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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=ChenLing][quote=Anonymous]Chen seems sincere but has he done anything in APS literally at all? [/quote]

(Reposting from the other similar thread: [url]https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/30/1185438.page[/url]. Please read my replies to various questions there.)

Hi. Honestly not a whole lot -- I've done the standard things that an involved and privileged parent has done -- I've joined my school's PTA, I've donated, I've volunteered in the classroom and as a chaperone.
Outside of APS proper, I teach ballroom dance at College Park, I coach my daughter's soccer team, I tutor undergraduate CS students, and I'm mentoring a couple of high school students (one in APS).

My wife and I moved to Arlington for the excellent schools. It wasn't something I thought I needed to worry about. I got involved because of the boundary change process. During public hearings I, along with others, asked questions for which we received responses but not real answers. At the time I didn't know whether they didn't want to give us the answer or if they didn't have the answer. So I started digging -- reading board docs, watching old board meetings, asked followup questions, etc., and it became obvious that they often didn't have the answer.

This kind of problem isn't unique to APS. I've seen this in many organizations where some things are done a certain way because of risk aversion, because it was the easy thing to do, or because "it's always been done that way". I have a lot of experience trying (successfully and unsuccessfully) to fix these underlying problems. I believe that this skill set -- active listening, problem solving, people coordination -- would be a useful one for the school board.

Since then I've been learning as much as I can -- talking with teachers, parents, principals, facilities folks, and (since declaring) every member of the current board except CDT.
I know I have a lot to learn still, but I'm a fast learner and public education is something I truly care about. [/quote]

Thank you for taking the time to post here. I think someone who is an outsider to the entrenched system, especially one with a quantitative background, would be a good addition to the school board. [/quote]

You could be knowledgable about the system and not be "entrenched" and you could be an outsider and support everything the administration puts forward. What you want to understand about a candidate is their point of view on the major issues facing the school system, or at least how they will approach those issues. An outsider can be well informed, have clear priorities, and be able to explain how they would make decisions and work with the other board members to influence changes. If we learn during the campaign season that a candidate knows so little that they don't have a point of view or basis for evaluating policies, then that should be a major factor in the decision whether or not to vote for them. [/quote]

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