education | ARLnow.com

Making Tech Ed ‘Sexy’ Can Boost Economy, Kaine Says

Published September 11, 2014 at 12:00PM

Young people can get better-paying jobs if the perception of high school job-skills courses is changed from an option for failing students to a smart choice, Kaine said. The discussion was held by the national education coalition Advocates for Literacy and the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, of which Kaine is co-chair.

“This big-picture goal which our caucus is related to is de-stigmatizing [career and technical education] and making it really hot, sexy and cool,” he said. “Technical education is coming back strong and it’s something we can celebrate.”

News

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Published November 26, 2013 at 8:45AM | Updated November 26, 2013 at 9:46AM

Strayer to Cut Tuition — Arlington based Strayer Education Inc. will cut undergraduate tuition for new students by up to 40 percent next year. The move is intended to curb declining enrollment. Total enrollment for the fall term was down 17 percent, while new enrollments fell by 23 percent. [Washington Business Journal]

Yorktown Loses in Quarterfinal — The Yorktown Patriots lost to the undefeated Lake Braddock Bruins in the Region 6A North quarterfinal regional game. The 40-7 loss left the Patriots finishing the season with a 9-3 record. This was the eighth straight year the Patriots advanced to the playoffs. [Sun Gazette]

Schools

FLES Group Calls for Add’l School Funding

By ARLnow.com

Published November 18, 2013 at 3:30PM

The Sun Gazette reports that “several dozen” supporters of the Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) program showed up for the public comment period of Saturday’s Board meeting. They asked the Board to find a way to work with Arlington Public Schools and the School Board to expand FLES to the 9 schools that currently don’t have the program.

Meanwhile, a group called FLES For All released an open letter to county and school leaders over the weekend. The group, which claims 25-30 active members “who work weekly to educate and advocate on this issue,” blasted “educational inequity” in Arlington and called on the County Board to provide a greater share of tax revenue.

Schools

APS Releases Standardized Test Results

By Katie Pyzyk

Published August 20, 2013 at 3:45PM

Arlington’s Grade 8 English reading pass rate this year is 77 percent, compared with 71 percent for all of Virginia. However, Arlington’s 8th graders scored a 90 percent pass rate last year.

A likely explanation for the local and statewide drop in English scores is the introduction of a more rigorous exam. The VDOE’s website says:

Events

TEDx Conference Coming to Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published May 30, 2013 at 10:05AM

TEDxRosslyn will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Top of the Town conference facility (1400 14th Street N.).

The theme of the independently-organized conference is “Imagining the Future.”

News

Elementary Students to Build, Launch Satellite

By Katie Pyzyk

Published April 18, 2013 at 11:00AM | Updated February 13, 2024 at 11:29AM

(Updated at 12:05 p.m.) Students at St. Thomas More Cathedral School (STM) are taking part in what has been dubbed “Mission Possible.” It’s a rare opportunity build a satellite and launch it into orbit.

According to an article published this week by Satnews.com, students will get assistance from a NASA Mission Manager in building a CubeSat, which is a miniature satellite used for space research. The satellite will collect data to be used for school research in math and science.

Opinion

The Right Note: On the Radar

By Mark Kelly

Published March 28, 2013 at 2:45PM

The Right Note is a weekly opinion column by published on Thursdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

Governor McDonnell signed the largest tax increase in Virginia history to pay for his transportation plan. It includes regional taxing authority and projected revenue from an online sales tax that may never materialize. While many on my side of the political fence did not support the tax plan, we are hoping that the new transportation dollars will go farther than they did on the $1 million bus stop here in Arlington.

Opinion

The Right Note: Numbers Games?

By Mark Kelly

Published March 7, 2013 at 3:00PM

The Right Note is a weekly opinion column by published on Thursdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.

The FOIA request was for e-mails, memos and other specified documents between county staff, consultants and County Board members in regards to the preference of a particular station for the Skyline trolley stop, the location of the maintenance facility, traffic impacts on Columbia Pike during construction, economic development, and other issues.

Events

Local Students To Take On Global Issues At ‘Earth 2100’

By Aaron Kraut

Published August 1, 2012 at 2:45PM

Our Task Executive Director Jerry Barney said the conference is aimed at local high school and college students who want to share ideas and discuss what the world will look like in 2100, and what should be done to deal with ongoing deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, population increases and a host of other issues.

“It comes from a growing unease and a growing sense of fear among thoughtful young people that the planet they’re going to inherit is not at all the planet they hope to inherit,” Barney said.

Around Town

Summer Class Registration Begins Tomorrow

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 22, 2012 at 9:35AM | Updated May 22, 2012 at 2:13PM

Examples of active kids’ classes are swimming and tennis, creative classes include music and theater, and crafty classes include woodworking and ceramics. A wide range of activities is also available to adults, including knitting, various sports and gardening.

The catalog of courses is available online, as is a request form to have a copy sent through the mail. Registration can be done online starting at 8:00 a.m.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Middle School Block Scheduling

By ARLnow.com

Published February 13, 2012 at 9:53AM

A plan to implement block scheduling at Arlington’s five middle schools has been greeted with resistance from parents.

Block scheduling allows extended classes for core subjects — like math and science — in order to increase instruction time. In a Washington Post article that termed block scheduling a “fad,” Arlington Public Schools officials said the system gives teachers greater flexibility for creative and personalized instruction.

News

School Board Delays Block Scheduling Decision

By Katie Pyzyk

Published January 23, 2012 at 9:30AM

The change, which has been in the works since 2007, would extend core class times — for subjects like English, math, social studies, science and world languages — while reducing the number of classes per day. Longer “block” periods for sixth graders would be 76 minutes, and would increase to 93 minutes for seventh and eighth graders. Electives would remain at the current, shorter length.

An APS staff presentation to the School Board on the block scheduling plan, originally scheduled for March, has now been pushed back to May. Murphy said the delay will “provide additional time to continue to our ongoing dialogue with families.”