Reston - what's the big deal? Bad Schools! (Herndon, Fairfax: lease, public school)

[normie]

Originally Posted by claremarie

Not true, at least in the case of Obama. Both the DC mayor and the public schools chief encouraged the POTUS to consider the public school system, but everyone knew that was never going to happen. Remember, Obama himself went to an elite private school rather than attend the public schools in his modest-income neighborhood in Hawaii.

That's interesting. It's not at all what I heard, but I'm just going by what my friend who works in the DC school system said, so I could be wrong. I'm very surprised that any public school official would say that, but who knows? Do you have a link about it by any chance?

[car54]

What I find ironic: How many newcomers to NOVA state that "great schools" are their first priority? Must be in the thousands.

Yet, our teachers haven't gotten a raise in years...and likely won't for many more. Every budget season, if adding a few pennies to the tax rate is proposed...it's open season for teacher bashing. It will range from the asinine, "Pffft, they're off all summer!"....to the truly absurd, "They receive 90% percent pensions!"...and everything in between.

So, is there no correlation between "great schools" and great teachers? Or if you just put the right kids in a nice building....the instruction part takes care of itself...anybody could do it?

The longer pay is frozen, the harder it's going to be to retain good teachers...or maintain morale among the teachers that stay.

How can you love great schools, but hate teachers?

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Stephen 81

In all seriousness, though, shouldn't this thread be locked? Almost nobody is offering the OP a bit of advice about Reston, or any other actual hs pyramid for that matter.

Why? The debate will just resurrect the next time someone asks "so how are the schools in (insert name of area with lower two parent households and incomes)?" Better (and more entertaining) to just let it play out. You really think the OP cares? He probably moved on several posts ago.

[claremarie]

Originally Posted by car54

What I find ironic: How many newcomers to NOVA state that "great schools" are their first priority? Must be in the thousands.

Yet, our teachers haven't gotten a raise in years...and likely won't for many more. Every budget season, if adding a few pennies to the tax rate is proposed...it's open season for teacher bashing. It will range from the asinine, "Pffft, they're off all summer!"....to the truly absurd, "They receive 90% percent pensions!"...and everything in between.

So, is there no correlation between "great schools" and great teachers? Or if you just put the right kids in a nice building....the instruction part takes care of itself...anybody could do it?

The longer pay is frozen, the harder it's going to be to retain good teachers...or maintain morale among the teachers that stay.

How can you love great schools, but hate teachers?

Lots of folks haven't gotten a raise in several years. Some have lost their jobs (how many teachers have been fired or laid off in Fairfax County during the past 2 years?), and others have had their compensation levels slashed. The County can't print money to provide raises for teachers. That money has to come from somewhere, either higher taxes (imposed on those folks who have lost their jobs or lost income) or cuts in popular programs, or probably both. Teachers have incredible job security and generous health and retirement benefits. Asking them to accept a wage freeze for another year isn't asking for too much.

[Margery]

Originally Posted by djveed

Hello! Moving down to Fairfax County after a lifetime in Fairfield County, CT (yes Greenwich and Stamford). Looking to be commutable to both DC in case I end up working there in the distant future, and also to Sterling - the Sugarland Plaza Shopping Center area (Leesburg Pike + Dranesville Road). So Reston seems to be a good area distance wise. Have very young children and school system is really important.

But according to greatschools.com and schooldigger.com, the Reston middle and high schools seem pretty below average (the elementary are good however). Why does everyone seem to flock to Reston despite having poor schools?

What's a good school district commutable to both of these places?

Okay, back on the subject. Cascades would be super close to the Sugarland Plaza (I believe it is called Sugarland Crossing) and there are several ways to get there depending on where you live. Another area to consider is Countryside, a little older than Cascades and priced a little lower also. There is a commuter bus that picks up at Great Falls Plaza on Algonkian Parkway in Lowes Island area that goes directly to the West Falls Church Metro stop. I think there are other places in Sterling for another commuter bus stop. Schools are very good to excellent, I don't think you can go wrong with either Dominion High School or Potomac Falls High School.

As a smarty pants comment on schools, how did Abraham Lincoln do so well with only 18 months of schooling and a lot of self education and no TJ for his parents to brag about? It boggles the mind! Could it be that a lot of responsibility for achievement in school lies with the child?

[novajs]

Originally Posted by car54

What I find ironic: How many newcomers to NOVA state that "great schools" are their first priority? Must be in the thousands.

Yet, our teachers haven't gotten a raise in years...and likely won't for many more. Every budget season, if adding a few pennies to the tax rate is proposed...it's open season for teacher bashing. It will range from the asinine, "Pffft, they're off all summer!"....to the truly absurd, "They receive 90% percent pensions!"...and everything in between.

So, is there no correlation between "great schools" and great teachers? Or if you just put the right kids in a nice building....the instruction part takes care of itself...anybody could do it?

The longer pay is frozen, the harder it's going to be to retain good teachers...or maintain morale among the teachers that stay.

How can you love great schools, but hate teachers?

"Great schools" ususally mean great students. The teachers are pretty much the same accross the board in the county. Teachers at South Lakes High are just as good as teachers at Langley. If you put TJ students in South Lakes with the same faculty, I am pretty sure South Lakes would be the #1 high school in the county. The high SAT scores have a lot to do with parents paying private tutoring and prep classes.

As for the pay, right now it is equally hard in the private sector as well. Teachers can't easily find jobs that pay more with a pension and summer off. I don't even know any private employers offering pensions anymore.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by Margery

As a smarty pants comment on schools, how did Abraham Lincoln do so well with only 18 months of schooling and a lot of self education and no TJ for his parents to brag about?

As I mentioned before he was also the child of a single parent by the age of 9 and was from a low income home. Definitely not the kind of kid some here would want their cherubs hangin' with.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by novajs

"Great schools" ususally mean great students. The teachers are pretty much the same accross the board in the county. Teachers at South Lakes High are just as good as teachers at Langley. If you put TJ students in South Lakes with the same faculty, I am pretty sure South Lakes would be the #1 high school in the county. The high SAT scores have a lot to do with parents paying private tutoring and prep classe.

Sounds like a consensus.

[djveed]

Wow. Little embarrassed that my post caused so much discussion and heat. I stepped away for twenty four hours and had to get caught up on eight pages!

So let me summarize -- Reston schools can be just as good as other Fairfax County schools, because "good" is a VERY VERY hard thing to define. Nonetheless, the implication is there that if you had a choice between a $375K home in Reston and a $375K home in Fairfax (albeit smaller in size), you would choose Fairfax because the schools from K-12 have a "higher greatschools.org rating." This is what GreatSchools says:

The results we use are typically the percentage of students scoring at or above the proficient level on the test in each grade and subject (e.g., grade 4/math) and each grade, subject and student category (e.g., grade 4/math/Hispanic students). The proficiency levels and student categories are defined by the state Department of Education.

Hughes and South Lakes each score a 5. Fairfax High, Robinson, and Woodson each score an 8. Now this is not a guarantee that your children will come out smarter by any means. Neither is private schooling. But if you had a choice, wouldn't it make sense to go for the 8s instead of the 5s?

[bmwguydc]

Yes, to me, your logic is correct for your situation. However, Woodson is a distance from Sugarland Run, with AM traffic through Reston/Tysons to get there. It is on the east/southeast side of Fairfax City, closer to DC, along Little River Turnpike, ending right near Northern Virginia Community College. There is also an area in Fairfax Station that is zoned for Woodson.

Oakton should be on the list if you are considering Fairfax as it will easily save 15-20 minutes on the drive to Sugarland Run in AM traffic, and is also close to Vienna/Fairfax Metro. You would be looking to a townhouse, most likely off Blake Lane.