Langley Pyramid vs. everybody else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

My kids will not attend a mediocre school (their HS is good/middle of the road so not Langley either) but I would think in FFX County—even the mediocre schools have a group of kids who do well academically and hang out together. And studies do show you are a product of your environment when it comes to academics—that is, home environment. Parental SES, educational attainment, and attitude towards education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

Exactly, if we had an Immigration Moratorium and secure the border, then every school here would succeed. But you have these Limousine Liberals who are secluded from the poor that either don't understand or benefit from these disastrous open border policies. Until then, everyone should get behind school choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

Exactly, if we had an Immigration Moratorium and secure the border, then every school here would succeed. But you have these Limousine Liberals who are secluded from the poor that either don't understand or benefit from these disastrous open border policies. Until then, everyone should get behind school choice.

Off to the Political Forum you go. Bye bye.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

Exactly, if we had an Immigration Moratorium and secure the border, then every school here would succeed. But you have these Limousine Liberals who are secluded from the poor that either don't understand or benefit from these disastrous open border policies. Until then, everyone should get behind school choice.

Off to the Political Forum you go. Bye bye.

But this is a valid point since it impacts the schools - particularly certain schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

My kids will not attend a mediocre school (their HS is good/middle of the road so not Langley either) but I would think in FFX County—even the mediocre schools have a group of kids who do well academically and hang out together. And studies do show you are a product of your environment when it comes to academics—that is, home environment. Parental SES, educational attainment, and attitude towards education.

Our Title I school is not "mediocre" but you are right that, like any school, there are groups of kids who excel academically and hang out together. It is inaccurate to imply that a privileged and segregated school will automatically lead to better outcomes for white, upper-middle-class students.

I compared the college admissions of Justice and Langley students from their Instagram decision pages. I found that Langley students are attending a broader range of schools across the country. However, this isn't necessarily because Justice students aren't admitted to those schools. Instead, it often reflects the financial capabilities (and personal connections) of Langley parents, who can afford out-of-state and private school tuition. Justice parents may find this more cost-prohibitive. I personally know of several students at Justice who were accepted into more “elite” schools but could not afford the tuition and stayed in-state. Based on our experience and my friends with kids in less diverse/wealthier schools, I don't believe my child would have fared better academically in those other schools.

I understand some parents’ hesitation when considering sending their white children to a majority-minority school. This shift can initially be uncomfortable, but in our case, it has been genuinely good for my children. They are at ease with diversity and have a diverse circle of friends encompassing various cultural, racial, religious, LGBTQIA, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Finally, I feel like many people in this forum mistakenly think that Black/Brown children and their parents don’t care about getting a good education. Many of these parents (and sometimes just the kids) have gone through hell to get them to our school. Their experiences and educational outcomes are just as important. This is something that is complicated, and Justice is working on it, but I have never felt like it is at the expense of my child’s education. Desegregated schools benefit children of all races, including mine.

(I know these pages don’t represent all the seniors in each class, but I used what was shared and focused on VA and T-20 schools.)

2023

https://www.instagram.com/langleycommits2023 - 6 UVAs, 10 VTs (0 college of engineering), 5 W&M, Rice, Berkeley, Duke, UCLA, Washington & Lee, University of Michigan, Columbia, Northwestern, Penn, Cornell, University of Chicago, Brown

https://www.instagram.com/justice23decisions - 11 UVAs, 7 VTs (3 college of engineering), Duke, UCLA, Middlebury, Smith, Washington & Lee, Georgetown

2022

https://www.instagram.com/langleycommits2022 - 10 UVAs, 12 VTs (2 college of engineering), 7 W&M, Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Davidson, University of Chicago, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt

https://www.instagram.com/justice22decisions - 19 UVAs, 5 VTs (3 college of engineering), 4 W&M, Yale, Princeton, CalTech, Wesleyan, Washington & Lee, Notre Dame, University of Michigan

[Anonymous]

DP. As you said, Instagram doesn't cover all the seniors in any class - far from it. There are several Langley students who went to VT for engineering this year. You really can't rely on a voluntary Instagram page for accurate reporting.

[Anonymous]

OP if you are questioning the efficacy of the pyramids look no further than Langley’s next door neighbor Herndon high school.
FARM rates at Herndon are 50% and up to 90% at some feeder elementary schools.
Langley has FARM rates at 2%.
Now look at college matriculation data, test scores, availability of AP classes, number of AP classes, etc between the two high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. As you said, Instagram doesn't cover all the seniors in any class - far from it. There are several Langley students who went to VT for engineering this year. You really can't rely on a voluntary Instagram page for accurate reporting.

I understand that and the same can be said for Justice. I know of quite a few kids (including my own) who did not share their college plans on Instagram.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP if you are questioning the efficacy of the pyramids look no further than Langley’s next door neighbor Herndon high school.
FARM rates at Herndon are 50% and up to 90% at some feeder elementary schools.
Langley has FARM rates at 2%.
Now look at college matriculation data, test scores, availability of AP classes, number of AP classes, etc between the two high schools.

Which reflects the population of the schools, not the instruction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP if you are questioning the efficacy of the pyramids look no further than Langley’s next door neighbor Herndon high school.
FARM rates at Herndon are 50% and up to 90% at some feeder elementary schools.
Langley has FARM rates at 2%.
Now look at college matriculation data, test scores, availability of AP classes, number of AP classes, etc between the two high schools.

Indeed, the accomplishments of teachers, staff, and of course students in the Herndon pyramid are impressive. Despite the high FARMs and ELL rates, Herndon HS still achieves excellent AP exam performance and admission to top 20 universities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

My kids will not attend a mediocre school (their HS is good/middle of the road so not Langley either) but I would think in FFX County—even the mediocre schools have a group of kids who do well academically and hang out together. And studies do show you are a product of your environment when it comes to academics—that is, home environment. Parental SES, educational attainment, and attitude towards education.

Our Title I school is not "mediocre" but you are right that, like any school, there are groups of kids who excel academically and hang out together. It is inaccurate to imply that a privileged and segregated school will automatically lead to better outcomes for white, upper-middle-class students.

I compared the college admissions of Justice and Langley students from their Instagram decision pages. I found that Langley students are attending a broader range of schools across the country. However, this isn't necessarily because Justice students aren't admitted to those schools. Instead, it often reflects the financial capabilities (and personal connections) of Langley parents, who can afford out-of-state and private school tuition. Justice parents may find this more cost-prohibitive. I personally know of several students at Justice who were accepted into more “elite” schools but could not afford the tuition and stayed in-state. Based on our experience and my friends with kids in less diverse/wealthier schools, I don't believe my child would have fared better academically in those other schools.

I understand some parents’ hesitation when considering sending their white children to a majority-minority school. This shift can initially be uncomfortable, but in our case, it has been genuinely good for my children. They are at ease with diversity and have a diverse circle of friends encompassing various cultural, racial, religious, LGBTQIA, and socio-economic backgrounds.

Finally, I feel like many people in this forum mistakenly think that Black/Brown children and their parents don’t care about getting a good education. Many of these parents (and sometimes just the kids) have gone through hell to get them to our school. Their experiences and educational outcomes are just as important. This is something that is complicated, and Justice is working on it, but I have never felt like it is at the expense of my child’s education. Desegregated schools benefit children of all races, including mine.

(I know these pages don’t represent all the seniors in each class, but I used what was shared and focused on VA and T-20 schools.)

2023

https://www.instagram.com/langleycommits2023 - 6 UVAs, 10 VTs (0 college of engineering), 5 W&M, Rice, Berkeley, Duke, UCLA, Washington & Lee, University of Michigan, Columbia, Northwestern, Penn, Cornell, University of Chicago, Brown

https://www.instagram.com/justice23decisions - 11 UVAs, 7 VTs (3 college of engineering), Duke, UCLA, Middlebury, Smith, Washington & Lee, Georgetown

2022

https://www.instagram.com/langleycommits2022 - 10 UVAs, 12 VTs (2 college of engineering), 7 W&M, Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Davidson, University of Chicago, Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt

https://www.instagram.com/justice22decisions - 19 UVAs, 5 VTs (3 college of engineering), 4 W&M, Yale, Princeton, CalTech, Wesleyan, Washington & Lee, Notre Dame, University of Michigan

I should have put mediocre in quotes as I was responding to another poster who implied that lower rated schools are mediocre. I agree with you that the “results” seen are a reflection more of SES than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP if you are questioning the efficacy of the pyramids look no further than Langley’s next door neighbor Herndon high school.
FARM rates at Herndon are 50% and up to 90% at some feeder elementary schools.
Langley has FARM rates at 2%.
Now look at college matriculation data, test scores, availability of AP classes, number of AP classes, etc between the two high schools.

Indeed, the accomplishments of teachers, staff, and of course students in the Herndon pyramid are impressive. Despite the high FARMs and ELL rates, Herndon HS still achieves excellent AP exam performance and admission to top 20 universities.

Please educate me on how many Herndon grads went to top 20 universities? Which ones exactly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being in a great high school is just as important if not more important than college. Folks seem to have this mindset that nothing matters till you get to those 4 years.

If you’re surrounded by mediocre students in a high school struggling to learn English then they will bring you down. You are a product of your environment. This concept of being a big fish just to game the admissions process is unfortunate.

Nailed it.