Reply to ACPS -- what am I missing?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My youngest is in elementary and oldest now in MS but pvt.  I would say that public elementary for us wasn’t bad.  It wasn’t OMG amazing and I do not drink the KoolAid that most In my community to on public schools here.  I would say that George Mason and Barrett are relatively strong.  What makes the, really nice is the strong PTA and community.  The families here are warm, educated and kids are well adjusted and just really good kids.  A close knit community.  Academically it’s not academically strong but I’m not that parent that wants my kid to go to Catholic school and know 8th grade vocabulary words in 5th grade.  My expectations are for love of learning, engaging and caring teachers and a really healthy social experience.  These boxes are checked.

Where things are wrong is more the public curriculum of all the SOL and MAP testing, the work is just really not that hard and the TAG program is not productive in who gets n.  The idea of academic equity is ridiculous.  Getting everyone to the same level should not be goal rather promoting excellence among all.  So philosophically ACOS has a problem there.

But I have told you about the pros and cons we experienced.  In terms of MS, I have friends whose kids do great there.  You really have to be a well adjuster, very mature and responsible kid who is going to be in honors classes to make it there.  If so, it will likely be fine.  I would never put my kids there but if they were like perfect kids maybe I would reconsider but I would still be uneasy about it.  That’s me.  I have pretty high standards when it comes to conceptual learning ~ that is ~ I want more than just transactional pass a test learning.  Esp after grade school,  personally I think it’s too overwhelming socially with 599 kids per grade on each floor.

We are going to however try to get ours back in public for HS.

A lot depends on your kids.  ACPS is not a strong public system in total, but Alex is a really great place to be.  We would never want to live in Arl or Falls Church or Fairfax.  We are city folk.  But I would say that by MS you’d be hard pressed to keep kids in public.  I did A lOT of research into the various public elementary school systems around NOVA and if you are strictly concerned about academics, run away from Alex public schools.  But if it’s more than just that you seek, elementary I think is good enough.

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I think this is a fair capture.

Our oldest in is GWMS, another is in Barrett.  We think Barrett is great.  We were happier when the previous principal was there, but it's still very good.  GWMS has been fine.  There's the typical MS drama and stupidity, but our kid steers clear of it and has done well academically while expanding her social circles.  [b]It's hard to ask more of a MS experience.[/b]  Some teachers are exceptional, others are mediocre - such is life.  The diversity of the student population - in multiple dimensions - is a plus for us and helps prepare the kids for an increasingly multicultural future.

Ultimately, we love being in Alexandria.  We think the schools deliver on our expectations and if one of our kids starts to flounder or needs a different experience, there are ample private school options.

FWIW, all of the problems people have listed sadly exist at other school districts, too.  Drugs, violence, etc... it's not exclusive to ACPS.  That's where parenting comes in.[/quote]

I'm glad your kid is doing well, but you could definitely ask for more. Positives are that the admin really cares, and some of the teachers are very good. But the building is painfully--painfully--crowded and utterly falling apart, and the curriculum is washed out. [/quote]

Agreed on the building.  Can you share more about the curriculum?  [/quote]

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