Alexandria HSs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

+1 And we need fewer teachers than the nasty one who keeps posting.

-ACPS parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

+1 And we need fewer teachers like the nasty one who keeps posting.

-ACPS parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

Bold one: "We're better than you". Reality is, it's a toss up. Human nature is 50% genes, 50% environment. Not all will succeed and many will be influenced. That's where "Yale or jail comes from". Shocking I know.

Bold two:"If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better." If I wish anything, it is that ACPS public schools in general will come up in academic rating for ALL. At 15,500 students we are relative in numbers, and goodness knows it's been decades (since 1993 at least) of trying to improve ACPS in a fairly wealthy (although increasingly put upon top taxpayer Alexandria City). Maybe all that Old Town development should have gone to solving our ACPS crisis decades and years ago and should go now?

Bold three: I present to you the democratic mind set currently prevailing in ACPS. "Never taught him to study". "Drunken house parties". "" driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes". Wth is the OP talking about as this was not going on in my ACPS peer group over the last 2 decades?

Indeed we ACPS parents spent many hours instructing how to study, how to peer and ACPS admin inter related. We didn't hold "drunken house parties, nor drive anywhere but in DC Metro, and our kids never sat like a rock in classes.

Why is PP so bitter against those of us in Alexandria City who gave ACPS a try but found it short? Can we never get to "better", not "perfect" but "better" here? Jeez, we eat our own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

See this is the problem. Parents like you who are so sadly misinformed.

Every single thing is geared towards disadvantage students and has been for the past 10 years my kid has been a student and at least for the 10 years prior. They have very single thing you can think of for disadvantage students. Suggest something and I will name the program for it.

The sad reality is that even after 20 years of propping up poor kids there has been almost no improvement and very little gains. I mean J-H was non-accredited for 6 years in a row and still would be if the state didn't lower their standards this past year. The first 2 years it was big news and lots of talk of fixing it. After that, meh, no one even cared to mention it.

How about this?

if a child can not read at grade level at the end of 3 rd grade, they can go to intensive summer school and be retested. if they read on grade level, great they move on to 4th grade. They can't, they repeat 3rd grade. Same thing happens every year thereafter.

No adults over age 19 at TC. They can sign up for night school and they can learn English on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

Bold one: "We're better than you". Reality is, it's a toss up. Human nature is 50% genes, 50% environment. Not all will succeed and many will be influenced. That's where "Yale or jail comes from". Shocking I know.

Bold two:"If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better." If I wish anything, it is that ACPS public schools in general will come up in academic rating for ALL. At 15,500 students we are relative in numbers, and goodness knows it's been decades (since 1993 at least) of trying to improve ACPS in a fairly wealthy (although increasingly put upon top taxpayer Alexandria City). Maybe all that Old Town development should have gone to solving our ACPS crisis decades and years ago and should go now?

Bold three: I present to you the democratic mind set currently prevailing in ACPS. "Never taught him to study". "Drunken house parties". "" driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes". Wth is the OP talking about as this was not going on in my ACPS peer group over the last 2 decades?

Indeed we ACPS parents spent many hours instructing how to study, how to peer and ACPS admin inter related. We didn't hold "drunken house parties, nor drive anywhere but in DC Metro, and our kids never sat like a rock in classes.

Why is PP so bitter against those of us in Alexandria City who gave ACPS a try but found it short? Can we never get to "better", not "perfect" but "better" here? Jeez, we eat our own.

You need to get back on your meds. Post haste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

Bold one: "We're better than you". Reality is, it's a toss up. Human nature is 50% genes, 50% environment. Not all will succeed and many will be influenced. That's where "Yale or jail comes from". Shocking I know.

Bold two:"If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better." If I wish anything, it is that ACPS public schools in general will come up in academic rating for ALL. At 15,500 students we are relative in numbers, and goodness knows it's been decades (since 1993 at least) of trying to improve ACPS in a fairly wealthy (although increasingly put upon top taxpayer Alexandria City). Maybe all that Old Town development should have gone to solving our ACPS crisis decades and years ago and should go now?

Bold three: I present to you the democratic mind set currently prevailing in ACPS. "Never taught him to study". "Drunken house parties". "" driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes". Wth is the OP talking about as this was not going on in my ACPS peer group over the last 2 decades?

Indeed we ACPS parents spent many hours instructing how to study, how to peer and ACPS admin inter related. We didn't hold "drunken house parties, nor drive anywhere but in DC Metro, and our kids never sat like a rock in classes.

Why is PP so bitter against those of us in Alexandria City who gave ACPS a try but found it short? Can we never get to "better", not "perfect" but "better" here? Jeez, we eat our own.

You need to get back on your meds. Post haste.

Must have stuck a nerve, PP. Alexandria City and ACPS is a major mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The socio-economics of its students are a challenge for ACPS. There are a lot of first-generation and low-income children and their needs are really different from those of UMC children. As an UMC student, our DC appreciates having friends from very different backgrounds. A lot of the things we take for granted are not by DC's friends and understanding that has made DC a much better human being. ACPS has served my child very well -- his SATs couldn't be higher, he took APs in every subject he wanted, and he's headed to an exceptional college.

If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better. There are no magic bullets, but a long-term commitment (and money) for better teacher salaries, more personalized attention, and culturally/linguistically-skilled faculty and administrators is needed. My $15k/year property tax bill is half what my friends in the NY area pay, so I'd gladly pony up more for their benefit.

But, I really don't have much patience for other UMC parents who complain. Your child is a B student because you never taught him to study, not because the teachers are incompetent. If you can host a drunken house party in your $1 million house, don't complain about those poor kids being a public safety problem. If you can spend all your spare time driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes. I'm guessing what you really want is a school system without the really strong students (so your kid won't look so poorly in comparison) and without the families of color.

Bold one: "We're better than you". Reality is, it's a toss up. Human nature is 50% genes, 50% environment. Not all will succeed and many will be influenced. That's where "Yale or jail comes from". Shocking I know.

Bold two:"If I wished anything was different, it would be that the most disadvantaged students were served better." If I wish anything, it is that ACPS public schools in general will come up in academic rating for ALL. At 15,500 students we are relative in numbers, and goodness knows it's been decades (since 1993 at least) of trying to improve ACPS in a fairly wealthy (although increasingly put upon top taxpayer Alexandria City). Maybe all that Old Town development should have gone to solving our ACPS crisis decades and years ago and should go now?

Bold three: I present to you the democratic mind set currently prevailing in ACPS. "Never taught him to study". "Drunken house parties". "" driving your lax/crew/hockey athlete all over the entire East Coast, you could schedule in study time so he doesn't sit like a rock in honors classes". Wth is the OP talking about as this was not going on in my ACPS peer group over the last 2 decades?

Indeed we ACPS parents spent many hours instructing how to study, how to peer and ACPS admin inter related. We didn't hold "drunken house parties, nor drive anywhere but in DC Metro, and our kids never sat like a rock in classes.

Why is PP so bitter against those of us in Alexandria City who gave ACPS a try but found it short? Can we never get to "better", not "perfect" but "better" here? Jeez, we eat our own.

You need to get back on your meds. Post haste.

Must have stuck a nerve, PP. Alexandria City and ACPS is a major mess.

I'll take education policy advice from you when you understand subject-verb agreement.

[Anonymous]

"Naive" ACPS teacher here trying to find solutions... what do neighboring jurisdictions with similar demographics do better than we do? How can we emulate their successes? So far in this discussion, here are the proposals that make sense to me: more summer school opportunities; funding after-school tutoring at rec centers; more culturally/linguistically-sensitive and -informed teachers; distribution of SOL scores (and SUBSCORES ) to teachers at the beginning of the school year; and higher teacher salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Naive" ACPS teacher here trying to find solutions... what do neighboring jurisdictions with similar demographics do better than we do? How can we emulate their successes? So far in this discussion, here are the proposals that make sense to me: more summer school opportunities; funding after-school tutoring at rec centers; more culturally/linguistically-sensitive and -informed teachers; distribution of SOL scores (and SUBSCORES ) to teachers at the beginning of the school year; and higher teacher salaries.

how about redistricting to balance out the FARMs rate among ACPS elementary schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Naive" ACPS teacher here trying to find solutions... what do neighboring jurisdictions with similar demographics do better than we do? How can we emulate their successes? So far in this discussion, here are the proposals that make sense to me: more summer school opportunities; funding after-school tutoring at rec centers; more culturally/linguistically-sensitive and -informed teachers; distribution of SOL scores (and SUBSCORES ) to teachers at the beginning of the school year; and higher teacher salaries.

how about redistricting to balance out the FARMs rate among ACPS elementary schools?

This is a good suggestion, but I think it's easier said than done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Naive" ACPS teacher here trying to find solutions... what do neighboring jurisdictions with similar demographics do better than we do? How can we emulate their successes? So far in this discussion, here are the proposals that make sense to me: more summer school opportunities; funding after-school tutoring at rec centers; more culturally/linguistically-sensitive and -informed teachers; distribution of SOL scores (and SUBSCORES ) to teachers at the beginning of the school year; and higher teacher salaries.

how about redistricting to balance out the FARMs rate among ACPS elementary schools?

This is a good suggestion, but I think it's easier said than done.

The redistricting was the biggest joke I've seen in this city in 25 years.

They're forcing kids out of Maury and into JH despite being living literally twice as close to Maury as to JH, all the while the Old Town kids literally across the street from the front doors of JH get to stay all the way across town at Lyles Crouch.

Maury transfers were tossed to the wolves.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the George Mason redistricting debacle. My neighbors kids were booted down the hill to Barrett and you can SEE Mason from their front yard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the George Mason redistricting debacle. My neighbors kids were booted down the hill to Barrett and you can SEE Mason from their front yard.

+!. Simply surreal except in ACPS.

[Anonymous]

My biggest take-away from these 21 pages is that I'm becoming more concerned, not less, about who is minding the shop so to speak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Naive" ACPS teacher here trying to find solutions... what do neighboring jurisdictions with similar demographics do better than we do? How can we emulate their successes? So far in this discussion, here are the proposals that make sense to me: more summer school opportunities; funding after-school tutoring at rec centers; more culturally/linguistically-sensitive and -informed teachers; distribution of SOL scores (and SUBSCORES ) to teachers at the beginning of the school year; and higher teacher salaries.

how about redistricting to balance out the FARMs rate among ACPS elementary schools?

This is a good suggestion, but I think it's easier said than done.

Any obviously worthwhile action truly worth while is hard to do. ACPS and Alexandria City just needs to do it!