Arlington values walkability, being bike friendly, public transit and the car-free diet. The live close/work close philosophy should also carry over into an investment in neighborhood schools to ensure all meet the Arlington Public Schools (APS) commitment to deliver data based academic excellence where every student counts and needs are met.
What is data based academic excellence? We can’t easily find that APS has clearly defined data based excellence, or how schools are assessed for performance.
We’ve reviewed publicly available data for all APS elementary schools and looked at the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLS) as a means to compare school performance over time. If your child starts at an APS elementary at age 3 through the preschool programs (VLP & Montessori) and continues through grade 5 (age 11) your child will spend nearly 9 years in the school. There are important questions to ask of that school. Is past performance an indicator of future performance? Does the school maintain a consistent standard of education? Does the school have room to grow academically? Does the school show academic growth or decline from year to year? Does the school consistently perform well in all subjects (math, reading, science and social studies) or just one or two subjects? And how well is the school closing the equity gap? Are all subgroups moving in the same direction and closer to a common average or is the gap widening?
There are also factors beyond the scores that impact performance. Does the school retain staff and teachers? Is the bench of long term staff deep enough to mentor and foster growth in development in new staff? Does the school foster a professional culture that encourages partnership and open communication between staff and supervisors? Do teachers and staff feel valued?
And there are questions about the relationship between the school and the surrounding community. Does the school communicate clearly with all subgroups in their community? Do they build partnerships with community organizations, with the neighbors, with the Parent Teacher Association? Do they value parent/guardian partnership? Various research reports and articles state relationships between student families and the school is essential for building equity in education along with high expectations—a firm belief that every child can grow in learning. Parent partnerships are critical in building a common understanding of what good behavior is in school. Learning is lost when classrooms are out of control or the behaviors of a few become the focus of the whole.
At Oakridge, we value our diversity. There is inherent value in attending a school with an international student population who speak over 80 different languages, practice different religions, represent different cultures, have varied economic means and differing abilities. Such exposure builds friendships, inclusivity and tolerance in a way that cannot be taught. But we also recognize that, in examining too many of the above questions, our school comes up short. Do we really value diversity if it is also used as an excuse to explain away a declining academic record? Oakridge is not the only diverse school in Arlington and many of those other diverse schools also manage to deliver consistent academic growth. Families shouldn’t have to choose between their neighborhood community and a school that values academic growth, the value of a diverse community and a strong elementary foundation.
If data based academics and equity really are APS values, please deliver to Oakridge Elementary.
We’re waiting.
Anna Hudson, Nan Mooney, Karen Dennis, Lauren Bailey