Reply to Are Fairfax County Alexandria schools better than Alexandria City schools?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]We're in the Alexandria section of FFX County.  I can't speak to the ACPS but I think there are a lot of fear mongers in this forum.  My kids go to school that is majority minority, with a lot of FARM kids and is a Title One school.  We love it.  I also have friends with kids at Hybla Valley and Mount Eagle.  I don't know a single person who thinks their child suffered because the needs of the disadvantaged kids were so overwhelming.  The Title 1 schools (and the Priority Schools) get extra resources, have smaller class sizes and are require to have a certain level of parental/communiy engagement.  The PTA may not be able to raise as much money as the PTA in Silverbrook or McLean but the educational opportunities at our local schools are equal to theirs.  I also appreciate that my kids are being exposed to people/kids from all walks of life and that my kid isn't embarrased to say "we don't have money for that" because he isn't the only one in his class that says that.  Every school (elementary, middle, high) offers abundant educational opportunities in a safe environment.  Test scores, the number of minorities and number of FARMS don't tell the whole story.[/quote]

I don't think it's fear-mongering.

If you think all local schools are equal, than the OP's question becomes moot; it really shouldn't matter whether she goes with the City of Alexandria or the Alexandria part of Fairfax County.  But few people - including Congress or the the Federal Government - actually believe that.  The entire reason for designating some schools as Title I schools is that schools with higher percentages of low-income students face challenges that schools in more affluent areas don't face.  That's why they get extra resources that are not made available to schools in other areas.  You seem to assume that Title I functions perfectly and brings all the Title I schools up to par with schools in areas where, for example, parents voluntarily attend school events and don't need to be offered free pizza to do so.  I'm less confident that Title I has yet accomplished all of its goals, since student achievement in many Title I schools continues to lag.  I'd be happy sending my kids to quite a few Title I schools in the Alexandria area, just not those with percentages of ESOL and FRL students as high as those at Hybla Valley or Mount Vernon Woods.  The fact that your friends may be satisfied with Hybla Valley may suggest that FCPS does a good job of providing a threshold level of educational services, but few people believe that such schools will provide the most challenging environment for their kids, given that so much of the school's attention will be devoted to raising the performance of low-achieving students to meet NCLB requirements.  You may say that test scores don't tell the whole story, but school administrators are encouraged to fixate on them. [/quote]

Not the PP you’re responding to but I agree with her.  No one said that every school is equal.  You’re focusing on the entire school, not how an individual student will perform.  FCPS isn’t required to provide the most challenging environment for students, they are to educate all kids to a minimum standard set by the government.  That standard is the same across FCPS.  You’re implying that students in the rich areas of FFX are offered better educational opportunities (more challenging opportunities) than those in the poorer area.  That’s simply not the case.  If that were true, you can bet there’d be quite a few lawsuits about it.  While scores may vary, every student in FCPS has the same education opportunities provided by their school.  Every school feeds into an AAP center or has differentiated instruction for those who benefit from greater challenges.  I don’t know why you think higher achieving students are being ignored in favor of lower scoring students.  You don’t seem to have any experience with those kids of schools or know anyone who actually attends them.  All you have is your opinion about poor kids whose families don’t speak English at home.   
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