FCPS decline

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I support the current school board. 100%.

So-called “academic achievement” is the hallmark of white privilege.

Why are we valuing human beings this way? Africa doesn’t value humans this way.

It is about time we de-construct these racist value systems and focus on equity - which is what our school board is doing.

LOl yes ... because Africa is what we want to be emulating here.

Did someone say clown world?

+1. Why don’t you send your kid to Africa then and how great their education system is. So tired of people playing the race card to justify lowering educational standards.

No, I’m not white either.

So tired of people falling for racist trolls trying to stoke racial divisions. Africans value academic achievement very much, even if their education system isn't great. The bolded language was definitely posted by a troll trying to rile up racial tensions and you and pp fell for it hook, line and sinker.

You know FCPS is circling the drain when loony toons political zealots start trying to justify what they're doing to FCPS by arguing that we need to be more like ... Nigeria.

How has this post devolved? I love to know Africa for 10 years. They attended school for 3 hours Girls stop attending school when they hit puberty and most boys don't continue with higher education. They don't have access to more than handful of books. Some of you have lost your minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I support the current school board. 100%.

So-called “academic achievement” is the hallmark of white privilege.

Why are we valuing human beings this way? Africa doesn’t value humans this way.

It is about time we de-construct these racist value systems and focus on equity - which is what our school board is doing.

LOl yes ... because Africa is what we want to be emulating here.

Did someone say clown world?

+1. Why don’t you send your kid to Africa then and how great their education system is. So tired of people playing the race card to justify lowering educational standards.

No, I’m not white either.

So tired of people falling for racist trolls trying to stoke racial divisions. Africans value academic achievement very much, even if their education system isn't great. The bolded language was definitely posted by a troll trying to rile up racial tensions and you and pp fell for it hook, line and sinker.

You know FCPS is circling the drain when loony toons political zealots start trying to justify what they're doing to FCPS by arguing that we need to be more like ... Nigeria.

Your reading comprehension could use a lot of work.

[Anonymous]

PPs-they are not saying the quality of education is Nigeria is great. They are saying that Nigerian immigrants in the US are academically oriented.

[Anonymous]

s anyone paying attention to what else our SB is doing besides not getting kids back in school?

They just had a work session on anti-racism. The budget includes $1million/year going forward to support "anti-racism" training. At least three more Gatehouse "specialists" to support this initiative and all sorts of other money being spent.

Field trips to AA History Museum; Holocaust Museum; etc.

Frankly, i have no problem with the field trips except for the fact that is a lot of money for the value. I've gone on several field trips with my kids to DC--and the time spent there is quite limited because of buses not being able to leave until after a run and needing to get back in time for another run.

I also have concerns about which age kids would be going and how it would be handled.

My gripe, though, is not the museums. It is the philosophy. "Anti-racism" is not what it appears. It promotes division, not inclusiveness. The term sounds good, but the programs are troubling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I support the current school board. 100%.

So-called “academic achievement” is the hallmark of white privilege.

Why are we valuing human beings this way? Africa doesn’t value humans this way.

It is about time we de-construct these racist value systems and focus on equity - which is what our school board is doing.

I had to read this post several times to make sure it said what I thought. Particularly the bolded.

What you are saying is that POC cannot achieve academically - or don't want to. Or, don't value achievement.
That is actually a very racist statement.

[Anonymous]

People need to learn about this before our SB goes further down the primrose path.

The SB is clearly on board or they would not have spent all that money on having Kendi speak to the administrators.

What is the value in this?
What is the danger in this?

What do they expect to achieve by including this in our curriculum?

This is just an "easy" way to act like they are doing something to help the achievement gap. It is a lot easier to throw money at a program than it is to do what will really help minority children--i.e. to educate them. This program promotes victimhood among AA kids and makes white kids admit "white privilege"--aka white guilt.

Do they really think this will fix the problem? It won't. Will this enable kids to achieve more? No. It is divisive.

There is no denial that AA individuals and communities have been victims of racism. But, you don't fix it with more racism. You teach history--the good and the bad. You don't have to cast off great ideas because the individual espousing them was flawed. You can learn about historical figures without looking like them. You should encourage kids to identify with the ideas of good people in history--not their sex or color. It is almost like we now have to divvy up the historical figures by what they look like--not by what they accomplished

I'm no psychologist, but I did teach school and I taught all kinds of kids. Rich, poor, Black, white, Asian, and Hispanic. NO one benefits from being a victim or feeling like a bully. And, some kids get worse if you look at them as a bully. You sympathize with a kid who has been mistreated and certainly do not ignore the actions of the one doing the mistreatment, but you have to encourage both. You encourage the victim to overcome it and you encourage the bully to be a better person. But, you don't place guilt on someone who is not mistreating others and you don't make someone feel like a victim because of his/her color.

You don't ignore the Pilgrim story because the people were white. Thanksgiving may not have been as presented, but the people did come for religious freedom. That is important. You don't ignore slavery because it is unpleasant and uncomfortable to discuss. But, you also must move on. No one here today was a Pilgrim. No one here today was a slave or a slaveholder. You teach it.

Please read both sides of this program and speak up to the School Board.

[Anonymous]

People have lost their minds. If parents do not want their children to excel academically, fine. But then live with the fact that DC will suffer the consequences.

And why is the SB wasting time on a consultant planning for field trips when 1) they aren't in school yet (field trips seem a moot point), and 2) those museums aren't even open yet!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People have lost their minds. If parents do not want their children to excel academically, fine. But then live with the fact that DC will suffer the consequences.

And why is the SB wasting time on a consultant planning for field trips when 1) they aren't in school yet (field trips seem a moot point), and 2) those museums aren't even open yet!!

With the 10th largest school system, why do we need consultants? Is this a covid thing because I feel like our school system should be able to figure out field trips without outside help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People have lost their minds. If parents do not want their children to excel academically, fine. But then live with the fact that DC will suffer the consequences.

And why is the SB wasting time on a consultant planning for field trips when 1) they aren't in school yet (field trips seem a moot point), and 2) those museums aren't even open yet!!

With the 10th largest school system, why do we need consultants? Is this a covid thing because I feel like our school system should be able to figure out field trips without outside help.

The consultants are not for the field trips--the field trips are in addition. Go read the information. Then, go read how it is being implemented in other school systems.

FCPS plans to hire three Gatehouse specialists plus others to implement the program. That alone, by what I could decipher is $1Million per year. The field trips are about $1Million in addition to that, I think. (I got the information from the slides posted at the work session, so I'm trying to read between the lines.) For sure, they plan on spending at LEAST $1Million per year on this program.

Do we really need more "specialists" at Gatehouse?
They also plan to allot money for subs so that teachers can be indoctrinated. (Excuse me, I mean "trained" in the program."

This program is not a nice "let's everyone get along" program. It is a program which makes white kids acknowledge their "white privilege>" I'm not sure what it requires of AA kids--except to emphasize that Blacks have been victimized. I am also not sure where Asians and Hispanics fit into this program. But, it would appear from the materials that the purpose is to make all white people feel guilty. At least, that is the way it is being implemented in a number of school systems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People have lost their minds. If parents do not want their children to excel academically, fine. But then live with the fact that DC will suffer the consequences.

And why is the SB wasting time on a consultant planning for field trips when 1) they aren't in school yet (field trips seem a moot point), and 2) those museums aren't even open yet!!

With the 10th largest school system, why do we need consultants? Is this a covid thing because I feel like our school system should be able to figure out field trips without outside help.

The consultants are not for the field trips--the field trips are in addition. Go read the information. Then, go read how it is being implemented in other school systems.

FCPS plans to hire three Gatehouse specialists plus others to implement the program. That alone, by what I could decipher is $1Million per year. The field trips are about $1Million in addition to that, I think. (I got the information from the slides posted at the work session, so I'm trying to read between the lines.) For sure, they plan on spending at LEAST $1Million per year on this program.

Do we really need more "specialists" at Gatehouse?
They also plan to allot money for subs so that teachers can be indoctrinated. (Excuse me, I mean "trained" in the program."

This program is not a nice "let's everyone get along" program. It is a program which makes white kids acknowledge their "white privilege>" I'm not sure what it requires of AA kids--except to emphasize that Blacks have been victimized. I am also not sure where Asians and Hispanics fit into this program. But, it would appear from the materials that the purpose is to make all white people feel guilty. At least, that is the way it is being implemented in a number of school systems.

As a former FCPS parent AND teacher....... all I have to say is thank goodness we are out of there.
If this is anything like critical race theory - it is divisive, discriminatory and highly racist.
MLK must be rolling over in his grave.

[Anonymous]

One of the Gatehouse Equity employees is a former somewhat recent principal at Forest Edge. She was highly ineffective leading to a lot of teacher turnover and unable to bring up scores there and got promoted it appears into some sort of equity lead.

[Anonymous]

Yes let’s pump more money into Gatehouse and “equity” programs while we can’t even get the effing schools open.

*disclaimer that actual equity is fine but pursuing false programs while schools are closed is absurd and disgraceful

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I would love to hear the opinion on if you think between One Fairfax and the changing AAP policies if FCPS is even salvageable. Is there even a way to save the quality of the public schools and AAP centers? Between the missed days, not teaching new material at the end of last year, and the bedlam this year it's so disheartening. Will parents with kids in primary school being moving to private? Or, maybe there will be a push to charter schools? What does everyone think the quality of FCPS will look like in 5 - 10 years?

There is no decline because FCPS was never really a "world class" school system. It's reputation is owing only to the fact that people in this area are very educated and have some money, and test scores reflect that. Not the actual education they are receiving, which has always been so-so at best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I would love to hear the opinion on if you think between One Fairfax and the changing AAP policies if FCPS is even salvageable. Is there even a way to save the quality of the public schools and AAP centers? Between the missed days, not teaching new material at the end of last year, and the bedlam this year it's so disheartening. Will parents with kids in primary school being moving to private? Or, maybe there will be a push to charter schools? What does everyone think the quality of FCPS will look like in 5 - 10 years?

There is no decline because FCPS was never really a "world class" school system. It's reputation is owing only to the fact that people in this area are very educated and have some money, and test scores reflect that. Not the actual education they are receiving, which has always been so-so at best.

This is quite reductive. You can find some areas with high or higher HHIs and lower performing schools.

FCPS is under a lot of strain, but I graduated from an FCPS high school (not TJ) with a lot of AP credits, and between my AP credits and scores of placement tests administered to freshmen I was eligible to graduate from an Ivy in three years. I wish I could say it was because my parents were wealthy, but they weren't. They did care about education, but then so did most of my FCPS teachers. To the extent FCPS has declined since then, and I'm not sure it really has, I suspect it has more to do with national trends in public education and changes in demographics than anything specific to FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is it. Elected boards have to play a political game and their decisions are always subject to partisan criticism. Appointed boards can straight up do the right thing for schools, students, and staff.

No - that's not a solution. Ultimately, it is the citizens who are responsible for the school board -- either through direct elections, or through electing the person who "appoints" the school board. All that would do is create another level of separation between the citizens and their school board.

The fault lies with the voters -- you are all voting for this moronic school board and its non-academic based policies. You do it because it touches all your political buttons and it makes you feel good. You want to vote "Democrats" onto your school board to stop Drumpf or whatever inane political reason you tell yourself. You all get the schoolboard and the lowest common denominator school system you deserve.

Old post, but still relevant today.
If you care about school safety, you must vote for school board members who care about school safety as their Number One Priority. It’s that simple.