Youngkin and TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

Cram schools may help with testing and in school. But, frequently, it does not translate to the real life and jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

Important. There is a reason that the second-gen Asian parents in NoVa by and large do not send their kids to cram schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

Important. There is a reason that the second-gen Asian parents in NoVa by and large do not send their kids to cram schools.

This is actually a really good point. My parents came over before they had me, and I largely had the traditional first-gen Indian experience. It helped me on some level in my academic career, and in my professional career because academic prestige was much more important back then than it is now - and it did so at the expense of what should have been a really enjoyable high school experience. I find myself envying the stories that my colleagues have to tell about their younger days - I know my parents were just trying to do what they thought was best for me, but honestly I feel like I missed out. And with the way the American job market is trending, I would never in a million years subject my kid to what I had to go through. Experience is so much more important than test scores or college affiliations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

That is very eloquent, but raises at least as many questions as it answers.

First, you seem to be arguing for a version of American exceptionalism, where "elite" American institutions are uniquely good at identifying aptitude and potential, using a mix of information that is increasingly subjective. Sometimes this is referred to as "redefining merit." Could it be that it's too early to call that approach a resounding success? And, while "cram schools" may take a toll on students who prepare intensely for entrance exams, is there not also a societal cost when access to opportunities come to be viewed as determined based less on an individual student's work and preparedness, but on a process that, once exposed and scrutinized, is increasingly is seen as a politically based exercise in rationing. Some colleges and universities in the United States actually are viewed less favorably now, both nationally and internationally, than may have been the case two or three decades ago, and it is at least possible that will be the case with respect to others as well in the future.

Second, I would not understate the significance of the FCPS School Board being exposed as so thoroughly blundering, crass, and politically motivated. Even if you assume that we somehow got lucky, and they ended up doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, I'm not sure people will want to continue to take a chance with this crowd in charge of the oversight of one of the nation's largest school systems.

Third, while a favorable ruling for the plaintiffs in the pending litigation likely would not affect students already attending TJ, or currently seeking to do so, the court would be deciding upon the nature of the prospective relief. The nature of that relief could very well lead FCPS to conclude that it needs to revert to placing greater emphasis on admissions tests and less emphasis on so-called "experience factors," which the current Superintendent clearly considered to be the means by which FCPS could best ensure that certain minorities and cohorts - but not others - would benefit when applying to the school.

Finally, it is interesting to read your take that LCPS will look for an opportunity to sever its relationship with TJ in the not-too-distant future. Some in Fairfax have argued that, given the disproportionate amount of time and attention that FCPS administration and the FCPS School Board pay to a single school, while largely overlooking the needs of other schools in a system with 200 schools, FCPS would be better served by either unwinding TJ or converting it to an Academy model where TJ would only offer certain specialized STEM courses that are not available at base schools and then make those classes available to a larger number of students. Invariably, those suggestions are met with rebuttals that TJ is a Governor's School and that FCPS cannot take any such actions because other school systems participate in the Governor's School and have helped fund TJ's capital costs over the years. If LCPS, which sends the most students to TJ of any jurisdiction besides FCPS, decides to end its relationship with TJ, perhaps that will allow FCPS to start thing more broadly - dare we say "holistically" - about the school's highest and best use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

That is very eloquent, but raises at least as many questions as it answers.

First, you seem to be arguing for a version of American exceptionalism, where "elite" American institutions are uniquely good at identifying aptitude and potential, using a mix of information that is increasingly subjective. Sometimes this is referred to as "redefining merit." Could it be that it's too early to call that approach a resounding success? And, while "cram schools" may take a toll on students who prepare intensely for entrance exams, is there not also a societal cost when access to opportunities come to be viewed as determined based less on an individual student's work and preparedness, but on a process that, once exposed and scrutinized, is increasingly is seen as a politically based exercise in rationing. Some colleges and universities in the United States actually are viewed less favorably now, both nationally and internationally, than may have been the case two or three decades ago, and it is at least possible that will be the case with respect to others as well in the future.

Second, I would not understate the significance of the FCPS School Board being exposed as so thoroughly blundering, crass, and politically motivated. Even if you assume that we somehow got lucky, and they ended up doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, I'm not sure people will want to continue to take a chance with this crowd in charge of the oversight of one of the nation's largest school systems.

Third, while a favorable ruling for the plaintiffs in the pending litigation likely would not affect students already attending TJ, or currently seeking to do so, the court would be deciding upon the nature of the prospective relief. The nature of that relief could very well lead FCPS to conclude that it needs to revert to placing greater emphasis on admissions tests and less emphasis on so-called "experience factors," which the current Superintendent clearly considered to be the means by which FCPS could best ensure that certain minorities and cohorts - but not others - would benefit when applying to the school.

Finally, it is interesting to read your take that LCPS will look for an opportunity to sever its relationship with TJ in the not-too-distant future. Some in Fairfax have argued that, given the disproportionate amount of time and attention that FCPS administration and the FCPS School Board pay to a single school, while largely overlooking the needs of other schools in a system with 200 schools, FCPS would be better served by either unwinding TJ or converting it to an Academy model where TJ would only offer certain specialized STEM courses that are not available at base schools and then make those classes available to a larger number of students. Invariably, those suggestions are met with rebuttals that TJ is a Governor's School and that FCPS cannot take any such actions because other school systems participate in the Governor's School and have helped fund TJ's capital costs over the years. If LCPS, which sends the most students to TJ of any jurisdiction besides FCPS, decides to end its relationship with TJ, perhaps that will allow FCPS to start thing more broadly - dare we say "holistically" - about the school's highest and best use.

1) It is absolutely too early to call the new approach a resounding success. Indeed, it's hard to imagine a metric with which one would measure the relative success of this new approach, other than through what its original intent was, which is to broaden access to TJ to a wider range of communities. For me personally, I will probably look at application numbers across demographics as a measure of success, because I've always been supremely disappointed that fewer students applied to TJ in the last five years than applied twenty years ago. And that's set against an explosion in population that should have resulted in a concomitant increase in interest in TJ.

2) I tend to agree with you on this point. I think that a significant number of them will not seek re-election but that the partisan bent of Fairfax County will probably keep the School Board reliably liberal no matter who runs for office. A major tone-setter will be who replaces Brabrand.

3) I don't think that a ruling in either direction is going to influence the motivations of the current School Board and FCPS on a broader scale. They are committed to doing everything they can in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion come hell or high water. Who knows - they might revert back to a "merit lottery" model and wait for the courts to go through that whole process again. But the exam suite that was used previously was extremely expensive - as are most standardized tests - and they're not going to go back to that model. The most I could possibly see is lowering the number of allocated students from each school to perhaps 1% (which I think would be smart) and re-introducing a limited version of a teacher recommendation form (which I also think would be smart). But in the end, no matter what changes are made, the Coalition 4 TJ crowd is going to be looking for one thing - does TJ return to a ~75% Asian demographic? If it does not, there will be litigation, plain and simple.

4) My take is by no means theoretical - LCPS has introduced policies to sever its relationship with TJ in recent years to varying degrees of success. A couple of years ago, the LCPS School Board - against the vociferous objections of a mostly South Asian contingent - voted to end County-provided transportation to TJ and to limit the school's delegation to TJ to 50 students per year (Loudoun currently sends between 80-90 students to TJ each year). Before that new policy could take effect, a new School Board was elected and reversed the 50-student cap. In other years, policies have been brought to the floor to discontinue the TJ program in Loudoun entirely based on the nearly $18,000 per student tuition that LCPS must pay in addition to their desire to promote the newly-formed Loudoun Academy of Science and the Academy of Engineering and Technology. Think about it - it's an expenditure of nearly $2,000,000 per year for LCPS to send kids to TJ, and the kids that they're sending are kids who would significantly boost the profile of BOTH their Academy programs and their public schools, since the Academies are not full-day programs.

TJ will not convert to an Academy model. If they did, the prestige of the institution would drop dramatically and they'd be unlikely to secure the same level of funding that they have previously. To say nothing of the Governor's School funds.

[Anonymous]

Other governors schools functions as academies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of these people complaining about FCPS changing the rules. There are plenty of other school districts across the US who aren’t hip to the tricks of gaming the system. Move there and your kids can participate in a magnet program, just in a different district

Or private is always an option. You guys don’t need FCPS or TJ.

The private school gang is pushing for “school choice” so they can get their tuition subsidized.

I have two kids in private and one at TJ (though she went to private from K-8th).
I pay taxes and subsidize public schools for my neighbors who send their kids to public schools. I pay a LOT of taxes, so why not have some sort of tax right off for my children's education?

[Anonymous]

Should people who own BMWs or Mercedes Benz’s also get a tax right off since they are paying for public transport infrastructure that they don’t use?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many of these people complaining about FCPS changing the rules. There are plenty of other school districts across the US who aren’t hip to the tricks of gaming the system. Move there and your kids can participate in a magnet program, just in a different district

Or private is always an option. You guys don’t need FCPS or TJ.

The private school gang is pushing for “school choice” so they can get their tuition subsidized.

I have two kids in private and one at TJ (though she went to private from K-8th).
I pay taxes and subsidize public schools for my neighbors who send their kids to public schools. I pay a LOT of taxes, so why not have some sort of tax right off for my children's education?

That's not how it works.

Maybe ask your TJ kid to explain how taxes, public services, and "tax right offs" work.

[Anonymous]

This is 12:45. I don't want to perpetuate a really long post by responding directly, but I do want to thank 14:58 for a thoughtful response.

One area where I would differ relates to TJ's continued viability as an FCPS-sponsored Governor's School. On balance, I agree FCPS is unlikely to unwind TJ or switch to an Academy model any time soon. Current leadership is too lacking in creativity and too politically invested in the current mission of minting future TJ graduates who come from "under-represented" racial and economic cohorts and geographic parts of the county to want to undertake such actions. On the other hand, if they swept away, the mission of a more conservative successor to Brabrand and a more centrist School Board might be to restore TJ to its prior incarnation.

However, the "TJ papers" do reveal some cracks in the fissure, such as when Pekarksy and Omeish bantered about whether FCPS even needed a TJ. Of course, they were too lazy and lacking in courage to debate that seriously with their colleagues, or in a public forum, but it betrayed the sense of ennui about TJ that may only increase over time if there are continued challenges to the school's admissions policies and practices (and the current legal challenges, however decided, may not foreclose future challenges). They have managed to energize many in the Asian community in the county to a previously unseen degree, and not in a way that is supportive of FCPS leadership or the School Board.

Moreover, the admissions changes that are now being phased in may turn out to have unintended consequences that present new challenges for FCPS. Recently disclosed FCPS data indicates that the Langley and McLean pyramids were the two pyramids with the highest positive net migration in the 2021-22 school year. That may reflect parents in those pyramids having been particularly likely to pull their kids from FCPS during the first year of the pandemic and send them back in the current year, but it may also reflect an increasing number of families who view the "top" pyramids as a safe haven given the greater uncertainty around which students will get admitted to TJ. So they could end up with a situation where the change in TJ admissions actually ends up increases the perceived differences in quality among the non-TJ schools, which presumably was not what they were setting out to accomplish when they revised the admissions policy.

So, again, while most of the factors suggest that TJ will continue to operate as a full-time Governor's School, at some point the fatigue with the various challenges and criticisms might lead them to conclude that providing even wider access to specialized courses at TJ by switching to an Academy model is warranted. That's less likely if they continue to get external validation that TJ is the #1 school in the country, but if they stop getting that validation - which could well happen if the school's ranking declines in the future or schools stop being "ranked" for independent reasons - the willingness to challenge the new status quo might increase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

Important. There is a reason that the second-gen Asian parents in NoVa by and large do not send their kids to cram schools.

While not a cram school, every other Chinese I know has their kids in Chinese school on weekends, and all taking above grade level math while there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In reference to cram schools- the ones in the states are like babysitting.

My country cram schools are all the time. Kids don’t get home until 11pm.

Americans have no idea how easy they have it here.

True, and they don't understand that some of us highly prioritize education, so much so that even poor members of our community will send their kids to these extra schools. It makes their arguments laughable.

The entire purpose of cram schools, which are objectively devastating to these kids, is to make them appear smarter than they are because of an archaic reliance on standardized testing for elite school admission. That archaic mindset is going away fairly rapidly as schools move away from AP exams, SAT/ACT scores, and the like. FCPS is merely following the example set by hundreds of the finest academic institutions in America.

Now, the impact of this broad shift - which again, FCPS is following, not leading - is going to disproportionately fall on families who rely on test scores to improve access for their students.

What the "TJ Papers" seem to prove, sadly, is that members of the FCPS School Board were either too lazy or too incompetent to do the right thing for the right reasons, and instead ended up moving closer to the right thing and doing it for the wrong reasons.

The process for the Class of 2026 is well underway and is not going to change significantly no matter the results of any pending litigation. Nor will this litigation be able to take students who were previously declined admission and move them into "offered" status.

This school board is not going to reimplement an exam that is of any real significance, even if pressured to do so by the state BOE under Youngkin. If the BOE demands an exam, it will almost certainly be of a caliber similar to an SOL and will have very minimal weighting even under a re-engineered "holistic" process.

It is far more likely that Loudoun County Public Schools ends its relationship with TJ - which it has been trying to do for years now - than it is that you see substantive changes to the TJ admissions process before the next school board elections in late 2023 - by which point the admissions office will be in the process of selecting the fourth full class under the new admissions policy. And LCPS pulling out would have a far greater impact on the fortunes of Asian-American students, given that nearly the entire Loudoun delegation to TJ every year is South Asians.

Important. There is a reason that the second-gen Asian parents in NoVa by and large do not send their kids to cram schools.

While not a cram school, every other Chinese I know has their kids in Chinese school on weekends, and all taking above grade level math while there.

Did those parents grow up in America? Because if they did, that would surprise me.

[Anonymous]

The weekend schools are primarily to preserve cultural fluency and heritage. Not to cram for TJ