Explain Arlington Traditional School to me

[Anonymous]

I've read their website on the Arlington County page and still am unclear what makes it different or better than the other outstanding public schools in Arlington. Yes, the uniform aspect. How does its academic curriculum vary from the others?

There's lots of hype, but I don't know anyone whose kids attend and don't have firsthand information that way.

[Anonymous]

We have neighbors whose 2 children attend/attended ATS and they love it. The kids are self-starters and outgoing, and thrive/thrived in that setting. They are, for want of a better word, very nice, bright, "conventional" kids. I don't think kids who "color outside the lines" so to speak would have an easy time in a place like ATS. I know it would not work for our DS and it's not a place we considered. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

There isn't going to be all that much variation in academic curriculum, because Arlington elementary schools all cover the same topics, grade by grade.

ATS does have a certain uniformity to some activities: homework for every kid in every grade every night (or M-Th), the dress code, all kids expected to be reading by the end of K, things like that. I know some very nice kids who went or who currently go there, but I'm surprised that the PP knows kids who attend and are self-starters, because the ones I know tend much more toward rule-following.

[Anonymous]

ATS has self contained classrooms. You stay with your teacher and the work is indivualized within the classroom, you don't break up into reading groups by level or rotate teachers by subject . You get weekly written reports on student progress from the teachers. Homework every night, stressing the involvement of student, parent and teacher.

In addition to academics - focus on the whole child including character development and behavior. ABC's of Success - Academics, Behavior, and Character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship).

[Anonymous]

In addition to academics - focus on the whole child including character development and behavior. ABC's of Success - Academics, Behavior, and Character (trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship).

But while that language may be unique to ATS (pretty sure that's a lift from the website), the principles behind it are in play in every Arlington school -- and most other schools, I suspect.

[Anonymous]

historically, white flight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:historically, white flight.

I think that's really unfair, and I am no ATS-worshiper. But parents who put a lot of weight on test scores and value a diverse student population are often very happy with what ATS gives them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ATS has self contained classrooms. You stay with your teacher and the work is indivualized within the classroom, you don't break up into reading groups by level or rotate teachers by subject . You get weekly written reports on student progress from the teachers.

Don't most Arlington elementaries have self-contained classrooms? (Except, of course, the Spanish Immersion ones due to the way they split the day between English and Spanish.) Mine does, and I hadn't hear of the others rotating teachers.

I would love a weekly written report on academics, however. I receive a daily behavior report, but since DD's behavior is never an issue, the report isn't helpful at all to me.

[Anonymous]

Taylor is team-taught after kindergarten, so kids may have a separate teacher for math and for language arts.

I think some other schools start having different teachers in third grade, at least for some subjects.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:historically, white flight.

I think that's really unfair, and I am no ATS-worshiper. But parents who put a lot of weight on test scores and value a diverse student population are often very happy with what ATS gives them.

ATS is more diverse than most other N. Arlington schools. Tuckahoe, Nottingham, and Jamestown are the white ghettos of Arlington schools...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:historically, white flight.

I think that's really unfair, and I am no ATS-worshiper. But parents who put a lot of weight on test scores and value a diverse student population are often very happy with what ATS gives them.

ATS is more diverse than most other N. Arlington schools. Tuckahoe, Nottingham, and Jamestown are the white ghettos of Arlington schools...

ATS is 60% white, so it's not exactly World Community Festival time. For North Arlington, it's middle of the pack: less white than Ashlawn, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor, and Tuckahoe. Whiter than ASFS, Barrett, Glebe, Key, or Long Branch.

[Anonymous]

I think the point is that one of the things that makes ATS attractive to a lot of parents is the relative diversity, both of ethnicity and economic backgrounds. If you're zoned for one of the elementary schools with almost no diversity (e.g. Nottingham, Jamestown, etc), ATS is one of the only places you're allowed to transfer. You can't just choose to send your kids to Glebe, Barrett, etc.

[Anonymous]

ATS isn't just a N Arlington school, folks.

[Anonymous]

It's lottery from all of Arlington. 1/3 of the spots are filled by VPI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ATS isn't just a N Arlington school, folks.

I don't think anyone has suggested that it is. But IF you are in NArl and want a more diverse school than your neighborhood school, you might be interested in ATS, at which point you might want to consider whether ATS is really going to bring you that much more diversity. I think it used to be more diverse than it is now, although I don't care enough to look up the stats.

If you're not in NArl, I suspect your neighborhood elementary is already plenty diverse. Again, I am just talking out of my ass because I don't care enough to look it up.