Hynes: 'Look Only as Far as Reston' to See What Schools Can Achieve

Pat Hynes, Reston resident and the Hunter Mill representative to the Fairfax County School Board, pointed out in a letter to the Editor published in the Washington Post that academic success is possible in a community committed to diversity in economic levels.

"Look only as far as Reston if you want to see how private development can follow smart public investment, and how academic success is possible for all in a community that is committed to diversity and affordable family housing. Educators should call on public partners at all levels of government to share the responsibility," Hynes wrote in a letter published on Monday.

Hynes' letter was in response to a Sept. 21 Post article titled “36 N.Va. schools miss test goals”:

The school board member pointed out that "readers who know the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system would have noticed that student achievement patterns, as measured by last year’s state tests, closely followed patterns of family income. If poverty is not to be destiny, we have more work to do as a community."

Check out the full letter below. Do you agree with what Hynes is saying? 

Regarding the Sept. 21 Metro article “36 N.Va. schools miss test goals”:

Readers who know the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) system would have noticed that student achievement patterns, as measured by last year’s state tests, closely followed patterns of family income. If poverty is not to be destiny, we have more work to do as a community.

Research and common sense tell us that children from poorer families do better in schools where they are not the majority. It’s not just that overall achievement is better — individual achievement is better.

We in FCPS work hard to meet the needs of every student, putting extra resources in schools with needier populations. Our new superintendent’s top priority is, appropriately, closing achievement gaps.

But I think it is also our responsibility to tell some uncomfortable truths on behalf of the kids. Development in Fairfax County — not by design — has created pockets of wealth and pockets of poverty. We have schools with almost 90 percent of families in poverty and other schools with less than 10 percent. We are now in round two or three of significant public infrastructure development in some parts of the county, while other parts of the county wait for round one.

Look only as far as Reston if you want to see how private development can follow smart public investment, and how academic success is possible for all in a community that is committed to diversity and affordable family housing. Educators should call on public partners at all levels of government to share the responsibility.

Pat Hynes, Reston