Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) used to be the #1 high school in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.  It achieved this status in three consecutive years — 2020, 2021 and 2022.  But it slipped to #5 in 2023.  And it has dropped to #14 in… The post TJ Drops in Quality Rankings, Again appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

We are more than three years into the TJ experiment, but the Fairfax County School Board hasn’t yet addressed its successes and failures.  Whether an objective analysis will ever be conducted is questionable, for the program was adopted primarily for ideological reasons, and the Board may be reluctant to subject its ideological assumptions to scrutiny. … The post Has the TJ Experiment Been a Success? appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

The U.S. Supreme Court, in an order entered yesterday, declined to review the decision of a court of appeals in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board that upheld a discriminatory admissions policy for the once-elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (“TJ”).  Two justices (Alito and Thomas) voted to take the… The post It’s a Sad Day: TJ Discriminatory Admissions Policy Is Allowed to Stand appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

A previous article on this site noted that a member of the Fairfax County School Board, Karl Frisch, took his oath of office in December on a stack of controversial, sex-themed books, thereby sending an in-your-face message to the community about his ideology and priorities.  See “Karl Frisch’s Sacred Texts.“ Mr. Frisch was not the only… The post Sacred Texts — Part 2 — Rachna Sizemore Heizer appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

On December 13 the recently elected members of the Fairfax County School Board were sworn into office.  The incoming Chair, Karl Frisch, is pictured above as he took his oath. What are the texts Frisch’s left hand rests on?  They don’t include the Bible, the Torah, the Koran or other sacred books commonly used when… The post Karl Frisch’s Sacred Texts appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

Several prior posts on this site have reported on a lawsuit stemming from the failure of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) to provide timely notice to high school students of commendations they had received from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.  As reported earlier, the failure created intense controversy.  In response, the school Superintendent announced in… The post FCPS Promises Transparency, But Hides the Ball appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

A Regulation of the Fairfax County School Board states that “Campaign literature supporting one or more candidates shall not be distributed within the schools or on school buses by students, teachers, or others; nor shall campaign posters be displayed at or within the schools ….”  (Regulation 4426.5).  School administrators are ignoring this policy at at… The post FCPS Violates Its Policy on Political Advertising appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

Six months ago, I posted an article praising an action of the Fairfax County School Board.  See “Fairfax School Board Acts to Streamline Its Meetings.”  As it turns out, I was too quick to find a silver lining in the Board’s pattern of making its meetings unfriendly to the public.  At its recent meeting on… The post I Spoke Too Soon …. appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

Documents obtained under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act reveal a disturbing ideological bias in the social studies curricula of Fairfax County public high schools (FCPS). The first article on this subject, which is HERE, discloses that after the current School Board took office in 2020, the curricula were extensively revised to view history and government… The post Beware the Social Studies Curriculum — Part 2 appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more

As a new academic year begins, Fairfax County citizens should be aware of what our children will be taught in the public schools. Particular attention should be given to the social studies curriculum.  It is not a straightforward education about history and government.  It is agenda-driven, emphasizing a viewpoint supported by “progressives” and race-theory advocates. … The post Beware the Social Studies Curriculum! — Part I appeared first on Fairfax Schools Monitor ..read more