Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 12:19     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:Well, that sounds like weak, maybe, teachers. Oh, textbooks are online, computer skills trumps handwriting, grammar is taught. teachers are responsive, comments are as needed, ...

But you sound mad. Perhaps a Xanax with a shot of tequila will help?


+10000
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 12:18     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So, since I actually named schools as have others-why don't you do the same? Let me guess, you have no concrete firsthand knowledge of weak schools-only hearsay?!


Weak schools: Any school that has over 30 kids in a class at any grade level is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't teach writing or grammar or handwriting regularly is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't have any textbooks or workbooks is a weak school to me. Any school that can't handle discipline is a weak school to me. Any school that only communicates with parents on conference day and very sporadically throughout the year is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't send work home with comments is a weak school to me. Any school that allows excessive retakes of a test is a weak school to me. I know many schools like this.


Bully for you. No one died and made you ruler of the universe.


WTH? Many people consider these markers of weak schools. Not just me. WTH do you think we have someone who spent all her life in private school now heading the Dept. of Education?


Thank you for the softball.

And the answer would be...because we have a rich businessman as President-Elect who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, has only attended private schools, and generally hates public-sector employees and wants to send them a message that their work is not appreciated.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 12:12     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Well, that sounds like weak, maybe, teachers. Oh, textbooks are online, computer skills trumps handwriting, grammar is taught. teachers are responsive, comments are as needed, ...

But you sound mad. Perhaps a Xanax with a shot of tequila will help?
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 12:12     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So, since I actually named schools as have others-why don't you do the same? Let me guess, you have no concrete firsthand knowledge of weak schools-only hearsay?!


Weak schools: Any school that has over 30 kids in a class at any grade level is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't teach writing or grammar or handwriting regularly is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't have any textbooks or workbooks is a weak school to me. Any school that can't handle discipline is a weak school to me. Any school that only communicates with parents on conference day and very sporadically throughout the year is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't send work home with comments is a weak school to me. Any school that allows excessive retakes of a test is a weak school to me. I know many schools like this.


Bully for you. No one died and made you ruler of the universe.


WTH? Many people consider these markers of weak schools. Not just me. WTH do you think we have someone who spent all her life in private school now heading the Dept. of Education?
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 12:00     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So, since I actually named schools as have others-why don't you do the same? Let me guess, you have no concrete firsthand knowledge of weak schools-only hearsay?!


Weak schools: Any school that has over 30 kids in a class at any grade level is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't teach writing or grammar or handwriting regularly is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't have any textbooks or workbooks is a weak school to me. Any school that can't handle discipline is a weak school to me. Any school that only communicates with parents on conference day and very sporadically throughout the year is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't send work home with comments is a weak school to me. Any school that allows excessive retakes of a test is a weak school to me. I know many schools like this.


Bully for you. No one died and made you ruler of the universe.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:57     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:So, since I actually named schools as have others-why don't you do the same? Let me guess, you have no concrete firsthand knowledge of weak schools-only hearsay?!


Weak schools: Any school that has over 30 kids in a class at any grade level is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't teach writing or grammar or handwriting regularly is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't have any textbooks or workbooks is a weak school to me. Any school that can't handle discipline is a weak school to me. Any school that only communicates with parents on conference day and very sporadically throughout the year is a weak school to me. Any school that doesn't send work home with comments is a weak school to me. Any school that allows excessive retakes of a test is a weak school to me. I know many schools like this.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:47     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mosby Woods/Luther Jackson/Oakton high poster here. I gave you OUR experience. Has very little to do with anything other than the admin and the teachers. Try to spin it as you may, but we LOVED all 3 schools, and LJ was our kids' favorite! Again, this is OUR experience. Nothing to do with funding or center schools.


The point is it means very little to general ed parents who don't have the option of a center school if their school is declining while these schools are improving. The entire pyramid should be strong.


I draw a different inference, which is that elementary school parents tend to be critical and worried that their kids aren't getting enough attention, and that parents gain perspective and become more positive as their kids get older and their parents see them thriving (and doing considerably better than their peers elsewhere in the region, state and country).


I don't know. I see a lot of parents pulling their kids for high school. However FCPS has always prided itself on its high schools and spend less money on their elementary schools, so that probably raises their reputation. FCPS has a history of having weak elementary schools.


Yes, comparatively speaking, it's the middle and high schools in FCPS that tend to out-rank the public high schools in other areas, whereas the elementary schools don't stand out as much. Given that kids don't apply to college in fifth or sixth grade, that seems preferable to me than the converse, which exists in some other area systems, where the high schools tend to be the under-performers.

As for transfers, it goes both ways. Plenty of families in our area who send their kids to private K-8 and then on to the public high school.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:46     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
So, since I actually named schools as have others-why don't you do the same? Let me guess, you have no concrete firsthand knowledge of weak schools-only hearsay?!
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:42     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mosby Woods/Luther Jackson/Oakton high poster here. I gave you OUR experience. Has very little to do with anything other than the admin and the teachers. Try to spin it as you may, but we LOVED all 3 schools, and LJ was our kids' favorite! Again, this is OUR experience. Nothing to do with funding or center schools.


The point is it means very little to general ed parents who don't have the option of a center school if their school is declining while these schools are improving. The entire pyramid should be strong.


I draw a different inference, which is that elementary school parents tend to be critical and worried that their kids aren't getting enough attention, and that parents gain perspective and become more positive as their kids get older and their parents see them thriving (and doing considerably better than their peers elsewhere in the region, state and country).


I don't know. I see a lot of parents pulling their kids for high school. However FCPS has always prided itself on its high schools and spend less money on their elementary schools, so that probably raises their reputation. FCPS has a history of having weak elementary schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:38     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mosby Woods/Luther Jackson/Oakton high poster here. I gave you OUR experience. Has very little to do with anything other than the admin and the teachers. Try to spin it as you may, but we LOVED all 3 schools, and LJ was our kids' favorite! Again, this is OUR experience. Nothing to do with funding or center schools.


The point is it means very little to general ed parents who don't have the option of a center school if their school is declining while these schools are improving. The entire pyramid should be strong.


I draw a different inference, which is that elementary school parents tend to be critical and worried that their kids aren't getting enough attention, and that parents gain perspective and become more positive as their kids get older and their parents see them thriving (and doing considerably better than their peers elsewhere in the region, state and country).
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:38     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
And...MW doesn't get funding from Fairfax City. It pulls base from OHS pyramid,
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:38     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:Also, LJ only pulls from Thoreau for AAP. I don't think the center model argument works here either.


There are complaints about Thoreau.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:37     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Also, LJ only pulls from Thoreau for AAP. I don't think the center model argument works here either.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:37     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
Anonymous wrote:I'm unaware of any weak school in the OHS pyramid.

FWIW, the MW aap center pulls from Fairfax city schools-so zero effect on OHS pyramid, in fact.


Fairfax City gives more money to its schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/16/2017 11:36     Subject: Underwhelmed by FCPS
I'm unaware of any weak school in the OHS pyramid.

FWIW, the MW aap center pulls from Fairfax city schools-so zero effect on OHS pyramid, in fact.