Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think AEM teacher is setting himself for a school board run once he retires, like Paul. There’s no reason to speak at every school board meeting otherwise. He’s just run out of topics, so let’s just “suggest” that option schools end?

Well that's not going to a popular position anyways, and then he has the gall to make it after pushing so hard for VLP for his OWN kid? Rules for me but not for thee? No thanks.

Also, people are going to do what's best for their own kids, always, and I don't fault them for that. Don't call other parents racist or unethical for doing it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He named his link to the data "[his name] is probably wrong." I took it as a conversation starter, and it did seem to start a conversation.

Is he responding to comments?

No, which I find so annoying. If he’s going to be posting this stuff then he should at least explain and defend his view. I don’t understand that other person who keeps posting and defending him and trying to say “what I think he means is xyz…”

I chose an option school to avoid my neighborhood school and it’s not because I’m racist. I’m not white. It’s because my neighborhood score has low academic standards, behavioral issues, etc. If my neighborhood school had the same demographics but had a curriculum and expectations more like ATS I would not have left!

Back when we had to make this decision a decade ago our “neighborhood school” wasn’t being used by any of our neighbors, so there was no reason for us to consider it. We would have had to walk our kid to school (not something we wanted to do daily, taking 20 mins out of each morning before a commute), and kid wouldn’t have known anyone. Also, it was overcrowded and had abysmal scores. Literally nothing could’ve compelled us to send DC there. If there hadn’t been a public alternative we would’ve moved or gone private like the families who didn’t get into an option school by lottery.

Nobody wants their kid to be a lonely only, to have a birthday party nobody shows up to, to be teased for being “rich” or white, all things we had heard happened to the one family who did use the neighborhood school (a couple years ahead of us). They eventually moved to the Tuckahoe zone. Let’s talk about that. Okay?

Gosh, I wish you would post this on AEM. This is what people need to hear. This.

Anonymous wrote:I think AEM teacher is setting himself for a school board run once he retires, like Paul. There’s no reason to speak at every school board meeting otherwise. He’s just run out of topics, so let’s just “suggest” that option schools end?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The option schools (other than immersion which I strongly support) are terrible for APS. It is a brain drain of the neighborhood schools (mostly South Arlington. The problem with the post is that the author is one of those people that sees everything through a race lens even when it’s not the major driver (if at all) for people opting out of neighborhood schools.

Option schools are diverse but it is full of families who take initiative in their kids education. Their scores are better and they have more homework, structure, dress codes, etc. those are things my family values. All these families leaving their neighborhood schools to opt in to a more “traditional” or Montessori education are hurting the neighborhood. This is because the biggest indicator of success is a child’s peers. We should end the option programs and replicate what works (ATS) across APS. If you want a special Montessori curriculum for your kids, go private or start lobbying for school choice because that’s what’s you want.

(Side bar on immersion: these are the best environments for kids learning English and/or Spanish. As we get more EL students these programs are even more important. Ideally any kid not speaking English fluently would be in immersion that is 50-50 English/spanish).

Ahh so you are one of those who only see value in the program you personally like and want to slash the rest. Pass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The option schools (other than immersion which I strongly support) are terrible for APS. It is a brain drain of the neighborhood schools (mostly South Arlington. The problem with the post is that the author is one of those people that sees everything through a race lens even when it’s not the major driver (if at all) for people opting out of neighborhood schools.

Option schools are diverse but it is full of families who take initiative in their kids education. Their scores are better and they have more homework, structure, dress codes, etc. those are things my family values. All these families leaving their neighborhood schools to opt in to a more “traditional” or Montessori education are hurting the neighborhood. This is because the biggest indicator of success is a child’s peers. We should end the option programs and replicate what works (ATS) across APS. If you want a special Montessori curriculum for your kids, go private or start lobbying for school choice because that’s what’s you want.

(Side bar on immersion: these are the best environments for kids learning English and/or Spanish. As we get more EL students these programs are even more important. Ideally any kid not speaking English fluently would be in immersion that is 50-50 English/spanish).

Immersion still contributes to brain drain, why does it get a pass?

Anonymous wrote:The option schools (other than immersion which I strongly support) are terrible for APS. It is a brain drain of the neighborhood schools (mostly South Arlington. The problem with the post is that the author is one of those people that sees everything through a race lens even when it’s not the major driver (if at all) for people opting out of neighborhood schools.

Option schools are diverse but it is full of families who take initiative in their kids education. Their scores are better and they have more homework, structure, dress codes, etc. those are things my family values. All these families leaving their neighborhood schools to opt in to a more “traditional” or Montessori education are hurting the neighborhood. This is because the biggest indicator of success is a child’s peers. We should end the option programs and replicate what works (ATS) across APS. If you want a special Montessori curriculum for your kids, go private or start lobbying for school choice because that’s what’s you want.

(Side bar on immersion: these are the best environments for kids learning English and/or Spanish. As we get more EL students these programs are even more important. Ideally any kid not speaking English fluently would be in immersion that is 50-50 English/spanish).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He named his link to the data "[his name] is probably wrong." I took it as a conversation starter, and it did seem to start a conversation.

Is he responding to comments?

No, which I find so annoying. If he’s going to be posting this stuff then he should at least explain and defend his view. I don’t understand that other person who keeps posting and defending him and trying to say “what I think he means is xyz…”

I chose an option school to avoid my neighborhood school and it’s not because I’m racist. I’m not white. It’s because my neighborhood score has low academic standards, behavioral issues, etc. If my neighborhood school had the same demographics but had a curriculum and expectations more like ATS I would not have left!

Back when we had to make this decision a decade ago our “neighborhood school” wasn’t being used by any of our neighbors, so there was no reason for us to consider it. We would have had to walk our kid to school (not something we wanted to do daily, taking 20 mins out of each morning before a commute), and kid wouldn’t have known anyone. Also, it was overcrowded and had abysmal scores. Literally nothing could’ve compelled us to send DC there. If there hadn’t been a public alternative we would’ve moved or gone private like the families who didn’t get into an option school by lottery.

Nobody wants their kid to be a lonely only, to have a birthday party nobody shows up to, to be teased for being “rich” or white, all things we had heard happened to the one family who did use the neighborhood school (a couple years ahead of us). They eventually moved to the Tuckahoe zone. Let’s talk about that. Okay?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The option schools (other than immersion which I strongly support) are terrible for APS. It is a brain drain of the neighborhood schools (mostly South Arlington. The problem with the post is that the author is one of those people that sees everything through a race lens even when it’s not the major driver (if at all) for people opting out of neighborhood schools.

Option schools are diverse but it is full of families who take initiative in their kids education. Their scores are better and they have more homework, structure, dress codes, etc. those are things my family values. All these families leaving their neighborhood schools to opt in to a more “traditional” or Montessori education are hurting the neighborhood. This is because the biggest indicator of success is a child’s peers. We should end the option programs and replicate what works (ATS) across APS. If you want a special Montessori curriculum for your kids, go private or start lobbying for school choice because that’s what’s you want.

(Side bar on immersion: these are the best environments for kids learning English and/or Spanish. As we get more EL students these programs are even more important. Ideally any kid not speaking English fluently would be in immersion that is 50-50 English/spanish).

Immersion still contributes to brain drain, why does it get a pass?

Anonymous wrote:The option schools (other than immersion which I strongly support) are terrible for APS. It is a brain drain of the neighborhood schools (mostly South Arlington. The problem with the post is that the author is one of those people that sees everything through a race lens even when it’s not the major driver (if at all) for people opting out of neighborhood schools.

Option schools are diverse but it is full of families who take initiative in their kids education. Their scores are better and they have more homework, structure, dress codes, etc. those are things my family values. All these families leaving their neighborhood schools to opt in to a more “traditional” or Montessori education are hurting the neighborhood. This is because the biggest indicator of success is a child’s peers. We should end the option programs and replicate what works (ATS) across APS. If you want a special Montessori curriculum for your kids, go private or start lobbying for school choice because that’s what’s you want.

(Side bar on immersion: these are the best environments for kids learning English and/or Spanish. As we get more EL students these programs are even more important. Ideally any kid not speaking English fluently would be in immersion that is 50-50 English/spanish).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He named his link to the data "[his name] is probably wrong." I took it as a conversation starter, and it did seem to start a conversation.

Is he responding to comments?

No, which I find so annoying. If he’s going to be posting this stuff then he should at least explain and defend his view. I don’t understand that other person who keeps posting and defending him and trying to say “what I think he means is xyz…”

I chose an option school to avoid my neighborhood school and it’s not because I’m racist. I’m not white. It’s because my neighborhood score has low academic standards, behavioral issues, etc. If my neighborhood school had the same demographics but had a curriculum and expectations more like ATS I would not have left!

Anonymous wrote:I think AEM teacher is setting himself for a school board run once he retires, like Paul. There’s no reason to speak at every school board meeting otherwise. He’s just run out of topics, so let’s just “suggest” that option schools end?