Opinion

Ed Talk: APS Should Be a Purple Star School District

By Symone Walker

Arlington is the home of the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, and of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, which comprises three main installations that were combined during the last round of Base Realignment and Closure: Fort Myer (Army), Henderson Hall (Marines), and Fort McNair (Army). Many of the students living on and off JBMHH attend Arlington Public Schools.

The Virginia Purple Star Designation is awarded to military-friendly schools that have demonstrated a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. Disappointingly, despite its proximity to the heart of the military, only one APS school (Discovery Elementary) earned the Purple Star designation in 2019-2020. None has earned it for 2020-2021. By contrast, 34 Fairfax County public schools and 21 Prince William County public schools earned the Purple Star designation between 2018-2021. In the other military mecca, 59 Virginia Beach City public schools and 11 Norfolk public schools earned the Purple Star designation between 2018-2021.

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Modern Mobility: Local Control

By Chris Slatt

Modern Mobility is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

Unlike most counties in Virginia, Arlington owns and maintains the vast majority of the County’s roads… but not all of them. Highways like I-395, I-66 rightly belong under the control of the Virginia Department of Transportation, but for other streets in Arlington, the value proposition is much less clear.

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Community Matters: We Are All Connected

By Krysta Jones

Community Matters is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

On Saturday, I made an interesting discovery. In 2008, I volunteered on a campaign and in the process met Kevin Vincent and his wife Pat Haman. I was relatively new to Arlington community work, and I remember being appreciative of the opportunity to connect with great people.

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Making Room: Training Engaged Citizens

By Jane Green

In the Spring of 2018, I had the great fortune to participate in Arlington Neighborhood College. This county program brings together a group of residents who want to be more involved in the County’s civic life.

Over the course of eight weeks, we were introduced to a diverse range of Arlington County staff and elected officials, as well as the leaders of some of Arlington’s central public-facing institutions.

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Morning Poll: Second Rosslyn Station and New Georgetown Stop?

By Jo DeVoe

Transit planners have come up with four different ways that they say could solve congestion at the Rosslyn Metro Station while planning for future ridership needs.

Unfortunately, a Metrorail line through Columbia Pike — supported by nearly 70% of ARLnow poll respondents — did not make the cut. But each of the potential future projects does start with changes that some Arlingtonians could see as benefits: a second Metro station in Rosslyn and a first-ever Georgetown stop.

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Most-Read Arlington Stories of the Week: Sept. 10, 2021

By ARLnow.com
A large flag hangs from a building on Wilson Blvd. in Rosslyn on Monday, Sept. 9, 2019 in Arlington. (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

It’s the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and two things are striking: how vivid memories of the horror of that day remain for many, and just how much time has passed between then and now.

Arlington County held a 9/11 remembrance ceremony this morning in Courthouse, which can be viewed below.

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Most-Read Arlington Stories of the Week: Sept. 3, 2021

By ARLnow.com
Screenshot of lightning striking above Ballston Quarter (via Jordan Tessler/@terpweather)

It was a workweek that started with a sense of impending doom and ended with some very nice weather and light traffic.

Ida is long gone and the Labor Day weekend is here. For the several dozen of you still hanging around this afternoon, here are some of the most-read ARLnow stories of the week:

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Ed Talk: Where We Need to Focus Our Attention

By Abby Raphael

The Virginia Department of Education has released the results of the 2020-21 Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. It is no surprise that pass rates for Arlington Public Schools (APS) students have declined significantly and gaps in student achievement between different groups have increased. These test results are consistent with trends in Virginia and nationwide.

In a recent APS press release, Superintendent Francisco Duran stated that the results show “where we need to focus our attention.”

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