Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

TJ can be over the top. If you just happen to be there for some event people will say “Welcome to TJ” like you’ve booked a room at some luxury hotel, and of course they say the school’s full name repeatedly when a simple “TJ” might suffice.

It’s great that a wider range of county residents can now partake in this theme park silliness and boast about finding their “people” or their “tribe.” Because they’d just be so lost if they had to be surrounded by kids who didn’t get in there.

Go away Debbie Downer. My DS graduated from TJ recently and I completely agree with the PP's description. There are many positive things about TJ aside form academics - anyone can join any club, sport team, band, orchestra etc., great school spirit, no bullying, virtually no worshiping of few athletes, good balance between academic/ECs, 8th period, great teachers, making connections for life etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

TJ can be over the top. If you just happen to be there for some event people will say “Welcome to TJ” like you’ve booked a room at some luxury hotel, and of course they say the school’s full name repeatedly when a simple “TJ” might suffice.

It’s great that a wider range of county residents can now partake in this theme park silliness and boast about finding their “people” or their “tribe.” Because they’d just be so lost if they had to be surrounded by kids who didn’t get in there.

Go away Debbie Downer. My DS graduated from TJ recently and I completely agree with the PP's description. There are many positive things about TJ aside form academics - anyone can join any club, sport team, band, orchestra etc., great school spirit, no bullying, virtually no worshiping of few athletes, good balance between academic/ECs, 8th period, great teachers, making connections for life etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

TJ can be over the top. If you just happen to be there for some event people will say “Welcome to TJ” like you’ve booked a room at some luxury hotel, and of course they say the school’s full name repeatedly when a simple “TJ” might suffice.

It’s great that a wider range of county residents can now partake in this theme park silliness and boast about finding their “people” or their “tribe.” Because they’d just be so lost if they had to be surrounded by kids who didn’t get in there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

TJ can be over the top. If you just happen to be there for some event people will say “Welcome to TJ” like you’ve booked a room at some luxury hotel, and of course they say the school’s full name repeatedly when a simple “TJ” might suffice.

It’s great that a wider range of county residents can now partake in this theme park silliness and boast about finding their “people” or their “tribe.” Because they’d just be so lost if they had to be surrounded by kids who didn’t get in there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

DD is a shy and self conscious kid. By 8th she finally made some friends at her MS (literally had none there for 7th over Covid) but still was very reluctant to try things like clubs or being more vocal in class. She has absolutely blossomed at TJ. It feels like a huge crop of kids that are more similar to her and so as a result she feels comfortable speaking up more, making friends, being active in the school community. And TJ has a ton of school spirit which is fun for the kids to experience.

If she were instead simply shipping out every other day and so split in half between TJ and her base school it would be like 8th grade or worse I think because it would be very hard for her to make and maintain any TJ friends without TJ extracurriculars. Also how would a kid do after school stuff like sports or band, etc that require practice every day immediately after the bell? We would have had zero interest in a part time program as to us the fact that the course work is challenging is only part of what we like about TJ. Honestly what I like the MOST by far about my kid going there is that she feels she’s found her “tribe”, she seems more confident and it feels like a spot that just fits really well re: school community. It’s these soft “feel of the place” reasons that have me deeply grateful she was able to go - regardless of what her course load looks like.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.

Would you explain this in more detail?

Anonymous wrote:FARMS rates at TJ per class:

Class of 2023: 2.2%
Class of 2024: 3.2%
Class of 2025: 20.3%
Class of 2026: 19.3%

Asian FARMS - 12.9% Classes of 2025-26; 2.0% Classes of 2023-24

Black FARMS - 59.0% Classes of 2025-26; 23.5% Classes of 2023-24

Hispanic FARMS - 55.7% Classes of 2025-26; 6.2% Classes of 2023-24

White FARMS - 16.4% Classes of 2025-26; 2.6% Classes of 2023-24

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That really depends on how the holding is phrased. Are you counting on this Court to rule narrowly? I'd think think it's more likely we get a language barring the use of race in admissions that we get language restricting the holding to the university level.

FCPS is claiming they are not using race in admissions to TJ. If a county opened a brand new school with the current admissions policy, there would be no case.
The racial discrimination is a finding by the judge that FCPS made these changes with intent to discriminate against Asians.
LCPS was more blatant in putting in a maximum quota per school, and claiming they weren't using geography as a proxy for race.

Except that's illegal in the United States. Admission is race blind. They do not know an applicant's race just their student ID and the information they provided in their essay.

They know what school the student attends. The policy of taking a minimum number per school, based on the racial distribution at different schools in FCPS, serves to discriminate by race.
It is a great way to reduce the number of Asians while claiming to be race blind.

The allocation of seats to different middle schools depends entirely on the number of students in their 8th grade class, not on the race of the students at those schools. Carson has one of the largest allocations because it's one of the largest schools.

You're factually incorrect.

I wasn't suggesting the allocation was done based on race. I am saying the policy of allocating by middle school, can be racial discrimination with certain demographics.
If every school had the same distribution by race, then this policy of doing seats by middle school would not be racial discrimination.
Say of the 480 seats at TJ, Asians took 350, and all 350 every year came from a single high school where Asians were 50% of the school, and in other schools Asians were just a handful of students. Adopting a per school quota would be an excellent way to reduce Asian numbers while pretending to be race blind.

Indeed if every high school had the same racial distribution, I think FCPS would have skipped the step of distributing seats by middle school.

Actually that's untrue. Allocation by school is even considered a best practice in gifted education.

Sure, but it's also a best practice to have a holistic review of a much more comprehensive application which includes grades, test scores, recommendations, substantial essays, and more. Picking "the best" kids from a school based on a couple fluff essays isn't best practices anywhere.

Strange, I read the essays were just part of a holistic review that includes grades and test scores. The only difference is teacher recs which have been shown to be racially biased.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That really depends on how the holding is phrased. Are you counting on this Court to rule narrowly? I'd think think it's more likely we get a language barring the use of race in admissions that we get language restricting the holding to the university level.

FCPS is claiming they are not using race in admissions to TJ. If a county opened a brand new school with the current admissions policy, there would be no case.
The racial discrimination is a finding by the judge that FCPS made these changes with intent to discriminate against Asians.
LCPS was more blatant in putting in a maximum quota per school, and claiming they weren't using geography as a proxy for race.

Except that's illegal in the United States. Admission is race blind. They do not know an applicant's race just their student ID and the information they provided in their essay.

They know what school the student attends. The policy of taking a minimum number per school, based on the racial distribution at different schools in FCPS, serves to discriminate by race.
It is a great way to reduce the number of Asians while claiming to be race blind.

The allocation of seats to different middle schools depends entirely on the number of students in their 8th grade class, not on the race of the students at those schools. Carson has one of the largest allocations because it's one of the largest schools.


You're factually incorrect.

I wasn't suggesting the allocation was done based on race. I am saying the policy of allocating by middle school, can be racial discrimination with certain demographics.
If every school had the same distribution by race, then this policy of doing seats by middle school would not be racial discrimination.
Say of the 480 seats at TJ, Asians took 350, and all 350 every year came from a single high school where Asians were 50% of the school, and in other schools Asians were just a handful of students. Adopting a per school quota would be an excellent way to reduce Asian numbers while pretending to be race blind.

Indeed if every high school had the same racial distribution, I think FCPS would have skipped the step of distributing seats by middle school.

Actually that's untrue. Allocation by school is even considered a best practice in gifted education.

Sure, but it's also a best practice to have a holistic review of a much more comprehensive application which includes grades, test scores, recommendations, substantial essays, and more. Picking "the best" kids from a school based on a couple fluff essays isn't best practices anywhere.

Strange, I read the essays were just part of a holistic review that includes grades and test scores. The only difference is teacher recs which have been shown to be racially biased.

Anonymous wrote:
Re: #2 … we would not have accepted the invitation to attend TJ (or likely applied at all) if it was a part time model. It is the fact that TJ is the kid’s school community that makes it work and be positive.