So over APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

So what other areas of the country would have better schools, plus a high level of education and access to culture and things to do? Elitist maybe, but I’m not moving to (insert large Midwestern city here).
Maybe PNW area?

Elitist? I don't know; but definitely snobbish and arrogant. Hailing from the mid-west, I assure you there are many high quality of life areas of culture and things to do and excellent educational systems and universities.

\

+1 from another original Midwesterner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

So what other areas of the country would have better schools, plus a high level of education and access to culture and things to do? Elitist maybe, but I’m not moving to (insert large Midwestern city here).
Maybe PNW area?

Elitist? I don't know; but definitely snobbish and arrogant. Hailing from the mid-west, I assure you there are many high quality of life areas of culture and things to do and excellent educational systems and universities.

\

+1 from another original Midwesterner.

We moved out of APS to a medium-sized Midwestern city last summer and found a little East Coast bubble there (kind of accidentally-just based on the housing we could afford from inflated NoVA prices and our desire for a very good public school). It's amazing how many former East Coasters we are meeting in our neighborhood who are like "I know the quality/price/friendliness of living is great here, right?" They send their kids to East coast schools (if so desired), and travel internationally. Many Midwestern stereotypes depend on where exactly you live in your Midwestern city. The major downside for me is I don't love being land-locked but there is a major airport 20 minutes from us, and frankly we were flying from DC for trips as much as we were driving, so an airport is an airport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

So what other areas of the country would have better schools, plus a high level of education and access to culture and things to do? Elitist maybe, but I’m not moving to (insert large Midwestern city here).
Maybe PNW area?

Elitist? I don't know; but definitely snobbish and arrogant. Hailing from the mid-west, I assure you there are many high quality of life areas of culture and things to do and excellent educational systems and universities.

\

+1 from another original Midwesterner.

We moved out of APS to a medium-sized Midwestern city last summer and found a little East Coast bubble there (kind of accidentally-just based on the housing we could afford from inflated NoVA prices and our desire for a very good public school). It's amazing how many former East Coasters we are meeting in our neighborhood who are like "I know the quality/price/friendliness of living is great here, right?" They send their kids to East coast schools (if so desired), and travel internationally. Many Midwestern stereotypes depend on where exactly you live in your Midwestern city. The major downside for me is I don't love being land-locked but there is a major airport 20 minutes from us, and frankly we were flying from DC for trips as much as we were driving, so an airport is an airport.

PP: Just to clarify- by "East coast schools"- I mean colleges/universities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

So what other areas of the country would have better schools, plus a high level of education and access to culture and things to do? Elitist maybe, but I’m not moving to (insert large Midwestern city here).
Maybe PNW area?

Elitist? I don't know; but definitely snobbish and arrogant. Hailing from the mid-west, I assure you there are many high quality of life areas of culture and things to do and excellent educational systems and universities.

\

+1 from another original Midwesterner.

We moved out of APS to a medium-sized Midwestern city last summer and found a little East Coast bubble there (kind of accidentally-just based on the housing we could afford from inflated NoVA prices and our desire for a very good public school). It's amazing how many former East Coasters we are meeting in our neighborhood who are like "I know the quality/price/friendliness of living is great here, right?" They send their kids to East coast schools (if so desired), and travel internationally. Many Midwestern stereotypes depend on where exactly you live in your Midwestern city. The major downside for me is I don't love being land-locked but there is a major airport 20 minutes from us, and frankly we were flying from DC for trips as much as we were driving, so an airport is an airport.

PP: Just to clarify- by "East coast schools"- I mean colleges/universities

I’d love to know where but understand you may not want to identify yourself. We don’t have a big community here and after this year we’re not sure if it makes sense to stay. Some other families with school aged kids are leaving and it’s got us thinking. All that said we do need some diversity - do not want our kids to be the only not white kids. Arlington has some diversity issues that people seem to look past but we are doing better in that regard than other places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one’s forcing you to stay. Plenty of people still looking to buy houses in Arlington, maybe it’s time for you to sell!

And a sucker to step up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

So what other areas of the country would have better schools, plus a high level of education and access to culture and things to do? Elitist maybe, but I’m not moving to (insert large Midwestern city here).
Maybe PNW area?

DP. I mean, the Chicago suburbs run circles around the DMV suburbs/schools to take just one example. But you’ve rules out the midwest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

So what other areas of the country would have better schools, plus a high level of education and access to culture and things to do? Elitist maybe, but I’m not moving to (insert large Midwestern city here).
Maybe PNW area?

Elitist? I don't know; but definitely snobbish and arrogant. Hailing from the mid-west, I assure you there are many high quality of life areas of culture and things to do and excellent educational systems and universities.

\

+1 from another original Midwesterner.

We moved out of APS to a medium-sized Midwestern city last summer and found a little East Coast bubble there (kind of accidentally-just based on the housing we could afford from inflated NoVA prices and our desire for a very good public school). It's amazing how many former East Coasters we are meeting in our neighborhood who are like "I know the quality/price/friendliness of living is great here, right?" They send their kids to East coast schools (if so desired), and travel internationally. Many Midwestern stereotypes depend on where exactly you live in your Midwestern city. The major downside for me is I don't love being land-locked but there is a major airport 20 minutes from us, and frankly we were flying from DC for trips as much as we were driving, so an airport is an airport.

Hopefully all of the East Coasters, with their East Coast anxieties don’t spoil that area. But they usually do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new phenomenon. APS has been on a decline for a while. The pandemic has just shown a huge spotlight on it. Parents are now seeing the reality of an APS education. Lots are wisely abandoning ship.

Yes, we and others we know are seriously contemplating other areas regionally or nationally. We just are waiting for the green light from our offices. But, why spend exorbitant amounts of money to live somewhere and have your child receive no to a maybe subpar education? Makes no sense really. Live somewhere else more affordable and get a better return on your education investment. Win win.

Good luck in the green light. Sorry it’s flashing yellow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am also way over APS. Have had at least 1 kid in APS for 8 years and I never thought the schools were amazing, but this year has been especially bad. In several cases, I feel like my kids' teachers have gone out of their way to make it unpleasant and punitive.

The fact that APS started the year talking about trauma-informed teaching and building community would be laughable to me now, except that my kids have genuinely suffered (yes, we did have a family member die of covid, right at the start of the school year. And no, my kids' teachers could not have given less of a shit).

We can't afford private and I can't work remotely, so unless we do a major life overhaul, we're stuck. And that kind of overhaul feels like too much to put my kids through at this point, but trust me, I've considered it many, many times this year.

Bail. Just do it.

[Anonymous]

It’s the natural inclination of a generally wealthy, nerdy, worried about the future, and ultra cautious population to become defensive and push back against criticisms of something they have chosen and bragged about. Even if we are to assume that APS did the best it could, and that rich parents engaged in the usual resource hoarding, it should be fair game to point out areas where APS struggled. But c’mon, at least acknowledge that this had to be very tough for a brand new superintendent. I think APS acted in good faith and got many things right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny. I actually see it the other way. In APS for 9 years. Among the parents in this system, it’s NEVER the kid or families’ fault. Always the school. People this privileged SHOULD leave for private schools. They are there for you. There are a LOT of entitled folks with the money for private. Go there. They will hold your hand (and your kids)!and tell your kid is a genius. In my opinion, teacher do too much handholding even in APS. If your work wasn’t properly submitted, it’s late. It’s on you to figure out the tech if you’re in middle or high school. Its 4th quarter. Take some responsibility for your work.

The tech doesn’t work all the time and teachers are not consistent in where the assign things or how they want them submitted. Many assignments cannot be verified by parents or must be refine (not just resubmitted) if there is a problem. We should be grading kids based on what they have learned, not their ability to navigate Canvas, MS Teams, Googledocs, IXL, BrainPOP, Newsela, and Nearpod.

[Anonymous]

I am usually the first to defend APS, but the dumbing down of the curriculum this year has been shocking. My kids are in 7th and 9th, and only math and foreign language have content every class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny. I actually see it the other way. In APS for 9 years. Among the parents in this system, it’s NEVER the kid or families’ fault. Always the school. People this privileged SHOULD leave for private schools. They are there for you. There are a LOT of entitled folks with the money for private. Go there. They will hold your hand (and your kids)!and tell your kid is a genius. In my opinion, teacher do too much handholding even in APS. If your work wasn’t properly submitted, it’s late. It’s on you to figure out the tech if you’re in middle or high school. Its 4th quarter. Take some responsibility for your work.

The tech doesn’t work all the time and teachers are not consistent in where the assign things or how they want them submitted. Many assignments cannot be verified by parents or must be refine (not just resubmitted) if there is a problem. We should be grading kids based on what they have learned, not their ability to navigate Canvas, MS Teams, Googledocs, IXL, BrainPOP, Newsela, and Nearpod.

Maybe in first quarter. But not in 4th quarter for middle and high school kids without special needs. They have to navigate these tech tools in the real world too. By now, they should have figured this out. My kids have had glitches, for sure. And teachers have worked with them to fix them. Sometimes my kids have gotten the wrong assignment off canvas. I don't blame that on the teacher. It's true there is a lot to navigate. But the kids are capable of it. And when a mistake is made and they've exhausted their self-advocacy, instead of looking for someone to blame, I teach my kids to accept it and move on. Some teachers are more forgiving than others. That's how it's always been, on paper and now with tech. Let's be clear, technology is here to stay and it is not the fault of APS or your kids' teachers. Secondary students have to manage this AND learn math, language, what have you. We can't go back to the 50s or even the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny. I actually see it the other way. In APS for 9 years. Among the parents in this system, it’s NEVER the kid or families’ fault. Always the school. People this privileged SHOULD leave for private schools. They are there for you. There are a LOT of entitled folks with the money for private. Go there. They will hold your hand (and your kids)!and tell your kid is a genius. In my opinion, teacher do too much handholding even in APS. If your work wasn’t properly submitted, it’s late. It’s on you to figure out the tech if you’re in middle or high school. Its 4th quarter. Take some responsibility for your work.

The tech doesn’t work all the time and teachers are not consistent in where the assign things or how they want them submitted. Many assignments cannot be verified by parents or must be refine (not just resubmitted) if there is a problem. We should be grading kids based on what they have learned, not their ability to navigate Canvas, MS Teams, Googledocs, IXL, BrainPOP, Newsela, and Nearpod.

This was our biggest issue this year - getting dinged for tech issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny. I actually see it the other way. In APS for 9 years. Among the parents in this system, it’s NEVER the kid or families’ fault. Always the school. People this privileged SHOULD leave for private schools. They are there for you. There are a LOT of entitled folks with the money for private. Go there. They will hold your hand (and your kids)!and tell your kid is a genius. In my opinion, teacher do too much handholding even in APS. If your work wasn’t properly submitted, it’s late. It’s on you to figure out the tech if you’re in middle or high school. Its 4th quarter. Take some responsibility for your work.

The tech doesn’t work all the time and teachers are not consistent in where the assign things or how they want them submitted. Many assignments cannot be verified by parents or must be refine (not just resubmitted) if there is a problem. We should be grading kids based on what they have learned, not their ability to navigate Canvas, MS Teams, Googledocs, IXL, BrainPOP, Newsela, and Nearpod.

Exactly!