APS and 4th High school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another option is piggyback on Montessori growth and build it into HS. Pedagogy is problem-based and differentiated learning, which is what HB-types want. The site exists: Career Center. The student feeder system exists, including MPSA and Gunston Montessori MS programs now. If ArlTech gets its new building, the old ArlTech building can be renovated and built up vertically to be a Prek-12 Montessori academy. This kills a lot of birds with one stone, including best-use of dollars in capital improvement plan when it comes to long term school construction (MPSA building must get overhauled/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974). Above all it provides extra HS seat capacity via an option program that we know wil draw students.

This is just Montessori advocate propaganda.
There aren't that many interested in Montessori, especially at the high school level. Montessori persistently points out that you can't just transfer into a Montessori program mid-way without prior Montessori experience. So what you're really hoping for here is a pre-K-12 Montessori program period. Renovating the CC building for that isn't going to provide another full high school's worth of seats. It has to double or triple or quadruple its K-8 program. And would your Montessori academy have its own full complement of extracurriculars and athletics, so Montessori students don't have to go back to their neighborhood schools like HB and AT do? Or do you think Montessori, HB and AT would be interested in - and willing and able to - combine for their own league? In either scenario, I would hope you are advocating for full athletic fields and facilities with the CC site redevelopment - not just for a Montessori academy.

As for your comment that the current MPSA building "must get overhaulted/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974," it does need to come down; but not because it was built in 1974. We have several buildings that are older than that.

Opinion? For sure. But propaganda, no. Everything I said is true. It is just an idea if there is genuinely a need for more HS seats. Now, anyone still asserting a 4th HS, that's propaganda. The student population numbers aren't there anymore. The future bond money isn't there anymore. The site isn't there anymore. (And really, stop saying Kenmore like just repeating it will it make come true. That takes major coordination with Fairfax).
Any future HS seat additions this generation will go into programs where students opt in, with pros and cons. There is no money, land or demand for more. And to make even that much justifiable you will have to invest in a proven program that can draw students. To the person here who said immersion over Montessori...ha, ha, that's funny - Immersion couldn't even recruit it's necessary 50-50 in recent years in elementary. Montessori has a wait list for the whole prek-8.
Honestly, Montessori is fine without a HS, so is Immersion. But as a taxpayer I'm not ready to support a 4th HS and its HUGE costs so some North Arlington families can get a modicum relief in their already-elite local HS. If that's what you're going for, better start supporting something that is plausible, like more program HS seats.

The “waitlist” for Montessori seats beyond Pre-K is single digits IIRC. People want Montessori for early years, and not beyond.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved out of Arlington when it became obvious to us that APS wasn't well run. They favor W-L over Yorktown and Wakefield in terms of academic programs; neglect the need to build a fourth comprehensive high school; and settle for mediocrity rather than academic excellence. People like Nancy Van Doren had way too much influence over APS, and the Superintendent (then Murphy) was a lightweight.

W-L is cramped in its current location. With the expansion and 3000 kids on the horizon, it will become even more of a zoo.

Where did you move to?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another option is piggyback on Montessori growth and build it into HS. Pedagogy is problem-based and differentiated learning, which is what HB-types want. The site exists: Career Center. The student feeder system exists, including MPSA and Gunston Montessori MS programs now. If ArlTech gets its new building, the old ArlTech building can be renovated and built up vertically to be a Prek-12 Montessori academy. This kills a lot of birds with one stone, including best-use of dollars in capital improvement plan when it comes to long term school construction (MPSA building must get overhauled/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974). Above all it provides extra HS seat capacity via an option program that we know wil draw students.

This is just Montessori advocate propaganda.
There aren't that many interested in Montessori, especially at the high school level. Montessori persistently points out that you can't just transfer into a Montessori program mid-way without prior Montessori experience. So what you're really hoping for here is a pre-K-12 Montessori program period. Renovating the CC building for that isn't going to provide another full high school's worth of seats. It has to double or triple or quadruple its K-8 program. And would your Montessori academy have its own full complement of extracurriculars and athletics, so Montessori students don't have to go back to their neighborhood schools like HB and AT do? Or do you think Montessori, HB and AT would be interested in - and willing and able to - combine for their own league? In either scenario, I would hope you are advocating for full athletic fields and facilities with the CC site redevelopment - not just for a Montessori academy.

As for your comment that the current MPSA building "must get overhaulted/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974," it does need to come down; but not because it was built in 1974. We have several buildings that are older than that.

Opinion? For sure. But propaganda, no. Everything I said is true. It is just an idea if there is genuinely a need for more HS seats. Now, anyone still asserting a 4th HS, that's propaganda. The student population numbers aren't there anymore. The future bond money isn't there anymore. The site isn't there anymore. (And really, stop saying Kenmore like just repeating it will it make come true. That takes major coordination with Fairfax).
Any future HS seat additions this generation will go into programs where students opt in, with pros and cons. There is no money, land or demand for more. And to make even that much justifiable you will have to invest in a proven program that can draw students. To the person here who said immersion over Montessori...ha, ha, that's funny - Immersion couldn't even recruit it's necessary 50-50 in recent years in elementary. Montessori has a wait list for the whole prek-8.
Honestly, Montessori is fine without a HS, so is Immersion. But as a taxpayer I'm not ready to support a 4th HS and its HUGE costs so some North Arlington families can get a modicum relief in their already-elite local HS. If that's what you're going for, better start supporting something that is plausible, like more program HS seats.

The “waitlist” for Montessori seats beyond Pre-K is single digits IIRC. People want Montessori for early years, and not beyond.

Uh, no, it was Spanish immersion that had single digits. Montessori had twice that:
Montessori MS at Gunston had a waitlist of 19 for SY21-21.
Spanish Immersion at Gunston had 8.
Data is here: https://www.apsva.us/school-options/school-transfer-data/secondary-options-transfers-application-data-school-year-2021-22/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another option is piggyback on Montessori growth and build it into HS. Pedagogy is problem-based and differentiated learning, which is what HB-types want. The site exists: Career Center. The student feeder system exists, including MPSA and Gunston Montessori MS programs now. If ArlTech gets its new building, the old ArlTech building can be renovated and built up vertically to be a Prek-12 Montessori academy. This kills a lot of birds with one stone, including best-use of dollars in capital improvement plan when it comes to long term school construction (MPSA building must get overhauled/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974). Above all it provides extra HS seat capacity via an option program that we know wil draw students.

This is just Montessori advocate propaganda.
There aren't that many interested in Montessori, especially at the high school level. Montessori persistently points out that you can't just transfer into a Montessori program mid-way without prior Montessori experience. So what you're really hoping for here is a pre-K-12 Montessori program period. Renovating the CC building for that isn't going to provide another full high school's worth of seats. It has to double or triple or quadruple its K-8 program. And would your Montessori academy have its own full complement of extracurriculars and athletics, so Montessori students don't have to go back to their neighborhood schools like HB and AT do? Or do you think Montessori, HB and AT would be interested in - and willing and able to - combine for their own league? In either scenario, I would hope you are advocating for full athletic fields and facilities with the CC site redevelopment - not just for a Montessori academy.

As for your comment that the current MPSA building "must get overhaulted/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974," it does need to come down; but not because it was built in 1974. We have several buildings that are older than that.

Opinion? For sure. But propaganda, no. Everything I said is true. It is just an idea if there is genuinely a need for more HS seats. Now, anyone still asserting a 4th HS, that's propaganda. The student population numbers aren't there anymore. The future bond money isn't there anymore. The site isn't there anymore. (And really, stop saying Kenmore like just repeating it will it make come true. That takes major coordination with Fairfax).
Any future HS seat additions this generation will go into programs where students opt in, with pros and cons. There is no money, land or demand for more. And to make even that much justifiable you will have to invest in a proven program that can draw students. To the person here who said immersion over Montessori...ha, ha, that's funny - Immersion couldn't even recruit it's necessary 50-50 in recent years in elementary. Montessori has a wait list for the whole prek-8.
Honestly, Montessori is fine without a HS, so is Immersion. But as a taxpayer I'm not ready to support a 4th HS and its HUGE costs so some North Arlington families can get a modicum relief in their already-elite local HS. If that's what you're going for, better start supporting something that is plausible, like more program HS seats.

And as another taxpayer, I'm not willing to squander more money pandering to Montessori.
I'm not an immersion person, either; but at least that program can potentially serve a lot more ELL and economically disadvantaged students than Montessori does. And it produces bilingual skills that are more useful than anything Montessori produces - anything montessori produces could be produced in a neighborhood school more easily than bilingualism at this point. A truly great public school system could provide bilingualism for all its students rather than just for some through an optional special program.

I'm pro-immersion. But APS has a LOT of bilingual families already, they just happen to be Latino or Mongolian or whatever you are not and they live mostly in South Arlington. There is roughly half of this county that does not see bilingualism as an issue because it already happens in their homes. The only way to justify that there is not enough immersion capacity is if you are specifically referring to upper-white-North Arlington demand. And I see you are deciding that a school system cannot be "truly great" unless it is specifically giving that upper-white-NA that experience.
Moving on, I was fascinated to hear you say "squander." I bet you didn't know that MPSA's cost per pupil is below half of neighborhood schools, including Jamestown, Taylor and Glebe. And that is BEFORE accounting for tuition that primary Montessori provides to the APS general fund. Perhaps you are just a Montessori hater. But get this: Montessori in APS is going to keep growing as it has done every year for 50 years. Why? The demand is there...across the board. The costs are middle ground. The pedagogy is proven, it favors underprivileged applicants, and it is not trying to reinvent itself to serve an already-elite cohort. None of that will change whether there is a Montessori HS. But if APS wants to use that to serve a bigger problem like a general seat capacity, then it would make a lot more sense than trying to wish your way into something immersion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another option is piggyback on Montessori growth and build it into HS. Pedagogy is problem-based and differentiated learning, which is what HB-types want. The site exists: Career Center. The student feeder system exists, including MPSA and Gunston Montessori MS programs now. If ArlTech gets its new building, the old ArlTech building can be renovated and built up vertically to be a Prek-12 Montessori academy. This kills a lot of birds with one stone, including best-use of dollars in capital improvement plan when it comes to long term school construction (MPSA building must get overhauled/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974). Above all it provides extra HS seat capacity via an option program that we know wil draw students.

This is just Montessori advocate propaganda.
There aren't that many interested in Montessori, especially at the high school level. Montessori persistently points out that you can't just transfer into a Montessori program mid-way without prior Montessori experience. So what you're really hoping for here is a pre-K-12 Montessori program period. Renovating the CC building for that isn't going to provide another full high school's worth of seats. It has to double or triple or quadruple its K-8 program. And would your Montessori academy have its own full complement of extracurriculars and athletics, so Montessori students don't have to go back to their neighborhood schools like HB and AT do? Or do you think Montessori, HB and AT would be interested in - and willing and able to - combine for their own league? In either scenario, I would hope you are advocating for full athletic fields and facilities with the CC site redevelopment - not just for a Montessori academy.

As for your comment that the current MPSA building "must get overhaulted/torn down anyway this decade as built in 1974," it does need to come down; but not because it was built in 1974. We have several buildings that are older than that.

Opinion? For sure. But propaganda, no. Everything I said is true. It is just an idea if there is genuinely a need for more HS seats. Now, anyone still asserting a 4th HS, that's propaganda. The student population numbers aren't there anymore. The future bond money isn't there anymore. The site isn't there anymore. (And really, stop saying Kenmore like just repeating it will it make come true. That takes major coordination with Fairfax).
Any future HS seat additions this generation will go into programs where students opt in, with pros and cons. There is no money, land or demand for more. And to make even that much justifiable you will have to invest in a proven program that can draw students. To the person here who said immersion over Montessori...ha, ha, that's funny - Immersion couldn't even recruit it's necessary 50-50 in recent years in elementary. Montessori has a wait list for the whole prek-8.
Honestly, Montessori is fine without a HS, so is Immersion. But as a taxpayer I'm not ready to support a 4th HS and its HUGE costs so some North Arlington families can get a modicum relief in their already-elite local HS. If that's what you're going for, better start supporting something that is plausible, like more program HS seats.

And as another taxpayer, I'm not willing to squander more money pandering to Montessori.
I'm not an immersion person, either; but at least that program can potentially serve a lot more ELL and economically disadvantaged students than Montessori does. And it produces bilingual skills that are more useful than anything Montessori produces - anything montessori produces could be produced in a neighborhood school more easily than bilingualism at this point. A truly great public school system could provide bilingualism for all its students rather than just for some through an optional special program.

I'm pro-immersion. But APS has a LOT of bilingual families already, they just happen to be Latino or Mongolian or whatever you are not and they live mostly in South Arlington. There is roughly half of this county that does not see bilingualism as an issue because it already happens in their homes. The only way to justify that there is not enough immersion capacity is if you are specifically referring to upper-white-North Arlington demand. And I see you are deciding that a school system cannot be "truly great" unless it is specifically giving that upper-white-NA that experience.
Moving on, I was fascinated to hear you say "squander." I bet you didn't know that MPSA's cost per pupil is below half of neighborhood schools, including Jamestown, Taylor and Glebe. And that is BEFORE accounting for tuition that primary Montessori provides to the APS general fund. Perhaps you are just a Montessori hater. But get this: Montessori in APS is going to keep growing as it has done every year for 50 years. Why? The demand is there...across the board. The costs are middle ground. The pedagogy is proven, it favors underprivileged applicants, and it is not trying to reinvent itself to serve an already-elite cohort. None of that will change whether there is a Montessori HS. But if APS wants to use that to serve a bigger problem like a general seat capacity, then it would make a lot more sense than trying to wish your way into something immersion.

The Mongolian community is largely in North Arlington. Always has been. Their weekend school is currently located at Innovation.

[Anonymous]

The county and school board have ignored the enrollment problem. They always planned shifts or virtual to deal w the expanding population. More parents who can afford it have left APS from distance learning. Falling numbers in the NW. my block alone has 5 families all out of APS or never enrolled in the past year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The county and school board have ignored the enrollment problem. They always planned shifts or virtual to deal w the expanding population. More parents who can afford it have left APS from distance learning. Falling numbers in the NW. my block alone has 5 families all out of APS or never enrolled in the past year

Is there demographic info showing that?