Does the school pyramid really make a difference in the long run?

[Anonymous]

Cognitive dissonance says people will nearly always think their choice is the right one. The vast majority on DCUM pick high-performing pyramids, so you’re not going to find much support here for lower-performing ones. No one wants to admit that they could have spent less money for an equally good outcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - also asking because I see amazing homes in Falls Church, but they are in the Justice school district (which has low rated elementaries). I also understand Wakefield is great too.

Wakefield is better now than Justice, but there is a cohort of families who navigate the Justice pyramid by getting their kids into AAP at Belvedere (good school) and Glasgow (big, not so great), and then do IB at Justice. Many kids at Justice struggle academically and the school’s primary focus is getting them to graduate, so the school remains accredited. But the IB diploma kids, who come from a mix of backgrounds, are basically in a school within a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cognitive dissonance says people will nearly always think their choice is the right one. The vast majority on DCUM pick high-performing pyramids, so you’re not going to find much support here for lower-performing ones. No one wants to admit that they could have spent less money for an equally good outcome.

We bought in a low performing pyramid when our HHI was 150K. Over the years it increased to $350k and from time to time we talk about moving to a high performing period. However our house will paid off in a few years in our mid 40s and I haven’t had any experiences yet that make me want another mortgage.

[Anonymous]

The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cognitive dissonance says people will nearly always think their choice is the right one. The vast majority on DCUM pick high-performing pyramids, so you’re not going to find much support here for lower-performing ones. No one wants to admit that they could have spent less money for an equally good outcome.

The same logic would suggest no one wants to admit they failed to secure a better outcome for their kids because, for example, they prioritized a bigger house or their vacation budgets over a stronger school.

But, really, if you assume that people are rational economic actors, the market is the best indicator. People pay a premium for better schools - just compare prices in adjacent areas zoned for Langley compared to Herndon or West Springfield compared to Lee.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it matters in a way that is harder to see. You will see kids not turning in homework more often. The boundaries of bad behavior and how often it happens are often stretched. Your kid will grow up with a certain perception of the world and how the standards of the world are set.

That said, your kid MAY go to the same college from pyramid A as pryamid B IF they are not that affected by peer pressure and hangs out with a similar bunch of good kids at both schools. He/she will feel better about how he ended up there better than another pyramid comparing himself to others around him. That may propel him to work harder or less hard depending on his perceptions.

At the end of it all, you will be talking about the road not taken. Who knows?

But I went to middle school and high school in FCPS in the 90’s and back then we were not allowed to carry backpacks in the halls because kids might have brought guns and high schools with metal detectors to walk through every morning. I don’t want my kids to be proud they never got in trouble because they didn’t bring guns to school. I have a higher bar then that. I think pyramids are worthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

People don’t really want a “real world” experience, which is why we see them typically praising low-rated schools by pointing to the handful of students from those schools who end up attending elite colleges that are even less representative of the general population than the high school pyramids in NoVa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

People don’t really want a “real world” experience, which is why we see them typically praising low-rated schools by pointing to the handful of students from those schools who end up attending elite colleges that are even less representative of the general population than the high school pyramids in NoVa.

Poor analogy. The quality of education between an ivy and community college is vastly different. Not so for two different high schools in the same NoVA district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it matters in a way that is harder to see. You will see kids not turning in homework more often. The boundaries of bad behavior and how often it happens are often stretched. Your kid will grow up with a certain perception of the world and how the standards of the world are set.

That said, your kid MAY go to the same college from pyramid A as pryamid B IF they are not that affected by peer pressure and hangs out with a similar bunch of good kids at both schools. He/she will feel better about how he ended up there better than another pyramid comparing himself to others around him. That may propel him to work harder or less hard depending on his perceptions.

At the end of it all, you will be talking about the road not taken. Who knows?

But I went to middle school and high school in FCPS in the 90’s and back then we were not allowed to carry backpacks in the halls because kids might have brought guns and high schools with metal detectors to walk through every morning. I don’t want my kids to be proud they never got in trouble because they didn’t bring guns to school. I have a higher bar then that. I think pyramids are worthy.

NP. Following this thread. Small town, middle school and high school with clear backpacks only, metal detectors, public school uniforms,etc. Just not what I want for my kids, even though I turned out okay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
But I went to middle school and high school in FCPS in the 90’s and back then we were not allowed to carry backpacks in the halls because kids might have brought guns and high schools with metal detectors to walk through every morning. I don’t want my kids to be proud they never got in trouble because they didn’t bring guns to school. I have a higher bar then that. I think pyramids are worthy.

This is false. There have never been metal detectors at any FCPS regular school and the no backpacks in middle schools have always been about crowded hallways.

[Anonymous]

And no packs means the students cannot wear them at school during the day, not that they cannot bring them and place them in the locker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The real world bears very little resemblance to the population of most “preferred“ pyramids in northern Virginia. My personal opinion is that kids benefit more from exposure to those who are different (both racially/ethnically and socio-economically) than they do from exposure to those who are the same.

People don’t really want a “real world” experience, which is why we see them typically praising low-rated schools by pointing to the handful of students from those schools who end up attending elite colleges that are even less representative of the general population than the high school pyramids in NoVa.

Poor analogy. The quality of education between an ivy and community college is vastly different. Not so for two different high schools in the same NoVA district.

It wasn’t an analogy. It was a statement of fact about how eager parents actually are for their kids to experience the “real world.” Try again.

As for different outcomes with FCPS schools, there are fairly big differences in the percentage of kids taking and passing IB and AP exams. You can claim the same kid would have done just as well at any school, but that would be conjecture on your part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I still like this article:

Does it pay to obsess on where your kid goes to school?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpo...ge/%3foutputType=amp

Great article and I agree.

[Anonymous]

I did fine coming from our mediocre neighborhood school but my brother did not. He is loaded up with remedial crap as a college freshman.

[Anonymous]

OP will the cheaper house allow you to stop working or go part time?

Then you can the academic manager and tutor for your kid to help provide the differentiation they will not receive at a school where managing discipline and simply passing the SOLs is the priority of the teachers and administration