Reply to AEM post/discussion re racism and choice schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The option schools (other than immersion which I strongly support) are terrible for APS. It is a brain drain of the neighborhood schools (mostly South Arlington. The problem with the post is that the author is one of those people that sees everything through a race lens even when it’s not the major driver (if at all) for people opting out of neighborhood schools.

Option schools are diverse but it is full of  families who take initiative in their kids education. Their scores are better and they have more homework, structure, dress codes, etc. those are things my family values.  All these families leaving their neighborhood schools to opt in to a more “traditional” or Montessori education are hurting the neighborhood. This is because the biggest indicator of success is a child’s peers. We should end the option programs and replicate what works (ATS) across APS. If you want a special Montessori curriculum for your kids, go private or start lobbying for school choice because that’s what’s you want.

(Side bar on immersion: these are the best environments for kids learning English and/or Spanish. As we get more EL students these programs are even more important. Ideally any kid not speaking English fluently would be in immersion that is 50-50 English/spanish).

[/quote]
Immersion still contributes to brain drain, why does it get a pass?[/quote]

It didn’t used to. Immersion was originally created for neighborhood schools that served a largely Hispanic and poorer demographic as way to draw back the wealthier demographic into those schools. The immersion program itself (then guaranteed for all zoned neighborhood kids) worked too successfully, which is why APS made them fully independent option schools and moved them out of the neighborhood schools.

Within the past decade APS has been moving option programs out of neighborhood schools both to grow the option programs themselves and to give the neighborhood schools back to their diverse communities. So option schools no longer serve to keep wealthier families in poorer schools, the original intent. Do note that some families may find that now abandoned goal of attracting wealthier families patronizing, and that neighborhood schools should succeed on their own merits.

We have yet to see if wealthier families will continue to support their diverse zoned schools. Many more families do now go private reflecting a broader trend away from diverse schools. [/quote]

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