Reply to Is Nottingham going to be the new option school in Arlington or its still being decided?

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Reply to "Is Nottingham going to be the new option school in Arlington or its still being decided?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]People in Arlington who refuse to acknowledge how our socio-economically segregated schools lower educational outcomes spout two defenses:

(1) all APS schools are great, and
(2) I did it, so can anyone (the "outlier")

I consistently hear both from Talento, NVD and former SB Lander. [/quote]

Sort of. I think Talento's point is more along the lines of not forcing kids to be bused around the county to achieve this goal, because it's places an undue burden on the families that already have a lot of obstacles in their way. And I think she is sort of bristling at the coarse way some people have spoken about kids from economically disadvantaged families. Further, I think she hears a lot from disadvantaged and immigrant communities that they are afraid to be moved around to unfamiliar and unwelcoming schools. That's not an unreasonable fear give the current climate.

I think she's more receptive to conversations that revolve around choices and speak about providing equitable access to opportunities rather than framing the issue as too many ED/ELL kids drag schools down. I think the same is true of NVD. Its important to remember that every child matters and brings something to the table. There are wealthy schools that are missing out because they have too few children with varied life experiences and points of view to offer. Homogeneity in education is not a positive when preparing students to enter a diverse work force within a global economy.[/quote]

I would never want to force disadvantaged communities to be bussed, but I do wish that we could give at least some communities in S. Arl the option.  Not everyone would take the option, but some would.  There is no reasonable boundary or development that is going to make schools in locations such as Jamestown or Discovery's reflect the diversity of APS.  Bussing is the only option.  I'd never force bussing, but just making it an option would help.[/quote]

The problem with offering busing elsewhere is that it tends to backfire for the struggling schools themselves. Because of the extra hurdles involved (applying, managing logistics, social/language/cultural barriers, etc.), when busing is made available it tends to be the relatively more affluent families who take advantage and leave, and the school population that remains is even more disadvantaged for it.[/quote]

And that is why it makes sense for option programs to be located closest to disadvantaged communities, so that it makes it possible for them to consider those programs, while the more affluent families can do what they've always done, which is use their resources to get their kids wherever they want them to be. You locate attractive programs in disadvantaged neighborhoods and put the onus on the wealthier families to travel for the program or curriculum. This may not work in large geographic areas, but it can work in a county as small as Arlington, and where the disadvantaged often live a mere few blocks away from UMC families.[/quote]Option schools do nothing to bring diversity to schools like Jamestown or Discovery.  It doesn't have to be an either/or situation.  I don't think bussing is necessarily an easy fix, but we need to look at creative ways to bring diversity to all communities.[/quote]

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