Jefferson-Houston Principal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the odds the principal stays longer than this year?

I think he'll stay this year and next.

[Anonymous]

Um, your white, upper middle class privilege is showing. You may want to tuck it back in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, your white, upper middle class privilege is showing. You may want to tuck it back in.

?? What do you mean?

[Anonymous]

So many of these posts (not all) smack of privilege and subtle racism - my kid went to JH and did just fine surrounded by the kids and families so many of these posts subtlety and not so subtlety disparage. And he learned that not everyone comes from the same privileged background as his family and neighborhood - he’s still close to these kids. Give JH a shot. It’s not perfect, but what school is? Particularly, what school in ACPS is perfect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many of these posts (not all) smack of privilege and subtle racism - my kid went to JH and did just fine surrounded by the kids and families so many of these posts subtlety and not so subtlety disparage. And he learned that not everyone comes from the same privileged background as his family and neighborhood - he’s still close to these kids. Give JH a shot. It’s not perfect, but what school is? Particularly, what school in ACPS is perfect?

Riiiiight, you gotta be a Nazi to be averse to sending your kid to a chronically failing school. Got it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many of these posts (not all) smack of privilege and subtle racism - my kid went to JH and did just fine surrounded by the kids and families so many of these posts subtlety and not so subtlety disparage. And he learned that not everyone comes from the same privileged background as his family and neighborhood - he’s still close to these kids. Give JH a shot. It’s not perfect, but what school is? Particularly, what school in ACPS is perfect?

So it's racist for me to value my child's education over real estate location? I just have different priorities than you. I would never willingly send my children to a school with accreditation problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many of these posts (not all) smack of privilege and subtle racism - my kid went to JH and did just fine surrounded by the kids and families so many of these posts subtlety and not so subtlety disparage. And he learned that not everyone comes from the same privileged background as his family and neighborhood - he’s still close to these kids. Give JH a shot. It’s not perfect, but what school is? Particularly, what school in ACPS is perfect?

Thanks for this post. Our DD will be attending J-H in a few years due to the crackdown on transfers in our neighborhood, and we love our dynamic and vibrant Del Ray community way too much to move. However, despite all of the hand wringing on DCUM over J-H, I have heard nothing but positive feedback from people who actually send their children there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many of these posts (not all) smack of privilege and subtle racism - my kid went to JH and did just fine surrounded by the kids and families so many of these posts subtlety and not so subtlety disparage. And he learned that not everyone comes from the same privileged background as his family and neighborhood - he’s still close to these kids. Give JH a shot. It’s not perfect, but what school is? Particularly, what school in ACPS is perfect?

Thanks for this post. Our DD will be attending J-H in a few years due to the crackdown on transfers in our neighborhood, and we love our dynamic and vibrant Del Ray community way too much to move. However, despite all of the hand wringing on DCUM over J-H, I have heard nothing but positive feedback from people who actually send their children there.

Completely 100% honest post here- You have got to be kidding me.

I know three families In that little triangle of Del Ray/ Potomac Yard that have been historically granted transfers to Maury and MVCC. These families did not receive transfers despite asking so they all attended in different grades for an entire year. Their unrelated universal report is how obscene the goings on there were. UMC white kids left totally to fend for themselves or ‘work ahead’ in their books while the teacher, in one instance, was teaching a 3rd grade boy how to read. A 9 year old being taught to read. A PTA that is nonexistent. A complete lack of community. No fundraisers. Other ACPS elementary PTAS actually gave them seed money for their fund.

Virtually all of the original cheerleaders touting engagement and support have left. Some moved. Some went private. Some reapplied for transfers and actually got them.

It. Is. A. Joke

[Anonymous]

Yep. I first hand know a family that was so appalled with their kid's first week of K, they pulled her out. This was recent.

So you're talking to the wrong people PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many of these posts (not all) smack of privilege and subtle racism - my kid went to JH and did just fine surrounded by the kids and families so many of these posts subtlety and not so subtlety disparage. And he learned that not everyone comes from the same privileged background as his family and neighborhood - he’s still close to these kids. Give JH a shot. It’s not perfect, but what school is? Particularly, what school in ACPS is perfect?

Thanks for this post. Our DD will be attending J-H in a few years due to the crackdown on transfers in our neighborhood, and we love our dynamic and vibrant Del Ray community way too much to move. However, despite all of the hand wringing on DCUM over J-H, I have heard nothing but positive feedback from people who actually send their children there.

Completely 100% honest post here- You have got to be kidding me.

I know three families In that little triangle of Del Ray/ Potomac Yard that have been historically granted transfers to Maury and MVCC. These families did not receive transfers despite asking so they all attended in different grades for an entire year. Their unrelated universal report is how obscene the goings on there were. UMC white kids left totally to fend for themselves or ‘work ahead’ in their books while the teacher, in one instance, was teaching a 3rd grade boy how to read. A 9 year old being taught to read. A PTA that is nonexistent. A complete lack of community. No fundraisers. Other ACPS elementary PTAS actually gave them seed money for their fund.

Virtually all of the original cheerleaders touting engagement and support have left. Some moved. Some went private. Some reapplied for transfers and actually got them.

It. Is. A. Joke

I don't think that's true anymore. They had quite a few events last year, have an up to date website and Facebook page. They have after school clubs.

I am not saying it's a perfect school but it does seem in the last 3 years the parent involvement has been real and steady.

[Anonymous]

these reports of UMC white kids bring left to fend for themselves and a nonexistent PTA are purely anecdotal and likely quite dated. My “UMC white” kid attended JH from 2014 to 2018 and was not left to fend for himself. And the PTA was incredibly active. I remain in touch with friends on the PTA and it remains just as active. As for accreditation, that’s based on test scores, which don’t show the full picture of whether learning is occurring. My kid was reading well above grade level and performing above grade level on math when we moved from JH this academic year. It’s difficult to do well on tests when you are living in a hotel with your grandmother and three siblings and don’t know when your next meal will be or you share a one bedroom apartment with your siblings, parents, and a few other adults. As long as the FARM rates remain high at JH - in large part because middle class families flee the school - the test scores will be low and accreditation will be difficult to attain. So, no JH is not a joke. Try being a part of the solution rather than the problem. Give the new JH a try.

[Anonymous]

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/03/16/515788673/try-this-one-trick https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/10/19/446085513/the-evidence-that-white-children-benefit-from-integrated-schools-to-improve-student-outcomes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:these reports of UMC white kids bring left to fend for themselves and a nonexistent PTA are purely anecdotal and likely quite dated. My “UMC white” kid attended JH from 2014 to 2018 and was not left to fend for himself. And the PTA was incredibly active. I remain in touch with friends on the PTA and it remains just as active. As for accreditation, that’s based on test scores, which don’t show the full picture of whether learning is occurring. My kid was reading well above grade level and performing above grade level on math when we moved from JH this academic year. It’s difficult to do well on tests when you are living in a hotel with your grandmother and three siblings and don’t know when your next meal will be or you share a one bedroom apartment with your siblings, parents, and a few other adults. As long as the FARM rates remain high at JH - in large part because middle class families flee the school - the test scores will be low and accreditation will be difficult to attain. So, no JH is not a joke. Try being a part of the solution rather than the problem. Give the new JH a try.

No thanks. My kid isn't a guinea pig.

[Anonymous]

I know three families In that little triangle of Del Ray/ Potomac Yard that have been historically granted transfers to Maury and MVCC. These families did not receive transfers despite asking so they all attended in different grades for an entire year. Their unrelated universal report is how obscene the goings on there were. UMC white kids left totally to fend for themselves or ‘work ahead’ in their books while the teacher, in one instance, was teaching a 3rd grade boy how to read. A 9 year old being taught to read. A PTA that is nonexistent. A complete lack of community. No fundraisers. Other ACPS elementary PTAS actually gave them seed money for their fund.

I think this is overstated, but we did try the school and it was not for us. They do have a PTA, they do have some afterschool clubs, including a pretty decent chess club. We wound up moving to another school district just because it was so hard to get my child help with her reading (she is a weak reader, but just hanging on at grade level) and because she was not being challenged at all in her strong subject (math). Of course there were some nice kids and families there, but it was hard to schedule play dates or form a real connection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:these reports of UMC white kids bring left to fend for themselves and a nonexistent PTA are purely anecdotal and likely quite dated. My “UMC white” kid attended JH from 2014 to 2018 and was not left to fend for himself. And the PTA was incredibly active. I remain in touch with friends on the PTA and it remains just as active. As for accreditation, that’s based on test scores, which don’t show the full picture of whether learning is occurring. My kid was reading well above grade level and performing above grade level on math when we moved from JH this academic year. It’s difficult to do well on tests when you are living in a hotel with your grandmother and three siblings and don’t know when your next meal will be or you share a one bedroom apartment with your siblings, parents, and a few other adults. As long as the FARM rates remain high at JH - in large part because middle class families flee the school - the test scores will be low and accreditation will be difficult to attain. So, no JH is not a joke. Try being a part of the solution rather than the problem. Give the new JH a try.

Unfortunately, the academics - especially reading issues - aren't overstated.

There is actually a link I posted a while back that has the results of a UVA education group who audited the reading instruction at J-H and it was pretty bad. I recall them mentioning that the Reading instructor didn't quite know what she was supposed to be doing or how to support the teachers in the school. That's the sole dedicated resource in the school for reading instruction btw and she doesn't understand her job or how to implement. That's not good. The report also identified pretty big gaps in reading instruction and it was pretty clear why kids were not making much progress.

I do find it interesting though that Hispanic children actually perform slightly better in SOLs at this school then Black children. It seems that perhaps J-H has managed to improve their instruction to reach ELL students better than other schools have done.