By Asra Q. Nomani
Last fall, Fairfax County Public Schools started a public debate about the future of the Advanced Academic Program, formerly known as the gifted and talented program.
The debate has been fierce. Thursday, Jan. 24, the board votes on a motion by a school board member, Tammy Kaufax, to delay implementation on any changes. That's how the board should vote.
After the early December working meeting of the Fairfax County School Board, I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Fairfax County Public Schools to try to get some insight into the thinking of FCPS officials.
In one email, Carol Horn, AAP Coordinator, acknowledges there may be "capacity issues" at some schools, including Cooper Middle School, where another email to Cooper Principal Arlene Randall proposes turning "general education" classrooms into AAP classrooms to make room for a new AAP center at Cooper.
Poring through the documents, one thing becomes clear: it's a numbers game--and a flawed one at that, as an analysis by a Fairfax County parent, Scott Parks, reveals.
This new plan isn't ready for primetime at any school. The School Board needs to vote with member Kaufax. It needs to do one thing: Stop and think.
