Jefferson Houston school district - administrative transfer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, for those of you following, they’ve run the numbers, and Jefferson Houston will be fully accredited next year.

the only possible way that could happen - to be fully accredited next year via SOL scores - would be massive cheating.

No.
It is that the state, as part of it's own revisions to accreditation process as well as the requirements at federal level to revise now that we've ended No Child Left Behind and are under Every Student Succeeds Act.

Can watch meetings describing this.
January 11
Item 25 Virginia Accreditation Accountability Update
https://alexandriaschoolsva.swagit.com/play/01112018-726

February 22 meeting
Item 20 Virginia Accreditation Accountability Update--Sample results
https://alexandriaschoolsva.swagit.com/play/02222018-807

Links to copies of the presentations that they are showing at these two meetings, by going to
http://esbpublic.acps.k12.va.us/
and clicking on the date of the meetings

Such a useful post. Thank you! We are in this district with a very young child and this is great news.

NP here with a 20 month old. We live in the part of Del Ray that is zoned for J-H, even though I drive by Maury twice every single week day. We're also in the income 'donut hole' of too high of a HHI for financial aid at a private, but not quite enough income to justify full price. So I'm fully embracing the fact that we'll be going to J-H. I've heard good things about how they're really trying to turn J-H around, and it's starting to work. I've also started following their facebook and twitter feeds, as well as the PTA facebook page. It's really gone a long way in 'de-stigmatizing' J-H for me and it's fun to see all of the great projects the kids are working on.

Reading these boards can terrify you. But it's just elementary school. If your child comes from a strong, loving and educated family already, they will be just fine.

[Anonymous]

Such incredible naivety in here.

Despite what SJWs will try and cram down your throat, FARM rates are an indicator of a school's potential. People who are too poor to feed their own kids are too poor to do other things like attend college, graduate school, or travel.

So, when your kid is seated next to a bunch of other 6 years olds learning to read, do you want her next to a kid whose parents are uneducated and untraveled or do you want her next to a kid whose parents have graduate degrees and have been traveling and reading to them since birth?

The teacher will be teaching to the lowest common denominator, so FARM kids inevitably drag the class pace down. I know. I taught in both types for 11 years.

This redistricting was really the latest attempt to fix JH yet again. It will not work and the board will be forced to punt again.

Can you blame them? Is it fair for people that pay $10,000 a year in property taxes to be forced to attend, literally, one of the worst grade school in the state?

I'm not going to go dig it up now, but, if you care, The Washington Post did an informative piece on this highlighting how schools in the toe of Virginia are performing better than JH. Think about that. Coal country meth heads are educating their kids better than law partners and government wonks.

That's how asinine the redistricting was. They are using the wealthy white kids in Del Ray to skew the numbers of the tests of the poor black kids. That way, it gives the impression that the school is improving when it actually isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Such incredible naivety in here.

Despite what SJWs will try and cram down your throat, FARM rates are an indicator of a school's potential. People who are too poor to feed their own kids are too poor to do other things like attend college, graduate school, or travel.

So, when your kid is seated next to a bunch of other 6 years olds learning to read, do you want her next to a kid whose parents are uneducated and untraveled or do you want her next to a kid whose parents have graduate degrees and have been traveling and reading to them since birth?

The teacher will be teaching to the lowest common denominator, so FARM kids inevitably drag the class pace down. I know. I taught in both types for 11 years.

This redistricting was really the latest attempt to fix JH yet again. It will not work and the board will be forced to punt again.

Can you blame them? Is it fair for people that pay $10,000 a year in property taxes to be forced to attend, literally, one of the worst grade school in the state?

I'm not going to go dig it up now, but, if you care, The Washington Post did an informative piece on this highlighting how schools in the toe of Virginia are performing better than JH. Think about that. Coal country meth heads are educating their kids better than law partners and government wonks.

That's how asinine the redistricting was. They are using the wealthy white kids in Del Ray to skew the numbers of the tests of the poor black kids. That way, it gives the impression that the school is improving when it actually isn't.

Is this even accurate? Based upon the redistricting maps available on the ACPS website, there didn't appear to be any change to the JH boundaries. Rather, ACPS is seeking to eliminate/reduce the number of transfers out of JH. Is this, then, really using "wealthy white kids in Del Ray" or seeking to eliminate brain drain based on fear/racism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question--what is so bad about JH and good about Maury? I live in Alexandria City and haven't heard much about it and based on this board, it seems JH is zoned for poorer residents (thought not sure how this is possible with real estate values being what they are) and Maury is zoned for richer people? Is that the big difference?

As of last spring, these were the percentages of K-5 students who were eligible for Free and Reduced Meals:

Jefferson Houston - 73%
Maury - 30%
Lyles-Crouch - 21%

Those three schools are located within a one-mile radius.

The Free and Reduced Meals demographic info used to be available on the ACPS website, but after these disparities were repeatedly brought to the school board's attention during the redistricting process last year, it's shockingly no longer posted there.

It's not about wealth in 6 year olds. It's about the home environment and lack of resources and support that kids from low incomce families can expect to receive. Obviously this is not true across the board but by and large, kids who are eligible for FARMS have 1 working parent, possibly are ESOL, and have a host of other background characteristics that boil down to they don't receive help or support at home because the parents either can't or won't provide it, which puts the entire onus of this kids well being on the school. It's a tremendous resource drain when your entire student body is composed of these high needs at risk kids. It doesn't mean anything about them as individual people, but their background and home life means they are less prepared for general life success, let alone academic success. The school sometimes has to focus on meeting so many of their basic needs they can barely begin to focus on education.

For students this age, does wealth really matter? I don't get the snobbishness in regard to free lunches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Such incredible naivety in here.

Despite what SJWs will try and cram down your throat, FARM rates are an indicator of a school's potential. People who are too poor to feed their own kids are too poor to do other things like attend college, graduate school, or travel.

So, when your kid is seated next to a bunch of other 6 years olds learning to read, do you want her next to a kid whose parents are uneducated and untraveled or do you want her next to a kid whose parents have graduate degrees and have been traveling and reading to them since birth?

The teacher will be teaching to the lowest common denominator, so FARM kids inevitably drag the class pace down. I know. I taught in both types for 11 years.

This redistricting was really the latest attempt to fix JH yet again. It will not work and the board will be forced to punt again.

Can you blame them? Is it fair for people that pay $10,000 a year in property taxes to be forced to attend, literally, one of the worst grade school in the state?

I'm not going to go dig it up now, but, if you care, The Washington Post did an informative piece on this highlighting how schools in the toe of Virginia are performing better than JH. Think about that. Coal country meth heads are educating their kids better than law partners and government wonks.

That's how asinine the redistricting was. They are using the wealthy white kids in Del Ray to skew the numbers of the tests of the poor black kids. That way, it gives the impression that the school is improving when it actually isn't.

I’m zoned to a school with similar demographics in south Arlington. What you have written really terrifies me. It’s what I know to be true, but can not say to my friends and neighbors ( all of which tell me the neighborhood school is great)
Deep down I know my kid isn’t going to get what they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such incredible naivety in here.

Despite what SJWs will try and cram down your throat, FARM rates are an indicator of a school's potential. People who are too poor to feed their own kids are too poor to do other things like attend college, graduate school, or travel.

So, when your kid is seated next to a bunch of other 6 years olds learning to read, do you want her next to a kid whose parents are uneducated and untraveled or do you want her next to a kid whose parents have graduate degrees and have been traveling and reading to them since birth?

The teacher will be teaching to the lowest common denominator, so FARM kids inevitably drag the class pace down. I know. I taught in both types for 11 years.

This redistricting was really the latest attempt to fix JH yet again. It will not work and the board will be forced to punt again.

Can you blame them? Is it fair for people that pay $10,000 a year in property taxes to be forced to attend, literally, one of the worst grade school in the state?

I'm not going to go dig it up now, but, if you care, The Washington Post did an informative piece on this highlighting how schools in the toe of Virginia are performing better than JH. Think about that. Coal country meth heads are educating their kids better than law partners and government wonks.

That's how asinine the redistricting was. They are using the wealthy white kids in Del Ray to skew the numbers of the tests of the poor black kids. That way, it gives the impression that the school is improving when it actually isn't.

Is this even accurate? Based upon the redistricting maps available on the ACPS website, there didn't appear to be any change to the JH boundaries. Rather, ACPS is seeking to eliminate/reduce the number of transfers out of JH. Is this, then, really using "wealthy white kids in Del Ray" or seeking to eliminate brain drain based on fear/racism?

That JH's boundaries didn't move does not mean the above statement is incorrect. There is a large chunk of Del Ray that is literally 50% closer to Maury than it is to JH. These kids have been historically (like for 20 years) been granted transfers to Maury. The detractors will tell you it's rich white people scared of poor black kids. Those who actually live here will tell you its about sending your kid to the neighborhood school. There is no arguing that Maury makes more sense fr Del Ray than JH does.

Those transfers have now ended. The reason the board took this direction is to force those 'Maury ' kids to attend JH. That's the skewing the numbers point the PP made, I'd bet.

People can scream "but JH is your school and has been all along!!" but that means what? That parents shouldn't do all they can to get their kids the better education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such incredible naivety in here.

Despite what SJWs will try and cram down your throat, FARM rates are an indicator of a school's potential. People who are too poor to feed their own kids are too poor to do other things like attend college, graduate school, or travel.

So, when your kid is seated next to a bunch of other 6 years olds learning to read, do you want her next to a kid whose parents are uneducated and untraveled or do you want her next to a kid whose parents have graduate degrees and have been traveling and reading to them since birth?

The teacher will be teaching to the lowest common denominator, so FARM kids inevitably drag the class pace down. I know. I taught in both types for 11 years.

This redistricting was really the latest attempt to fix JH yet again. It will not work and the board will be forced to punt again.

Can you blame them? Is it fair for people that pay $10,000 a year in property taxes to be forced to attend, literally, one of the worst grade school in the state?

I'm not going to go dig it up now, but, if you care, The Washington Post did an informative piece on this highlighting how schools in the toe of Virginia are performing better than JH. Think about that. Coal country meth heads are educating their kids better than law partners and government wonks.

That's how asinine the redistricting was. They are using the wealthy white kids in Del Ray to skew the numbers of the tests of the poor black kids. That way, it gives the impression that the school is improving when it actually isn't.

Is this even accurate? Based upon the redistricting maps available on the ACPS website, there didn't appear to be any change to the JH boundaries. Rather, ACPS is seeking to eliminate/reduce the number of transfers out of JH. Is this, then, really using "wealthy white kids in Del Ray" or seeking to eliminate brain drain based on fear/racism?

That JH's boundaries didn't move does not mean the above statement is incorrect. There is a large chunk of Del Ray that is literally 50% closer to Maury than it is to JH. These kids have been historically (like for 20 years) been granted transfers to Maury. The detractors will tell you it's rich white people scared of poor black kids. Those who actually live here will tell you its about sending your kid to the neighborhood school. There is no arguing that Maury makes more sense fr Del Ray than JH does.

Those transfers have now ended. The reason the board took this direction is to force those 'Maury ' kids to attend JH. That's the skewing the numbers point the PP made, I'd bet.

People can scream "but JH is your school and has been all along!!" but that means what? That parents shouldn't do all they can to get their kids the better education?

To add to this post, there are lots of people that highlight walkability and the idea of neighborhood schools (both top criteria in the redistricting process) when they argue that that chunk of Del Ray should have been Maury all along.

When the kids literally across the street from JH are assigned to LC, rather than the brand new school 100 yards fro their doorstep, don't get reassigned to JH but kids that live over behind Live Oak do, it's shadey as all get out.

Kids 1/4 mile from Maury are being bussed to JH a mile away. How messed up is that?

[Anonymous]

This is exactly us - or DD isn't in school yet, but we live in the section of Del Ray this is mysteriously zoned for J-H, even though Maury is 1/4 mile away. Then there's a random section near the Braddock Road Metro (Parker Gray?) that is zone for Maury. This makes no sense.

What can Del Ray parents DO about this? I want my DD to go to a school with diversity, but I want her to go to a public school that is actually in her neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

This is exactly us - or DD isn't in school yet, but we live in the section of Del Ray this is mysteriously zoned for J-H, even though Maury is 1/4 mile away. Then there's a random section near the Braddock Road Metro (Parker Gray?) that is zone for Maury. This makes no sense.

That "random section near the Braddock Road Metro" gives Maury a great deal of its racial and socioeconomic diversity. They're not going to change that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is exactly us - or DD isn't in school yet, but we live in the section of Del Ray this is mysteriously zoned for J-H, even though Maury is 1/4 mile away. Then there's a random section near the Braddock Road Metro (Parker Gray?) that is zone for Maury. This makes no sense.

What can Del Ray parents DO about this? I want my DD to go to a school with diversity, but I want her to go to a public school that is actually in her neighborhood.

Your chance to do anything about was last year when the school board had several community meetings on redistricting. Did you show up?

[Anonymous]

This is exactly why I decamped from Del Ray to Fairfax County in 2016. ACPS is just playing a shell game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is exactly why I decamped from Del Ray to Fairfax County in 2016. ACPS is just playing a shell game.

But there aren't any neighborhoods in Fairfax County that come close to having the community spirit, amenities, walk-ability, metro access, easy access to downtown DC, festivals and events that Del Ray has. It's the best neighborhood I've ever lived in. We won't be leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is exactly us - or DD isn't in school yet, but we live in the section of Del Ray this is mysteriously zoned for J-H, even though Maury is 1/4 mile away. Then there's a random section near the Braddock Road Metro (Parker Gray?) that is zone for Maury. This makes no sense.

What can Del Ray parents DO about this? I want my DD to go to a school with diversity, but I want her to go to a public school that is actually in her neighborhood.

Your chance to do anything about was last year when the school board had several community meetings on redistricting. Did you show up?

You took the words right out of my mouth! There were a number of community meetings and school board meetings on redistricting, not that any of it mattered. The school board will never invite the wrath of Maury and Lyles-Crouch parents by moving more low-income and minority students into those schools from Jefferson Houston. Maury and Lyles Crouch parents like the numbers just as they are--they can claim they send their kids to a "diverse" school, but it's not too "diverse" to be scary to them. Heaven forbid the majority of students are African-American!

I have no concerns about my own kid going to J-H. He'll be fine wherever he goes. My concern is for those 70% or more FARMS kids at J-H. A significant body of academic research shows that there is a tipping point (somewhere around 50%) where having such a high concentration of poverty in a school essentially outweighs all other well-intentioned efforts to improve academic performance. There are simply too many students with too many needs. This issue at J-H could have been addressed during redistricting by making J-H, Maury, and Lyles Crouch more equal demographically. But again, those Maury (especially) parents were not having any of that. I know--I went to many of those community meetings and school board meetings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is exactly why I decamped from Del Ray to Fairfax County in 2016. ACPS is just playing a shell game.

But there aren't any neighborhoods in Fairfax County that come close to having the community spirit, amenities, walk-ability, metro access, easy access to downtown DC, festivals and events that Del Ray has. It's the best neighborhood I've ever lived in. We won't be leaving.

I don't necessarily disagree with you (we loved Del Ray too), but none of those things offset my child being used to statistically prop up a failing school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is exactly us - or DD isn't in school yet, but we live in the section of Del Ray this is mysteriously zoned for J-H, even though Maury is 1/4 mile away. Then there's a random section near the Braddock Road Metro (Parker Gray?) that is zone for Maury. This makes no sense.

What can Del Ray parents DO about this? I want my DD to go to a school with diversity, but I want her to go to a public school that is actually in her neighborhood.

Your chance to do anything about was last year when the school board had several community meetings on redistricting. Did you show up?

You took the words right out of my mouth! There were a number of community meetings and school board meetings on redistricting, not that any of it mattered. The school board will never invite the wrath of Maury and Lyles-Crouch parents by moving more low-income and minority students into those schools from Jefferson Houston. Maury and Lyles Crouch parents like the numbers just as they are--they can claim they send their kids to a "diverse" school, but it's not too "diverse" to be scary to them. Heaven forbid the majority of students are African-American!

I have no concerns about my own kid going to J-H. He'll be fine wherever he goes. My concern is for those 70% or more FARMS kids at J-H. A significant body of academic research shows that there is a tipping point (somewhere around 50%) where having such a high concentration of poverty in a school essentially outweighs all other well-intentioned efforts to improve academic performance. There are simply too many students with too many needs. This issue at J-H could have been addressed during redistricting by making J-H, Maury, and Lyles Crouch more equal demographically. But again, those Maury (especially) parents were not having any of that. I know--I went to many of those community meetings and school board meetings.

Any chance they would consider a School-Within-a-School at J-H for high achieving kids? I come from a high/low income district (in another state), and I just went to the SWS for elementary, middle and high school.