Wakefield HS year 2030

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they were building a new elementary school to relieve the over crowding? Isn't that what's happening? I guess not helpful for people with kids in school right now.

This was the prior thread: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/471711.page

Just shows how some people think a school pyramid is trending up and others claim it's in crisis mode.

the crisis is in ES, specifically Barcroft and Randolph, in that thread. not Wakefield HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they were building a new elementary school to relieve the over crowding? Isn't that what's happening? I guess not helpful for people with kids in school right now.

This was the prior thread: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/471711.page

Just shows how some people think a school pyramid is trending up and others claim it's in crisis mode.

the crisis is in ES, specifically Barcroft and Randolph, in that thread. not Wakefield HS.

Don't most or all of those schools feed into Wakefield?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought they were building a new elementary school to relieve the over crowding? Isn't that what's happening? I guess not helpful for people with kids in school right now.

This was the prior thread: http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/471711.page

Just shows how some people think a school pyramid is trending up and others claim it's in crisis mode.

the crisis is in ES, specifically Barcroft and Randolph, in that thread. not Wakefield HS.

Don't most or all of those schools feed into Wakefield?

There are only 3 high schools ( not counting HB) in Arlington. So yes. South Arlington elementaries feed into Wakefield.

If there talk of building a fourth. I feel like I had been hearing that might be a thing...

[Anonymous]

OP, if you look at the subgroup data on Wakefield, you will see that some demographic groups are doing as well or better than their counterparts at Yorktown. Just b/c the school as a whole has a lot of students with language or economic challenges does not mean that (a) the school is bad, (b) teachers are bad, or (c) kids who a great education cannot get it there. The truth is that there is a group of kids at Wakefield who are doing very well. My friends are bucking the trends and sending their middle class white children to Wakefield after they graduate from their parochial grade school.

[Anonymous]

*** kids who WANT a great education...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you look at the subgroup data on Wakefield, you will see that some demographic groups are doing as well or better than their counterparts at Yorktown. Just b/c the school as a whole has a lot of students with language or economic challenges does not mean that (a) the school is bad, (b) teachers are bad, or (c) kids who a great education cannot get it there. The truth is that there is a group of kids at Wakefield who are doing very well. My friends are bucking the trends and sending their middle class white children to Wakefield after they graduate from their parochial grade school.

Not sure which subgroups you are referring to, but both white kids and students at Wakefield as a whole perform quite poorly compared to their Yorktown and W-L counterparts. The truth is that people want to gloss over that in the hope that someone else's kids will go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So... What do we think Wakefield is going to be like 15 years from now? I have a friend who grew up zoned Washington- Lee in the 90's. She said is was terrible and not an option. I believe her parents sent her to Bishop O'Connell. I'm not really interested in debated people's experiences with W-L 20 years ago. If you graduated at that time, I'm sure you turned out fine. However, the reputation of the school has changed.
Thoughts on Wakefield?

My brother went to Washington-Lee 25 years ago, and it was a generally well regarded school. It may have a slightly better reputation today, but I can't think of anyone who thought it was "terrible." And the school actually had a wealthier student demographic then as the Donaldson Run kids were zoned to W-L. Colin Powell's kids were classmates of his and Powell was the graduation speaker one year. It's hard to compare W-L twenty years ago with Wakefield today, because W-L then had wealthier demographics than Wakefield does today.

While W-L had a pretty good reputation in the early 90s in my recollection, some nearby neighborhoods had gone downhill and that can affect perceptions. Neighborhoods like Buckingham had gang and crime problems, and many of those kids went to W-L. Friends of mine were jumped by a gang near the old Steak and Egg in '93. For comparison Yorktown was close to 100% white, did not have any ESL classes, and had virtually no low income students. That's why Rosslyn students are bused to Yorktown today.

Unlike W-L, Wakefield does not draw from a high concentration of middle and upper income neighborhoods. So unless boundaries are changed between all three high schools, school quality or the perception of school quality will not change. 25 years ago, Wakefield had a reputation as the "ghetto school." That is still true today for many in Arlington, but I hope and I am optimistic that will change. Wakefield's reputation is already improving if you look at the increasing numbers of 8th graders from Gunston who pick Wakefield over private schools.

Ummm ...Clarendon, Rosslyn, Cherrydale, Lyon Park, Ashtin Heights---multimillion + homes are zoned to W-L.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So... What do we think Wakefield is going to be like 15 years from now? I have a friend who grew up zoned Washington- Lee in the 90's. She said is was terrible and not an option. I believe her parents sent her to Bishop O'Connell. I'm not really interested in debated people's experiences with W-L 20 years ago. If you graduated at that time, I'm sure you turned out fine. However, the reputation of the school has changed.
Thoughts on Wakefield?

My brother went to Washington-Lee 25 years ago, and it was a generally well regarded school. It may have a slightly better reputation today, but I can't think of anyone who thought it was "terrible." And the school actually had a wealthier student demographic then as the Donaldson Run kids were zoned to W-L. Colin Powell's kids were classmates of his and Powell was the graduation speaker one year. It's hard to compare W-L twenty years ago with Wakefield today, because W-L then had wealthier demographics than Wakefield does today.

While W-L had a pretty good reputation in the early 90s in my recollection, some nearby neighborhoods had gone downhill and that can affect perceptions. Neighborhoods like Buckingham had gang and crime problems, and many of those kids went to W-L. Friends of mine were jumped by a gang near the old Steak and Egg in '93. For comparison Yorktown was close to 100% white, did not have any ESL classes, and had virtually no low income students. That's why Rosslyn students are bused to Yorktown today.

Unlike W-L, Wakefield does not draw from a high concentration of middle and upper income neighborhoods. So unless boundaries are changed between all three high schools, school quality or the perception of school quality will not change. 25 years ago, Wakefield had a reputation as the "ghetto school." That is still true today for many in Arlington, but I hope and I am optimistic that will change. Wakefield's reputation is already improving if you look at the increasing numbers of 8th graders from Gunston who pick Wakefield over private schools.

Ummm ...Clarendon, Rosslyn, Cherrydale, Lyon Park, Ashtin Heights---multimillion + homes are zoned to W-L.

Meant Lyon Village- not Rosslyn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you look at the subgroup data on Wakefield, you will see that some demographic groups are doing as well or better than their counterparts at Yorktown. Just b/c the school as a whole has a lot of students with language or economic challenges does not mean that (a) the school is bad, (b) teachers are bad, or (c) kids who a great education cannot get it there. The truth is that there is a group of kids at Wakefield who are doing very well. My friends are bucking the trends and sending their middle class white children to Wakefield after they graduate from their parochial grade school.

Not sure which subgroups you are referring to, but both white kids and students at Wakefield as a whole perform quite poorly compared to their Yorktown and W-L counterparts. The truth is that people want to gloss over that in the hope that someone else's kids will go there.

Not true. Look at the pass rates on the SOLs for white kids or asian kids (to a slightly lesser extent) at Wakefield and compare to Yorktown. The Wakefield kids are doing very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you look at the subgroup data on Wakefield, you will see that some demographic groups are doing as well or better than their counterparts at Yorktown. Just b/c the school as a whole has a lot of students with language or economic challenges does not mean that (a) the school is bad, (b) teachers are bad, or (c) kids who a great education cannot get it there. The truth is that there is a group of kids at Wakefield who are doing very well. My friends are bucking the trends and sending their middle class white children to Wakefield after they graduate from their parochial grade school.

Not sure which subgroups you are referring to, but both white kids and students at Wakefield as a whole perform quite poorly compared to their Yorktown and W-L counterparts. The truth is that people want to gloss over that in the hope that someone else's kids will go there.

Not true. Look at the pass rates on the SOLs for white kids or asian kids (to a slightly lesser extent) at Wakefield and compare to Yorktown. The Wakefield kids are doing very well.

SOLs are really basic. If you think kids are getting a "great education" because a school teaches to the SOLs, that's just sad.

Look at SATs, which actually matter, and it's a different story. And NMSFs from Wakefield are few and far between.

http://www.apsva.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=27129

[Anonymous]

Doubt that wl will be acceptable at that time. South Arlington is the dumping ground for the Arlington poors and public housing. There is nothing in south Arlington to attract higher quality residents (no walkability, no metro etc) pentagon city is in decline as well.

[Anonymous]

Not good, much less great.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/141/2014%20PR%20Tbl%203%20SAT.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doubt that wl will be acceptable at that time. South Arlington is the dumping ground for the Arlington poors and public housing. There is nothing in south Arlington to attract higher quality residents (no walkability, no metro etc) pentagon city is in decline as well.

So younger middle class families aren't buying homes in south Arlington? That seems contrary to what I see on a daily basis.

[Anonymous]

Die to demographics, there will likely be some redistricting. However, it's likely to shift south, so if you are Wakefield now, it's extremely unlikely you'd ever not be Wakefield. I think southern WL will wind up at Wakefield. Not sure if Yorktown will switch. I live at the very south of Yorktown, and am closer to WL than Yorktown. I would think they would move us, but if you look at the demographics, there are a few planning units that contain Halls Hill and the lower-income housing near the Lee Heights shops. They tend to gerrymander around those planning units in order to have any minority/lower income students at Yorktown. Other planning units might be shifted south to WL, though. Hard to tell.

I wouldn't be afraid of WF, but I'm weird that way.

[Anonymous]

The fear and subtle racism are appalling.