APS middle school boundary process

[Anonymous]

Very interesting interview with a MacArthur Genius Award winner who has studied segregation in schools and elsewhere.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/10/confronting-the-myths-of-segregation/542637/?utm_source=atlfb

Most thought-provoking excepts:

“Schools are also extremely intimate spaces. These are spaces where parents leave their children for eight hours. The kids are sitting next to each other in classrooms and the fear—which most people probably wouldn’t say now—is that white boys would fall in love with black girls or white girls would fall in love with black boys. There’s also the sense that black children are not safe—that children are more prone to violence. And people automatically assume schools with large numbers of black children, particularly poor black children, are unsafe spaces.”
...
“What remains the same is that white parents are going to get access to the best education in a public system. They’re going to get access to disproportionately white schools, and they will wield an array of tools to do that. So if the neighborhood that those white parents live in is white, they want neighborhood schools. If the neighborhood school that those parents are near is black, then they want choice. So people will say they don’t want bussing, if their neighborhood school is white. If the neighborhood school is not white, they’ll bus their kids an hour away to get to a white school.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting interview with a MacArthur Genius Award winner who has studied segregation in schools and elsewhere.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/10/confronting-the-myths-of-segregation/542637/?utm_source=atlfb

Most thought-provoking excepts:

“Schools are also extremely intimate spaces. These are spaces where parents leave their children for eight hours. The kids are sitting next to each other in classrooms and the fear—which most people probably wouldn’t say now—is that white boys would fall in love with black girls or white girls would fall in love with black boys. There’s also the sense that black children are not safe—that children are more prone to violence. And people automatically assume schools with large numbers of black children, particularly poor black children, are unsafe spaces.”
...
“What remains the same is that white parents are going to get access to the best education in a public system. They’re going to get access to disproportionately white schools, and they will wield an array of tools to do that. So if the neighborhood that those white parents live in is white, they want neighborhood schools. If the neighborhood school that those parents are near is black, then they want choice. So people will say they don’t want bussing, if their neighborhood school is white. If the neighborhood school is not white, they’ll bus their kids an hour away to get to a white school.”

I don't care who gets bused to Williamsburg from where, I'd just prefer that my kids go to the school less than a 10 minute walk from our house rather than spending three times (or more) as long on a bus.

[Anonymous]

God, why would anyone think that schools with large numbers of poor black children are unsafe spaces?

[Anonymous]

Could someone please tell me which maps are actually being considered in the process? The options are overwhelming and I'm not sure which ones (or all??) are in consideration.

Why can't APS make this a bit easier to navigate?!?!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could someone please tell me which maps are actually being considered in the process? The options are overwhelming and I'm not sure which ones (or all??) are in consideration.

Why can't APS make this a bit easier to navigate?!?!?

The blended options on the APS page are the ones that they are seeking feedback on between now and October 18th. Supposedly none of them are final scenarios, but they give you real insight into the ways that APS is thinking about this boundary change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God, why would anyone think that schools with large numbers of poor black children are unsafe spaces?

It is sad, but people have sometimes unintentional biases. Most people are not overtly racist, but we all need to think about where our opinions are coming from on issues such as this. Fact or emotion?

I am sad at how Kenmore has been dragged down and trashed in this discussion. Look at the stats (already posted more than once in this thread.) Non-FARMS/ELL kids are thriving at Jenmore and in some areas score better than Swanson on SOLs. Overall, there are some kids at Kenmore who may be struggling more, but wouldn’t all of us if we were learning in another language?

I hope the SB can adjust the options so that people living 2 blocks away keep walking to their school (agree that moving them is silly) but let’s not drag Kenmore down in this. It is a good school with hard-working teachers and students who deserve the same education as any other child in Arlington!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting interview with a MacArthur Genius Award winner who has studied segregation in schools and elsewhere.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/10/confronting-the-myths-of-segregation/542637/?utm_source=atlfb

Most thought-provoking excepts:

“Schools are also extremely intimate spaces. These are spaces where parents leave their children for eight hours. The kids are sitting next to each other in classrooms and the fear—which most people probably wouldn’t say now—is that white boys would fall in love with black girls or white girls would fall in love with black boys. There’s also the sense that black children are not safe—that children are more prone to violence. And people automatically assume schools with large numbers of black children, particularly poor black children, are unsafe spaces.”
...
“What remains the same is that white parents are going to get access to the best education in a public system. They’re going to get access to disproportionately white schools, and they will wield an array of tools to do that. So if the neighborhood that those white parents live in is white, they want neighborhood schools. If the neighborhood school that those parents are near is black, then they want choice. So people will say they don’t want bussing, if their neighborhood school is white. If the neighborhood school is not white, they’ll bus their kids an hour away to get to a white school.”

Oh gee, a non-white jounalist telling us how white people think. If this were the other way around, do you think it would have the same reaction. Riddle me this: Why does the ATS lottery generate such high demand in the lily white areas of Arlington when, if the kids get in, they will be in a school with, gasp, minorities and a higher FARMS rate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting interview with a MacArthur Genius Award winner who has studied segregation in schools and elsewhere.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/10/confronting-the-myths-of-segregation/542637/?utm_source=atlfb

Most thought-provoking excepts:

“Schools are also extremely intimate spaces. These are spaces where parents leave their children for eight hours. The kids are sitting next to each other in classrooms and the fear—which most people probably wouldn’t say now—is that white boys would fall in love with black girls or white girls would fall in love with black boys. There’s also the sense that black children are not safe—that children are more prone to violence. And people automatically assume schools with large numbers of black children, particularly poor black children, are unsafe spaces.”
...
“What remains the same is that white parents are going to get access to the best education in a public system. They’re going to get access to disproportionately white schools, and they will wield an array of tools to do that. So if the neighborhood that those white parents live in is white, they want neighborhood schools. If the neighborhood school that those parents are near is black, then they want choice. So people will say they don’t want bussing, if their neighborhood school is white. If the neighborhood school is not white, they’ll bus their kids an hour away to get to a white school.”

Oh gee, a non-white jounalist telling us how white people think. If this were the other way around, do you think it would have the same reaction. Riddle me this: Why does the ATS lottery generate such high demand in the lily white areas of Arlington when, if the kids get in, they will be in a school with, gasp, minorities and a higher FARMS rate?

First. ATS is only 21% FARMS. Only 9 other schools have less FARMS. Over half of the kids at ATS are transferring in from the higher FARMS schools. People apply to ATS to flee certain schools in the county. Same reason people are dying to get into Claremont or Key. It is crazy to see how many kids transfer out of some schools. 413 transfers out of Abington last year. 352 out of Carlin Springs.

Don’t dismiss this researcher’s findings. We are living it right here.

[Anonymous]

Forgot to add that ATS also gets a bunch of applications from people who can walk there who would have the choice to go to either low FARMS ATS (with better walkability) or another low FARMS School.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add that ATS also gets a bunch of applications from people who can walk there who would have the choice to go to either low FARMS ATS (with better walkability) or another low FARMS School.

IIRC, ATS has more students from Ashlawn than any other neighborhood school, not coincidentally because it's in Ashlawn's zone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add that ATS also gets a bunch of applications from people who can walk there who would have the choice to go to either low FARMS ATS (with better walkability) or another low FARMS School.

No, I don't think it's just because they can walk there. I suspect for the Ashlawn and McKinley transfers the big draw is the capped enrollment. And like HB, it's viewed as "better" than even "great" neighborhood schools, more elite. I don't necessarily think that they have some superior program, but for a county full of Type A ++++ parents, a Blue Ribbon lottery school with capped enrollment and a revered principal is a no-brainer. I do think there is a smaller subset of parents who are opting for ATS over their less diverse neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very interesting interview with a MacArthur Genius Award winner who has studied segregation in schools and elsewhere.

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/10/confronting-the-myths-of-segregation/542637/?utm_source=atlfb

Most thought-provoking excepts:

“Schools are also extremely intimate spaces. These are spaces where parents leave their children for eight hours. The kids are sitting next to each other in classrooms and the fear—which most people probably wouldn’t say now—is that white boys would fall in love with black girls or white girls would fall in love with black boys. There’s also the sense that black children are not safe—that children are more prone to violence. And people automatically assume schools with large numbers of black children, particularly poor black children, are unsafe spaces.”
...
“What remains the same is that white parents are going to get access to the best education in a public system. They’re going to get access to disproportionately white schools, and they will wield an array of tools to do that. So if the neighborhood that those white parents live in is white, they want neighborhood schools. If the neighborhood school that those parents are near is black, then they want choice. So people will say they don’t want bussing, if their neighborhood school is white. If the neighborhood school is not white, they’ll bus their kids an hour away to get to a white school.”

Oh gee, a non-white jounalist telling us how white people think. If this were the other way around, do you think it would have the same reaction. Riddle me this: Why does the ATS lottery generate such high demand in the lily white areas of Arlington when, if the kids get in, they will be in a school with, gasp, minorities and a higher FARMS rate?

Riddle me this: why is she a MacArthur genius grant recipient and you're here trolling DCUM? I wonder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add that ATS also gets a bunch of applications from people who can walk there who would have the choice to go to either low FARMS ATS (with better walkability) or another low FARMS School.

No, I don't think it's just because they can walk there. I suspect for the Ashlawn and McKinley transfers the big draw is the capped enrollment. And like HB, it's viewed as "better" than even "great" neighborhood schools, more elite. I don't necessarily think that they have some superior program, but for a county full of Type A ++++ parents, a Blue Ribbon lottery school with capped enrollment and a revered principal is a no-brainer. I do think there is a smaller subset of parents who are opting for ATS over their less diverse neighborhood schools.

I know several McKinley families that applied b/c they didn't want to get caught up the boundary disaster. It's not a long bus ride and they won't have grades of 130 or more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgot to add that ATS also gets a bunch of applications from people who can walk there who would have the choice to go to either low FARMS ATS (with better walkability) or another low FARMS School.

No, I don't think it's just because they can walk there. I suspect for the Ashlawn and McKinley transfers the big draw is the capped enrollment. And like HB, it's viewed as "better" than even "great" neighborhood schools, more elite. I don't necessarily think that they have some superior program, but for a county full of Type A ++++ parents, a Blue Ribbon lottery school with capped enrollment and a revered principal is a no-brainer. I do think there is a smaller subset of parents who are opting for ATS over their less diverse neighborhood schools.

I know several McKinley families that applied b/c they didn't want to get caught up the boundary disaster. It's not a long bus ride and they won't have grades of 130 or more.

I think that's also a draw with the lottery schools. No boundary changes, and no major construction. Proximity is a factor, but I don't think it's the only factor.

[Anonymous]

Lottery winners for ATS are capped at the same level for each neighborhood schools. The waitlists are longer for the North Arlington neighborhoods.