It also sounds like you would like to go back to the 1950's. That way you can have good schools, a good economy, and no drugs. Of course there were segments of the population that didn't have these benefits, but out of sight, out of mind, is okay right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He/she is baaaack! Left-Alexandria-because-of-all-those-wretched-poor-people-who-live-in-public-housing-and-destroy-the-schools person. He/she is becoming as infamous as the Holton booster on another thread.

You can continue to try to convince yourself that there is only one person who thinks that Alexandria schools are less than wonderful, but it won't affect the reality that you represent the minority opinion in this case. I am the poster who quoted the Forbes study, and I am the author of only two other posts in this thread, and one of them was positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He/she is baaaack! Left-Alexandria-because-of-all-those-wretched-poor-people-who-live-in-public-housing-and-destroy-the-schools person. He/she is becoming as infamous as the Holton booster on another thread.

You can continue to try to convince yourself that there is only one person who thinks that Alexandria schools are less than wonderful, but it won't affect the reality that you represent the minority opinion in this case. I am the poster who quoted the Forbes study, and I am the author of only two other posts in this thread, and one of them was positive.

PP again -- one more thing: I didn't leave Alexandria because of the schools. I was in bounds for Jefferson-Houston, and my child goes to the same private now that she went to when we lived in Old Town. I moved because I got tired of finding bloody syringes in my courtyard and human excrement on my garden gate. Not to mention the gang "tag" that was spray-painted in our alley. And the open air drug market that I drove through every day. My husband had spoken to the Police Chief about it, and I thought we were going to get some action, but then he (the Police Chief) got fired because he had a DUI. By this time, we had given up. I lived in Old Town for over a decade, and all of this happened in the last year or so. I loved living in Old Town, and maybe I would put up with it if I didn't have a child. I didn't mind the public housing nearby; however, I did mind having a city leadership that doesn't give a rat's ass (we had those, too -- not mice, huge Norway rats the size of a cat) about the people who actually pay taxes in the City. Ask the business owners how they feel (have you seen the signs in all the businesses on King Street?). People who live there won't tell you all this because they don't want to ruin their property values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wondered if anyone is familiar with the Jefferson Houston's I.B. program, particularly the middle school? We are trying to see if there are options other that GW, where we hear that the open enrollment honors classes are a joke, particularly for kids who are in the TAG program. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I am an ACPS refugee, largely because of the dilemma you are facing (i.e., a choice between two bad options)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He/she is baaaack! Left-Alexandria-because-of-all-those-wretched-poor-people-who-live-in-public-housing-and-destroy-the-schools person. He/she is becoming as infamous as the Holton booster on another thread.

You can continue to try to convince yourself that there is only one person who thinks that Alexandria schools are less than wonderful, but it won't affect the reality that you represent the minority opinion in this case. I am the poster who quoted the Forbes study, and I am the author of only two other posts in this thread, and one of them was positive.

PP again -- one more thing: I didn't leave Alexandria because of the schools. I was in bounds for Jefferson-Houston, and my child goes to the same private now that she went to when we lived in Old Town. I moved because I got tired of finding bloody syringes in my courtyard and human excrement on my garden gate. Not to mention the gang "tag" that was spray-painted in our alley. And the open air drug market that I drove through every day. My husband had spoken to the Police Chief about it, and I thought we were going to get some action, but then he (the Police Chief) got fired because he had a DUI. By this time, we had given up. I lived in Old Town for over a decade, and all of this happened in the last year or so. I loved living in Old Town, and maybe I would put up with it if I didn't have a child. I didn't mind the public housing nearby; however, I did mind having a city leadership that doesn't give a rat's ass (we had those, too -- not mice, huge Norway rats the size of a cat) about the people who actually pay taxes in the City. Ask the business owners how they feel (have you seen the signs in all the businesses on King Street?). People who live there won't tell you all this because they don't want to ruin their property values.

You seem to know a lot about the Alexandria City Schools for someone that never had a child attend there. I live in JH district and will tell you that Alexandria has problems. Old Town (particularly North Old Town) is gentrifying, this will change the schools, it is largely a matter of time. The city is tearing down its housing projects, if you happened to notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He/she is baaaack! Left-Alexandria-because-of-all-those-wretched-poor-people-who-live-in-public-housing-and-destroy-the-schools person. He/she is becoming as infamous as the Holton booster on another thread.

You can continue to try to convince yourself that there is only one person who thinks that Alexandria schools are less than wonderful, but it won't affect the reality that you represent the minority opinion in this case. I am the poster who quoted the Forbes study, and I am the author of only two other posts in this thread, and one of them was positive.

PP again -- one more thing: I didn't leave Alexandria because of the schools. I was in bounds for Jefferson-Houston, and my child goes to the same private now that she went to when we lived in Old Town. I moved because I got tired of finding bloody syringes in my courtyard and human excrement on my garden gate. Not to mention the gang "tag" that was spray-painted in our alley. And the open air drug market that I drove through every day. My husband had spoken to the Police Chief about it, and I thought we were going to get some action, but then he (the Police Chief) got fired because he had a DUI. By this time, we had given up. I lived in Old Town for over a decade, and all of this happened in the last year or so. I loved living in Old Town, and maybe I would put up with it if I didn't have a child. I didn't mind the public housing nearby; however, I did mind having a city leadership that doesn't give a rat's ass (we had those, too -- not mice, huge Norway rats the size of a cat) about the people who actually pay taxes in the City. Ask the business owners how they feel (have you seen the signs in all the businesses on King Street?). People who live there won't tell you all this because they don't want to ruin their property values.

You seem to know a lot about the Alexandria City Schools for someone that never had a child attend there. I live in JH district and will tell you that Alexandria has problems. Old Town (particularly North Old Town) is gentrifying, this will change the schools, it is largely a matter of time. The city is tearing down its housing projects, if you happened to notice.

Old Town has gentrified- it happened back in the 80's I believe. And no the City is tearing down some of the housing projects but not all.