Who said there isn't a North-South divide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.apsva.us/post/virginia-recognizes-14-arlington-schools-for-excellence-in-education/

With the exception of Glebe, all north Arlington schools at all three levels made the list. Not a one in south Arlington. Yep, all schools are equally good.

APS offers equal, even better resources as needed to schools in south Arlington. Change needs to happen in the homes to bring those school profiles up. Perhaps that is where you should direct your efforts, because widespread busing won’t be happening.

one teensy tiny suggestion: Maybe stop putting ALL of the new affordable housing projects south of Rte. 50.

The school board can only do so much when the county board just doesn’t care about the repercussions of their policies.

There is a lot the SB can do to mitigate the impacts of bad County policy. The SB just wont' do them. Why? Because some of them share the perspectives of the AH advocates insisting that all the poor people, or all the non-English speaking/ESL families need to be together as a community. Because they are elected and beholden to the voters who actually vote. Because they don't want to deal with backlash. Because they don't have the will or courage to lead rather than to be led and allow the tail to wag them -- ie, the community controls the SB dog. That's the Arlington Wag - I mean Way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.apsva.us/post/virginia-recognizes-14-arlington-schools-for-excellence-in-education/

With the exception of Glebe, all north Arlington schools at all three levels made the list. Not a one in south Arlington. Yep, all schools are equally good.

APS offers equal, even better resources as needed to schools in south Arlington. Change needs to happen in the homes to bring those school profiles up. Perhaps that is where you should direct your efforts, because widespread busing won’t be happening.

one teensy tiny suggestion: Maybe stop putting ALL of the new affordable housing projects south of Rte. 50.

The school board can only do so much when the county board just doesn’t care about the repercussions of their policies.

There is a lot the SB can do to mitigate the impacts of bad County policy. The SB just wont' do them. Why? Because some of them share the perspectives of the AH advocates insisting that all the poor people, or all the non-English speaking/ESL families need to be together as a community. Because they are elected and beholden to the voters who actually vote. Because they don't want to deal with backlash. Because they don't have the will or courage to lead rather than to be led and allow the tail to wag them -- ie, the community controls the SB dog. That's the Arlington Wag - I mean Way.

Yes, we are all capable of reading your rant on AEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.apsva.us/post/virginia-recognizes-14-arlington-schools-for-excellence-in-education/

With the exception of Glebe, all north Arlington schools at all three levels made the list. Not a one in south Arlington. Yep, all schools are equally good.

Seems like there is an East-West divide as well. Yorktown and W-L are ranked lower than Chantilly, Lake Braddock, Langley, Madison, Marshall, McLean, Oakton, Robinson, TJ, West Springfield and Woodson in Fairfax.

And Centreville, Fairfax, South County and Westfield High, considered mid-tier in FCPS, all received the same designation as Yorktown and W-L.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fair fax is so big that people may not obsess about it like people do in Arlington. With 24 high schools (I think) and myriad feeders, it would be hard. But there are definitely great, good and lesser schools in fairfax and the great schools (except TJ) tend to be the whiter, wealthier ones. And people buy in those districts just like they do in Arlington.

Whiter? I hate how Asians get left out of this conversation or people pretend they're "white" and not minorities.

That's because it's about class as much as it is race. Are the asians (or whites, or blacks, etc, poor, or wealthy with lots of options and choices? It's bias against poor people here are shameless about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.apsva.us/post/virginia-recognizes-14-arlington-schools-for-excellence-in-education/

With the exception of Glebe, all north Arlington schools at all three levels made the list. Not a one in south Arlington. Yep, all schools are equally good.

APS offers equal, even better resources as needed to schools in south Arlington. Change needs to happen in the homes to bring those school profiles up. Perhaps that is where you should direct your efforts, because widespread busing won’t be happening.

one teensy tiny suggestion: Maybe stop putting ALL of the new affordable housing projects south of Rte. 50.

The school board can only do so much when the county board just doesn’t care about the repercussions of their policies.

There is a lot the SB can do to mitigate the impacts of bad County policy. The SB just wont' do them. Why? Because some of them share the perspectives of the AH advocates insisting that all the poor people, or all the non-English speaking/ESL families need to be together as a community. Because they are elected and beholden to the voters who actually vote. Because they don't want to deal with backlash. Because they don't have the will or courage to lead rather than to be led and allow the tail to wag them -- ie, the community controls the SB dog. That's the Arlington Wag - I mean Way.

Yes, we are all capable of reading your rant on AEM.

My takeaway from AEM was how willing one guy was to call schools that don't test as well mediocre. What a slap in the face to all the people who love those schools and work in them. SOL pass rates aren't the end all and be all. If a school is starting with a high need population and makes gains, I'd say they are doing a good job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.apsva.us/post/virginia-recognizes-14-arlington-schools-for-excellence-in-education/

With the exception of Glebe, all north Arlington schools at all three levels made the list. Not a one in south Arlington. Yep, all schools are equally good.

APS offers equal, even better resources as needed to schools in south Arlington. Change needs to happen in the homes to bring those school profiles up. Perhaps that is where you should direct your efforts, because widespread busing won’t be happening.

one teensy tiny suggestion: Maybe stop putting ALL of the new affordable housing projects south of Rte. 50.

The school board can only do so much when the county board just doesn’t care about the repercussions of their policies.

There is a lot the SB can do to mitigate the impacts of bad County policy. The SB just wont' do them. Why? Because some of them share the perspectives of the AH advocates insisting that all the poor people, or all the non-English speaking/ESL families need to be together as a community. Because they are elected and beholden to the voters who actually vote. Because they don't want to deal with backlash. Because they don't have the will or courage to lead rather than to be led and allow the tail to wag them -- ie, the community controls the SB dog. That's the Arlington Wag - I mean Way.

Yes, we are all capable of reading your rant on AEM.

My takeaway from AEM was how willing one guy was to call schools that don't test as well mediocre. What a slap in the face to all the people who love those schools and work in them. SOL pass rates aren't the end all and be all. If a school is starting with a high need population and makes gains, I'd say they are doing a good job.

But Would you send your kids to them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fair fax is so big that people may not obsess about it like people do in Arlington. With 24 high schools (I think) and myriad feeders, it would be hard. But there are definitely great, good and lesser schools in fairfax and the great schools (except TJ) tend to be the whiter, wealthier ones. And people buy in those districts just like they do in Arlington.

Whiter? I hate how Asians get left out of this conversation or people pretend they're "white" and not minorities.

That's because it's about class as much as it is race. Are the asians (or whites, or blacks, etc, poor, or wealthy with lots of options and choices? It's bias against poor people here are shameless about.

True. The North is populated by a bunch of people born on third base who think they hit a triple. (Regardless of race.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question: which schools in FCPS, that have ELL populations and FARMS rates similar to south Arlington schools, are performing similar to schools like the N Arlington ones? The disparity exists, but doesn’t it exist in other places as well? Why is there never any talk of this in fairfax? Does AAP bolster some schools in a way that doesn’t happen in FCPS? I mean, there are schools in fairfax like Braddock road, Annandale terrace, lynbrook, Garfield, crest wood, Lee high school, etc. why doesn’t anyone bring those up? These disparities exist everywhere

The wealthiest parts of Fairfax are so physically seperated from the poor part, that integration via redistricting is impossible (join Hybla Valley with McLean?) And committed AH programs are smaller than in Arlington (there is more market AH in Fairfax, but its nowhere close to the wealthiest parts, and is not going to be). Plus I think some Fairfax residents like to stir up the Arlington divide question, to get their jollies.

[Anonymous]

It isn't just the SOL scores and teaching to the lowest common denominator that makes a "poorer" school less desirable.

- It is the lack of PTA funds for all the perks enjoyed by wealthier schools (classroom tools, after school fun, landscaping). This is a huge issue and it directly affects the teachers and students.
-It is the lack of parent involvement, room parents, parents sponsoring clubs. Again, fewer enrichment opportunities with a direct impact on students and teachers.

[Anonymous]

Serious question: which schools in FCPS, that have ELL populations and FARMS rates similar to south Arlington schools, are performing similar to schools like the N Arlington ones? The disparity exists, but doesn’t it exist in other places as well? Why is there never any talk of this in fairfax? Does AAP bolster some schools in a way that doesn’t happen in FCPS? I mean, there are schools in fairfax like Braddock road, Annandale terrace, lynbrook, Garfield, crest wood, Lee high school, etc. why doesn’t anyone bring those up? These disparities exist everywhere

Yes, it does, but Arlington is the smallest county in the nation. There is really no excuse for it to have the disparities that it has. Comparing it to Fairfax doesn't make much sense: Fairfax has 180,000 students, and APS has 25,700 students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It isn't just the SOL scores and teaching to the lowest common denominator that makes a "poorer" school less desirable.

- It is the lack of PTA funds for all the perks enjoyed by wealthier schools (classroom tools, after school fun, landscaping). This is a huge issue and it directly affects the teachers and students.
-It is the lack of parent involvement, room parents, parents sponsoring clubs. Again, fewer enrichment opportunities with a direct impact on students and teachers.

I certainly recognize the validity of what you say, but I'm not sure some people (not you, because you didn't actually advocate for anything here) appreciate how they come across when they make this argument for busing to increase socioeconomic balance between the schools. It's basically saying, "I want to disrupt your child's life and make your schedules harder so my child can benefit from your time and money." Regardless of how people should feel about that, in reality it tends not to sit well with the people donating the time and money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Serious question: which schools in FCPS, that have ELL populations and FARMS rates similar to south Arlington schools, are performing similar to schools like the N Arlington ones? The disparity exists, but doesn’t it exist in other places as well? Why is there never any talk of this in fairfax? Does AAP bolster some schools in a way that doesn’t happen in FCPS? I mean, there are schools in fairfax like Braddock road, Annandale terrace, lynbrook, Garfield, crest wood, Lee high school, etc. why doesn’t anyone bring those up? These disparities exist everywhere

Yes, it does, but Arlington is the smallest county in the nation. There is really no excuse for it to have the disparities that it has. Comparing it to Fairfax doesn't make much sense: Fairfax has 180,000 students, and APS has 25,700 students.

McLean trolls can defend themselves in schools discussions with the size of the County. They troll about how racist North Arlington residents are, then on RE forums talk about how great it is to have schools where everyone is a "high acheiver".

[Anonymous]

The how would you suggest trying to fix the problem?

[Anonymous]

Yes, it does, but Arlington is the smallest county in the nation. There is really no excuse for it to have the disparities that it has. Comparing it to Fairfax doesn't make much sense: Fairfax has 180,000 students, and APS has 25,700 students.

But in every other place people with money choose to live in certain areas to be at certain schools- McLean or great falls is an example. No one is chiding them for not taking more affordable housing into their attendance zones.

The disparity between north and south is not one of services at the schools or even facilities. Both parents in the north and south are advocating neighborhood schools. I would even argue that the teaching quality is higher at schools like barcroft because of student need. However these students take years to become proficient enough to do well on standardized tests as English learners and the tests are not well-designed for them. That doesn’t mean they are not receiving quality instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Serious question: which schools in FCPS, that have ELL populations and FARMS rates similar to south Arlington schools, are performing similar to schools like the N Arlington ones? The disparity exists, but doesn’t it exist in other places as well? Why is there never any talk of this in fairfax? Does AAP bolster some schools in a way that doesn’t happen in FCPS? I mean, there are schools in fairfax like Braddock road, Annandale terrace, lynbrook, Garfield, crest wood, Lee high school, etc. why doesn’t anyone bring those up? These disparities exist everywhere

Yes, it does, but Arlington is the smallest county in the nation. There is really no excuse for it to have the disparities that it has. Comparing it to Fairfax doesn't make much sense: Fairfax has 180,000 students, and APS has 25,700 students.

McLean trolls can defend themselves in schools discussions with the size of the County. They troll about how racist North Arlington residents are, then on RE forums talk about how great it is to have schools where everyone is a "high acheiver".

What are you talking about? It wasn’t people from McLean telling the School Board that Arlington Forest couldn’t possibly move to Wakefield.