One Fairfax

[Anonymous]

WTF is "One Fairfax," anyway? What is the substance of it?

We're a poor family, and our kids, like all the kids, took various standardized tests. Our kids are very bright, and were placed in AAP centers. We, as parents, did nothing. The schools test everyone. Everyone has a chance. You cannot socially engineer people. You can identify those children with extra potential, in the schools, and give them their chance, which I believe FCPS has been doing already.

[Anonymous]

I also do not understand what One Fairfax will mean (i.e. what changes does it entail)?

From the OP -- what were the Asian parents protesting against? I am not getting it.

From my googling around I only find that One Fairfax is a vague concept for trying to give equal opportunity. That is a great concept. But I don't understand how you jump from that, to that limiting groups at TJ (or AAP) -- which is a process open to all. Is there a component of Affirmative Action that I am missing?

[Anonymous]

FCPS has been trying to address the underrepresentation in AAP and TJ for many, many years. There is so much outreach and special programs like Young Scholars. The system cares very much but they have not, as yet, been able to address it. I do not believe there is inequity in the FCPS program but there is, as someone else pointed out, lots of differences in home environments and, as a PP pointed out, that does not mean Asians doing test prep. It also means houses full of books, museum trips, parent involvement.

And, other than busing costs, AAP does not cost more than GE. Tired of that canard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTF is "One Fairfax," anyway? What is the substance of it?

We're a poor family, and our kids, like all the kids, took various standardized tests. Our kids are very bright, and were placed in AAP centers. We, as parents, did nothing. The schools test everyone. Everyone has a chance. You cannot socially engineer people. You can identify those children with extra potential, in the schools, and give them their chance, which I believe FCPS has been doing already.

I don't think you understand the term "social engineering." It does not mean that you design or create a certain person to be a certain way. "Social engineering" refers to the process of making decisions to create a certain mix of people or cause a certain outcome in groups. So, if I wanted to make sure that no school had more than its share of poor kids, I might rezone kids who get free lunches from one school to another for the purpose of keeping each school equally rich/poor b/c I see social value in that balance. It might be used for other socio-economic factors as well to create a certain mix within a school or community -- with the goal of affecting achievement, attitudes and/or behaviors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WTF is "One Fairfax," anyway? What is the substance of it?

Anyone???

[Anonymous]

http://www.reston-connection.com/news/2016/aug/10/one-step-one-fairfax/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bottom line it’s an affirmative action initiative to increase AA & Hispanic #s in AAP and at TJ?

No. Nice try at simplicity and dog-whistling, though. It’s a campaign to raise awareness around how the learning needs of all students are being met. If black and Hispanic kids aren’t getting into TJ, for example, then Fairfax has to look at how those students are being taught and what’s missing in their instruction.

A hispanic and an asian kid could have the same education at school. But if the asian parents supplement education from the time their child enters schools, there is nothing FFX county can do to lessen the gap.

[Anonymous]

It's not right that Asian kids at TJ attend a newly renovated school with fewer than 1800 kids while black and Hispanic kids just a few miles away are crammed into overcrowded or dilapidated schools like Stuart and Falls Church. If "One Fairfax" means anything, this must stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not right that Asian kids at TJ attend a newly renovated school with fewer than 1800 kids while black and Hispanic kids just a few miles away are crammed into overcrowded or dilapidated schools like Stuart and Falls Church. If "One Fairfax" means anything, this must stop.

Fairfax is renovating all of the high schools. It doesn't happen all at once, though. There's a schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bottom line it’s an affirmative action initiative to increase AA & Hispanic #s in AAP and at TJ?

No. Nice try at simplicity and dog-whistling, though. It’s a campaign to raise awareness around how the learning needs of all students are being met. If black and Hispanic kids aren’t getting into TJ, for example, then Fairfax has to look at how those students are being taught and what’s missing in their instruction.

Getting into tj is not a requirement, county should focus on illegal immigration

Getting into TJ is not a requirement. But if the TJ applicant pool has 250AA students and 4 get in, while the acceptance rate for white and Asian kids is 20%: there is a problem.

Are there really that many AA kids applying to TJ? I find that very surprising.

My whitish mixed race kid did the center thing, advance math, STEM enrichment, science olympiad on a successful division B elementary team, etc etc.

He tests very high and probably would have had very competitive scores for TJ.

He (and we) had no desire to even apply for TJ as we all wanted the well-rounded, time for activities like theater and band, freedom to load up on art classes or history if he wanted, etc.

He only knew of one white kid in his class that applied to TJ. The rest were asian. He did not know any blacks or hispanics who applied (althoug tyere might have been one or two). They all wanted a different high school experience than TJ required.

TJ just is not a big deal in our part of the county. People view it as a really cool and valuable part of fcps, but most do not really want it for their kids. This goes for the asians as well. I think a lot of them are the grandchildren of the first generation immigrants, and their parents are not pushing as hard for TJ either.

Based on our area which has a lot more black kids than the TJ crazy areas, I find it hard to believe that so many blacks are applying to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So bottom line it’s an affirmative action initiative to increase AA & Hispanic #s in AAP and at TJ?

No. Nice try at simplicity and dog-whistling, though. It’s a campaign to raise awareness around how the learning needs of all students are being met. If black and Hispanic kids aren’t getting into TJ, for example, then Fairfax has to look at how those students are being taught and what’s missing in their instruction.

Getting into tj is not a requirement, county should focus on illegal immigration

Getting into TJ is not a requirement. But if the TJ applicant pool has 250AA students and 4 get in, while the acceptance rate for white and Asian kids is 20%: there is a problem.

Are there really that many AA kids applying to TJ? I find that very surprising.

My whitish mixed race kid did the center thing, advance math, STEM enrichment, science olympiad on a successful division B elementary team, etc etc.

He tests very high and probably would have had very competitive scores for TJ.

He (and we) had no desire to even apply for TJ as we all wanted the well-rounded, time for activities like theater and band, freedom to load up on art classes or history if he wanted, etc.

He only knew of one white kid in his class that applied to TJ. The rest were asian. He did not know any blacks or hispanics who applied (althoug tyere might have been one or two). They all wanted a different high school experience than TJ required.

TJ just is not a big deal in our part of the county. People view it as a really cool and valuable part of fcps, but most do not really want it for their kids. This goes for the asians as well. I think a lot of them are the grandchildren of the first generation immigrants, and their parents are not pushing as hard for TJ either.

Based on our area which has a lot more black kids than the TJ crazy areas, I find it hard to believe that so many blacks are applying to TJ.

You can see demographics here: http://www.fcag.org/tjstatistics.shtml

You are right though... very few blacks and hispanics apply. But the percentage who are offered admission is lowest.
Hispanics are on par with whites, and asians have the highest percentage.

A lot of this is self selecting though, as we all know... Kids will only apply if they think they have a shot, and also they want to.

[Anonymous]

I am an Asian and I am not interested in sending my kids to TJ and all of my Asian friends think the same way. I'm sure many Asian families still value TJ but I want to make a point that certainly not every Asian is the same way and I do think most of younger generations (parents, kids) don't think TJ is worth obsessing over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF is "One Fairfax," anyway? What is the substance of it?

We're a poor family, and our kids, like all the kids, took various standardized tests. Our kids are very bright, and were placed in AAP centers. We, as parents, did nothing. The schools test everyone. Everyone has a chance. You cannot socially engineer people. You can identify those children with extra potential, in the schools, and give them their chance, which I believe FCPS has been doing already.

I don't think you understand the term "social engineering." It does not mean that you design or create a certain person to be a certain way. "Social engineering" refers to the process of making decisions to create a certain mix of people or cause a certain outcome in groups. So, if I wanted to make sure that no school had more than its share of poor kids, I might rezone kids who get free lunches from one school to another for the purpose of keeping each school equally rich/poor b/c I see social value in that balance. It might be used for other socio-economic factors as well to create a certain mix within a school or community -- with the goal of affecting achievement, attitudes and/or behaviors.

I understand the term. No offense, but you have your head in the clouds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not right that Asian kids at TJ attend a newly renovated school with fewer than 1800 kids while black and Hispanic kids just a few miles away are crammed into overcrowded or dilapidated schools like Stuart and Falls Church. If "One Fairfax" means anything, this must stop.

Fairfax is renovating all of the high schools. It doesn't happen all at once, though. There's a schedule.

+1. TJ waited in line, like everyone else. It was really terrible 6-8 years ago, before the renovation, and kids attended school in the middle of construction. . Kids were still churning out the high SAT scores and doing research. Now Oakton and Herndon are up. It would be great if FCPS could wave a wand and have the $$ and manpower to do all the HSs at the same time. Since they can’t, there is a schedule. TJ did not jump the line or get preference. Whatever hour gripes are with TJ, saying they got renovation preference is just wrong.

[Anonymous]

I thought Fairfax High School was delayed and pushed back in the line from where it was before for TJ.