Washington Post Slams FCPS for Racist Magnet School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to me how little people actually know about this topic.

The reason why the TJ admissions process advantages Asian students is because, generally and culturally speaking, our parents prioritize prestige in education (note - there's a difference between prestige in education and quality in education, and they value the former to a MUCH greater extent) - therefore we are willing to make sacrifices in order to maximize the opportunity to attain that prestige. If FCPS wants to solve this problem (and they should), they need to minimize the influence of PARENTS in the admissions process.

Asian students are not inherently smarter than anyone else, and they do not work harder than anyone else - to suggest otherwise is blatantly and unforgivably racist. But the TJ admissions process limits the idea of "merit" to grades, GPA, exam performance, STEM extracurriculars, and well-written teacher recommendations from specific schools that major in getting kids into TJ. Asian families know this, and are far more willing as a group to streamline our childrens' elementary and middle school careers to optimize their chances for admission.

FCPS needs to have a serious conversation about what constitutes merit. The culture within the school is toxic and hyper-competitive, which has now led to a second suicide in the past couple of years, and it is so because there are too many students who all took the same path to get to TJ in the first place. The fact that most of them are Asian is not to blame - what is to blame is an admissions process that rewards families who are willing to pre-determine their children's futures before they turn ten years old.

Most students at TJ are Asian because TJ is more important to Asian parents. The application numbers bear this out. Having parents who care about TJ from an early age is a privilege for students, and FCPS needs to reduce the influence of that privilege in the admissions process.

+ a million. The fact that Fairfax can't seem to produce black, Latino and/or poor kids who are accepted to TJ at measurable rates is 100 percent a failing of the school system.

(PP) I would just amend this to say - FCPS produces plenty of Black and Latinx students, and FARMS students, who could and would thrive at TJ if the culture there weren't actively hostile to them. It would be great if the students who do make it had plenty of others who looked like them, and if they didn't hear from white and Asian students on a daily basis that they were admitted only because of their race. But even the top students in those demographics are largely uninterested in TJ because they know that the culture there is poisonous and hostile to them.

And the other students at TJ have a lesser education as a consequence because they haven't been exposed to those different voices and perspectives in the educational process - and they become the tone-deaf posters that you see on sites like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to me how little people actually know about this topic.

The reason why the TJ admissions process advantages Asian students is because, generally and culturally speaking, our parents prioritize prestige in education (note - there's a difference between prestige in education and quality in education, and they value the former to a MUCH greater extent) - therefore we are willing to make sacrifices in order to maximize the opportunity to attain that prestige. If FCPS wants to solve this problem (and they should), they need to minimize the influence of PARENTS in the admissions process.

Asian students are not inherently smarter than anyone else, and they do not work harder than anyone else - to suggest otherwise is blatantly and unforgivably racist. But the TJ admissions process limits the idea of "merit" to grades, GPA, exam performance, STEM extracurriculars, and well-written teacher recommendations from specific schools that major in getting kids into TJ. Asian families know this, and are far more willing as a group to streamline our childrens' elementary and middle school careers to optimize their chances for admission.

FCPS needs to have a serious conversation about what constitutes merit. The culture within the school is toxic and hyper-competitive, which has now led to a second suicide in the past couple of years, and it is so because there are too many students who all took the same path to get to TJ in the first place. The fact that most of them are Asian is not to blame - what is to blame is an admissions process that rewards families who are willing to pre-determine their children's futures before they turn ten years old.

Most students at TJ are Asian because TJ is more important to Asian parents. The application numbers bear this out. Having parents who care about TJ from an early age is a privilege for students, and FCPS needs to reduce the influence of that privilege in the admissions process.

You’re doing the role play again? This time you’re an Asian parent rather than a black TJ student
I’m wait for your definition of merit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to me how little people actually know about this topic.

The reason why the TJ admissions process advantages Asian students is because, generally and culturally speaking, our parents prioritize prestige in education (note - there's a difference between prestige in education and quality in education, and they value the former to a MUCH greater extent) - therefore we are willing to make sacrifices in order to maximize the opportunity to attain that prestige. If FCPS wants to solve this problem (and they should), they need to minimize the influence of PARENTS in the admissions process.

Asian students are not inherently smarter than anyone else, and they do not work harder than anyone else - to suggest otherwise is blatantly and unforgivably racist. But the TJ admissions process limits the idea of "merit" to grades, GPA, exam performance, STEM extracurriculars, and well-written teacher recommendations from specific schools that major in getting kids into TJ. Asian families know this, and are far more willing as a group to streamline our childrens' elementary and middle school careers to optimize their chances for admission.

FCPS needs to have a serious conversation about what constitutes merit. The culture within the school is toxic and hyper-competitive, which has now led to a second suicide in the past couple of years, and it is so because there are too many students who all took the same path to get to TJ in the first place. The fact that most of them are Asian is not to blame - what is to blame is an admissions process that rewards families who are willing to pre-determine their children's futures before they turn ten years old.

Most students at TJ are Asian because TJ is more important to Asian parents. The application numbers bear this out. Having parents who care about TJ from an early age is a privilege for students, and FCPS needs to reduce the influence of that privilege in the admissions process.

+ a million. The fact that Fairfax can't seem to produce black, Latino and/or poor kids who are accepted to TJ at measurable rates is 100 percent a failing of the school system.

(PP) I would just amend this to say - FCPS produces plenty of Black and Latinx students, and FARMS students, who could and would thrive at TJ if the culture there weren't actively hostile to them. It would be great if the students who do make it had plenty of others who looked like them, and if they didn't hear from white and Asian students on a daily basis that they were admitted only because of their race. But even the top students in those demographics are largely uninterested in TJ because they know that the culture there is poisonous and hostile to them.

And the other students at TJ have a lesser education as a consequence because they haven't been exposed to those different voices and perspectives in the educational process - and they become the tone-deaf posters that you see on sites like this.

This makes no sense.

You want Blacks and Hispanics to be accepted more into the school based on race but then don’t want anyone to think they were accepted because of their race.

It’s either merit or race. Pick your poison but then don’t complain about about what comes along with that choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m Asian and have no skin in this game. My kids have never been interested nor have I about TJ.

What I don’t understand is why is the only way considered ‘fair’ is if there is basically affirmative action for the high school?

Why wouldn’t it make more sense to target blacks and Hispanics in elementary and middle schools? Do outreach at theses schools, get TJ students involved. Offer free TJ prep classes on Saturdays or after school.

This would do more to level the playing field than lowering the standards. The reason TJ is known nationwide is because of it’s student body. They are there only because of ability. Meritocracy is the most fair standard across the board.

And one of the things I often hear about Asian kids regarding college admissions is that they should apply to other schools outside of the big name ones if they are so concerned about quotas. That they will do fine elsewhere and not expect this to change to include more of them. Well, I’m sure the kids that do not get into TJ will also do fine elsewhere and should also not expect the school to change to include more of them.

I know my kids will do fine even if they aren’t going to TJ. They are Asian males so they will likely have a harder time with college admissions since they are pretty regular gen ed students and colleges will expect more from them than other applicants. It’s upsetting since this is purely race based not a matter of their aptitude. But we are trying to stay positive and expand our school search despite the blatant race based discrimination.

Take a look at small liberal arts colleges. Many of them are looking to have a diverse student population in a number of categories. Being boys and of Asian background could be helpful in admissions at schools like this for your sons.

Yes, thanks this is what we keep getting told, regardless of the fact that my incredibly extroverted son that is into computers really does not want to attend a small, liberal arts school with less diversity and not great sports.

But thanks for making my point for me. People tell Asians to look elsewhere, so why not tell kids that aren't cut out for TJ to look elsewhere? Why is it racist if they are excluded by merit based system but not racist when Asians are excluded and held to a different standard on a race based system?

Please stop addressing the sustained under-enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at TJ by centering the discussion on the experience of Asian kids who, at least in NoVa, come from quite privileged backgrounds. The FARMS rate at TJ is about 2%, and the school is in a county where about 30% of the kids receive FARMS.

Please don't act concerned about racism if you are myopic and exclusionary. You are either anti-racist or you are not. Picking and choosing some minorities over others is not anti-racism.
And if you don't have an actual real answer to my question and seek to rather distract than please move along.

TJ is not a regular neighborhood school, it requires an entrance exam. My own kid would not pass this exam and I'm not breaking down the doors saying take him anyway. It's not discriminating over race, it's merit based. Are they discriminating against my son because he's not been prepped? If the field is to be leveled than free TJ prep exams in every school, county wide would be an excellent way to do so. Give informational talks to parents and students county wide starting in elementary.

And as for your assumption that Asian kids come from privileged backgrounds in this county, well I would say so are the black kids in this county. Blacks in Fairfax County are a pretty well educated bunch. See, how assumptions work? Many Asians in this county are either first or second generation with parents working in gas stations, dry cleaners, grocery stores, salons, etc. This is not about privelege, this is about priorities.

If we took only the most poor kids in the county and the schools started FREE Saturday schools for TJ prep, would you like to take a stab at the races of which families would make the effort to get their kids there? Would make their kid skip basketball or soccer to attend? (Personally, my kids would revolt rather than miss sports, yet another reason I wouldn't expect them to aim for TJ) Would demand their kids to go to school on Saturday? If the priority is there then the playing field is more level and they will be more on par with the kids going to PAID Saturday schools.

It just makes no sense to lower the bar in order to even out the bar. This is why the primary and secondary education in this country are atrocious and we end up with uneducated masses that believe everything they hear on Fox news.

You keep saying merit based but it's not a meritocracy and it's not merit based when the deciding factor is who can afford prep. Nice try though.

There are a LOT of kids who prep and don't get in, and there are a LOT of kids who get in but don't prep. So, prep is not the deciding factor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing that I find interesting is that there are almost NO white females at TJ.

One mom said that there probably about 20-25 per grade and many are from LCPS. So very VERY few white females within FCPS are offered admission. Given that white females are not underrepresented in the applicant pool or in FCPS AAP, I think this bears examination. There is clearly something going on that disadvantages white females from being accepted.

+1

And this has been a relatively recent phenomenon. (Unlike the black/Hispanic numbers.) But it has gotten almost no attention. Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m Asian and have no skin in this game. My kids have never been interested nor have I about TJ.

What I don’t understand is why is the only way considered ‘fair’ is if there is basically affirmative action for the high school?

Why wouldn’t it make more sense to target blacks and Hispanics in elementary and middle schools? Do outreach at theses schools, get TJ students involved. Offer free TJ prep classes on Saturdays or after school.

This would do more to level the playing field than lowering the standards. The reason TJ is known nationwide is because of it’s student body. They are there only because of ability. Meritocracy is the most fair standard across the board.

And one of the things I often hear about Asian kids regarding college admissions is that they should apply to other schools outside of the big name ones if they are so concerned about quotas. That they will do fine elsewhere and not expect this to change to include more of them. Well, I’m sure the kids that do not get into TJ will also do fine elsewhere and should also not expect the school to change to include more of them.

I know my kids will do fine even if they aren’t going to TJ. They are Asian males so they will likely have a harder time with college admissions since they are pretty regular gen ed students and colleges will expect more from them than other applicants. It’s upsetting since this is purely race based not a matter of their aptitude. But we are trying to stay positive and expand our school search despite the blatant race based discrimination.

Take a look at small liberal arts colleges. Many of them are looking to have a diverse student population in a number of categories. Being boys and of Asian background could be helpful in admissions at schools like this for your sons.

Yes, thanks this is what we keep getting told, regardless of the fact that my incredibly extroverted son that is into computers really does not want to attend a small, liberal arts school with less diversity and not great sports.

But thanks for making my point for me. People tell Asians to look elsewhere, so why not tell kids that aren't cut out for TJ to look elsewhere? Why is it racist if they are excluded by merit based system but not racist when Asians are excluded and held to a different standard on a race based system?

Please stop addressing the sustained under-enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at TJ by centering the discussion on the experience of Asian kids who, at least in NoVa, come from quite privileged backgrounds. The FARMS rate at TJ is about 2%, and the school is in a county where about 30% of the kids receive FARMS.

Please don't act concerned about racism if you are myopic and exclusionary. You are either anti-racist or you are not. Picking and choosing some minorities over others is not anti-racism.
And if you don't have an actual real answer to my question and seek to rather distract than please move along.

TJ is not a regular neighborhood school, it requires an entrance exam. My own kid would not pass this exam and I'm not breaking down the doors saying take him anyway. It's not discriminating over race, it's merit based. Are they discriminating against my son because he's not been prepped? If the field is to be leveled than free TJ prep exams in every school, county wide would be an excellent way to do so. Give informational talks to parents and students county wide starting in elementary.

And as for your assumption that Asian kids come from privileged backgrounds in this county, well I would say so are the black kids in this county. Blacks in Fairfax County are a pretty well educated bunch. See, how assumptions work? Many Asians in this county are either first or second generation with parents working in gas stations, dry cleaners, grocery stores, salons, etc. This is not about privelege, this is about priorities.

If we took only the most poor kids in the county and the schools started FREE Saturday schools for TJ prep, would you like to take a stab at the races of which families would make the effort to get their kids there? Would make their kid skip basketball or soccer to attend? (Personally, my kids would revolt rather than miss sports, yet another reason I wouldn't expect them to aim for TJ) Would demand their kids to go to school on Saturday? If the priority is there then the playing field is more level and they will be more on par with the kids going to PAID Saturday schools.

It just makes no sense to lower the bar in order to even out the bar. This is why the primary and secondary education in this country are atrocious and we end up with uneducated masses that believe everything they hear on Fox news.

You keep saying merit based but it's not a meritocracy and it's not merit based when the deciding factor is who can afford prep. Nice try though.

There are a LOT of kids who prep and don't get in, and there are a LOT of kids who get in but don't prep. So, prep is not the deciding factor.

Nope, but being FARM seems to be a deciding factor

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing that I find interesting is that there are almost NO white females at TJ.

One mom said that there probably about 20-25 per grade and many are from LCPS. So very VERY few white females within FCPS are offered admission. Given that white females are not underrepresented in the applicant pool or in FCPS AAP, I think this bears examination. There is clearly something going on that disadvantages white females from being accepted.

+1

And this has been a relatively recent phenomenon. (Unlike the black/Hispanic numbers.) But it has gotten almost no attention. Why?

White females do not apply to the school in large numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to me how little people actually know about this topic.

The reason why the TJ admissions process advantages Asian students is because, generally and culturally speaking, our parents prioritize prestige in education (note - there's a difference between prestige in education and quality in education, and they value the former to a MUCH greater extent) - therefore we are willing to make sacrifices in order to maximize the opportunity to attain that prestige. If FCPS wants to solve this problem (and they should), they need to minimize the influence of PARENTS in the admissions process.

Asian students are not inherently smarter than anyone else, and they do not work harder than anyone else - to suggest otherwise is blatantly and unforgivably racist. But the TJ admissions process limits the idea of "merit" to grades, GPA, exam performance, STEM extracurriculars, and well-written teacher recommendations from specific schools that major in getting kids into TJ. Asian families know this, and are far more willing as a group to streamline our childrens' elementary and middle school careers to optimize their chances for admission.

FCPS needs to have a serious conversation about what constitutes merit. The culture within the school is toxic and hyper-competitive, which has now led to a second suicide in the past couple of years, and it is so because there are too many students who all took the same path to get to TJ in the first place. The fact that most of them are Asian is not to blame - what is to blame is an admissions process that rewards families who are willing to pre-determine their children's futures before they turn ten years old.

Most students at TJ are Asian because TJ is more important to Asian parents. The application numbers bear this out. Having parents who care about TJ from an early age is a privilege for students, and FCPS needs to reduce the influence of that privilege in the admissions process.

+ a million. The fact that Fairfax can't seem to produce black, Latino and/or poor kids who are accepted to TJ at measurable rates is 100 percent a failing of the school system.

(PP) I would just amend this to say - FCPS produces plenty of Black and Latinx students, and FARMS students, who could and would thrive at TJ if the culture there weren't actively hostile to them. It would be great if the students who do make it had plenty of others who looked like them, and if they didn't hear from white and Asian students on a daily basis that they were admitted only because of their race. But even the top students in those demographics are largely uninterested in TJ because they know that the culture there is poisonous and hostile to them.

And the other students at TJ have a lesser education as a consequence because they haven't been exposed to those different voices and perspectives in the educational process - and they become the tone-deaf posters that you see on sites like this.

This makes no sense.

You want Blacks and Hispanics to be accepted more into the school based on race but then don’t want anyone to think they were accepted because of their race.

It’s either merit or race. Pick your poison but then don’t complain about about what comes along with that choice.

I don't want them to be accepted because of their race. I want the admissions process to understand that merit takes a lot of different forms and that the ones that they're currently using disproportionately advantage Asian parents. Lived experience, battling through adversity, achieving more than your socioeconomic status would predict, overcoming racial barriers - those are all forms of merit and the TJ and STEM community would benefit from acknowledging the reality that's staring them in the face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m Asian and have no skin in this game. My kids have never been interested nor have I about TJ.

What I don’t understand is why is the only way considered ‘fair’ is if there is basically affirmative action for the high school?

Why wouldn’t it make more sense to target blacks and Hispanics in elementary and middle schools? Do outreach at theses schools, get TJ students involved. Offer free TJ prep classes on Saturdays or after school.

This would do more to level the playing field than lowering the standards. The reason TJ is known nationwide is because of it’s student body. They are there only because of ability. Meritocracy is the most fair standard across the board.

And one of the things I often hear about Asian kids regarding college admissions is that they should apply to other schools outside of the big name ones if they are so concerned about quotas. That they will do fine elsewhere and not expect this to change to include more of them. Well, I’m sure the kids that do not get into TJ will also do fine elsewhere and should also not expect the school to change to include more of them.

I know my kids will do fine even if they aren’t going to TJ. They are Asian males so they will likely have a harder time with college admissions since they are pretty regular gen ed students and colleges will expect more from them than other applicants. It’s upsetting since this is purely race based not a matter of their aptitude. But we are trying to stay positive and expand our school search despite the blatant race based discrimination.

Take a look at small liberal arts colleges. Many of them are looking to have a diverse student population in a number of categories. Being boys and of Asian background could be helpful in admissions at schools like this for your sons.

Yes, thanks this is what we keep getting told, regardless of the fact that my incredibly extroverted son that is into computers really does not want to attend a small, liberal arts school with less diversity and not great sports.

But thanks for making my point for me. People tell Asians to look elsewhere, so why not tell kids that aren't cut out for TJ to look elsewhere? Why is it racist if they are excluded by merit based system but not racist when Asians are excluded and held to a different standard on a race based system?

Please stop addressing the sustained under-enrollment of Black and Hispanic students at TJ by centering the discussion on the experience of Asian kids who, at least in NoVa, come from quite privileged backgrounds. The FARMS rate at TJ is about 2%, and the school is in a county where about 30% of the kids receive FARMS.

Please don't act concerned about racism if you are myopic and exclusionary. You are either anti-racist or you are not. Picking and choosing some minorities over others is not anti-racism.
And if you don't have an actual real answer to my question and seek to rather distract than please move along.

TJ is not a regular neighborhood school, it requires an entrance exam. My own kid would not pass this exam and I'm not breaking down the doors saying take him anyway. It's not discriminating over race, it's merit based. Are they discriminating against my son because he's not been prepped? If the field is to be leveled than free TJ prep exams in every school, county wide would be an excellent way to do so. Give informational talks to parents and students county wide starting in elementary.

And as for your assumption that Asian kids come from privileged backgrounds in this county, well I would say so are the black kids in this county. Blacks in Fairfax County are a pretty well educated bunch. See, how assumptions work? Many Asians in this county are either first or second generation with parents working in gas stations, dry cleaners, grocery stores, salons, etc. This is not about privelege, this is about priorities.

If we took only the most poor kids in the county and the schools started FREE Saturday schools for TJ prep, would you like to take a stab at the races of which families would make the effort to get their kids there? Would make their kid skip basketball or soccer to attend? (Personally, my kids would revolt rather than miss sports, yet another reason I wouldn't expect them to aim for TJ) Would demand their kids to go to school on Saturday? If the priority is there then the playing field is more level and they will be more on par with the kids going to PAID Saturday schools.

It just makes no sense to lower the bar in order to even out the bar. This is why the primary and secondary education in this country are atrocious and we end up with uneducated masses that believe everything they hear on Fox news.

You keep saying merit based but it's not a meritocracy and it's not merit based when the deciding factor is who can afford prep. Nice try though.

There are a LOT of kids who prep and don't get in, and there are a LOT of kids who get in but don't prep. So, prep is not the deciding factor.

This is an argument made by someone who does not understand causality. Prep is an enormous booster in the process - that is inarguable. Students are starting from different places when they engage in the TJ prep process, and that largely accounts for differences in the outcomes. And there are several students, as there have always been, who are talented enough to succeed in the TJ admissions process without engaging in prep and without using their parents' resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is amazing to me how little people actually know about this topic.

The reason why the TJ admissions process advantages Asian students is because, generally and culturally speaking, our parents prioritize prestige in education (note - there's a difference between prestige in education and quality in education, and they value the former to a MUCH greater extent) - therefore we are willing to make sacrifices in order to maximize the opportunity to attain that prestige. If FCPS wants to solve this problem (and they should), they need to minimize the influence of PARENTS in the admissions process.

Asian students are not inherently smarter than anyone else, and they do not work harder than anyone else - to suggest otherwise is blatantly and unforgivably racist. But the TJ admissions process limits the idea of "merit" to grades, GPA, exam performance, STEM extracurriculars, and well-written teacher recommendations from specific schools that major in getting kids into TJ. Asian families know this, and are far more willing as a group to streamline our childrens' elementary and middle school careers to optimize their chances for admission.

FCPS needs to have a serious conversation about what constitutes merit. The culture within the school is toxic and hyper-competitive, which has now led to a second suicide in the past couple of years, and it is so because there are too many students who all took the same path to get to TJ in the first place. The fact that most of them are Asian is not to blame - what is to blame is an admissions process that rewards families who are willing to pre-determine their children's futures before they turn ten years old.

Most students at TJ are Asian because TJ is more important to Asian parents. The application numbers bear this out. Having parents who care about TJ from an early age is a privilege for students, and FCPS needs to reduce the influence of that privilege in the admissions process.

+ a million. The fact that Fairfax can't seem to produce black, Latino and/or poor kids who are accepted to TJ at measurable rates is 100 percent a failing of the school system.

(PP) I would just amend this to say - FCPS produces plenty of Black and Latinx students, and FARMS students, who could and would thrive at TJ if the culture there weren't actively hostile to them. It would be great if the students who do make it had plenty of others who looked like them, and if they didn't hear from white and Asian students on a daily basis that they were admitted only because of their race. But even the top students in those demographics are largely uninterested in TJ because they know that the culture there is poisonous and hostile to them.

And the other students at TJ have a lesser education as a consequence because they haven't been exposed to those different voices and perspectives in the educational process - and they become the tone-deaf posters that you see on sites like this.

This makes no sense.

You want Blacks and Hispanics to be accepted more into the school based on race but then don’t want anyone to think they were accepted because of their race.

It’s either merit or race. Pick your poison but then don’t complain about about what comes along with that choice.

I don't want them to be accepted because of their race. I want the admissions process to understand that merit takes a lot of different forms and that the ones that they're currently using disproportionately advantage Asian parents. Lived experience, battling through adversity, achieving more than your socioeconomic status would predict, overcoming racial barriers - those are all forms of merit and the TJ and STEM community would benefit from acknowledging the reality that's staring them in the face.

And before you tell me about YOUR lived experience overcoming these things as a parent - those are YOUR experiences, not your students, and they should not factor into this process. You are to be commended for coming to America with $300 and the shirt on your back, and I congratulate you for your tremendous success. Your child didn't do those things and YOU are not the one applying to TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing that I find interesting is that there are almost NO white females at TJ.

One mom said that there probably about 20-25 per grade and many are from LCPS. So very VERY few white females within FCPS are offered admission. Given that white females are not underrepresented in the applicant pool or in FCPS AAP, I think this bears examination. There is clearly something going on that disadvantages white females from being accepted.

+1

And this has been a relatively recent phenomenon. (Unlike the black/Hispanic numbers.) But it has gotten almost no attention. Why?

White females do not apply to the school in large numbers.

They do apply. They just are not admitted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing that I find interesting is that there are almost NO white females at TJ.

One mom said that there probably about 20-25 per grade and many are from LCPS. So very VERY few white females within FCPS are offered admission. Given that white females are not underrepresented in the applicant pool or in FCPS AAP, I think this bears examination. There is clearly something going on that disadvantages white females from being accepted.

+1

And this has been a relatively recent phenomenon. (Unlike the black/Hispanic numbers.) But it has gotten almost no attention. Why?

White females do not apply to the school in large numbers.

They do apply. They just are not admitted.

White females are vastly less likely to prep.

[Anonymous]

Interesting on the white females.

I am the PP who felt like the WaPo editorial, and some posts in this thread, really want to simplify the problem here - the demographic imbalance at TJ is unique as a minority is overrepresented and there is a gender imbalance.

The FARMS imbalance at TJ - which also tells much of the admissions story - is not unique - the FARMS imbalance also exists at other FCPS great schools, including Langley, McLean, etc.

The solution is not simple - redistrict all schools to try to achieve FARMS/race equity? Get rid of TJ despite it's national reputation? Provide for quotas at TJ that match overall FCPS demographics? Allow significant numbers of lottery slots at Langley/McLean and their middle school feeders and ES for FARMS or minorities to provide better chance of getting into TJ (which would require redistricting as those schools are generally at capacity so you would have to tell some families in the boundaries that paid lots of money to live in those homes that they no longer get to attend the schools).

Full disclosure - I am a TJ parent, white, from Title I ES and MS. No prep. Kid loves it, I am ambivalent. I support reform at TJ and I support reform across FCPS - Coming from the FARMS background and ending up at TJ, I have had personal experiences at both ends of the spectrum. The imbalances and inequities at one end and the benefits and riches at the other end are real. And unfair. And not isolated to one school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing that I find interesting is that there are almost NO white females at TJ.

One mom said that there probably about 20-25 per grade and many are from LCPS. So very VERY few white females within FCPS are offered admission. Given that white females are not underrepresented in the applicant pool or in FCPS AAP, I think this bears examination. There is clearly something going on that disadvantages white females from being accepted.

+1

And this has been a relatively recent phenomenon. (Unlike the black/Hispanic numbers.) But it has gotten almost no attention. Why?

White females do not apply to the school in large numbers.

They do apply. They just are not admitted.

They do apply. Just not in large numbers.

- someone who knows these things

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting on the white females.

I am the PP who felt like the WaPo editorial, and some posts in this thread, really want to simplify the problem here - the demographic imbalance at TJ is unique as a minority is overrepresented and there is a gender imbalance.

The FARMS imbalance at TJ - which also tells much of the admissions story - is not unique - the FARMS imbalance also exists at other FCPS great schools, including Langley, McLean, etc.

The solution is not simple - redistrict all schools to try to achieve FARMS/race equity? Get rid of TJ despite it's national reputation? Provide for quotas at TJ that match overall FCPS demographics? Allow significant numbers of lottery slots at Langley/McLean and their middle school feeders and ES for FARMS or minorities to provide better chance of getting into TJ (which would require redistricting as those schools are generally at capacity so you would have to tell some families in the boundaries that paid lots of money to live in those homes that they no longer get to attend the schools).

Full disclosure - I am a TJ parent, white, from Title I ES and MS. No prep. Kid loves it, I am ambivalent. I support reform at TJ and I support reform across FCPS - Coming from the FARMS background and ending up at TJ, I have had personal experiences at both ends of the spectrum. The imbalances and inequities at one end and the benefits and riches at the other end are real. And unfair. And not isolated to one school.

The solution is going to be multiple in nature. There must be a significant effort to invest in the elementary, middle, and high schools in less-fortunate areas and ensure that the standard of education there is much greater. But in the meantime, you will have thousands of students who are left behind in the process and those students need to be evaluated for TJ and AAP not along some arbitrary standard that applies to all students equally regardless of circumstance, but rather on what they accomplish given their unique circumstances.

Students who get into TJ on a road that is carefully laid out for them are generally mediocre when they get there. Students who have to strive and fight through adversity to get to TJ generally maximize their opportunity when they arrive. That's the case regardless of race.