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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi all I’m the original poster - we did take the spot at ATS and so far have received more feedback and just general info from our whole year at the neighborhood school. I can tell the teachers are super involved and also the parents in our child’s class have reached out. It has been a drastic difference in a couple short weeks. Our child is still adjusting to the early start time and becoming familiar to new ways but as of now I think we are happy solely based on the communication from ATS compared to our neighborhood school. [/quote]

Glad you are having a good experience so far OP! There was a world of difference between my well regarded neighborhood school and ATS. You don’t realize how much better school can be until you have experienced a truly excellent school. [/quote]

DP.  What is it going to take to get APS to realize this and just make all our schools ATS-es. They don't all have to have the same strictness about tucked in shirts; but seriously - it is clearly effective academically.[/quote]

This. Get rid of the fads and implement the ATS best practices in all schools.[/quote]

It won't work at other schools because you won't have parent involvement, and many parents are anti homework because it interferes with sports etc.[/quote]

ATS isn't just about homework and tucked in shirts. There is a lot more to the school and schools can implement ATS best practices without having kids do homework. Best practices include:

- Direct teacher led instruction as opposed to inquiry based learning.  Here is an article on the importance of direct instruction when it comes to math:  https://www.city-journal.org/article/californias-math-framework-is-flawed  Direct instruction is a pedology that has a positive effect on learning outcomes. Inquiry based learning on the other hand has a negative correlation.  APS should move away from inquiry based learning and adopt direct instruction. See also Natalie Wexler on cognitive load theory:  https://theamericanscholar.org/why-so-many-kids-struggle-to-learn/

- High academic expectations.  ATS expects that students have the ability to do well, no matter what their background. If a student is below grade level, the school will do everything it can to bring that student up to grade level.

- High behavioral expectations: It is difficult to learn if you have erasers and pencils thrown at you in class. Schools should focus on creating a safe learning environment that is conducive to learning. ATS does that with its focus on behavior and character[/quote]

Sure. I’m all for direct instruction. Done.

High academic and behavioral expectations?  How is that not already the norm? The problem is that you need parental support when a kid is failing in someway, and the 1-5 kids in every class who are the most challenged consume 20-30% of teachers time and energy and the parents don’t support them.

At ATS every parent is engaged and teachers get that support at home when problems arise. Because engaged parents jump through the lottery hoops and accept trade offs of a school not in neighborhood. [/quote]

Are you saying that parents in Tuckahoe, Nottingham, Cardinal, Jamestown and Discovery are not engaged? My kid went to Tuckahoe then switched to ATS. Trust me when I say that the parents in the schools that I listed are more engaged than ATS parents. They are actually a little too engaged if you ask me. [/quote]

There are different types of engagement.[/quote]

So you are going to chalk 90% of ATS' success to the very specific type of parental engagement that ATS has? A specific type of engagement that is different than every other type of parental engagement? Seems like there are other reasons for ATS' success that you don't want to focus on.[/quote]

I'm not one of those attributing ATS' success to parent involvement. Nevertheless, my apparently-too-subtle insinuation is that there is an overzealously engaged parent who focuses on the extras or fight to the death to defend Johnny from any blame when disciplined for something, etc.; then there are normal involved parents who attend school events, contribute to activities, engage with their child's teacher and provide the oversight and guidance for their kid tending to their homework and behaving. And then there are parents who engage on academics only, or leave academics to the school and only engage in the extras like PTA stuff/school events. And a level of engagement that is merely responsive when contacted or requested to by the school. or, or, or...[/quote]

In other words, there is positive parental engagement and there is negative parental engagement.[/quote]

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