Broadlands Schools - Especially Hillside

Are there any other parents NOT that happy with our schools in the Broadlands?

We’ve been in the Broadlands since 1997, with 2 school age kids. Since then we have had 7 years experience with Hillside Elementary and a couple of years with Eagle Ridge.

I attended nothing but public schools as a child, so I'm not some hoity-toity "everyone should go to private school" person.

At Hillside in particular, I have felt the amount of work/quality of education is pretty lacking. From a birdseye view everything looks fine. But if you dig deeper you can see there is plenty of "downtime." If you pay attention and ask questions, you find out things like:
- math is only taught a couple times a week (not a lot of work)
- science maybe once a week
- textbooks are seldem used (although they look great on shelf during "parent visit days")
- grammar is barely addressed at all
- some teachers talk/text on their phones during worksheet time
- a good look at the weekly daily work folder shows a lack any real serious work

I finally had enough of Hillside last year with 4th grade. I pulled my 4th grader out of school in March and homeschooled him myself for 4 months. Not for any other reason other than I felt my kid was not getting a good/solid education. I have no religious reason to homeschool, since I'm a devout atheist. After working with him very closely during our homeschooling, I saw that he can learn/do MUCH MUCH more than what was offered at Hillside. It really confirmed my feelings about the lack of education he was getting at Hillside.

What is the general feeling about our schools?
Are parents too busy with their lives/work/bunko to notice how lacking that school is?
Do parents here have fairly low expectations about their kids' education?
Am I expecting too much for an elementary school?

Just curious what other thoughts are. I am homeschooling him this year, with plans to send him to Eagle Ridge for 6th grade.

 

My oldest went to a MS in Fairfax County, and his younger brother to Eagle Ridge.The FFX school was far superior in teacher quality and advanced classes,which gave him a real head start at Stone Bridge.I was not impressed with Eagle Ridge.Good luck.

 

Kids in Loudoun do "well" in schooling and go on to college at a very high percentage.
This has EVERYTHING to do with the type of people that live here. The school system will claim it is because of what they do. Kids here will do well REGARDLESS of the public school system.
The amount of money spent by this school system is atrocious and the tax rates that result from it are making Loudoun a less desirable place to live.
Just my humble opinion.

 

May I present a TERRIBLE product of the LCPS System:



Then there is THIS ABOMINATION (row 3).

OH MY GOOSES! The horror, the horror!

Great Kids = A great School System + Great Scouting + Involved Parents

"Better Schools! Better Schools!"
"umm they cost money."
"NO MORE TAXES! NO MORE TAXES!!!!"

How many hours have YOU volunterred?????????

I *did* go to a $5K a year private school (1970's dollars) and the experience ed!!!!! LCPS has provided more resources, more help, more GREAT TEACHERS at $0 additional cost than that freaking $5K a year private I went to.

Can anyone tell I get a bit heated over threads like this?

Tell you what - wander on over to the school and ask for a volunteer form. Or the local Scout Troop. Or the local church.

 

Wow, hope your place of employment doesn't get such attacks. After subbing for several years in different schools, I feel very fortunate to work at Hillside due to the environment provided to students there.

I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that the 4th grade social studies SOL is actually a 5th grade SOL given in the 4th grade. To make sure the students are ready, more social studies is taught in the 4th grade and more science is taught in the 5th grade. Also, the SOL's don't adhere to information found in just one textbook so many resources are used throughout the year to make sure students get the information they need.

I can't say what all classes do every minute of the day, but I do know that every class that I have worked in at Hillside has had math just about every single day, unless something has happened to alter the schedule (delayed openings, etc.).

Now, as a parent of students that have attended not only Hillside, but Farmwell Station, Eagle Ridge, Broad Run, Stone Bridge, and Briar Woods, I must say that the schools here are high and above what we left in CA. And yes, much of what makes a school successful is what the families and community bring to the school.

 

As far as public schools go I've heard that the ones in our area our very good. I have no experience with them myself yet. I read a book called
What the Rest of Us Can Learn from Homeschooling: How A+ Parents Can Give Their Traditionally Schooled Kids the Academic Edge and thought it was very interesting. It discusses the importance of parents taking part in their child's education and encouraging the child to enjoy learning. One of the things that stands out for me is that it pointed out how almost anything can be a learning experience and to find ways to relate things the child knows to things they could learn. It advises to get a copy of the teacher's overall lesson plan for the year (not in detail, but what areas will be covered) and find ways to enhance the school's curriculum with some ideas of your own. Studying the civil war? Take a trip to Gettysburg. Things like that. Do what you can to partner with the teachers and help your child learn and love to learn.

 

Nothing beats homeschooling for a child like yours keep up the good work.

 

I can only let you know our experiences. Our daughter who is now a rising 8th grader has received national recognition for her adademic acheivement, attends summer camps for academically advanced students, and will be a strong candidate for TJ and Loudoun Academy of Science.

I have nothing but praise for a school system that finds ways to encourage enthusiasm for learning and provides constant challenges for gifted students.

 

Great points, Kaos!
"Better schools" cost a lot of money. A better education does not have to.
For example, the quality of education can be the same, or greater, out of a $20,000,000 building than a $75,000,000 one.

 

Cliff,

You only get one chance to build something..... short changing the initial design will only lead to higher costs in the future. As with any government institution the issue is beuracracy and the costs that come with it....

From my experience LCPS schools and teacher quality is very good.........

 

We're a military family and have lived in many different states, so have experience with schools in the south, north, east and west! From that perspective, the schools here are AWESOME. I will tell anyone that one of the main reasons we live here is for the schools. Maybe you should experience schools outside of Broadlands (or VA for that matter) to get a real feel for how great the schools are.

 

Home schooling may work for Big Dog, but for my family LCPS has been a great and wonderful experience. When moving back into the area from 20 years away in Dayton, San Diego, and St Louis (and experience each's less-than-LCPS quality), we specifically chose to move to Loudoun vs Fairfax because it was the nearest experience we could get in a public school without paying for private. We have never looked back. In 12 years my four kids have grown up through many rezonings to be able to experience attendance at Ashburn ES, Dominion Trail ES, Farrmwell Station MS, Broad Run HS, Harper Park MS, Eagle Ridge MS, Stone Bridge HS, and Briar Wood HS. My youngest was in the first class to open Hillside and go all the way through Hillside ES (without moviing). Each has been an honor student throughout and due to LCPS education received many local, county, regional, and national honors and scholarships--the ultimate mark of a good school system. I am proud that my first three graduated from Broad Run HS and Stone Bridge HS and the last will graduate from Briar Woods. My recently married oldest daughter got her degree in teaching and got the best and most fulfilling job offer from LCPS and now teaches at both Stone Bridge and Park View, rather than go to some other school system. I for one am a strong advocate of LCPS, even though I know it doesn't work for everyone.

 

Never said or implied that the schools/teachers are not very good. Our kids have had some amazing teachers. They've also had some lazy and mediocre ones. The buildings are beyond belief. The first time I walked into Briar Woods, my jaw hit the floor!!
But I'm sorry, but I'll bet the students at Broad Run get just as good an education as at Briar Woods.
Does every new high school need it's own world class sports complex and multiple outbuildings to go with it??????
Does every new high school need acres of parking lots?
The building of schools has become its own layer of bureaucracy unto itself.

My point is that the amount of money you spend has little to do with the quality of education received. If that was the case DC public schools would be the best around.

 

Peddler-
I'd bet this post says far more about you than any particular public school system.

 

Many of us have.....which leads to some opinions that the schools aren't as great as many seem to think they are.

 

Both of my kids have gone through their schooling here and it is superior to most public schools. My daughter finds college a lot less challenging then high school in Loudoun County.

 

Just because there are worse schools, doesn't mean LCPS are good schools.

And just because some kids have moved on and done well despite the schools, doesn't mean the schools are great either. Motivated, smart kids, with parents who nurture and supplement their education do well anyway.

 

Agreed. Just asked the teachers if they prefer to have more cash in their pockets over a multi million dollar school building.

 

I think one of the problems here isn't money spent on school buildings but one of curriculum.

I personally do have a few problems with the school system in terms of curriculum and instruction.

I'm going to list two of them here and I'm on record with multiple members of the school board and school staff about these so I feel comfortable stating these concerns publicly.

#1 - MATH INVESTIGATIONS

The school system had a big dog and pony show for parents last spring about Math Investigations - the "new" program they want to roll out in all of the elementary schools to teach math. I went to the Curriculum & Instruction meeting the school board's subcommittee had on this topic last year which was a bit different than the presentation for parents. At that meeting, the supervisor for Mathematics specifically stated that people no longer use long division so the schools do not have to teach it. I'm still absolutely aghast by that statement months later!

Math Investigations is a bad program for children in Loudoun County. It will not provide students with the mathematical background necessary in order to understand and succeed in algebra. Students will be leaving elementary schools without a proper knowledge of standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication or division as well as a strong knowledge of basic math facts, fractions and decimals. Without those, it is only a matter of time until SOL scores plummet and then SAT scores. Without a strong mathematical background, students won't be able to take higher level science classes. Even in the softer social sciences, statistics are required and you need to know basic math facts in order to succeed in those classes. Most colleges require at least one semester of math these days.

My first grade daughter used Math Investigations in her classroom. All we saw until the end of the year (when they started doing timed math tests) were a few ambiguous games to play with a parent and a few assignments to draw pictures. She did not have a math textbook.

Math Investigations is about students teaching themselves how math works instead of being taught by a teacher. They need to rediscover how to add, subtract, etc. Didn't people like Descartes already do that - why reinvent the wheel? Once students know the basic math facts, then they can have fun playing with numbers and seeing all the great things they can do but if you don't know that 1+1=2, it's simply going to be an exercise in frustration.

Math Investigations is one of the lowest rated mathematical programs according to all of the research I have found concerning the ranking of various methods. It's not even approved to meet the 5th grade SOLs. Numerous school districts have dumped this program and many college mathematics professors have spoken out against it. There is a gigantic fight taking place in Prince William County to get rid of this program yet our Math supervisors want to impose it on our kids!

#2 - Gifted instruction

Another huge ball of worms. Gifted children aren't officially identified until 3rd grade. Until then, *all* children receive gifted instruction which is a SEARCH teacher coming into the classroom to provide lessons to the entire class. I guess if you don't identify them, they don't exist and therefore you don't have to provide services. Once they hit 4th & 5th grades, they can be in FUTURA which means they spend a good part of the instructional day being bussed to another school to receive differentiated instruction one day a week.

Gifted kids are gifted 24x7 - not one day a week and not only when they hit the 4th grade. It's like special education in that respect.

There are many good things going on in LCPS but these are two of the exceptions that I personally find disturbing. Please note that they are administrative level issues!

 

Maybe the problem is the public school philosophy and the way kids are expected to learn. This problem is nationwide. May I recommend The Science Behind the Genius, a book about the Montessori Philosophy. Our family is so excited about that way of learning! Children do not have homework in elementary school - the parents are asked to go on a nature walk and study what they see, for example.

We have been very thrilled with Montessori Academy at Belmont Greene.