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Fairfax School Board Is Sued Over National Merit Secrecy
Fairfax Schools Monitor has sued the Fairfax County School Board to compel the release of its factual findings concerning the National Merit “commended student” controversy. The suit was filed on April 27 in the Fairfax County General District Court under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. (“FOIA”). Background In December 2022 an article in the…
Read MoreFairfax School Board Acts to Streamline Its Meetings
The Fairfax County School Board took a positive step at its April 13, 2023 meeting by adopting procedures to reduce virtue-signaling speeches by Board members. There are some ambiguities about the new guidelines, but the overall effect should be to reduce the time devoted at Board meetings to formalities so that more time can be…
Read MoreStrategic Plan and “Equity Policy,” Part 3
The last post reported on the drafting of a new Strategic Plan for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS); this one summarizes the status of a separate, but related, “Equity Policy.” Background The “equity policy” process dates back to September 2020, when the FCPS equity team made a presentation to the School Board, proposing an “anti-racism,…
Read MoreStrategic Plan and “Equity Policy,” Part 2
This article reports on the development of a new Strategic Plan for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), and the role of “equity” in it. A subsequent article will discuss FCPS’s simultaneous development of a separate but related initiative, the “Equity Policy.” Development of the Strategic Plan The Superintendent of FCPS initiated a planning process in…
Read MoreNew Strategic Plan and “Equity Policy” for Fairfax County Public Schools
This article, and several others that will follow, will report on the development and content of two important initiatives for Fairfax County Public Schools (“FCPS”): a new, multi-year Strategic Plan, and a formal Equity Policy. The two are closely related and will operate hand-in-hand in practice. The term “equity” will be defined in the Equity…
Read MoreFairfax Schools Hide Academic Awards from Families — Another Update
In December 2022 it was revealed that the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (“TJ”) in Fairfax County, Virginia, had withheld National Merit “commended student” awards from students and their parents. TJ’s leaders explained at the time that they did this so the feelings of other students wouldn’t be hurt; they added:…
Read MoreFairfax County SAT Scores Have Seriously Declined
I encourage everyone to read this short article. Fairfax SAT Scores Fall 27 Points. According to the statistics compiled by the Fairfax County Taxpayers Association (FCTA), the average SAT score of Fairfax County high schools students fell by a shocking 27 points between 2018 and 2022. Only two schools (Thomas Jefferson and Lake Braddock) showed…
Read MoreFairfax Schools Hide Academic Awards from Families — Update
Since this story broke on December 21, new developments have occurred almost daily. The story has held the attention of the public, press and government authorities because it vividly exemplifies how the Fairfax County public school system (“FCPS”) has elevated “equity” over academic standards and achievement. Factual Developments Journalist Asra Nomani’s December 21 article in…
Read MoreTJ Principal Hides Academic Awards for the Sake of “Equity”
Many troublesome issues have been discussed on this site regarding the ideological direction of the Fairfax County Public School system (FCPS). None can compare to this one in terms of sheer stupidity, cruelty and misguided priorities. Before reading further, please read the highlighted article below, which chronicles an intentional effort by the principal and an…
Read MoreFairfax Library Outbids Fairfax Schools for Critical Race Theory Speaker Kendi
In September 2020 Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) paid a controversial author $20,000 for a one-hour Zoom call. Ibram X. Kendi sat in his home, at times with his daughter on his lap, responding to softball questions from an FCPS administrator. FCPS was rightly criticized, on this site and elsewhere, for shelling out such a…
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