Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a comparison of the ratings for elementaries in North Arlington

Jamestown - 10
Tuckahoe - 10
McKinley - 10
Nottingham - 10
Science Focus - 10
Ashlawn - 9
Taylor - 9
Glebe - 9
Long Branch - 8
Barret - 4


Swanson middle school - 9
Williamsburg middle - 9

Washington- Lee high school - 6
Yorktown high school - 7

Really all this proves to me is that Arlington has been successful at quietly doing what Loudoun is now being publicly criticized for, which is concentrating all the poor and ESL students at a few elementary schools in south Arlington (and one in north Arlington). We are on the wrong side of history, and I hope that anyone reading this post understands how when they choose to buy a home in north Arlington "for the schools" they are passively reinforcing segregation. Please understand, I'm not saying everyone who lives in north Arlington is a racist. I'm sure many (most) didn't even think about this issue when making their purchase. But that is the unintended consequence. Poor people can't afford to live in any of the "good school" zones in Arlington, so they aren't the ones making this choice.

Wrong school district. This is what ACPS has done with Jefferson-Houston. Take a look at the boundary for J-H. It makes no sense. It was a clear move to isolate the poorest students at one school so other failing schools (at the time) could succeed. And it worked. J-H bottomed out and several other schools improved.

Arlington's boundaries have always made sense geographically. North Arlington has gotten significantly more wealthy and whiter over the last 20 years. That evolution has been driven by a lot of variables and has more to do with the economic development policies of the County than some grand conspiracy to keep poor kids out of N Arlington schools. Go back in time 30-40 years and put the metro above ground and make different planning decisions in the rosslyn-ballston corridor and the County would likely look a lot different and there would be more naturally occurring diversity.

So what is your suggestion? Should we bus low-income kids into non-neighborhood schools in N. Arlington? Or vice versa? I'm interested to hear your practical solutions.

There has been like 1 million posts on this. The problem isn't how the school board draws the lines. It's how the county board pushes for affordable housing. Put a moratorium on it around Columbia Pike. Any additionally new low income housing should be located along Lee highway and zoned to north Arlington schools. It will take decades to fix at this point, but they need to start now if there is any hope to correct the issue.
In the mean time- have more choice options for south Arlington students.

Housing policy is school policy.

My first suggestion is that people of means who are considering where to live should think long and hard about what makes a school a "good school" and they should consider what exactly it is they're buying into with their purchasing power. And yes, I would love it if more people who live in areas with "bad schools" sent their kids to public schools, but they aren't going to be the change alone. I suggest people who consider themselves progressive/liberal should live their ideals instead of just writing checks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a comparison of the ratings for elementaries in North Arlington

Jamestown - 10
Tuckahoe - 10
McKinley - 10
Nottingham - 10
Science Focus - 10
Ashlawn - 9
Taylor - 9
Glebe - 9
Long Branch - 8
Barret - 4


Swanson middle school - 9
Williamsburg middle - 9

Washington- Lee high school - 6
Yorktown high school - 7

Really all this proves to me is that Arlington has been successful at quietly doing what Loudoun is now being publicly criticized for, which is concentrating all the poor and ESL students at a few elementary schools in south Arlington (and one in north Arlington). We are on the wrong side of history, and I hope that anyone reading this post understands how when they choose to buy a home in north Arlington "for the schools" they are passively reinforcing segregation. Please understand, I'm not saying everyone who lives in north Arlington is a racist. I'm sure many (most) didn't even think about this issue when making their purchase. But that is the unintended consequence. Poor people can't afford to live in any of the "good school" zones in Arlington, so they aren't the ones making this choice.

Wrong school district. This is what ACPS has done with Jefferson-Houston. Take a look at the boundary for J-H. It makes no sense. It was a clear move to isolate the poorest students at one school so other failing schools (at the time) could succeed. And it worked. J-H bottomed out and several other schools improved.

Arlington's boundaries have always made sense geographically. North Arlington has gotten significantly more wealthy and whiter over the last 20 years. That evolution has been driven by a lot of variables and has more to do with the economic development policies of the County than some grand conspiracy to keep poor kids out of N Arlington schools. Go back in time 30-40 years and put the metro above ground and make different planning decisions in the rosslyn-ballston corridor and the County would likely look a lot different and there would be more naturally occurring diversity.

So what is your suggestion? Should we bus low-income kids into non-neighborhood schools in N. Arlington? Or vice versa? I'm interested to hear your practical solutions.

There has been like 1 million posts on this. The problem isn't how the school board draws the lines. It's how the county board pushes for affordable housing. Put a moratorium on it around Columbia Pike. Any additionally new low income housing should be located along Lee highway and zoned to north Arlington schools. It will take decades to fix at this point, but they need to start now if there is any hope to correct the issue.
In the mean time- have more choice options for south Arlington students.

Housing policy is school policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a comparison of the ratings for elementaries in North Arlington

Jamestown - 10
Tuckahoe - 10
McKinley - 10
Nottingham - 10
Science Focus - 10
Ashlawn - 9
Taylor - 9
Glebe - 9
Long Branch - 8
Barret - 4


Swanson middle school - 9
Williamsburg middle - 9

Washington- Lee high school - 6
Yorktown high school - 7

Really all this proves to me is that Arlington has been successful at quietly doing what Loudoun is now being publicly criticized for, which is concentrating all the poor and ESL students at a few elementary schools in south Arlington (and one in north Arlington). We are on the wrong side of history, and I hope that anyone reading this post understands how when they choose to buy a home in north Arlington "for the schools" they are passively reinforcing segregation. Please understand, I'm not saying everyone who lives in north Arlington is a racist. I'm sure many (most) didn't even think about this issue when making their purchase. But that is the unintended consequence. Poor people can't afford to live in any of the "good school" zones in Arlington, so they aren't the ones making this choice.

Wrong school district. This is what ACPS has done with Jefferson-Houston. Take a look at the boundary for J-H. It makes no sense. It was a clear move to isolate the poorest students at one school so other failing schools (at the time) could succeed. And it worked. J-H bottomed out and several other schools improved.

Arlington's boundaries have always made sense geographically. North Arlington has gotten significantly more wealthy and whiter over the last 20 years. That evolution has been driven by a lot of variables and has more to do with the economic development policies of the County than some grand conspiracy to keep poor kids out of N Arlington schools. Go back in time 30-40 years and put the metro above ground and make different planning decisions in the rosslyn-ballston corridor and the County would likely look a lot different and there would be more naturally occurring diversity.

So what is your suggestion? Should we bus low-income kids into non-neighborhood schools in N. Arlington? Or vice versa? I'm interested to hear your practical solutions.

There has been like 1 million posts on this. The problem isn't how the school board draws the lines. It's how the county board pushes for affordable housing. Put a moratorium on it around Columbia Pike. Any additionally new low income housing should be located along Lee highway and zoned to north Arlington schools. It will take decades to fix at this point, but they need to start now if there is any hope to correct the issue.
In the mean time- have more choice options for south Arlington students.

Housing policy is school policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is a comparison of the ratings for elementaries in North Arlington

Jamestown - 10
Tuckahoe - 10
McKinley - 10
Nottingham - 10
Science Focus - 10
Ashlawn - 9
Taylor - 9
Glebe - 9
Long Branch - 8
Barret - 4


Swanson middle school - 9
Williamsburg middle - 9

Washington- Lee high school - 6
Yorktown high school - 7

Really all this proves to me is that Arlington has been successful at quietly doing what Loudoun is now being publicly criticized for, which is concentrating all the poor and ESL students at a few elementary schools in south Arlington (and one in north Arlington). We are on the wrong side of history, and I hope that anyone reading this post understands how when they choose to buy a home in north Arlington "for the schools" they are passively reinforcing segregation. Please understand, I'm not saying everyone who lives in north Arlington is a racist. I'm sure many (most) didn't even think about this issue when making their purchase. But that is the unintended consequence. Poor people can't afford to live in any of the "good school" zones in Arlington, so they aren't the ones making this choice.

I don't blame anyone it's human nature. What are the biggest drivers around here. Commute length and school quality.

If you redraw the school boundary lines property values will adjust and you will be right back where you started.

The actual solution is not giving up on your neighborhood school but again most parents want what it best for their kids and will go for AAP magnets or private if they are in a "lower performing" school district. The most drastic version of this is Alexandria Public schools and DC public schools. It is starting to happen more and more in South Arlington and Fairfax County. If the upper 1/3 of people in Alexandria actually used public schools the entire district would be much healthier. Again I don't blame parents for pulling their kids out but it's a pretty easy fix and would save the parents money too.