Reply to Happier After Move Away from FCPS/Fairfax County?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I honestly think you have to ask WHY you want to move away - is it the (local) school environment? Curriculum? Overall School System (and then you can get into size, number of students, teacher experience, etc). I grew up in the Midwest, Small Town, Excellent school system (4 Elem, 1 Middle, 1 HS). Generally, a well-rounded, high achieving school with a traditional education.

I feel strongly that my kids could be getting a better education in that district vs. what they are receiving in FCPS. The academic pressure and competitiveness here are the major drawbacks for me. It's like people can't even see what their kids MIGHT be good at or how they can be a well-rounded person because they are so focused on getting a 4.5, taking 12APs and being President of 4 clubs just for their resume/college application.

Yes, I feel the School Board is one issue to look at, but I would focus on what a place is actually doing academically. What are the foundations in the early years - literacy, phonics, reading, math, etc - and how are they taught/what methods are being used. How much testing is going on during the school year (as it takes time away from actual learning).

It, for example, felt really crappy to realize my kids had never been taught Phonics based on the curriculum FCPS was using at the time, not to mention the way reading and literacy was being crammed down their throats for what amounts to some metrics. That's a lifelong issue they are going to have to deal with - and I have kids who H A T E reading as a result. Did I do all the things I was supposed to at home? Yes, I did. And let's not even mention the writing skills (not being taught).....[/quote]

But aren't the testing requirements set at the state level? And schools are ranked based on student performance? And parents make decisions based on those rankings? Do you see where I am going with this - if the schools don't teach the kids to be able to pass or excel on the SOLs, then the same people that want to see this well-rounded curriculum are complaining that the schools are terrible.

And it's a personal choice to be highly academically competitive and take a zillion AP classes. I understand the pressure in this area, but you can opt out of playing that game.[/quote]

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