Alexandria schools - why so bad?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are a lot of factors at play. There’s a lot of money in Alexandria, but comparatively few families compared to Arlington - lots of condos, and small, old but still $$$ townhomes. Del Rey is the outlier in terms of families but that’s about it. There are concentrated areas of poverty on the west end where you also have high ESOL populations. There’s just one huge high school for the whole city, so it gets students not just from the high-performing elementary schools but also from the schools that have a lot of poverty. And a lot of young families move before or shortly after elementary, or they choose private K-12.

A lot of young families tend to move into Fairfax county when elementary school hits. In particular, Burke and Kingstowne are
Full of families that left Alexandria City.

IME they move to Waynewood.

[Anonymous]

The rot starts from the head. Go talk to any of the school board members and the superintendent. Just try it. You'll figure it out.

[Anonymous]

I enrolled my child’s in ACPS expecting the worest, preparing myself that I would have to pull my child and move. However, we’ve experienced amazing teachers and a caring community. My child is thriving. While I am sure some have had a bad experience, we have not. To the OP, you need to visit the school and talk to actual parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I enrolled my child’s in ACPS expecting the worest, preparing myself that I would have to pull my child and move. However, we’ve experienced amazing teachers and a caring community. My child is thriving. While I am sure some have had a bad experience, we have not. To the OP, you need to visit the school and talk to actual parents.

Hahahaha low standards but you do you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I enrolled my child’s in ACPS expecting the worest, preparing myself that I would have to pull my child and move. However, we’ve experienced amazing teachers and a caring community. My child is thriving. While I am sure some have had a bad experience, we have not. To the OP, you need to visit the school and talk to actual parents.

Hahahaha low standards but you do you

I'm not the PP, but I posted here earlier. I've taught in top rated FCPS schools, and I can honestly say my daughter is getting a good education at an ACPS school. I know you're trying to justify your high-priced private or your move to the Fairfax burbs for "better" schools, but I have plenty of information and experience to base my decision on. You do you and let us enjoy our lovely neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I enrolled my child’s in ACPS expecting the worest, preparing myself that I would have to pull my child and move. However, we’ve experienced amazing teachers and a caring community. My child is thriving. While I am sure some have had a bad experience, we have not. To the OP, you need to visit the school and talk to actual parents.

This is very much in line with the parents on my street in Del Ray. We have a young DD who isn't school aged yet, but we are planning to send her to public school. DCUM and Great Schools made me very upset and worried, but after talking to my neighbors (many of whom have children graduating from TC Williams this year), they have been very happy with their ACPS experience.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that there are some good elementaries and TC is fine is you’re an AP student or UMC. Middle school is where the real cracks show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The rot starts from the head. Go talk to any of the school board members and the superintendent. Just try it. You'll figure it out.

Not to mention most of the central office administrators. My personal favorite is the HR person in charge of evaluating teachers who has zero classroom experience, zero education training, zero tact and zero ability to do her job, but they let her do it anyway. That she went on the Steve Harvey show and openly discussed being so far in debt because she's a shopaholic who takes lavish vacations apparently didn't strike anyone in power there as problematic, so she's off ruining more teachers' careers as payback for personal vendettas while the Superintendent is more worried about firing custodians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rot starts from the head. Go talk to any of the school board members and the superintendent. Just try it. You'll figure it out.

Not to mention most of the central office administrators. My personal favorite is the HR person in charge of evaluating teachers who has zero classroom experience, zero education training, zero tact and zero ability to do her job, but they let her do it anyway. That she went on the Steve Harvey show and openly discussed being so far in debt because she's a shopaholic who takes lavish vacations apparently didn't strike anyone in power there as problematic, so she's off ruining more teachers' careers as payback for personal vendettas while the Superintendent is more worried about firing custodians.

Can you post a link? I can't say I actually want to see this, but I kind of do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The rot starts from the head. Go talk to any of the school board members and the superintendent. Just try it. You'll figure it out.

Eager to see how they will implement the plan for 1,000 high school campuses scattered throughout the city.

[Anonymous]

I really think they should have and support the 2nd high school idea. The kids need a true high school experience, not a one-linked high school concept that more a college like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really think they should have and support the 2nd high school idea. The kids need a true high school experience, not a one-linked high school concept that more a college like.

+1

It's one of the reasons we are moving out of Alexandria. We were hoping they would have a second high school by now but it's not going to happen and the mess they are implementing is just going to be that - a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The rot starts from the head. Go talk to any of the school board members and the superintendent. Just try it. You'll figure it out.

Not to mention most of the central office administrators. My personal favorite is the HR person in charge of evaluating teachers who has zero classroom experience, zero education training, zero tact and zero ability to do her job, but they let her do it anyway. That she went on the Steve Harvey show and openly discussed being so far in debt because she's a shopaholic who takes lavish vacations apparently didn't strike anyone in power there as problematic, so she's off ruining more teachers' careers as payback for personal vendettas while the Superintendent is more worried about firing custodians.

Can you post a link? I can't say I actually want to see this, but I kind of do.

Funnily enough, the Youtube clip has disappeared along with this person's social media presence and a Prince William Living article about the other shows she's been on (because apparently working in ACPS HR is just a time-filler until her reality show career really takes off). I know the show re-aired last week, so I guess someone finally noticed.

[Anonymous]

Looks like TCW is replacing yet another of its core admin team, just not the ones who really need to be replaced.

And the wheel goes 'round...

[Anonymous]

To the PP, what exactly is the real high school experience? And how does that prepare them to for the future? I guess I support the idea that we need to innovate based on career and life options now and not the 80s. Not all kids can or need to go to college. Look at the number of kids with degrees and debt they will never pay off. Youth need training to compete in today's economy. The current model is failing our kids on so many levels. ACPS's proposed high school model is not perfect but we need to start having real conversations, challenge the status quo and look forward not backward.