FCPS High School Poverty and Enrollment

[Anonymous]

Maybe an IB magnet for those seeking IB diploma only. But, get rid of IB otherwise. It just enables people to pupil place in or out for a "better" school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain why AP is preferred over IB?

AP is more flexible and portable. You can pick the classes you want to take a la carte, such as AB chemistry but regular honors history, or multiple AP history and English classes but no AP math. They can take 1 AP class in high school or multiple AP classes each year. This means that kids can focus on their strengths. It also provides opportunities for kids who are less proficient in English to still earn college credit in a class like AP calculus. You can jump in and out of AP classes if you move high school.

IB is a writing heavy, comprehensive program that is taken in its entirety over the 4 years of high school and is not a la cart. It is all, or nothing, which shuts out military kids who move later in high school, smart kids who struggle with with writing, and kids who are uneven in their skill sets. It is a terrible program for most of the schools that FCPS put IB into as those are mostly ESOL heavy schools where student do not have the English language proficiency to handle the heavy writing components or extra time for the service components. IB in those schools essentially shuts a large number of students out from accessing advanced curriculum or college credits in high school.

This is not accurate. You can take individual IB courses and receive the same weighting as AP.

But not the college credit.

Poor kids are best served by AP, not IB. It gives them a free jump on college. They can knock out a full year or more credits for free in high school in a high school with a robust AB and dual enrollment program.

IB is essentially worthless for poor kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

It’s not that they don’t care. They care a hell of a lot. But it’s a damn sight harder to get paperwork in on time when you don’t speak the language, may or may not be literate yourself, have 3 jobs, can’t take off from work, and sometimes literally don’t even have a pen at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

It’s not that they don’t care. They care a hell of a lot. But it’s a damn sight harder to get paperwork in on time when you don’t speak the language, may or may not be literate yourself, have 3 jobs, can’t take off from work, and sometimes literally don’t even have a pen at home.

Parents care. But, changing schools is not going to change any of the things you stated. The answer is 1)to teach the kids where they are; 2)Follow up when they don't show up at school; 3) try to keep parents informed as much as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

Sure, why would anyone ever assume that southern school districts are racist.

The racism and classism is the person who thinks that poor people and minority parents won't complete paperwork or meet deadlines.

Then what is the problem? FCPS school facilities, curriculum, teachers are same county wide, only difference is the student body. If poor and minority parents are equally vested in their child's education then outcomes between Lewis and Langley should not be that different. If poor and minority parents care as much then how do you explain outcomes in schools with high FARM numbers.

Kids from low income families generally don’t enter school on the same rung of the ladder as upper income kids. Many of these kids have zero books in their home and sometimes have never been far outside their own neighborhoods. Their parents are often exhausted and in survival mode. They care. They love their kids. But often their lives are spent hanging on by a thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

It’s not that they don’t care. They care a hell of a lot. But it’s a damn sight harder to get paperwork in on time when you don’t speak the language, may or may not be literate yourself, have 3 jobs, can’t take off from work, and sometimes literally don’t even have a pen at home.

Parents care. But, changing schools is not going to change any of the things you stated. The answer is 1)to teach the kids where they are; 2)Follow up when they don't show up at school; 3) try to keep parents informed as much as possible.

So … in case you don’t know … there are multiple posters on this thread. I don’t know that changing schools will change anything for a lot of kids. But it is pathetic to read thread after thread of parents in McLean and Langley somehow thinking that they are getting cheated out of tax dollars. It’s really quite sickening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

It’s not that they don’t care. They care a hell of a lot. But it’s a damn sight harder to get paperwork in on time when you don’t speak the language, may or may not be literate yourself, have 3 jobs, can’t take off from work, and sometimes literally don’t even have a pen at home.

Parents care. But, changing schools is not going to change any of the things you stated. The answer is 1)to teach the kids where they are; 2)Follow up when they don't show up at school; 3) try to keep parents informed as much as possible.

No, the answer is not to teach kids where they are. Education research has already established that conclusion is not true. Kids living in high concentrations of poverty have little chance to get out if you keep them in their high-poverty bubble.

This is just one of many reports and research articles that you can find on the matter. But Maryland is a good example that struggles with the same issue.

https://mldscenter.maryland.gov/egov/Publications/ResearchReports/MDStudentandSchoolConcentratedPoverty2019.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

It’s not that they don’t care. They care a hell of a lot. But it’s a damn sight harder to get paperwork in on time when you don’t speak the language, may or may not be literate yourself, have 3 jobs, can’t take off from work, and sometimes literally don’t even have a pen at home.

Parents care. But, changing schools is not going to change any of the things you stated. The answer is 1)to teach the kids where they are; 2)Follow up when they don't show up at school; 3) try to keep parents informed as much as possible.

No, the answer is not to teach kids where they are. Education research has already established that conclusion is not true. Kids living in high concentrations of poverty have little chance to get out if you keep them in their high-poverty bubble.

This is just one of many reports and research articles that you can find on the matter. But Maryland is a good example that struggles with the same issue.

https://mldscenter.maryland.gov/egov/Publications/ResearchReports/MDStudentandSchoolConcentratedPoverty2019.pdf

You can cite "educational research" all you want. But, if kids don't get to school, it won't help to move them. I have seen this in person as a teacher. I taught extremely poor kids who were bused in. If they don't get to school and the parents don't get to the school the results are not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Langley 3%
Herndon 50%

These two pyramids are right next to each other.

+1
Not to mention, voters in Herndon are allowing the policies that create these poverty zones. You get what you vote for.

Ummm … Fairfax County voters have created a lot of the problem. Some place has to step in. The sh!t really hits the fan though when it comes to schooling and suddenly everyone becomes conservative. Fairfax County is a so-called sanctuary yet doesn’t have a real solution for schools.

"Voting Blue No Matter Who" is the problem. But unfortunately, many of the people complaining will never actually change the way they vote.

Can you point out to how policies in red states or counties deal with the issue? Is there less poverty? Less of an achievement gap? Less undocumented immigrants? Give examples.

I recently visited family from a very red state. Not quite Alabama, but ruby red.

Their kid goes to school in a large public school district with similar demographics to FCPS. Here are a few things I noticed that are different than FCPS;

There are multiple school districts in the county, not just one mammoth school district. This allows school districts to tailor rapidly to their unique nedds, from snow days to calendars to curriculum and enrichment.

That school district is the 2nd largest one in the suburban county, with 4 high schools.
The largest school district has only 5 high schools. A handful have 2 high schools. Most diatricts have just 1 high school.

There are no split feeders in that city. The focus is on neighborhood schools, with the approach that a smaller, local community and parents know what is best for the children of the community.

However, the special school district is a separate, joint district that includes all county and city schools. The special school district provides all in school specialists required by FAPE, and also all immersion schools for the highly disabled students, respite care for parents and a separate dedicated school for the severely emotionally disturbed kids who cannot function in a regular school. This approach ensures the most efficient use of special ed funds, and also means that FAPE needs are met equally no matter where a student attends school in that city or county.

At their kids' elementary school, the class sizes ranged from 12 for the smallest classes (kindergarten and some of the special classes) to 22 students for the "big" classes. One of their kids was talking about how their class was "huge" last year. It was 21 kids.

Because the focus is on localized control across the entire red state, each school district is able to prioritize what is important to their community. For my family's community, their district prioritizes smaller classses in elementary school.

FCPS is too big, and fails to meet the needs of many. It needs to be broken into smaller, separate districts, with one county wide special school district.

Their red state focus on localizing control of schools as much as possible, and using larger systems only when effective and necessary, is a much better approach to schools than our behemoth blue county approach.

Well, we all know that the southeast part of Fairfax County would be cast off as a district of its own, left to suffer under its burden of poverty. We know that is a dream for the wealthier sections of the county.

That part of the county would actually receive more services and funds through the county wide special school district due to the disproportionate number of esol and special needs students.

I also forgot to add that districts with high failure rates on state exams are taken over by the state. So Lewis and MV would be run at a county or state level until things are corrected.

Their red area also allows parents school choice, so they can transfer their kids out of failing schools.

There is bussing from the failing city schools to the county through an application program. I don't know how it works, but do know that they try to funnel the bussed kids into the same schools their parents might have been bussed to decades earlier, in order to maintain a "community" focus and continuity for the students. The hope is that the receiving school is their "family" school, in the way that a private school family might identify as a generational Bishop Ireton or Gonzaga family.

Since we're talking about red states, I'll go ahead and assumer that there is just enough paperwork combined with hard deadlines that the wrong kids are never able to take advantage of it

How arrogant, racist and classist to assume poor and brown parents don't care enough about their kids to complete and submit paperwork on time.

Sure, why would anyone ever assume that southern school districts are racist.

The racism and classism is the person who thinks that poor people and minority parents won't complete paperwork or meet deadlines.

Then what is the problem? FCPS school facilities, curriculum, teachers are same county wide, only difference is the student body. If poor and minority parents are equally vested in their child's education then outcomes between Lewis and Langley should not be that different. If poor and minority parents care as much then how do you explain outcomes in schools with high FARM numbers.

We used to live by Lee, now Lewis. My kid went to Springfield Estates for AAP and we now live in McLean. I do not see any difference in the teachers in Springfield and McLean. The demographics are very different. The parent population is also so different. The Asian population is different. The military population is different. The Hispanic population is different. The black population is different. The black families in McLean are all successful working professionals. The Asians by Lee are often blue dollar and more Southeast Asians. I don’t remember there being many Indians. The McLean Latinos are the wealthy ones, no blue dollar parents. The military families we know in McLean are all officers, very senior officers. When the parent population is all well educated, the students perform better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of these numbers really surprise me. Where are these families living?? This area has gotten so expensive.

In Mount Vernon, there are two trailer (mobile home) parks that feed into MVHS. We also have homeless shelters. Ft. Belvoir families are zoned for MVHS - enlisted soldiers are not high wage earners and some of our FARMS students may be military families. But the majority are most likely multiple families living together in both single family homes and apartments/townhouses/condos. We also have multiple apartment complexes and most of them are older, garden style apartments and not the new, expensive ones with fancy amenities. I don't know how the affordable housing works, but I do know families can rent at reduced rates. I looked and the apartment complex that is walking distance to the high school starts at $1500 a month. And it is one of the nicer apartment complexes in the 22309 zip code (the MV zip code.)

I cannot speak to the military at Fort Belvoir specifically, but I can speak generally. I taught in DOD schools. They historically have far fewer high school students than elementary because the parents begin retiring as the kids get older. And, FWIW, it is unlikely that there are many high school students from Fort Belvoir whose parents are in the lower enlisted ranks.
Also, I understand that military families are able to pupil place out to other schools. I am guessing that many choose this option.

All true.

I just looked at the school profiles for the 2 elementary schools located on Ft. Belvoir.

Their FARMS numbers significantly increased this past school year, from the upper teens to over 30% in both schools.

Knowing that those schools are amost completely lower level enlisted families, it is shocking to see a snapshot how much the terrible inflation of this administration has affected our enlisted troops.

Shameful.

The rules are strange in that if you choose to live off-base, you have to include BAH toward income, which generally disqualifies people. If you live on the base in base housing, then you don't have to include it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain why AP is preferred over IB?

AP is more flexible and portable. You can pick the classes you want to take a la carte, such as AB chemistry but regular honors history, or multiple AP history and English classes but no AP math. They can take 1 AP class in high school or multiple AP classes each year. This means that kids can focus on their strengths. It also provides opportunities for kids who are less proficient in English to still earn college credit in a class like AP calculus. You can jump in and out of AP classes if you move high school.

IB is a writing heavy, comprehensive program that is taken in its entirety over the 4 years of high school and is not a la cart. It is all, or nothing, which shuts out military kids who move later in high school, smart kids who struggle with with writing, and kids who are uneven in their skill sets. It is a terrible program for most of the schools that FCPS put IB into as those are mostly ESOL heavy schools where student do not have the English language proficiency to handle the heavy writing components or extra time for the service components. IB in those schools essentially shuts a large number of students out from accessing advanced curriculum or college credits in high school.

This is not accurate. You can take individual IB courses and receive the same weighting as AP.

But not the college credit.

Poor kids are best served by AP, not IB. It gives them a free jump on college. They can knock out a full year or more credits for free in high school in a high school with a robust AB and dual enrollment program.

IB is essentially worthless for poor kids.

IB awards credit the same as AP. Students take an exam at the end of the class. Score high enough and get college credit. DC went to an IB high school and entered college with credits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's also worth noting that if you were to move a wealthier neighborhood into a high-poverty pyramid that those residents would instead switch to alternative schooling if they can afford it. I remember reading a survey that showed that nearly 60% of residents in the Sleepy Hollow/Lake Barcroft areas of the Justice Boundaries send their children to different schools.

There are neighborhoods off Route 1 where probably over 75 percent of kids go to private, TJ, or out of bounds schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's also worth noting that if you were to move a wealthier neighborhood into a high-poverty pyramid that those residents would instead switch to alternative schooling if they can afford it. I remember reading a survey that showed that nearly 60% of residents in the Sleepy Hollow/Lake Barcroft areas of the Justice Boundaries send their children to different schools.

I suspect a large majority of families wouldn't be able to afford paying for private in that scenario. Families that pay for private are in places like Great Falls where they're already abundantly wealthy, or families that bought homes with the deliberate intention and budget for sending to private like at Lake Barceoft or Rt 1.

However the average middle to upper middle class family that in recent years has bought an overinflated home in the mid/upper-tier pyramids is not going to be able to drop another 20k annually to pay for private.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's also worth noting that if you were to move a wealthier neighborhood into a high-poverty pyramid that those residents would instead switch to alternative schooling if they can afford it. I remember reading a survey that showed that nearly 60% of residents in the Sleepy Hollow/Lake Barcroft areas of the Justice Boundaries send their children to different schools.

I suspect a large majority of families wouldn't be able to afford paying for private in that scenario. Families that pay for private are in places like Great Falls where they're already abundantly wealthy, or families that bought homes with the deliberate intention and budget for sending to private like at Lake Barceoft or Rt 1.

However the average middle to upper middle class family that in recent years has bought an overinflated home in the mid/upper-tier pyramids is not going to be able to drop another 20k annually to pay for private.

If they moved into the neighborhood and paid a premium to live in a good school district, they will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain why AP is preferred over IB?

AP is more flexible and portable. You can pick the classes you want to take a la carte, such as AB chemistry but regular honors history, or multiple AP history and English classes but no AP math. They can take 1 AP class in high school or multiple AP classes each year. This means that kids can focus on their strengths. It also provides opportunities for kids who are less proficient in English to still earn college credit in a class like AP calculus. You can jump in and out of AP classes if you move high school.

IB is a writing heavy, comprehensive program that is taken in its entirety over the 4 years of high school and is not a la cart. It is all, or nothing, which shuts out military kids who move later in high school, smart kids who struggle with with writing, and kids who are uneven in their skill sets. It is a terrible program for most of the schools that FCPS put IB into as those are mostly ESOL heavy schools where student do not have the English language proficiency to handle the heavy writing components or extra time for the service components. IB in those schools essentially shuts a large number of students out from accessing advanced curriculum or college credits in high school.

This is not accurate. You can take individual IB courses and receive the same weighting as AP.

But not the college credit.

Poor kids are best served by AP, not IB. It gives them a free jump on college. They can knock out a full year or more credits for free in high school in a high school with a robust AB and dual enrollment program.

IB is essentially worthless for poor kids.

IB credits count for college, just like AP. There is no deduction for being poor.
Stop lying.