FCPS decline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what's the solution besides venting on this forum? I'm not being snarky. What can be done?

A new school board. Unfortunately that is practically impossible at this point. The school board is political and they are all democrats. The school board would do better if it were a mix or independent. We live in an area where almost everyone votes democrat. (I’ve been guilty of doing that as well - not again.) So even people who don’t have kids or don’t care about the school board at all will go and vote and just vote for the democrats on the ballot. A lot of the school board members don’t really care about the school system - they are using it to further their political career. And that means they care less about education and more about social issues.

And so all we can really do is vent on forums like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what's the solution besides venting on this forum? I'm not being snarky. What can be done?

A new school board. Unfortunately that is practically impossible at this point. The school board is political and they are all democrats. The school board would do better if it were a mix or independent. We live in an area where almost everyone votes democrat. (I’ve been guilty of doing that as well - not again.) So even people who don’t have kids or don’t care about the school board at all will go and vote and just vote for the democrats on the ballot. A lot of the school board members don’t really care about the school system - they are using it to further their political career. And that means they care less about education and more about social issues.

And so all we can really do is vent on forums like this.

The last Republicans on the School Board (Elizabeth Schultz and Tom Wilson) were awful. Schultz was a loud-mouthed partisan and Wilson was by far the laziest, dumbest member of the School Board. Maybe if they hadn't been so bad, the Democrats would not have swept in the 2019 elections.

[Anonymous]

A better alternative might be to go back to a system where School Board members are appointed rather than elected. Perhaps that way the Board of Supervisors could give some thought to appointing members who have an appropriate cross-section of expertise and aren't so controlled by the special interest groups. 95% of the current agenda is dictated by teachers' groups and the NAACP.

[Anonymous]

This is what happens when you have a School Board that gives priority at every meeting to shills like Kimberly Adams.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-more-failing-grades/2020/11/24/1ac2412e-2e34-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html

Recall the School Board! They are the biggest FAILURES!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what happens when you have a School Board that gives priority at every meeting to shills like Kimberly Adams.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-more-failing-grades/2020/11/24/1ac2412e-2e34-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html

Recall the School Board! They are the biggest FAILURES!

that headline is the best news in a long time- it's much harder to say DL is working when it objectively isn't

[Anonymous]

Brabrand's contract should not be renewed. And the first wave of incompetent School Board members - Cohen, Tholen, and Omeish - must be recalled. Parents need to take on this shit show head-on and insist on a decent school system again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what happens when you have a School Board that gives priority at every meeting to shills like Kimberly Adams.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-more-failing-grades/2020/11/24/1ac2412e-2e34-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html

Recall the School Board! They are the biggest FAILURES!

Maybe someone should tell Karen Keys-Gammara to remove her request for a forum topic on the academy at Lewis High from the December 1 school board meeting. The best way to represent the legacy of John Lewis right now would be to get vulnerable kids in school ASAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what happens when you have a School Board that gives priority at every meeting to shills like Kimberly Adams.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-more-failing-grades/2020/11/24/1ac2412e-2e34-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html

Recall the School Board! They are the biggest FAILURES!

Maybe someone should tell Karen Keys-Gammara to remove her request for a forum topic on the academy at Lewis High from the December 1 school board meeting. The best way to represent the legacy of John Lewis right now would be to get vulnerable kids in school ASAP.

Yes, forget about the increase of COVID 19 cases

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I believe ESOL kids do get pullouts. But they are in the classroom most of the time. How would FCPS consistently stratify learners in a way that doesn't segregate them based on english ability?

Why do we segregate based on math ability? Isn't AAP segregating those with different academic strengths and needs? Why does it make a difference when it's language? Just leaving them in the classroom with non-ESOL isn't serving either group to the best of our ability.

Math ability isnt a protected class.

Is language?

No but national origin is and discrimination based on language has been equated to discrimination based on national origin

Equated by whom? What statute? What Supreme Court case? "Equated" by FCPS is all I can see.

Intentionally grouping students into classes for no rational reason other than national origin would be unlawful. Grouping students by ability is not unlawful, regardless of how it shakes out. Yes, you might fund that grouping students by English-language proficiency results in American-born students grouped in with Indian-born and Nigerian-born students, because each of those countries speaks English, while other groups of students who have less of a grasp on the English language are grouped together. So what? That's not unlawful.

This sounds like a great way to get kids the English language support they each would need. Who would be against this?

People who consistently view issues through the lense of race and ethnicity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what's the solution besides venting on this forum? I'm not being snarky. What can be done?

A new school board. Unfortunately that is practically impossible at this point. The school board is political and they are all democrats. The school board would do better if it were a mix or independent. We live in an area where almost everyone votes democrat. (I’ve been guilty of doing that as well - not again.) So even people who don’t have kids or don’t care about the school board at all will go and vote and just vote for the democrats on the ballot. A lot of the school board members don’t really care about the school system - they are using it to further their political career. And that means they care less about education and more about social issues.

And so all we can really do is vent on forums like this.

I get what you are saying but I am not going to vote for people who don't share my values just because its "party ticket" voting. The issue of it being a political stepping stone is real though. I'd argue that education doesn't happen in a bubble though and you can't extract social issues from education. That's a top down issue, schools are tasked with delivering a LOT of social services for kids. Which makes some sense, we know where they will be and have access to ensuring they receive services at school. But still, this is an overly simplistic view of any solutions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I believe ESOL kids do get pullouts. But they are in the classroom most of the time. How would FCPS consistently stratify learners in a way that doesn't segregate them based on english ability?

Why do we segregate based on math ability? Isn't AAP segregating those with different academic strengths and needs? Why does it make a difference when it's language? Just leaving them in the classroom with non-ESOL isn't serving either group to the best of our ability.

Math ability isnt a protected class.

Is language?

No but national origin is and discrimination based on language has been equated to discrimination based on national origin

Equated by whom? What statute? What Supreme Court case? "Equated" by FCPS is all I can see.

Intentionally grouping students into classes for no rational reason other than national origin would be unlawful. Grouping students by ability is not unlawful, regardless of how it shakes out. Yes, you might fund that grouping students by English-language proficiency results in American-born students grouped in with Indian-born and Nigerian-born students, because each of those countries speaks English, while other groups of students who have less of a grasp on the English language are grouped together. So what? That's not unlawful.

What seems to be missing here is that without basic grasp of the english language teachers can't determine what their level of content knowledge is in each subject. So how would they effectively and legally group them?

Even if schools translated every written material into all languages, the kid would still have to be grouped with like-knowledged kids ... And the instruction would still be in english... Leading them right back to where we started. The teacher speaks English and the kid doesn't so they can't perform.

There's no problem with "right back to where we started." Kids who cannot speak/read/understand English are necessarily going to need to be in remedial/less challenging classes, because they'll be doing the work of learning the basics of English as they also tackle some substantive learning (history, science, literature) in that "new" language for them. That sounds pretty challenging and it sounds like they will certainly be learning key skills and improving. And that's exactly what they, and all of us, should expect from school.

We are a nation with a dominant language, like every other nation. Here, our language is English. We cannot throw non-English speakers/readers, or weak English speakers/readers, in with children who are fluent with the language, maybe even advanced, and who need to be challenged with the substantive information (the history, science, literature, etc.) that they are reading in English.

People are making it so complicated because they're afraid someone will call them a racist. Clown world.

While we have a dominant language, we don't have a national language.

And no, FCPS has gone the way of Fairfax County, so you can expect this to continue. Northern VA is no longer the land of sensible democrats focusing on good schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A better alternative might be to go back to a system where School Board members are appointed rather than elected. Perhaps that way the Board of Supervisors could give some thought to appointing members who have an appropriate cross-section of expertise and aren't so controlled by the special interest groups. 95% of the current agenda is dictated by teachers' groups and the NAACP.

The Board of Supervisors is no better. We would be in the same boat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brabrand's contract should not be renewed. And the first wave of incompetent School Board members - Cohen, Tholen, and Omeish - must be recalled. Parents need to take on this shit show head-on and insist on a decent school system again.

We are too far gone to do this. No one has the guts to do what needs to be done to get the system fixed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what happens when you have a School Board that gives priority at every meeting to shills like Kimberly Adams.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-more-failing-grades/2020/11/24/1ac2412e-2e34-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html

Recall the School Board! They are the biggest FAILURES!

Maybe someone should tell Karen Keys-Gammara to remove her request for a forum topic on the academy at Lewis High from the December 1 school board meeting. The best way to represent the legacy of John Lewis right now would be to get vulnerable kids in school ASAP.

Yes, forget about the increase of COVID 19 cases

Regardless of how you feel about kids returning to school, Keys Gamarra is totally useless on the School Board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what's the solution besides venting on this forum? I'm not being snarky. What can be done?

A new school board. Unfortunately that is practically impossible at this point. The school board is political and they are all democrats. The school board would do better if it were a mix or independent. We live in an area where almost everyone votes democrat. (I’ve been guilty of doing that as well - not again.) So even people who don’t have kids or don’t care about the school board at all will go and vote and just vote for the democrats on the ballot. A lot of the school board members don’t really care about the school system - they are using it to further their political career. And that means they care less about education and more about social issues.

And so all we can really do is vent on forums like this.

see I asked the question. I am a Democrat and I believe in education. The idea that Republicans prioritize education is pretty ridiculous. To me social justice does not equal having mediocre expectations of students.