Online learning is still very much a part of the Superintendant's and Tara Nattrass's plan for high school seats. Some of their resistance to building a full size fourth high school is because they think high schools in the modern age can meet capacity needs in different ways, e.g., without physical seats, through online learning and personalized devices, through internships in the community, through community college classes. They think the modern high school student would benefit from a different high school experience than we oldies had, plus it would happen to save APS a shit ton of money and effort. They see the biggest problem with implementing their ideals to be the unenlightenment of parents who don't like the idea of isolating kids in at-home, online classes where they won't be supervised and won't have a true "community" high school experience anymore. Murphy keeps propounding this shit and there was too much community protest for the school board to support it last time, but he and Nattras will try it again. (Her big accomplishment in North Carolina schools before coming here was using personalized devices with kids. Despite lack of any proof they actually help kids rather than just waste class time. So yay!)

Anonymous wrote:Early college means early trade in a sense. It means earning credits towards completion of a two year community college program.

And not sitting in seats built by APS.

Early college means early trade in a sense. It means earning credits towards completion of a two year community college program.

Early college means your kid is GMU or NOVA's problem, not ours.
Capacity crisis solved!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like overcrowding is a sort of code word.

I'm not so sure. Most of the overcrowding is being driven by non affordable housing but rather by the 1 percenters' progeny. Most recognize this fact. Problem is we have no way to control by-right development, so the only way some can think to slow growth down until infrastructure catches up is by slowing down on the AH density, because that we CAN control. Also, some think the money that's being directed to things like AH, public art, tax abatement for seniors, etc., needs to be diverted, temporarily, to schools. If the superintendent weren't talking about distance learning/shift scheduling as a solution to this capacity crisis, I doubt parents would be so upset. But this seems to be the current plan, and it's a bitter pill to swallow if you've just spent your life savings so that you could live in this supposedly "good" school system.

Are they really still talking about distance learning/shift scheduling? I recall that coming up in one document a long time ago and online classes getting low marks in a survey. I've been following the issue and haven't heard it actually being promoted in a long time. It seems like some 4th high school advocates have latched on to it as a scare tactic. I agree we need a 4th HS and was glad to see it explicitly advocated in the motion on HS seats. I don't have the impression that shifts and lots of online classes are seriously under consideration.

Yes, they are still talking about this, just using more sophisticated language. Early college? Remember I warned you.

'Early college' does not = distance learning, although you could do some classes that way. My cousin's kids attend an 'early college' high school in another state. They are in school with a teacher all day but get college credit for a lot of their classes. I have no idea if there is enough demand to put an early college program at W-L (that seemed to come out of nowhere, what happened to IB expansion?). These dual enrollment classes are already offered at the career center (with teachers, not online) and are part of the Arlington Tech program.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like overcrowding is a sort of code word.

I'm not so sure. Most of the overcrowding is being driven by non affordable housing but rather by the 1 percenters' progeny. Most recognize this fact. Problem is we have no way to control by-right development, so the only way some can think to slow growth down until infrastructure catches up is by slowing down on the AH density, because that we CAN control. Also, some think the money that's being directed to things like AH, public art, tax abatement for seniors, etc., needs to be diverted, temporarily, to schools. If the superintendent weren't talking about distance learning/shift scheduling as a solution to this capacity crisis, I doubt parents would be so upset. But this seems to be the current plan, and it's a bitter pill to swallow if you've just spent your life savings so that you could live in this supposedly "good" school system.

Are they really still talking about distance learning/shift scheduling? I recall that coming up in one document a long time ago and online classes getting low marks in a survey. I've been following the issue and haven't heard it actually being promoted in a long time. It seems like some 4th high school advocates have latched on to it as a scare tactic. I agree we need a 4th HS and was glad to see it explicitly advocated in the motion on HS seats. I don't have the impression that shifts and lots of online classes are seriously under consideration.

EARLY COLLEGE? Grow a brain. For the good of all our students, please wise up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like overcrowding is a sort of code word.

I'm not so sure. Most of the overcrowding is being driven by non affordable housing but rather by the 1 percenters' progeny. Most recognize this fact. Problem is we have no way to control by-right development, so the only way some can think to slow growth down until infrastructure catches up is by slowing down on the AH density, because that we CAN control. Also, some think the money that's being directed to things like AH, public art, tax abatement for seniors, etc., needs to be diverted, temporarily, to schools. If the superintendent weren't talking about distance learning/shift scheduling as a solution to this capacity crisis, I doubt parents would be so upset. But this seems to be the current plan, and it's a bitter pill to swallow if you've just spent your life savings so that you could live in this supposedly "good" school system.

Are they really still talking about distance learning/shift scheduling? I recall that coming up in one document a long time ago and online classes getting low marks in a survey. I've been following the issue and haven't heard it actually being promoted in a long time. It seems like some 4th high school advocates have latched on to it as a scare tactic. I agree we need a 4th HS and was glad to see it explicitly advocated in the motion on HS seats. I don't have the impression that shifts and lots of online classes are seriously under consideration.

Yes, they are still talking about this, just using more sophisticated language. Early college? Remember I warned you.

Anonymous wrote:Online learning is frankly the most efficient of all of the options. And its still very much on the table.

Efficient unless you care about actual learning for the vast majority of students.

I think it's fine to offer it, but for at least 90% of students, it's no substitute for the experience of a classroom.

Online learning is frankly the most efficient of all of the options. And its still very much on the table.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like overcrowding is a sort of code word.

I'm not so sure. Most of the overcrowding is being driven by non affordable housing but rather by the 1 percenters' progeny. Most recognize this fact. Problem is we have no way to control by-right development, so the only way some can think to slow growth down until infrastructure catches up is by slowing down on the AH density, because that we CAN control. Also, some think the money that's being directed to things like AH, public art, tax abatement for seniors, etc., needs to be diverted, temporarily, to schools. If the superintendent weren't talking about distance learning/shift scheduling as a solution to this capacity crisis, I doubt parents would be so upset. But this seems to be the current plan, and it's a bitter pill to swallow if you've just spent your life savings so that you could live in this supposedly "good" school system.

Are they really still talking about distance learning/shift scheduling? I recall that coming up in one document a long time ago and online classes getting low marks in a survey. I've been following the issue and haven't heard it actually being promoted in a long time. It seems like some 4th high school advocates have latched on to it as a scare tactic. I agree we need a 4th HS and was glad to see it explicitly advocated in the motion on HS seats. I don't have the impression that shifts and lots of online classes are seriously under consideration.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like overcrowding is a sort of code word.

I'm not so sure. Most of the overcrowding is being driven by non affordable housing but rather by the 1 percenters' progeny. Most recognize this fact. Problem is we have no way to control by-right development, so the only way some can think to slow growth down until infrastructure catches up is by slowing down on the AH density, because that we CAN control. Also, some think the money that's being directed to things like AH, public art, tax abatement for seniors, etc., needs to be diverted, temporarily, to schools. If the superintendent weren't talking about distance learning/shift scheduling as a solution to this capacity crisis, I doubt parents would be so upset. But this seems to be the current plan, and it's a bitter pill to swallow if you've just spent your life savings so that you could live in this supposedly "good" school system.

I don't get the scare quotes. It is a very good school system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AH really has nothing to do with the problem. There are too many kids and not enough schools and no one wants their kids to go to school with the poors. There is nothing harmful about going to school with the poors. And if people would just accept that fact, this overcrowding problem could be solved in 5 minutes.

No, because south Arlington is crowded too. It's no like there is tons of room on the south side.

This. Both the wealthy and the poor are driving overcrowding but in different parts of the county. Only ones not contributing are middle income families because they can't afford to buy in Arlington. They may start out here in a condo but when they want more space with older kids they have to move farther out.

Anonymous wrote:AH really has nothing to do with the problem. There are too many kids and not enough schools and no one wants their kids to go to school with the poors. There is nothing harmful about going to school with the poors. And if people would just accept that fact, this overcrowding problem could be solved in 5 minutes.

No, because south Arlington is crowded too. It's no like there is tons of room on the south side.

AH really has nothing to do with the problem. There are too many kids and not enough schools and no one wants their kids to go to school with the poors. There is nothing harmful about going to school with the poors. And if people would just accept that fact, this overcrowding problem could be solved in 5 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:I feel like overcrowding is a sort of code word.

I'm not so sure. Most of the overcrowding is being driven by non affordable housing but rather by the 1 percenters' progeny. Most recognize this fact. Problem is we have no way to control by-right development, so the only way some can think to slow growth down until infrastructure catches up is by slowing down on the AH density, because that we CAN control. Also, some think the money that's being directed to things like AH, public art, tax abatement for seniors, etc., needs to be diverted, temporarily, to schools. If the superintendent weren't talking about distance learning/shift scheduling as a solution to this capacity crisis, I doubt parents would be so upset. But this seems to be the current plan, and it's a bitter pill to swallow if you've just spent your life savings so that you could live in this supposedly "good" school system.