Reply to School Board is Failing – Central High with 80% Poverty is Blowing McLean and Langley Out of the Water

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Reply to "School Board is Failing – Central High with 80% Poverty is Blowing McLean and Langley Out of the Water"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Isn’t it pretty likely that the kids in poverty in Wise, VA are native English speakers? And those in poverty in our area are not.[/quote]

Here you go, demographics of student body in Wise County Va., Demographics of student body in Wise County Va., Hispanic numbers so low they can't be counted.

[url]https://schoolquality.virginia.gov/schools/wise-primary[/url]

Numbers are so low, they can't be counted... which last I checked puts them somewhere near 3%. Oh well. Who'd have thunk it. [/quote]

Why does it matter if most kids in Wise County are native English speakers? The issue isn't just language. Fairfax County has double the per-student funding but still struggles in many schools compared to places like Wise, which makes do with less. If language barriers are a challenge here, that just points to a failure in how FCPS is addressing those needs. The real question is: What is FCPS doing with all that extra funding to help English learners succeed? That’s what matters.[/quote]

Is English your native language? Just curious because that might help your inability to grasp they big picture key concepts. Like they spend just as much money per pupil as the underperforming HSs in FCPS, for all of their HSs, but without the need to teach to young adults, who may live in homes where the parents are illiterate, which means they themselves are most likely illiterate, how to read, and write in not only English but often times their native languages as well. 40% of the student body at Justice is labeled English Learner, and 15% are Special Education. 40% are English Learners in HS, which means that they are more than likely recent arrivals, not to mention those that entered the system in ES school who do to demographics may be proficient enough to pass a standardized test, but just barely.

Comparing a homogenous school district comprised of majority white students, where everyone speaks English, to one where approximately 40% are English learners is apples to oranges.

I took 4 years of HS French, but if you had given me an SOL in any subject written in French and not English, on the first day of instruction year 1 and repeated the same on the last day of the last year of instruction year 4, I would have had the same dismal results... fail. Don't underestimate the benefit of being having your native language be English, and having literate parents.

You can teach any dummy to read in their native language well enough to pass a SOL test. And if their parents are native English speakers and not illiterate themselves this isn't a high bar at all. [/quote]

Let’s address the points without resorting to insults or name-calling.

First, FCPS spends significantly more per student—around $10,176—compared to Wise County's $5,947. Yet, Fairfax County struggles to outperform schools with far fewer resources. That's not just about language barriers; it’s a management issue. If language challenges are well-known, then why isn’t FCPS using its extra funding more effectively to address them?

Second, while 40% of Justice High students are English learners, that’s no excuse for poor outcomes. Schools like Langley and McLean, with fewer ESOL students, still outperform many other schools in the district. So, blaming demographics alone doesn’t hold water when the real issue is how FCPS is using its resources. If Central High can perform well despite high poverty, then FCPS has no excuse with its higher funding.

In the end, if the district can't turn its massive funding into better results, the problem isn’t just about ESOL students—it’s about how poorly FCPS is managing resources and failing to serve all students. Instead of dismissing legitimate concerns with insults, we should be talking about why the district isn’t delivering the outcomes we’re paying for.[/quote]

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