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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is from ATS.

Great schools don't happen by chance, they happen by design. ATS has been guided by 7 traditional tenets since 1978:

1. Teacher-guided instruction in self-contained classrooms 
2. Emphasis on basic education in the core academic areas
3. Regular homework assigned at all grade levels
4. Weekly written summary of student progress communicated to parents
5. Promotion based on grade level mastery
6. Behavior, dress and grooming standards
7. Weekly assembly programs reinforces philosophy and build community

Additional philosophy that sets us apart from other schools include:

* Every child participates in the hallmark Summer Reading Challenge of reading 50 books
* Every child in grades 1-5 performs a class play at a Friday assembly
* Every child in grades 4 and 5 learns to play a musical instrument and plays in the beginning or advanced orchestra/band  and performs at an assembly and in the evening twice a year
* Every child in grades 4 and 5 sings in a grade-level chorus and and performs at an assembly and in the evening twice a year
* Every child in grade 5 is a school safety patrol modeling leadership and assisting children before/after school
* Sister school, Arlington Junior school, in Uganda, Africa

[/quote]

We're not at ATS but this is the best list I've seen.  It actually identifies things that I could see making a difference, vs. the standard "tuck in your shirts" and "cares about behavior" and "teaches citizenship" nonsense that people usually cite as the differences.  (Nonsense because all APS schools care about behavior and teach citizenship).

That said, #4 and #7 are the only two in the numbered list that I don't think are universal across APS, which begs the question of whether/how APS is implementing everything else differently from other schools.  Requiring all students to play instruments, sing in choir, be part of safety patrol is different from other APS schools, and I could see it being a positive but am not sure that alone explains the differences.  Maybe it is the cumulative impact of everything ATS does? (aside from tucked in t-shirts.  that one is nonsensical. Then again, I don't tuck in my t-shirts either so maybe I just don't get it).  My teacher friends who have taught at private and public say the biggest differences there are the number of involved parents.  Maybe ATS just attracts more type A+++ than other schools too and their kids would do just as well anywhere.  Just my speculation here.  Carry on DCUM![/quote]

+1[/quote]

I just posted. We were at Tuckahoe but then switched to ATS. I see a lot of difference when it comes to 5. The kids in ATS are just more disciplined. Not sure why but there is less bad behavior in the classroom, less bullying (not to say that it was terrible in Tuckahoe). This year a student in third grade threw an eraser (I believe) across the room. It has been the talk of ATS lol. Things like this are so when they happen everyone - students, teachers, staff know about it. Number 1 and 2 are also different. So not sure about the self contained classrooms (it was the same in Tuckahoe.. maybe its different for the older grades?). But the way the instruction is delivered is different. In Tuckahoe its mostly small group instruction. At ATS they have time set aside for small group instruction but most of the time its the entire class doing the same thing together. Not sure which one is better but I think for my second child (who gets easily distracted) the entire class doing the same thing together seems to be a better fit. My eldest, who went to Tuckahoe and then ATS seems to be fine no matter what the method of instruction is. She's very focused and self motivated.  As for 2, I don't know if it actually makes a difference but it seems to have an effect on the attitude of the teachers. In back to school night, my eldest daughter's teacher who taught in another Arlington school for two years and then moved to ATS, said that what we likes about ATS is that ATS cuts out the fluff. The fluff is nice according to her and makes you feel good but there are only a set number of hours in the day, so we need to focus on the basics. I think a teacher with that attitude about "fluff" is going to be a very different teacher than a teacher that embraces the "fluff" (not to say that its negative but that's what that ATS teacher called it). [/quote]

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