Anonymous wrote:Someone should FOIA the letters, emails etc that the SB candidates have sent to APS.

Some people are just way too FOIA-happy, It costs APS time and money, you know. and more often than not, for no real gain or purpose.

Someone should FOIA the letters, emails etc that the SB candidates have sent to APS.

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Symone seems so narrowly focused on black kids with reading problems. David seems a little more open.

I think that's her activist moment -- her son has dyslexia. But her concerns about other elements of APS seem based on the way APS makes decisions -- not using current research or looking at the whole child. So early testing for dyslexia, training APS employees on inherent bias, listening to experts rather than marketers about good uses of technology -- those are relatively simple steps to take, and yet APS doesn't.

There are no "relatively simple steps to take," and anyone who insists there are doesn't know what they are talking about and should be suspect.

Not keeping on with approaches that have been proven to be ineffective, even if the UVA ed school came up with it, seems pretty basic.

Or how about not spending millions of dollars on new programs (1:1, FLES) unless there are clear and measurable goals for what that spending will achieve, and a commitment to acknowledge that something didn't work out and stop spending on it?

Yes, that is what the board should be doing. But those things are not "relatively simple."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Symone seems so narrowly focused on black kids with reading problems. David seems a little more open.

I think that's her activist moment -- her son has dyslexia. But her concerns about other elements of APS seem based on the way APS makes decisions -- not using current research or looking at the whole child. So early testing for dyslexia, training APS employees on inherent bias, listening to experts rather than marketers about good uses of technology -- those are relatively simple steps to take, and yet APS doesn't.

There are no "relatively simple steps to take," and anyone who insists there are doesn't know what they are talking about and should be suspect.

Not keeping on with approaches that have been proven to be ineffective, even if the UVA ed school came up with it, seems pretty basic.

Or how about not spending millions of dollars on new programs (1:1, FLES) unless there are clear and measurable goals for what that spending will achieve, and a commitment to acknowledge that something didn't work out and stop spending on it?

Anonymous wrote:"I love Hamm, but it would have made more sense to keep HB where it was, and put a middle school somewhere in Rosslyn" Yes, So sad that the board of the time caved and didn't make that a neighborhood middle school, or make it bigger. And yes, time wasted on trying to dislodge immersion with lost opportunity in the past. Time to do it and move on.

They really should have built Hamm larger. Such a waste not to.

"I love Hamm, but it would have made more sense to keep HB where it was, and put a middle school somewhere in Rosslyn" Yes, So sad that the board of the time caved and didn't make that a neighborhood middle school, or make it bigger. And yes, time wasted on trying to dislodge immersion with lost opportunity in the past. Time to do it and move on.

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Anonymous wrote:
Symone seems so narrowly focused on black kids with reading problems. David seems a little more open.

I think that's her activist moment -- her son has dyslexia. But her concerns about other elements of APS seem based on the way APS makes decisions -- not using current research or looking at the whole child. So early testing for dyslexia, training APS employees on inherent bias, listening to experts rather than marketers about good uses of technology -- those are relatively simple steps to take, and yet APS doesn't.

There are no "relatively simple steps to take," and anyone who insists there are doesn't know what they are talking about and should be suspect.

For example, there are almost 3,000 teachers in APS. "Training" them all could cost millions of dollars. APS spends over a million dollars a day on teacher salaries, so spending a day, or even half a day on training is a major investment, and there are LOTS of things that are important training needs.

And who are the "experts" about good uses of technology? How do we find them? How do we know which ones are trustworthy? What do we have to pay them?

People need to just stop with the "simple solutions." We have 30,000 students, 4,000 staff, 40 buildings, and a budget approaching three-quarters of a billion dollars. This is a big, complicated, important enterprise. Candidates that are focusing on a handful of kitchen table issues instead of the big picture are not going to be effective in providing the kind of overall strategy, direction, oversight, and leadership we need.

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Anonymous wrote:I'm a TJ parent and there are a few things I've asked him about. He knows where to point you to get things done, and he's surprised me a few times with how much insider info he has. He's learned how to work the system without burning bridges, which I think will help him to get things done.

Symone is probably my second favorite, I like her energy -- but she is a bit of a bridge-burner, so I see her as more of a wildcard.

I know the two of them are friends, which is interesting, because they have such different styles.

But right now, that's probably my 1-2.

Just go to any of his PTA meetings and you’ll see there is no leadership... at all.

What "leadership" do you expect for a middle school PTA?

If the PTA president is seeking to lead the district school board, I expect to see that capability and capacity being demonstrated in his meetings. I want to see his ability to supervise the superintendent on full display.

Speaking of meetings only two candidates bothered to show up at tonights board meeting. Cristina & Symone are here. Where are the others?

Maybe they're at the SUperintendent's focus group meetings. or the other commitments they've made. Maybe if Symone didn't go to the SB meetings, she'd have more time to attend her other committee meetings.
I don't think it's important for candidates to show up to the SB meetings. That is merely SHOW. It doesn't sway my support or vote. I want to see what they're getting DONE and participating in, not what they're watching.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I'm a TJ parent and there are a few things I've asked him about. He knows where to point you to get things done, and he's surprised me a few times with how much insider info he has. He's learned how to work the system without burning bridges, which I think will help him to get things done.

Symone is probably my second favorite, I like her energy -- but she is a bit of a bridge-burner, so I see her as more of a wildcard.

I know the two of them are friends, which is interesting, because they have such different styles.

But right now, that's probably my 1-2.

Just go to any of his PTA meetings and you’ll see there is no leadership... at all.

What "leadership" do you expect for a middle school PTA?

If the PTA president is seeking to lead the district school board, I expect to see that capability and capacity being demonstrated in his meetings. I want to see his ability to supervise the superintendent on full display.

Again - how? Do you expect him to supervise his principal and do so "on full display?" What specifically do you want him to lead whom to do/regarding what?

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Anonymous wrote:Symone gets the achievement gap issue. She also gets how concentration of poverty promotes the achievement gap. I have worked with her on committees, she is very nice and professional. People get upset with her sometimes because she challenges their ideas.

Thank you for proving my point.

What was your point? I'm wondering if you're someone who says people need to be nice/pleasant/likeable to get things done.

Anonymous wrote:Symone gets the achievement gap issue. She also gets how concentration of poverty promotes the achievement gap. I have worked with her on committees, she is very nice and professional. People get upset with her sometimes because she challenges their ideas.

Thank you for proving my point.

Symone gets the achievement gap issue. She also gets how concentration of poverty promotes the achievement gap. I have worked with her on committees, she is very nice and professional. People get upset with her sometimes because she challenges their ideas.

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Anonymous wrote:
Symone seems so narrowly focused on black kids with reading problems. David seems a little more open.

I think that's her activist moment -- her son has dyslexia. But her concerns about other elements of APS seem based on the way APS makes decisions -- not using current research or looking at the whole child. So early testing for dyslexia, training APS employees on inherent bias, listening to experts rather than marketers about good uses of technology -- those are relatively simple steps to take, and yet APS doesn't.

I’m torn on Walker, because on the one hand, I think she’s very right about APS curricula (reading especially) being either too whiz-bang or too feel-good and not grounded in good science. She seems to have a good grasp of where the curriculum is failing to connect and what the weak points are. But then I see how she acts on AEM with all the SJW stuff and I’m turned off.

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Anonymous wrote:A lot of people watch the school board meetings online either in real-time or later on. There's no reason to be at every one in person unless you have a reason to be there.

I would be concerned if someone has never been to one and doesn't follow or pay attention to what is happening. But I don't really care if our SB candidates are sitting there in the audience trying to be visible.

I think they should be there as well. They will need to be there if they are elected and I want to see that level commitment now. If they don’t show it now, they certainly won’t do it after they’ve been elected to a four year term. There are 7 candidates and I want to see what differentiates them from each other.

Really? I think maybe this a walker supporter trying to cast other candidates as disengaged.

Based on what I know of Symone I agree. She did not show up THIS WEEK to an advisory committee that she's a member of, where attendance is required. Then she put in an appearance at the school board meeting instead. I guess she calculated that's better for her campaign visibility.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of people watch the school board meetings online either in real-time or later on. There's no reason to be at every one in person unless you have a reason to be there.

I would be concerned if someone has never been to one and doesn't follow or pay attention to what is happening. But I don't really care if our SB candidates are sitting there in the audience trying to be visible.

I think they should be there as well. They will need to be there if they are elected and I want to see that level commitment now. If they don’t show it now, they certainly won’t do it after they’ve been elected to a four year term. There are 7 candidates and I want to see what differentiates them from each other.

Really? I think maybe this a walker supporter trying to cast other candidates as disengaged.