Reply to APS Boundary tool--anyone get it to work yet?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So right. They all jump at the chance to send their kids to ATS or HB. Not diverse. But if they are stuck at Wakefield, it's all about diversity.  S. Arl does not have a consistent position. [/quote]

Again, not a Wakefield parent, but I have to speak out about this kind of nonsense. It is certainly consistent to say that there comes a point where there are too many low-income students concentrated in one school.

BTW, there are plenty of N. Arlington families who jump at the chance to send their kids to ATS or HB. In fact, if we judge by the numbers entering the lottery, parents at N. Arlington elementary schools are far more interested in HB than parents in S. Arlington. Do you think this says something about W-L and Yorktown?
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Yes.  It says that some WL and Yorktown parents are overly concerned with getting some type of perceived advantage when test scores indicate most kids will be fine in their neighborhood schools.[/quote]

I agree ^^^ 100%

I think this is why Arlington should move away from special programs like ATS, H-B, and even IB. These were all established to serve completely different purposes than the current reality, which the PP accurately points out is to gain some kind of perceived advantage over going to a regular neighborhood school. These options are being fought over by families seeking to bail out from schools they view as "worse" as well as families coming from otherwise excellent schools who in most cases have no justification for wanting these programs other than they are perceived to be "better" than other programs. I think very few parents of ATS or H-B students could really justify why it is so beneficial for their kids to attend these programs over their home programs because of specific elements  that are unique or beneficial to their style of learning etc. Most of the parents I've ever heard from are only interested in these because they perceive them to be better based on test scores or hearsay or simply feel compelled to enter lotteries because everyone else is. Totally not the point! Imagine elementary populations/sizes if ATS could be a neighborhood school, and imagine middle and high school demographics if the H-B  and IB kids went to their home schools instead? Wouldn't solve all the problems but would be a step in the right direction.

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I agree with you about ATS and ASF--not sure how the curriculums at these schools really differ from those offered elsewhere. But I can't say the same about H-B. My spouse has taught at H-B and at other APS and FFX high schools. No question, H-B is very different. Spouse would have jumped at the chance to send our kids there. We have had one of our kids go through another APS high school and have a very good experience. But it ain't H-B.

That said, I am completely sympathetic to the argument that APS might not be able to afford to keep H-B given other priorities. OTOH, I'm also not sure whether a school system can really pull the plug on the crown jewel.[/quote]

"Afford" in what sense? It has the same budget as every other school (based on the same planning factors). Busing is the only difference, and then you'd have to look at busing for all the countywide programs (immersion, Montessori, etc).[/quote]

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