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3 Reasons why Fairfax Schools are better than Loudoun Schools

March 7 by Marina Brito

October, 2014 EDIT

Due to the recent changes implemented at Fairfax County Public Schools, we have added 2 reasons why Fairfax Schools are catching up with some of Loudoun Schools’ strenghths:

  • Full Day Mondays, and
  • Later start times for High Schools

Read more about Full Day Mondays at FCPS and later start times for High Schools coming in 2015.

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On a previous post, we covered 3 Ways How Loudoun schools are better than Fairfax County schools.

The Grass is Greener on This Side

The Grass is Greener on This Side

After the post was published, I got several emails from Fairfax County Schools lovers who were hoping I leveled the playing field by writing about how Fairfax schools are better than Loudoun’s.

To their credit, it’s only fair to also highlight 3 ways in which Fairfax County Schools are better than Loudoun County Schools.

3 Reasons why Fairfax schools are better than Loudoun schools Continue Reading…

How to Apply to Advanced Academic Programs

January 31 by Marina Brito

My friends, Brit and Larry, have four lovely kids.   The second child, Haley, when she was moving up to third grade, got referred to a Level IV advanced academic program by her teacher.

All three sisters got into the Level IV Advanced Academic Program

All three sisters got into the Level IV Advanced Academic Program

Brit and Larry had heard of advanced programs, but never really focused on them.  So when Haley got referred to the program, they wondered why their other two girls*, who were also in elementary school, hadn’t been referred as well.

Teachers refer students to the program

Well, it turns out that teachers may refer a student.  But often, teachers are busy and don’t get to referring academically-inclined children to an Advanced Academic Program. Or perhaps they don’t think it’s their place to do so.

Parents may refer students to the program as well Continue Reading…

The 13 Most Resilient High Schools in Fairfax County

December 12 by Marina Brito

Each year for the past 3 years, the Virginia Department of Education has updated their standardized tests known as the Standards of Learning (SOLs).

How resilient to tougher standardized tests is a school?

How resilient to tougher standardized tests is a school?

The SOLs are administered toward the end of the year to all students starting in grade 3. These tests are one way to try to objectively measure the performance of a school.

The intention of the SOLs is to measure how well the school districts are educating the students, so each year, they challenge the kids a little more, and they make the tests a little bit harder.

For example, the overall SOL passing rate* for all of Virginia has gone down the last three years due to the tests getting tougher:

Virginia SOL Passing Rates (last 3 years) Continue Reading…

How Updated School Boundaries Can Save You 15%

November 22 by Marina Brito

Yay! You have found the perfect dress for your upcoming holiday party.  As you get ready to check out, you pull out your 15% off coupon.

The perfect purchase - at 15% off!

The perfect purchase – at 15% off!

“Where did you get that 15% off coupon?!”, says the nice lady who is standing behind you.

“I got the coupon in the mail”, you say.  (She probably got one too, but she didn’t look for it.)

Doesn’t it feel great to have the right information at the right time?

When you’re buying a home by school boundary, it pays to be well informed too.

For example, let’s look at how the recently approved boundary changes (the Fairfax-Lanier study approved earlier this year*) can save you 15%:

Continue Reading…

3 Mistakes to Avoid when Buying a Home by School

November 8 by Marina Brito

The first time that I made pancakes, they turned out like hockey pucks. And then I wished I had welcomed my Mom’s advice on how to make fluffy, golden pancakes… Listening to her would have saved me from some key mistakes!

Pancakes

Follow good advice to avoid non-fluffy pancakes

Buying a home is certainly a lot more important than making pancakes, and I hope that the following pointers will help you avoid 3 of the most common mistakes people make when buying a home by school: Continue Reading…

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