Admissions to change at Thomas Jefferson High, and others

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:look it's just SJW/progressives looking for a problem that doesn't exist

If they were smart they would find groups of black and hispanic folks upset that their kids aren't attending. I'll let you decide if those folks actually exist.

Trust me, they do....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AOPS, kumon, etc are so worthless in admission to TJ and success there then why do people pay for those programs? I’ll wait.

My Asian kid did none of those and I bought him SAT workbook to practice and that was it as far as preparing for the TJ admission. I don’t know anyone who does those activities in middle school.

So you admit you prepped your kid? Typical

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing less than closing the TJ magnet, reclaiming the school for the local community, and county-wide redistricting is acceptable. Either FCPS cares about equity or it does not. TJ does not mitigate pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education; it magnifies them.

Agreed. Time for big changes.

Countywide redistricting would create major transportation issues, but maybe we could permanently implement virtual learning for X days/week or come up with other creative solutions to address those issues.

[Anonymous]

"TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho"

Heartily disagree. One school is not addressing the vast inequities in FCPS. In fact, it's less of an equity problem because it's based on merit not wealth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing less than closing the TJ magnet, reclaiming the school for the local community, and county-wide redistricting is acceptable. Either FCPS cares about equity or it does not. TJ does not mitigate pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education; it magnifies them.

Okay, so you're on board with a countywide redistricting to have equity in base schools to mitigate the pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education, too. Got it.

If they had another neighborhood school, it would require boundary changes and create redistributing opportunities not otherwise available.

TJ, of course, has turned out to be a uniquely self-inflicted wound by FCPS.

You can make all sorts of boundary changes and redistributing opportunities possible if there is a priority of mitigating "pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education," as that PP expresses is of concern to her. So, no need to just focus on the neighborhood around TJ -- do it countywide. I am 100% certain that none of the posters on here so outraged about TJ demographics would support such a thing. It's hypocrisy and it's based, in part, on anti-Asian racism.

TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho

The “anti-Asian” claim is a red herring advanced as often as not by White parents whose own kids attend or attended TJ and who are perfectly fine with the decades-long near-total exclusion of Black and Hispanic kids. Of course, there are some Asians posting on this thread who also enjoy their kids’ privileged status within FCPS and are indifferent to TJ’s negative impact on other FCPS students.

Actually, TJ has a positive impact on students in the northern Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do urm even want to attend TJ? I know I didn't because my interests was in the arts. And I knew a lot of super smart minorities and they had no interest in TJ either.

My Hispanic DD who attends a TJ feeder school, has straight As in all of her AAP classes and has a very strong interest in STEM, has ZERO interest in attending TJ. Why go someplace where she will be a minority race-wise and gender-wise?

I don't blame her at all for not wanting to go. It's a sad state of affairs that Hispanic students are so poorly represented that she would have no interest. But we have to start somewhere, and there are plenty who do want to go.

If you are passionate about STEM, why would you care about the colour of the skin of the kids around you? You will be surrounded by people who have the same passion that you have.

Um, because they're teenagers?

Teenagers that go to TJ care about STEM not the races of their classmates.

If the race of a classmate would prevent one from going, then no one wants their racist and xenophobic presence there anyway.

Wow that’s ignorant of you PP. The whole point is that these kids worry they will be victims of racism. But you must be white so you wouldn’t understand.

There is far less bullying, crimes, drug use, sex, partying, social pressures, discrimination etc. at TJ compared to base schools.

So true.

[Anonymous]

There is a lot of anti-Asian stuff that goes on in these fora, no doubt about it.

But it is not anti-Asian to suggest that the current admissions process does not capture enough of the diverse talents that exist in this area, or that the school in its present form does not inspire a diverse group of students to pursue admission to it. And both of those points are inarguable.

Right now the biggest determining factors in TJ admissions from a demographic perspective are:

1) Parents who are motivated to send their kids to TJ
2) Parents who have resources to optimize their child's application to TJ
3) The student's actual talent level

There is NOTHING wrong with parents who seek to optimize a process that favors them. They're advocating for their children, and that's their job.

There is something EXTREMELY wrong with an admissions process that leaves behind students who don't have parents with resources and motivation. Those kids don't get to decide what family they're born into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho"

Heartily disagree. One school is not addressing the vast inequities in FCPS. In fact, it's less of an equity problem because it's based on merit not wealth.

False. TJ has the lowest percentage of FARMS students of any high school in FCPS, including Langley.

TJ admits students whose parents have wealth, education and a particular mindset, which then gets called “merit.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing less than closing the TJ magnet, reclaiming the school for the local community, and county-wide redistricting is acceptable. Either FCPS cares about equity or it does not. TJ does not mitigate pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education; it magnifies them.

Okay, so you're on board with a countywide redistricting to have equity in base schools to mitigate the pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education, too. Got it.

If they had another neighborhood school, it would require boundary changes and create redistributing opportunities not otherwise available.

TJ, of course, has turned out to be a uniquely self-inflicted wound by FCPS.

You can make all sorts of boundary changes and redistributing opportunities possible if there is a priority of mitigating "pre-existing advantages of parental wealth and education," as that PP expresses is of concern to her. So, no need to just focus on the neighborhood around TJ -- do it countywide. I am 100% certain that none of the posters on here so outraged about TJ demographics would support such a thing. It's hypocrisy and it's based, in part, on anti-Asian racism.

TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho

The “anti-Asian” claim is a red herring advanced as often as not by White parents whose own kids attend or attended TJ and who are perfectly fine with the decades-long near-total exclusion of Black and Hispanic kids. Of course, there are some Asians posting on this thread who also enjoy their kids’ privileged status within FCPS and are indifferent to TJ’s negative impact on other FCPS students.

Actually, TJ has a positive impact on students in the northern Virginia.

It fosters hyper-competitive behavior and cheating.

It sends a message to non-Asian kids, especially Black and Hispanic kids, that they are inferior.

It contributes to overcrowding and longer commutes for other FCPS high school students.

It encourages FCPS to ignore other schools as long as it can point to one highly ranked school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho"

Heartily disagree. One school is not addressing the vast inequities in FCPS. In fact, it's less of an equity problem because it's based on merit not wealth.

False. TJ has the lowest percentage of FARMS students of any high school in FCPS, including Langley.

TJ admits students whose parents have wealth, education and a particular mindset, which then gets called “merit.”

No. Most Asians who attend TJ are not from wealthy families but from middle class or lower middle class.

[Anonymous]

No more than 15% Asians allowed? Does that mean quotas for the whites too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AOPS, kumon, etc are so worthless in admission to TJ and success there then why do people pay for those programs? I’ll wait.

My Asian kid did none of those and I bought him SAT workbook to practice and that was it as far as preparing for the TJ admission. I don’t know anyone who does those activities in middle school.

So you admit you prepped your kid? Typical

If the PP who bought the SAT workbook was white, he/she would be seen as someone who supported their kid in a non-helicopter way, by buying a single book. But because this person said they're Asian, the other PP gets indignant and says that's "typical." For buying a book? These reactions are amusing double standards and people searching to justify a reason to look down on a student body and parent group that is significantly Asian. If it makes you feel better to write this stuff out on an anonymous forum, then I guess go ahead. But I don't think the students and parents at this school really care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho"

Heartily disagree. One school is not addressing the vast inequities in FCPS. In fact, it's less of an equity problem because it's based on merit not wealth.

merit just happens to not include FARMs students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"TJ is unique as the only magnet high school in FCPS, and raises distinct equity issues, both in terms of their magnitude and in terms of FCPS’s ability to address them Tho"

Heartily disagree. One school is not addressing the vast inequities in FCPS. In fact, it's less of an equity problem because it's based on merit not wealth.

False. TJ has the lowest percentage of FARMS students of any high school in FCPS, including Langley.

TJ admits students whose parents have wealth, education and a particular mindset, which then gets called “merit.”

No. Most Asians who attend TJ are not from wealthy families but from middle class or lower middle class.

You can keep repeating this and you will still be wrong. Lower middle class kids qualify for FARMS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If AOPS, kumon, etc are so worthless in admission to TJ and success there then why do people pay for those programs? I’ll wait.

My Asian kid did none of those and I bought him SAT workbook to practice and that was it as far as preparing for the TJ admission. I don’t know anyone who does those activities in middle school.

So you admit you prepped your kid? Typical

If the PP who bought the SAT workbook was white, he/she would be seen as someone who supported their kid in a non-helicopter way, by buying a single book. But because this person said they're Asian, the other PP gets indignant and says that's "typical." For buying a book? These reactions are amusing double standards and people searching to justify a reason to look down on a student body and parent group that is significantly Asian. If it makes you feel better to write this stuff out on an anonymous forum, then I guess go ahead. But I don't think the students and parents at this school really care.

Not PP but you seem to be reading an awful lot into a one-word comment.