Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure it would be legal for them to do away with the chorus program from an equity point of view. And just one language? They are going the wrong direction.

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Anonymous wrote:They are totally doubling down on IB. Last I heard, they were looking to spread the MYP downward to the PYP level in feeder elementaries.

Ughhh...

That is too bad.

Why don't the academically minded families zoned for Lee try to find a better advocate to run in the next school board election?

It has been easier in the past for families to transfer or move. Some of the families left behind really like IB. Many others just tolerate it without understanding what is going on. It is hard at a school like Lee to build a coalition. Sad really.

The FCPS Board, however, should know better and should start to correct things. Switch back to AP, put an AAP center at Key, and make the Lee/Key language program more equivalent to other schools. Unfortunately, Tamara is a big proponent of IB. If we can replace her with someone who is not so smitten with the program we might have a chance to be done with IB.

You'll have to get rid of the new principal they just hired this year at key. She's slashing foreign language. The only language offered next year is Spanish (no more French). She's cutting electives in general--next year there will be no chorus or guitar either.

Hold on back that up
No chorus? That can’t be a real thing. I seriously don’t believe that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are totally doubling down on IB. Last I heard, they were looking to spread the MYP downward to the PYP level in feeder elementaries.

Ughhh...

That is too bad.

Why don't the academically minded families zoned for Lee try to find a better advocate to run in the next school board election?

It has been easier in the past for families to transfer or move. Some of the families left behind really like IB. Many others just tolerate it without understanding what is going on. It is hard at a school like Lee to build a coalition. Sad really.

The FCPS Board, however, should know better and should start to correct things. Switch back to AP, put an AAP center at Key, and make the Lee/Key language program more equivalent to other schools. Unfortunately, Tamara is a big proponent of IB. If we can replace her with someone who is not so smitten with the program we might have a chance to be done with IB.

You'll have to get rid of the new principal they just hired this year at key. She's slashing foreign language. The only language offered next year is Spanish (no more French). She's cutting electives in general--next year there will be no chorus or guitar either.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are totally doubling down on IB. Last I heard, they were looking to spread the MYP downward to the PYP level in feeder elementaries.

Ughhh...

That is too bad.

Why don't the academically minded families zoned for Lee try to find a better advocate to run in the next school board election?

It has been easier in the past for families to transfer or move. Some of the families left behind really like IB. Many others just tolerate it without understanding what is going on. It is hard at a school like Lee to build a coalition. Sad really.

The FCPS Board, however, should know better and should start to correct things. Switch back to AP, put an AAP center at Key, and make the Lee/Key language program more equivalent to other schools. Unfortunately, Tamara is a big proponent of IB. If we can replace her with someone who is not so smitten with the program we might have a chance to be done with IB.

Anonymous wrote:I remember a couple of years ago. The Springfield Estates staff had tracked the kids who were from SEES and graduating from Lee (those would be the base school kids -- not the AAP kids -- most of whom were ESOL/FARMS). They said every single SEES-based graduate at Lee was going on to college. They were proud that their SEES kids were shooting higher. I don't think the kids from Garfield and Crestwood are achieving as much even in elementary school as those at SEES. They are similar populations, but the results are very different. That just continues in HS.

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Anonymous wrote:Move
Go private

This is a troll response.


Send your kids to Lee. If you have faith in your parenting and your kids, they will do well. If not, I don't know what to tell you. FCPS provides solid resources for all of its schools.

We won't move but we would go private if TJ is not an option. Why is that a troll response?

Probably because no thought is put into it.

What is your specific issue with the school and have you experienced it first hand in any way?

Should FCPS just close Lee?

My biggest issue with Lee is that my child would be going to a school named after Robet E. Lee and the ugliness of WHY it is named after him.

The test scores are terrible and a family friend who went there recently decsribed it as an awful experience that he couldn't wait to get out of. Why do I need to have first hand experience to determine that it wouldn't be a good fit? Red flags everywhere. We have the resources to avoid it and will.

I have no allegiance to the name and don't really care if they rename it. In no way, however, should it be your biggest concern. The day to day impact of the name on students is nil. They are all Lancers. It does not impact student performance. I just don't hear students saying, "Darn, I would have done better in that class, but that damn Robert E. Lee!"

Test scores - I don't suppose you should be shocked that, in one of the poorest schools in the county with one of the highest ESL populations, that test scores won't be through the roof. Remember, however, that your student is an individual. I know a number of students, including my own children, who score quite well at Lee.

Based on your second paragraph, it doesn't seem as if the name is really your biggest concern. In other words, if they changed the name (your supposed biggest concern), it does not appear you would then be willing to send your kids to Lee. Let's face it, you say you have the means to avoid it and will, which is basically saying you can avoid the 'poors'. This just feeds the self-fulfilling cycle that Lee is trapped in as it gets poorer and poorer.

So, should they close Lee? Or do the surrounding schools want it to exist just so it can absorb the 'poors'?

I am curious, do you consider yourself more liberal or conservative. The vast majority of posters on this site seem to be liberal, but they don't live what they say.

The name "Robert E. Lee" means nothing to Black children? Okay. And the fact that it was named that in retaliation for Fairfax County being forced to desegregate? Okay.

And yes, the test scores are a major concern. My kid is in the AAP and needs to be challenged. How will that happen if the teachers are busy focusing on ESL and whatever else.

You are reaching with the "poors" nonsense so I wont even address it. I dont care what they do with Lee as it wont be my concern.

I am a liberal but probably more on the conservative side. No sure what that has to do with anything.

ESOL kids enroll in ESOL classes . All you have to do is look up test scores by race/ethnicity to see how each performs. I’m sure you’ll find that white/Asian students do just fine there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Move
Go private

This is a troll response.


Send your kids to Lee. If you have faith in your parenting and your kids, they will do well. If not, I don't know what to tell you. FCPS provides solid resources for all of its schools.

We won't move but we would go private if TJ is not an option. Why is that a troll response?

Probably because no thought is put into it.

What is your specific issue with the school and have you experienced it first hand in any way?

Should FCPS just close Lee?

My biggest issue with Lee is that my child would be going to a school named after Robet E. Lee and the ugliness of WHY it is named after him.

The test scores are terrible and a family friend who went there recently decsribed it as an awful experience that he couldn't wait to get out of. Why do I need to have first hand experience to determine that it wouldn't be a good fit? Red flags everywhere. We have the resources to avoid it and will.

I have no allegiance to the name and don't really care if they rename it. In no way, however, should it be your biggest concern. The day to day impact of the name on students is nil. They are all Lancers. It does not impact student performance. I just don't hear students saying, "Darn, I would have done better in that class, but that damn Robert E. Lee!"

Test scores - I don't suppose you should be shocked that, in one of the poorest schools in the county with one of the highest ESL populations, that test scores won't be through the roof. Remember, however, that your student is an individual. I know a number of students, including my own children, who score quite well at Lee.

Based on your second paragraph, it doesn't seem as if the name is really your biggest concern. In other words, if they changed the name (your supposed biggest concern), it does not appear you would then be willing to send your kids to Lee. Let's face it, you say you have the means to avoid it and will, which is basically saying you can avoid the 'poors'. This just feeds the self-fulfilling cycle that Lee is trapped in as it gets poorer and poorer.

So, should they close Lee? Or do the surrounding schools want it to exist just so it can absorb the 'poors'?

I am curious, do you consider yourself more liberal or conservative. The vast majority of posters on this site seem to be liberal, but they don't live what they say.

The name "Robert E. Lee" means nothing to Black children? Okay. And the fact that it was named that in retaliation for Fairfax County being forced to desegregate? Okay.

And yes, the test scores are a major concern. My kid is in the AAP and needs to be challenged. How will that happen if the teachers are busy focusing on ESL and whatever else.

You are reaching with the "poors" nonsense so I wont even address it. I dont care what they do with Lee as it wont be my concern.

I am a liberal but probably more on the conservative side. No sure what that has to do with anything.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I worked at Lee years ago. I always felt safe and had hard working, motivated students in my classes as well as unmotivated students. The biggest issue was attendance. Many students would not come to school and it was the norm to miss significant amounts with both ESOL and non ESOL students.

I would not send my own children there. I have experienced general ed and honors classes at Lee and at other schools. The standards and rigor are not the same.

This sounds like an argument to close Lee. How can FCPS allow this to continue to spiral downward unless the whole reason is to soak up the poor kids so they don't affect the other schools?

I think that’s exactly the reason why FCPS allows the downward spiral to continue. I wonder what percentage of Lee HS parents are eligible to vote (i.e. US citizens) vs parents at West Springfield? If parents don’t (or can’t) vote, elected officials will ignore them.

West Springfield has nothing to do with Lee.

You miss my point entirely! To put it in simple terms that a child can understand - if parents vote, their school will get attention and resources. If parents don’t vote, elected officials will assume that the parents don’t care or lack political power. So, their schools will get less.

West Springfield parents vote. Lee parents don’t. So, which school do you think the School Board is keeping as the “better” school?