APS to offer direct path to college at GMU at 3 high schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

This would land a lot better. Lots of kids at W-L, Career Center, and Wakefield don't need this option and yes even a few at Yorktown or HB could use it.

It isn't about affordability. It's about "underrepresented populations" which includes lower income students, as well as students of color who aren't necessarily so impoverished as to qualify for free meals. Many of them still wouldn't necessarily be willing/as supported going through the complicated process of college searches and applications. This makes it simpler - with them KNOWING they are admitted and being able to just focus on that rather than finding and applying to other schools that are probably harder for them to access for reasons beyond finances. Just being able to live at home and commute to GMU makes college more financially accessible for a lot of students.

Affirmative action is illegal now dum dum

That's why they're doing it this way, dum-dum.

Any first year law student can see through this ,it won't last

Then let these schools and students enjoy it while they have the opportunity.

What are they enjoying?

Knowing they're accepted and not having the pressure of a big college search; a streamlined application process. Not as much as the complainers make of it - so why make it such a big deal that not every school is part of it?

Because the APEs are zoned for Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every child in APS has the opportunity to enter the blind HB lottery and, in theory, has an equal shot at admission. The other schools only allow transfers if there’s space or if you were admitted to the immersion / IB programs.

Every family has the opportunity to move within the WHS or W-L boundaries.

I can’t afford to move into the W-L boundaries. Some pricey real estate over there. Lot of apartments of course, but no shortage of $2-3m houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Every child in APS has the opportunity to enter the blind HB lottery and, in theory, has an equal shot at admission. The other schools only allow transfers if there’s space or if you were admitted to the immersion / IB programs.

Every family has the opportunity to move within the WHS or W-L boundaries.

I can’t afford to move into the W-L boundaries. Some pricey real estate over there. Lot of apartments of course, but no shortage of $2-3m houses.

Try WHS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the real benefit is not having to go through the application process.

I don't quite see why they couldn't offer this to all APS students? What is the downside in offering it across the board? Clearly George Mason must not have wanted to agree to that.

They could have offered it to all high schoolers who qualify for FRE, regardless of high school.

This would land a lot better. Lots of kids at W-L, Career Center, and Wakefield don't need this option and yes even a few at Yorktown or HB could use it.

It isn't about affordability. It's about "underrepresented populations" which includes lower income students, as well as students of color who aren't necessarily so impoverished as to qualify for free meals. Many of them still wouldn't necessarily be willing/as supported going through the complicated process of college searches and applications. This makes it simpler - with them KNOWING they are admitted and being able to just focus on that rather than finding and applying to other schools that are probably harder for them to access for reasons beyond finances. Just being able to live at home and commute to GMU makes college more financially accessible for a lot of students.

Affirmative action is illegal now dum dum

That's why they're doing it this way, dum-dum.

Any first year law student can see through this ,it won't last

Then let these schools and students enjoy it while they have the opportunity.

What are they enjoying?

Knowing they're accepted and not having the pressure of a big college search; a streamlined application process. Not as much as the complainers make of it - so why make it such a big deal that not every school is part of it?

Because the APEs are zoned for Yorktown.

Those APEs know how to opportunity hoard!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it a permissible way to level the playing field? I have zero objection to any of this, but I’m curious how APS defends against claims that all APS students should have equal access to this type of benefit.

but it's GMU doing this not APS right? What role did APS have? Did it nominate certain schools or something?

Good point. GMU may choose schools based on a set percentage (a baseline) of students who are on the free lunch program.

Given that APS has 3 high schools - they should have included all 3 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it a permissible way to level the playing field? I have zero objection to any of this, but I’m curious how APS defends against claims that all APS students should have equal access to this type of benefit.

but it's GMU doing this not APS right? What role did APS have? Did it nominate certain schools or something?

Good point. GMU may choose schools based on a set percentage (a baseline) of students who are on the free lunch program.

Given that APS has 3 high schools - they should have included all 3 schools.

No, white people in northern North Arlington shouldn't get the additional extra boost since the Yorktown kids got the segregated education already. If your kid can't get into a below average state school with an 1100 sat score and inflated gpa, there are plenty of pay for admission options out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But is it a permissible way to level the playing field? I have zero objection to any of this, but I’m curious how APS defends against claims that all APS students should have equal access to this type of benefit.

but it's GMU doing this not APS right? What role did APS have? Did it nominate certain schools or something?

Good point. GMU may choose schools based on a set percentage (a baseline) of students who are on the free lunch program.

Given that APS has 3 high schools - they should have included all 3 schools.

No, white people in northern North Arlington shouldn't get the additional extra boost since the Yorktown kids got the segregated education already. If your kid can't get into a below average state school with an 1100 sat score and inflated gpa, there are plenty of pay for admission options out there.

But! But! But they paid so they can have everything! Not fair that they can't have direct admissions to a school they have no intention sending their kids to!

[Anonymous]

My kid is at Yorktown and I wouldn't want her going to GMU because it's too close to home. She needs to go further away to have a more independent college experience.

So now, that's out of the way. This program is a nice thing. Its probably well intentioned. But Yorktown does in fact have some kids who are lower income, so limiting this to WL, WHS and ATT is kind of discriminatory. They should probably do a means-based county-wide program to actually be fair. Plenty of kids at WL and ATT aren't lower income or first generation college students.

[Anonymous]

It’s so random. Let’s offer college to kids based on how a county drew its attendance maps based on school locations for schools built like 75 years ago. And if you are rich and happen to live in them, you can go to college and if you are poor and happen to live not in them you cannot. It’s a stupid blunt tool to try to ameliorate a serious and nuanced. It’s discriminatory based on wealth and race and not even correctly so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Yorktown and I wouldn't want her going to GMU because it's too close to home. She needs to go further away to have a more independent college experience.

So now, that's out of the way. This program is a nice thing. Its probably well intentioned. But Yorktown does in fact have some kids who are lower income, so limiting this to WL, WHS and ATT is kind of discriminatory. They should probably do a means-based county-wide program to actually be fair. Plenty of kids at WL and ATT aren't lower income or first generation college students.

I think if it doesn’t yield the result they’re going for, it will be changed.

For now, why don’t you think of if as even the non-economically disadvantaged kids, who have attended Title 1 schools, have some benefit that offsets their lack of academic opportunities/booster/PTA/alumni investment, same as for the disadvantaged kids at the same schools, while the disadvantaged kids at Yorktown do have the benefit of a richer, more connected school community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s so random. Let’s offer college to kids based on how a county drew its attendance maps based on school locations for schools built like 75 years ago. And if you are rich and happen to live in them, you can go to college and if you are poor and happen to live not in them you cannot. It’s a stupid blunt tool to try to ameliorate a serious and nuanced. It’s discriminatory based on wealth and race and not even correctly so.

This is a stupid misrepresentation of what this is.

[Anonymous]

JFC. They can't just do it for all HSs in the area all at once. What an administrative nightmare. First, they want to see if it actually helps anything. Then, each year they expand, giving priority to the schools with the highest # of FRM/first gen families.

The constant whining from the right is RIDICULOUS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Yorktown and I wouldn't want her going to GMU because it's too close to home. She needs to go further away to have a more independent college experience.

So now, that's out of the way. This program is a nice thing. Its probably well intentioned. But Yorktown does in fact have some kids who are lower income, so limiting this to WL, WHS and ATT is kind of discriminatory. They should probably do a means-based county-wide program to actually be fair. Plenty of kids at WL and ATT aren't lower income or first generation college students.

I think if it doesn’t yield the result they’re going for, it will be changed.

For now, why don’t you think of if as even the non-economically disadvantaged kids, who have attended Title 1 schools, have some benefit that offsets their lack of academic opportunities/booster/PTA/alumni investment, same as for the disadvantaged kids at the same schools, while the disadvantaged kids at Yorktown do have the benefit of a richer, more connected school community.

For many years the lower income Rosslyn families have lobbied the school board to be rezoned back to W-L. A few years ago (around 2018) students from those neighborhoods were in tears at a school board meeting when describing the bullying and abuse they had to suffer through at Yorktown. Bussing those students past W-L to Yorktown has not been at all beneficial, and now they lose out on a guaranteed GMU admission.

W-L is plenty well-off and could re-absorb Rosslyn.

[Anonymous]

W-L is plenty well-off and could re-absorb Rosslyn.

WL is almost 3,000 students. There are kids sitting on the floor because there aren't enough desks in the room. You can't just send every kid to WL because it's convenient

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is at Yorktown and I wouldn't want her going to GMU because it's too close to home. She needs to go further away to have a more independent college experience.

So now, that's out of the way. This program is a nice thing. Its probably well intentioned. But Yorktown does in fact have some kids who are lower income, so limiting this to WL, WHS and ATT is kind of discriminatory. They should probably do a means-based county-wide program to actually be fair. Plenty of kids at WL and ATT aren't lower income or first generation college students.

I think if it doesn’t yield the result they’re going for, it will be changed.

For now, why don’t you think of if as even the non-economically disadvantaged kids, who have attended Title 1 schools, have some benefit that offsets their lack of academic opportunities/booster/PTA/alumni investment, same as for the disadvantaged kids at the same schools, while the disadvantaged kids at Yorktown do have the benefit of a richer, more connected school community.

For many years the lower income Rosslyn families have lobbied the school board to be rezoned back to W-L. A few years ago (around 2018) students from those neighborhoods were in tears at a school board meeting when describing the bullying and abuse they had to suffer through at Yorktown. Bussing those students past W-L to Yorktown has not been at all beneficial, and now they lose out on a guaranteed GMU admission.

W-L is plenty well-off and could re-absorb Rosslyn.

There’s no space for them to all be rezoned to W-L. The county population isn’t evenly distributed and all kids shouldn’t be shoved into two neighborhood schools that happen to have denser development nearby while Yorktown has space. If individual students don’t want to go to Yorktown, they are free to apply to transfer to WL or to ATT, and they likely will if they feel so unhappy at YHS or want/need this benefit. Problem solved.