ACPS Schools Opinions on Here

[Anonymous]

Do people not like ACPS schools because they are failing racial / ethnic minority and low-income students? For our children TC Williams (Alexandria City) is a 10/10 on college readiness and a 7/10 on test scores because they are white and not low-income. Do people not send children to ACPS schools out of protest of the poor education for minority/low-income students or because they are worried about their own children? New to having older children (new full custody of teenagers), so I am genuinely curious and not trying to troll. We are a military family moving with teenagers for the first time, and I am trying to gauge what the sentiment and reasons are for not sending children to certain schools (outside COVID).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people not like ACPS schools because they are failing racial / ethnic minority and low-income students? For our children TC Williams (Alexandria City) is a 10/10 on college readiness and a 7/10 on test scores because they are white and not low-income. Do people not send children to ACPS schools out of protest of the poor education for minority/low-income students or because they are worried about their own children? New to having older children (new full custody of teenagers), so I am genuinely curious and not trying to troll. We are a military family moving with teenagers for the first time, and I am trying to gauge what the sentiment and reasons are for not sending children to certain schools (outside COVID).

People on here just like to complain about everything and most of the complaining about ACPS is likely by people without kids in the system. And no, the people who send their kids to private schools are not doing so as some form of social protest. Their decisions are about their own kids, not anyone else's kids.

We like ACPS generally. Like any public school system it has good aspects and bad ones. (And honestly, it is far better than the school systems where we grew up in the deep south) TCW (now ACHS) has been great for our kids - lots of opportunities, really good teachers, really diverse friend groups (in terms of both race/ethnicity and socio-economics) etc. Take everything said on here - negative and positive - with a truck sized grain of salt.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a big fan of ACPS. However, I only have one child, and he has reading comprehension related learning disabilities and ASD. He is also extremely advanced in math. I have not found the schools to play well to either his strengths or areas that need support. I can imagine that they would probably be fine for NT kids.

[Anonymous]

ACPS is a joke. Its superintendent doesn't even send his kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ACPS is a joke. Its superintendent doesn't even send his kids there.

And, because it warrants being said everytime ACPS is mentioned.. neither does our School Board Chair - Meaghan Alderton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a big fan of ACPS. However, I only have one child, and he has reading comprehension related learning disabilities and ASD. He is also extremely advanced in math. I have not found the schools to play well to either his strengths or areas that need support. I can imagine that they would probably be fine for NT kids.

The complaints about ACPS are justified. My child is a dyslexic student and we have had to fight ACPS like crazy to get appropriate services. ACPS’s reading curriculum is poor at the elementary level since it is not evidence based (phonics focused). Hutchings is a hypocrite who refuses to recognize the struggles with the system and does not acknowledge his misstatements and changes in plans:

[Anonymous]

Just read the other forums - people complain just as much about the other school districts. ACPS does seem to have some special thing that everyone in the area thinks they are soo bad, but I think that is something linked to the past?? Also it is much smaller than the other districts so that might play into it as well. However, I do not think it is somehow horribly worse than APS, Fairfax or DCPS.

[Anonymous]

ACPS has a very high FARMS rate, nearly 70% at some schools, and thus test scores reflect that. Alexandria is FULL of super wealthy white people (and some wealthy minorities) who like the convenient location and the beautiful neighborhoods, and who can afford to send their kids to private. Thus they have no skin in the game on the success of ACPS kids. Even in my middle class west end neighborhood a lot of parents send their kids to private. We’ve had a middling experience with some great teachers, some mediocre teachers, and fortunately no terrible teachers. We receive special education services which we’ve had to fight for but not like I’ve heard from parents in other districts. I don’t think my son was actually delayed in reading, I think they just don’t know how to teach reading. My son was guessing words left and right. He’s finally above grade level like his testing/intelligence scores suggest he should be, but it was a long frustrating road to get there. ACPS has hugely managed the pandemic but I don’t know that I’d judge a district on 2020/2021. If you’re educated your kids will probably do well. (Disclosure my experience is only elementary so far.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ACPS is a joke. Its superintendent doesn't even send his kids there.

And, because it warrants being said everytime ACPS is mentioned.. neither does our School Board Chair - Meaghan Alderton.

Meaghan was a special education teacher st ACPS, so she most definitely has an insider perspective of what needs to change in ACPS.

[Anonymous]

ACPS is a broken system. I have a child in elementary and basic fundamentals weren't taught (math facts & grammar being the main ones) and I didn't get any meaningful communication from my child's school about what they were working on or struggling with. At every parent teacher conference I was told that everything was fine. No tests or work was every shared (beyond kindergarten). And then I discovered that it wasn't fine and there were serious holes in my child's education.

And the PPs are right. Superintendent Hutchings and school board chair Alderton send their kids to private schools. The issues with ACPS run very deep and I doubt will every change.

The school board's general attitude is that parents are the enemy and are there to be ignored at best and mocked at worst. Margaret Lorber was an example of this over this year (google her). But Anderson, Nolan and Gentry have all exhibited this attitude in the past both in public and in private over their years in office. Gentry has been somewhat redeemed of late but it wasn't that long ago that she was saying vocal parents should have their input discounted.

Central Office and Hutchings have the same anti parent attitude. Hutchings chastised parents last summer and told them they were privileged and responsible for the learning gap for keeping their kids in ACPS but forming learning pods. And then he quietly removed one of his kids from ACPS and put them in a private school. And never apologized for his hypocritical comments in the summer. In the few years that he has been superintendent - and particularly this year - he has belittled parents publicly. Generally, parents aren't communicated with & are treated poorly by central office when questions are asked. Of course, all of this has been exacerbated this year.

An earlier poster on this thread claimed that anyone on this board who posts about ACPS' failures is a private school parent. That's a completely ridiculous notion but it illustrated another systemic problem in the schools and in the city. There is a small group of parents who think they are leaders in the community & who seek to shut down any parents who complain. Even on anonymous message boards apparently. Some went so far to sign on to an op-ed in the Alexandria Times, extolling how wonderfully ACPS handled virtual school while ignoring special ed teachers, english language learners, kids' emotional troubles and the testimony of parents. I've seen the actions of some of those signers have taken against vocal parents behind the scenes and it's chilling. Their need to attack their neighbors, who may not be having similar experiences with ACPS that they did, boarders on obsessive. I've never seen anything like it. It seems like a lot to protect home values or their political aspirations in the city.

Your kids may be able to get through Alexandria High School just fine and I hope that they do. But the SB, Central Office and Hutchings, and these self appointed parent "leaders" have done serious harm to kids at every grade level. It's so toxic that I'll be homeschooling my kid after this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ACPS is a joke. Its superintendent doesn't even send his kids there.

And, because it warrants being said everytime ACPS is mentioned.. neither does our School Board Chair - Meaghan Alderton.

Meaghan was a special education teacher st ACPS, so she most definitely has an insider perspective of what needs to change in ACPS.

Wow - I feel like I didn't know that - and now hate her even more for how she's failed special ed students this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ACPS is a broken system. I have a child in elementary and basic fundamentals weren't taught (math facts & grammar being the main ones) and I didn't get any meaningful communication from my child's school about what they were working on or struggling with. At every parent teacher conference I was told that everything was fine. No tests or work was every shared (beyond kindergarten). And then I discovered that it wasn't fine and there were serious holes in my child's education.

And the PPs are right. Superintendent Hutchings and school board chair Alderton send their kids to private schools. The issues with ACPS run very deep and I doubt will every change.

The school board's general attitude is that parents are the enemy and are there to be ignored at best and mocked at worst. Margaret Lorber was an example of this over this year (google her). But Anderson, Nolan and Gentry have all exhibited this attitude in the past both in public and in private over their years in office. Gentry has been somewhat redeemed of late but it wasn't that long ago that she was saying vocal parents should have their input discounted.

Central Office and Hutchings have the same anti parent attitude. Hutchings chastised parents last summer and told them they were privileged and responsible for the learning gap for keeping their kids in ACPS but forming learning pods. And then he quietly removed one of his kids from ACPS and put them in a private school. And never apologized for his hypocritical comments in the summer. In the few years that he has been superintendent - and particularly this year - he has belittled parents publicly. Generally, parents aren't communicated with & are treated poorly by central office when questions are asked. Of course, all of this has been exacerbated this year.

An earlier poster on this thread claimed that anyone on this board who posts about ACPS' failures is a private school parent. That's a completely ridiculous notion but it illustrated another systemic problem in the schools and in the city. There is a small group of parents who think they are leaders in the community & who seek to shut down any parents who complain. Even on anonymous message boards apparently. Some went so far to sign on to an op-ed in the Alexandria Times, extolling how wonderfully ACPS handled virtual school while ignoring special ed teachers, english language learners, kids' emotional troubles and the testimony of parents. I've seen the actions of some of those signers have taken against vocal parents behind the scenes and it's chilling. Their need to attack their neighbors, who may not be having similar experiences with ACPS that they did, boarders on obsessive. I've never seen anything like it. It seems like a lot to protect home values or their political aspirations in the city.

Your kids may be able to get through Alexandria High School just fine and I hope that they do. But the SB, Central Office and Hutchings, and these self appointed parent "leaders" have done serious harm to kids at every grade level. It's so toxic that I'll be homeschooling my kid after this year.

This sums it up. This is a great post. It is shameful that ACPS complaints are dismissed as having no merit just because of the demographic challenges the system faces.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP. So I'll say that PP 13:47 isn't wrong but take it with a grain. I'll agree ACPS has poor leadership and a focus bordering on manic obsession with equity but the scores you see on Great Schools reflect our FARMS numbers.

Yes, there is a weird cadre of ACPS groupies (I have steered clear) and definitely some failing schools or burned out teachers/principals. BUT there are a lot of parents who are content (I won't say happy since that may be a stretch) with their child's education within ACPS. Or as content as you can get in a public school system these days.

Speaking specifically to your questions about Alexandria High (formally TC), your kids will do just fine. In fact, they will have opportunities to thrive. The rowing team is world class, the robotics team is nationally ranked, they still teach German and Latin at a HS level, and there is a ton of diversity to keep everyone grounded. Fun fact, two years ago the winner of the Intel Science Fair was from TC. She's at Stanford now. So to answer your question, yes, your kids have a good shot at a great and FREE education there. It's worth a shot!

PS: Don't let these other posts make it seem like there are amazing private school alternatives in the immediate Alexandria area. We've either had a student there or done our due diligence, and none of them are world class. Maybe the Big 3 in DC are worth the $$$ but that add a whole lot of hassle to your life.

Good luck with the move!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ACPS is a joke. Its superintendent doesn't even send his kids there.

And, because it warrants being said everytime ACPS is mentioned.. neither does our School Board Chair - Meaghan Alderton.

Meaghan was a special education teacher st ACPS, so she most definitely has an insider perspective of what needs to change in ACPS.

She may have an insider perspective but not one that leaders her to advocate for change. Her advice seems to just pull your kids out. That's what she does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP. So I'll say that PP 13:47 isn't wrong but take it with a grain. I'll agree ACPS has poor leadership and a focus bordering on manic obsession with equity but the scores you see on Great Schools reflect our FARMS numbers.

Yes, there is a weird cadre of ACPS groupies (I have steered clear) and definitely some failing schools or burned out teachers/principals. BUT there are a lot of parents who are content (I won't say happy since that may be a stretch) with their child's education within ACPS. Or as content as you can get in a public school system these days.

Speaking specifically to your questions about Alexandria High (formally TC), your kids will do just fine. In fact, they will have opportunities to thrive. The rowing team is world class, the robotics team is nationally ranked, they still teach German and Latin at a HS level, and there is a ton of diversity to keep everyone grounded. Fun fact, two years ago the winner of the Intel Science Fair was from TC. She's at Stanford now. So to answer your question, yes, your kids have a good shot at a great and FREE education there. It's worth a shot!

PS: Don't let these other posts make it seem like there are amazing private school alternatives in the immediate Alexandria area. We've either had a student there or done our due diligence, and none of them are world class. Maybe the Big 3 in DC are worth the $$$ but that add a whole lot of hassle to your life.

Good luck with the move!

Can you point me to the posts on this thread that make it seem like there amazing private school alternative in the immediate Alexandria area? Because I don't see them.