NAACP, Local Advocates File Discrimination Complaint Against FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another very good point:

Furthermore, the excellent teaching / atmosphere that allows kids to excel there in their sheltered, specialized environment should be availabe to all kids. Use the methods at the other schools.

This point could be made for general ed vs AAP as well, and made all across the board.

From everything I have read and heard it is not the excellent teaching etc. that makes the difference at TJ. The teachers themselves will tell you that. It is the kids themselves. The people they are. Their drive to excel academically. This really cannot be taught and replicated to the hoi polloi. So this post is just silly (and pie in the sky stuff).

[Anonymous]

It will be a political decision. The battle lines are already being drawn, and there are more of the unwashed masses than there are of the tone-deaf elites.

Of course, if Fairfax County ever shut TJ down, Loudoun would probably replace it the next day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Provide a lin k to data on each middle school AAP program and historical feeders. If a school would have a critical mass why bus them? How many go to Jackson instead of the base school Thoreau? It is not equitable for FCPS to spend all this money.

They have provided historical data already. And the transportation costs are really not much. There's a bigger bang for the buck in doing overall boundary studies, though. Some of the spans are ridiculous and would touch all students, not just the 18% of kids that are AAP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My problem with TJ is that is was not intended to be what it has become: a status symbol and an institution that provides a higher tiered eduction to kids with taxpayer dollars. Furthermore, the excellent teaching / atmosphere that allows kids to excel there in their sheltered, specialized environment should be availabe to all kids. Use the methods at the other schools.

^^ this is just silly. It is a STEM magnet. Relatively few high schoolers actually want to specialize in science, math, engineering and math - and most of those are Asian.

It's not silly. First, not everyone who goes to TJ ends up in a STEM career. Second, that school is often a gateway to excellent colleges and top notch teaching. I don't for one minute buy the idea that "the kids make the school" as one of the other posters suggests. Those opportunities, teachers, classes should be open to everyone who wants to try. (I'm white, fwiw. My DH is an engineer.)

[Anonymous]

I agree, a challenging and rigorous academic environment like TJ needs to be available to every student who wants to take advantage of it.

However, it is absolutely true that the kids make the school. There is nothing extra-ordinary about TJ teachers; they are just like their peers in other public schools.

[Anonymous]

"Of course, if Fairfax County ever shut TJ down, Loudoun would probably replace it the next day. "

A school board member in Loudoun told me that we are way too behind on building regular schools to even think about any sort of increase in AOS or another TJ in the near future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not silly. First, not everyone who goes to TJ ends up in a STEM career.

How many people do you know are in the career they envisioned for themselves ate age 13?

Anonymous wrote:
Second, that school is often a gateway to excellent colleges and top notch teaching.

As are FCPS high schools in general.

Anonymous wrote:I don't for one minute buy the idea that "the kids make the school" as one of the other posters suggests.

Have you been to/visited TJ? I have. And the PP is spot on.

Anonymous wrote:Those opportunities, teachers, classes should be open to everyone who wants to try.

And they are. Simply follow the steps as is the case for any Governor's school.

Anonymous wrote:(I'm white, fwiw. My DH is an engineer.)

I'm white too, fwiw. And I'm an engineer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:However, it is absolutely true that the kids make the school. There is nothing extra-ordinary about TJ teachers; they are just like their peers in other public schools.

+1

It's the strength and power of the peer groups. As peers, they challenge one another and they all grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"Of course, if Fairfax County ever shut TJ down, Loudoun would probably replace it the next day. "

A school board member in Loudoun told me that we are way too behind on building regular schools to even think about any sort of increase in AOS or another TJ in the near future.

It wouldn't be the School Board driving the process. It would be Loudoun supervisors looking to bring more jobs to Loudoun so that it was less of a bedroom community for Fairfax and had more businesses to tax.

[Anonymous]

If the Onion ever came here....

The TJ task force has announced that it has given up plans to increase the number of black and Hispanic students at the school. Tina Hone, spokesperson for The Coalition of the Silence, had no immediate comment, but an NAACP representative, speaking off the record, predicted an appeal was likely. "The biggest challenge," the spokesmen noted, is that "ambitious blacks with bright kids know they can live in Silver Spring, get a very good education, and not have to put up with a bunch of wanna-be Confederates who seem to have forgotten about slavery but love to tell us how our 'culture' is lacking." "If this keeps up," she added, "the applicant pool of qualified black students seems likely to shrink even further, and we won't have any plaintiffs left to represent."

On the bright side, the administration announced that TJ intends to form new table tennis, badminton and taekwondo teams this coming year. Evan Glazer, the school's principal, announced that TJ had set a goal of 40 gold medals for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. "We're a magnet school for students from around the world," Glazer explained, "so it's only fitting that we continue to display our superiority to Americans educated in high schools less highly ranked by U.S. News." Ilryong Moon, Chairman of the GCPS School Board, applauded the decision and announced plans to travel to Seoul and Delhi in 2013 to seek corporate sponsors for the team and begin the delicate negotiations over whether the TJ team would carry the Korean or Indian flags during the opening ceremonies.

[Anonymous]

Great post, 11:17!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:However, it is absolutely true that the kids make the school. There is nothing extra-ordinary about TJ teachers; they are just like their peers in other public schools.

+1

It's the strength and power of the peer groups. As peers, they challenge one another and they all grow.

Which is denied to other kids in Fairfax. And you cannot deny there are very, very bright kids in the other schools. Maybe they missed the cutoff by points or missed admission for some other reason. Those kids simply don't have the same academic experience as that available to the kids at TJ. Environment and teaching plays a big part. It is not just the kids. You and I will not agree on this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not silly. First, not everyone who goes to TJ ends up in a STEM career.

How many people do you know are in the career they envisioned for themselves ate age 13?

You made my point for me.

Anonymous wrote:
Second, that school is often a gateway to excellent colleges and top notch teaching.

As are FCPS high schools in general.

Bull. Kids at TJ get the pick of colleges just by name alone and a somewhat respectable showing. The same cannot be said for the other schools. That is one of the reasons some parents are desperate to have their kids there.

Anonymous wrote:I don't for one minute buy the idea that "the kids make the school" as one of the other posters suggests.

Have you been to/visited TJ? I have. And the PP is spot on.

By BIL's niece went there so yes. I've posted before about my opinions on this and you and I'm not going to reiterate it here. You and I are not going to agree.

Anonymous wrote:Those opportunities, teachers, classes should be open to everyone who wants to try.

And they are. Simply follow the steps as is the case for any Governor's school.

I disagree. TJ would not be as prestigious or as much of a status symbol if that were the case.

Anonymous wrote:(I'm white, fwiw. My DH is an engineer.)

I'm white too, fwiw. And I'm an engineer.

There are advantages to attending TJ that are simply not available to the other FCHSs. Those advantages should be available to everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:However, it is absolutely true that the kids make the school. There is nothing extra-ordinary about TJ teachers; they are just like their peers in other public schools.

+1

It's the strength and power of the peer groups. As peers, they challenge one another and they all grow.

Which is denied to other kids in Fairfax. And you cannot deny there are very, very bright kids in the other schools. Maybe they missed the cutoff by points or missed admission for some other reason. Those kids simply don't have the same academic experience as that available to the kids at TJ. Environment and teaching plays a big part. It is not just the kids. You and I will not agree on this point.

A kid is a fabulous gymnast. This gymnast is far and above the skills of the other gymnasts in her group. She joins another facility where the challenge of gymnastics is even greater. She has the advantage of joining another peer group where she will be further challenged by others.

A kid is a fabulous violinst. This violin player is far and above the skills of the other violoists in her orchestra group. She joins another orchestra where the challenges of symphonic playing are even greater.

A kid is a fabulous math student. This math student is far above the skills of the other math students in her class. She attempts to qualify to attend a STEM high school program but is told she cannot as she is not the right race or ethnicity as a former School Board member states that 10% of the incoming students must be included in the program even though these students do not excel in math as well as the original excellent math student.

Houston, we have a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not silly. First, not everyone who goes to TJ ends up in a STEM career.

How many people do you know are in the career they envisioned for themselves ate age 13?

You made my point for me.

Anonymous wrote:
Second, that school is often a gateway to excellent colleges and top notch teaching.

As are FCPS high schools in general.

Bull. Kids at TJ get the pick of colleges just by name alone and a somewhat respectable showing. The same cannot be said for the other schools. That is one of the reasons some parents are desperate to have their kids there.

Anonymous wrote:I don't for one minute buy the idea that "the kids make the school" as one of the other posters suggests.

Have you been to/visited TJ? I have. And the PP is spot on.

By BIL's niece went there so yes. I've posted before about my opinions on this and you and I'm not going to reiterate it here. You and I are not going to agree.

Anonymous wrote:Those opportunities, teachers, classes should be open to everyone who wants to try.

And they are. Simply follow the steps as is the case for any Governor's school.

I disagree. TJ would not be as prestigious or as much of a status symbol if that were the case.

Anonymous wrote:(I'm white, fwiw. My DH is an engineer.)

I'm white too, fwiw. And I'm an engineer.

There are advantages to attending TJ that are simply not available to the other FCHSs. Those advantages should be available to everyone.

I know of several 15 year old girls that do not have the skills of Katie Lydecky and so "everyone" did not have the advantage of going to the Olympics in London.]