Schools

Five Minutes With Maria Allen

Longtime Restonian running for Hunter Mill District school board seat.

Maria Allen has been an advocate for FCPS students in a variety of capacities - as a volunteer tutor, South Lakes High School PTSA president and independent researcher on school achievement data.

She recently announced she will run for the Fairfax County School Board's Hunter Mill seat, which is up for grabs in the fall since lwill not be running for re-election. She is campaigning against Association president and fourth-grade teacher to get the endorsement of the Hunter Mill District Democratic Committee.

Allen is a former news television producer who now works as a consultant for educational organizations to develop video and online content. She has lived in Reston for 20 years. Her son Matthew, 17, is a senior at South Lakes. Older son Chris, 20, is a South Lakes graduate who attends George Mason University.

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Allen is a product of public schools in Connecticut. Allen has  Bachelor's degree from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and she completed a mid-career fellowship at Harvard University.

Reston Patch spent a few minutes with Allen recently.

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Reston Patch: Why did you decide to run for school board?

Maria Allen: Since my children were very young, I have had an interest in Fairfax County Public Schools. I became an avid watcher and critic of the schools when my kids were in elementary school. I saw a divide between the kids who were achieving and the kids who were going downhill, even in elementary school. No Child Left Behind had just come out , and I began doing a bit of research. What I found was that data backed up what I was saying. Minority kids were doing poorly, and at FCPS, they were doing worse than elsewhere around the state.

I began compling data and giving it to the school board. But there was no followup.

RP: So what can be done to close the achievement gap?

MA: There is no one solution. There is no one thing the schools can do. There are many solutions and nuances. There needs to be a fixed commitment to do it. The key is, we have to believe it is possible. We have evidence from other places that it is  possible.

There are a couple of essential things: 1) use every minute of the school day well; 2) make sure everything they are doing is resulting in learning; 3) within school system, it is critically important we have transparency and openness.

The schools have got to look at themselves critically. Fairfax County claims to be a world-class school system. It could be, but it isn't one just because they are calling themselves that. The school board is the eyes and the voice of the public, but it accepts everything without questioning.

RP: Are there any unique problems in the Hunter Mill district?

MA: This is a very diverse district. The dropout rate among Hispanic students is horrendous. I am not saying it is anyone's fault. But we need to do whatever it takes to get these kids to graduate.

The redistricting issue was a big one a few years ago, but I think it was successful. South Lakes is a better high school because of it. South Lakes is doing well. They have a great principal [Bruce Butler] now. He has recruited great teachers. A principal really matters. We have to make sure we have good principals in all of our schools at all levels.

RP: What are some of the other issues facing the schools? How do you feel about the budget situation? The gifted and talented program? The IB program at South Lakes?

MA: Our budget priorities should start in the classroom. It is appalling that teachers have not had raises in two years. We also need to look at what some [non instructional] employees do. Despite asking for information, we don't don't know whether we need them. I believe we can cut out half of them and no one would notice. Do we need to be paying people to produce videos for Channel 21? At this point, that seems to be a total waste of money. The e-cart online method of preparing kids for tests? It seems like they spend a lot of money on that.

The way the gifted program is designed doesn't make any sense. When my children were in grades 1 and 2, few children were [qualifed] for gifted instruction. Now, 20 percent are pulled out, and if you are not selected, you can get retested. Some kids should have something different, but to pull out 20 percent and keep them separated until ninth grade is utterly ridiculous. It deprives schools of their top students.

The thing many people don't realize about IB is that other districts in Virginia that have the program also offer AP. Only Fairfax County made schools choose. There should be both AP and IB offered. IB is great if you are doing the diploma. With AP, there are a smorgasbord of options. It is simpler to understand.


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