Arlington Science Focus -- feedback, experience?

[Anonymous]

Looking for feedback/experience with Arlington Science Focus, we start K next year. I'd like my little one child to be challenged (nothing extreme, she's 5), be in a diverse setting in terms of ethnicity/race, income, and viewpoints, feel safe and importantly it would be great if it felt like a community with dedicated parents and staff. She loves her Pre-K (cries when she is sick or has a day off) and I hope to continue that excitment and love for school/. Does Arlington Science Focus come close? We have flexibility to move so any suggestions of other schools appreciated.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Arlington Science Focus is a choice school that historically attracts kids from Jamestown and one or two other North Arlington schools that make up a team. But do to capacity issues, it basically only admits kids from the neighborhood boundaries these days.

It's a fine school. The "science focus" comes from one extra hour of science every week. Other schools in Arlington have different focuses -- i.e., at Jamestown its technology, and FLES.

I'm not sure why you're concerned about a diverse setting -- that's not particularly relevant to educational achievement, and North Arlington schools tend to be predominately white overall. But nothing I've heard about ASFS suggests anything other than that it is a welcoming and caring community.

I do think traditionally it did attract some parents who thought it was some track to TJ, but that hasn't really proven to be the case.

[Anonymous]

ASFS does meet everything on your list.

There are probably a couple others you should check out - maybe Ashlawn, Long Branch, Henry, Taylor.

Many schools have strong parent involvement.

I'd recommend attending the info sessions early next year to get a better feel for the schools and to meet the principals.

[Anonymous]

We are at science focus (daughter started kindergarten this year) and we have had a great experience so far. I think it meets all of the requirements on your list. She loves going to school and is learning a lot.

[Anonymous]

last year all 11 or 12 kids on ASFS 3rd grade boys basketball team were white. out of the 14 or so teams i saw i think it's the only team like that. Perhaps the Jamestown team too, but i'm not certain.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the feedback. I would like a diverse environment for her because we're a diverse family and her current PreK is very diverse. She has classmates with parents from Peru, Ethiopia, Brazil, Lebanon, and India. Also Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu representation! It's been great - they celebrate all major holidays (seems like one every two weeks!), parents share native traditions, and frankly she's learning more than I could ever teach her myself about different cultures of the world.

So, it's less about educational achievement and more about exposure to other cultures that is authentic and not forced.

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

You will find ASFS is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Arlington. It has sizable populations black and asian populations (but very few hispanic b/c of the obvious draw of key school which shares its boundary).

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

Diversity is important, b/c it defines the comfort level and interaction that kids will grow up with. If they only see one race or ethnicity, they will tend to self segregate later in life.

And since OP is a minority, this is even greater issue to not feel out of place.

Ashlawn, Long Branch, and Henry might offer similar diversity, but you should consider which middle school you want the school to feed into. We've heard great things about Ashlawn and Long Branch personally.

[Anonymous]

Correction: most diverse schools in North Arlington. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You will find ASFS is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Arlington. It has sizable populations black and asian populations (but very few hispanic b/c of the obvious draw of key school which shares its boundary).

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

Diversity is important, b/c it defines the comfort level and interaction that kids will grow up with. If they only see one race or ethnicity, they will tend to self segregate later in life.

And since OP is a minority, this is even greater issue to not feel out of place.

Ashlawn, Long Branch, and Henry might offer similar diversity, but you should consider which middle school you want the school to feed into. We've heard great things about Ashlawn and Long Branch personally.

read 21:30 on ASFS's all-white bb team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You will find ASFS is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Arlington. It has sizable populations black and asian populations (but very few hispanic b/c of the obvious draw of key school which shares its boundary).

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

Diversity is important, b/c it defines the comfort level and interaction that kids will grow up with. If they only see one race or ethnicity, they will tend to self segregate later in life.

And since OP is a minority, this is even greater issue to not feel out of place.

Ashlawn, Long Branch, and Henry might offer similar diversity, but you should consider which middle school you want the school to feed into. We've heard great things about Ashlawn and Long Branch personally.

I think that's your intuition, not supported by the facts. Unless you wish to correct me with citations to empirical data?

Our experience in a "diverse" school wasn't a particularly positive one. If anything, my white children came away forming bad ideas about how people with "dark skin" behaved. It was alarming to hear this as a parent. In fact, the "diversity" really became a bit more of a distraction than a positive.

Now, that may have been due more to economic disparity. These kids with "dark skin" also lived in housing projects and were exposed to unsavory elements there that they brought with them to school. Later we did enroll dc in a school with diversity of skin color but more homogeneity in incomes, and the outcomes were better.

That said, the kids still eventually self-segregated at lunch, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will find ASFS is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Arlington. It has sizable populations black and asian populations (but very few hispanic b/c of the obvious draw of key school which shares its boundary).

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

Diversity is important, b/c it defines the comfort level and interaction that kids will grow up with. If they only see one race or ethnicity, they will tend to self segregate later in life.

And since OP is a minority, this is even greater issue to not feel out of place.

Ashlawn, Long Branch, and Henry might offer similar diversity, but you should consider which middle school you want the school to feed into. We've heard great things about Ashlawn and Long Branch personally.

read 21:30 on ASFS's all-white bb team.

Yeah that is weird but prob a factor of economics of which families can support a traveling ball player. Sure there is economic diversity and unfortunately it may track racial ethnic diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will find ASFS is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Arlington. It has sizable populations black and asian populations (but very few hispanic b/c of the obvious draw of key school which shares its boundary).

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/civilrights/Memo-Supt-10-31-13.pdf

Diversity is important, b/c it defines the comfort level and interaction that kids will grow up with. If they only see one race or ethnicity, they will tend to self segregate later in life.

And since OP is a minority, this is even greater issue to not feel out of place.

Ashlawn, Long Branch, and Henry might offer similar diversity, but you should consider which middle school you want the school to feed into. We've heard great things about Ashlawn and Long Branch personally.

I think that's your intuition, not supported by the facts. Unless you wish to correct me with citations to empirical data?

Our experience in a "diverse" school wasn't a particularly positive one. If anything, my white children came away forming bad ideas about how people with "dark skin" behaved. It was alarming to hear this as a parent. In fact, the "diversity" really became a bit more of a distraction than a positive.

Now, that may have been due more to economic disparity. These kids with "dark skin" also lived in housing projects and were exposed to unsavory elements there that they brought with them to school. Later we did enroll dc in a school with diversity of skin color but more homogeneity in incomes, and the outcomes were better.

That said, the kids still eventually self-segregated at lunch, etc.

There are no housing projects in Arlington. Why post this in a thread about APS schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There are no housing projects in Arlington. Why post this in a thread about APS schools?

There is low-income/affordable housing. Is there a reason you want to pick this nit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There are no housing projects in Arlington. Why post this in a thread about APS schools?

There is low-income/affordable housing. Is there a reason you want to pick this nit?

I just can't imagine where in Arlington this person could be referring to, and that whole post is just bizarre. Is there a specific school in Arlington with a high proportion of students who live in subsidized housing that should be avoided?

[Anonymous]

Based purely on appearances (may not be accurate), I'd say that my son's 1st grade class about half is Caucasian. The other half included some mixed heritages, some foreign born, AA, Hispanic. I appreciate that my son's peers don't all look like him.