FCPS has been such a disappointments - not sure what to do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We both went to public school and DH and I are both unbelievably disappointed in FCPS. We received much stronger educations in what I thought were crappy 1980s public schools.

DH and I are FCPS graduates and have had FCPS students since 2005. It’s been a precipitous decline.

I know that our DC aren’t experiencing the same level of academic rigor that we did.

My graduating senior shouldn’t be making poster board projects, for example.

I find this hilarious. In 2005 there were over 30,000 fewer students in the FCPS system than there are now.

For those quoting the 1980s - I can't even imagine how much smaller the school system was then versus now.

m.


This is a great point. I think the reality is that the school district (with the numbers it had) worked in the 80s and 90s. There has been a huge influx of new students and the school system is overwhelmed. We need to split it up into 4 or 5 different parts so that we can get the efficiency back from the past.

The past was not more efficient. The poor population has skyrocketed recently, and English is not their first language. Before NCLB none of this mattered. Now we care about providing services for special ed and esol students. The pie is just not big enough anymore.

PP “80s poster.” I happened to enter FCPS during a boom year; my graduating class was 750.
My ES didn’t have a gym, so it was PE outside or in the cafeteria.
Overcrowding was certainly a thing; I had 5th and 6th grade classrooms in trailers.

Yes, there were students who got (quietly) pulled out for reading/speech/math for extra help and then GT students who spent just part of their day and after school in enrichment. My brother was one of the first GT kids and it was seamless. He was very much a part of his “regular” classroom.

ESL? WasMy high school had an interesting mix of Iranian and Vietnamese refugees; they learned by immersion and were surpassing g me on educational goals and coursework.

FCPS and their focus upon equity is misguided and set up to fail; learning grinds to a halt because now the system panders to the lowest levels of learning instead of attempting to get ESL students quickly up to reading level.
It sure is challenging to be the bright, preschool exposed, English speaking child in a classroom made up mostly of maybe 25 others who can’t speak or understand English. I’m all for diversity, but this is wrong.

[Anonymous]

ESL students aren’t going anywhere so I’m not sure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m disappointed in aspects of FCPS but I can’t help but think that there is a small vocal minority posting in DCUM that is trying to completely undermine public education. They aren’t looking for solutions. They just reply that public education is hopeless, private is the only way to go, pro-vouchers. People eat this crap up, pull their kids, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

That may be the case of people posting here, but IRL I know several families that left FCPS in the last year. I don't think those people have any political considerations, they just want better education for their kids.

I think I'm fairly "normal" and I never complained about FCPS prior to the pandemic. That said, for childcare reasons I sent my youngest - a Kindergartner to a K class formed at a daycare this year, and I've applied to private for all 3 kids for next year. I have fairly low standards but I am looking for 5 days a week of school while I work.

Well, then. Your concern is not academics. It is that you expect school to provide free daycare. Now you know, it's hard work. So if you want to pay for it, go for it.

Poster went with daycare and is applying to privates. Nowhere did they mention "free". Is this your attempt at a tired dig, or will you be following up with a point soon?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I was an ESL student in MCPS in the 90s and learn English . The Spanish speaking students didn’t because they would just hang out with each other. It hasn’t changed at all. I wish fellow Latinos would see how it holds them back.

But how do they pass the grade?! If you can’t read the history books in history class or write essays in English- how are you not failing?

Years ago I taught English at a NJ high school. We had a policy that ESOL kids who at least wrote their name on the assignment or test got a minimum passing grade. We weren’t allowed to fail them. They learned very quickly that they didn’t have to actually do anything to pass. Many still tried, but some happily took the passing grade.

But why?!?! This isn’t good for society. I want every member of society educated on a basic level.

It's probably because the dropout rate in high school may be linked to kids being held back.

I left teaching because I didn't like the feeling of teaching kids to do as little as possible to get by. I did not teach in FCPS, but did teach in two neighboring counties, 11th and 12th graders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We moved to NoVa from DC because we thought FCPS would be a great school system. If we knew how horrible it was going to be we would have stayed in DC and sent our kids to private. Now we bought out in NoVa and are still going to have to send our kids to private. I cannot believe how disappointed I am in this school system. In the next 2 weeks they have like 5 total days of school! I don’t think my kids are learning anything this year other than how to change the background on their computer screen!

Well when they do return they'll get to learn all about transgender bathrooms and gay lifestyles, so all is not lost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was the best when grew up in the 90s but then all the illegal over ran it straining resources for the normal students

+1. That has been our observation as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was the best when grew up in the 90s but then all the illegal over ran it straining resources for the normal students

+1. That has been our observation as well.

In other words, it’s hopeless

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might be individual schools issue. I am pleased with my kids’s teachers. My kids are learning in a virtual environment. The teachers have been very communicative, responsive when needed, and have not missed a day of scheduled instruction.

Yeah we all can’t afford to live in the top pyramids. There aren’t enough houses there for all of us.

My kids are eager to learn and there’s no reason they should just be ignored. Schools need to learn how to teach all populations and to keep behavior issues down. Esl clearly needs a redo. Kids aren’t learning and the other kids in the class aren’t learning either.

[Anonymous]

And as another PP mentioned, the ESL/Spanish speaking students all hang togheter and only speak Spanish. There's such a push for diversity and inclusiveness in ES but then by middle school, these students are their own clique.

It boggles the mind that you can graduate from FCPS and be unable to communicate much less understand English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We moved to NoVa from DC because we thought FCPS would be a great school system. If we knew how horrible it was going to be we would have stayed in DC and sent our kids to private. Now we bought out in NoVa and are still going to have to send our kids to private. I cannot believe how disappointed I am in this school system. In the next 2 weeks they have like 5 total days of school! I don’t think my kids are learning anything this year other than how to change the background on their computer screen!

Well when they do return they'll get to learn all about transgender bathrooms and gay lifestyles, so all is not lost.

Looks like we’ve got us a triggered snowflake.

[Anonymous]

FCPS is overrated, definitely not worth the high cost of housing and high property taxes. Now with COVID, the dysfunction is very obvious because of it's large size and the bureaucracy. I have the opportunity to be transferred out of state to place with lower cost of living and DH and I want to move, our children (MS aged) would like to stay put and stay with their friends until they finish high school. Torn about what to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What can parents do? Write the school board? Impress upon FCPS that they are going to continue to lose students?

Throw out the entire school board next election. This “all Democratic” school board is responsible for this mess.

Or, continue to vote for political hacks and social justice warriors to continue running FCPS into the mud.

I want FCPS to succeed for my property values, but we’ve moved our kids to private so that they can actually get a strong academic education in a safe, non-abusive environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS is overrated, definitely not worth the high cost of housing and high property taxes. Now with COVID, the dysfunction is very obvious because of it's large size and the bureaucracy. I have the opportunity to be transferred out of state to place with lower cost of living and DH and I want to move, our children (MS aged) would like to stay put and stay with their friends until they finish high school. Torn about what to do.

Friendships usually change between MS and HS. I wouldn't stay here only because of your kids' desire to stay with their friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not just FCPS. It’s any diverse school system. We can’t afford private so we supplement.

LOL at blaming diversity! Because West Virginia has the best school system in the USA?? LMAO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go spend some time on the DCUM private school forum so you can be prepared for when you spend money to educate your kids and get to complain about how you're not getting your money's worth. No one is happy. Everyone needs something to complain about.

Well said.