This is a nice accolade for these schools, but it is entirely inaccurate to suggest that these schools are doing well for ALL students. A closer look at SOLs data finds that, while these schools are serving White and non-economically disadvantaged students extremely well, the same cannot be said for Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. As an example:

At Lyles Crouch, 57% of Black 3rd graders passed the reading SOLS compared to 100% of White 3rd graders. 47% of economically disadvantaged 3rd graders met the standards compared to 98% of non-economically disadvantaged students.

At George Mason, 52% of Hispanic 3rd grade students and 58% of economically disadvantaged 3rd grade students passed the reading SOLS compared to 100% of White students and 100% of non-economically disadvantaged students.

Although Jefferson Houston is viewed as the biggest blemish among ACPS elementary schools, higher percentages of Black and economically disadvantaged students at this school (61% and 59%, respectively) passed the 3rd grade reading SOLs than at either Lyles Crouch or George Mason.

Patterns of huge achievement gaps by race and class exist for Charles Barrett and MacArthur, as well. Check out the data for yourself here: www.greatschools.org.

By recognizing these schools despite the fact that they are not doing well by all their students, Northern Virginia magazine perpetuates ACPS's attempts to sweep huge achievement gap issues under the rug.

what happened to our wonderful maury school, for many years it educated our children and prpared them to go on in life aand be successful in life. I went to mauryin the 1930's my children went there in the 1960's and my grandchildren wer there in the early 80's, From there on it went down hill, I guess there were no more Miss Elizabeth Kings or miss Beach's

Ms. Moore, how are you certain it is the schools failing these groups of students? The SOL results demonstrate basic knowledge of skills. Skills are not only taught within Alexandria's schools. The neighborhood, church, community centers, clubs, and students' homes are also places were students gain knowledge. How are the SOL results you stated not a reflection of a failure at one or even all of those places?

Mr. Lewis - It is certainly true that there are other contributing factors to achievement gaps - the largest among them being poverty. And, yes, there are far too many systems in our society that consistently fail our most vulnerable kids. However, this is exactly why it is SO critically important that schools are preparing those students to be smart, productive members of our society. They depend on their schools and their teachers to help them gain the knowledge and skills they need to open doors of opportunity and help them break out of the cycle of poverty. There are schools all over the country that have demonstrated that low-income students and students of color can achieve at the same - or higher - levels as their more affluent and White peers - it comes down to the expectations to which they are held and the belief and commitment among the adults in the building that ALL children can and must achieve at high levels. And it takes a commitment from district leadership to make sure that schools have and are using their resources in a way that meets kids where they are when they enter the school building and gets them to where they MUST be. The alternative seems to be to say that an 8 year old's academic future is entirely determined by the luck of the circumstances into which he was born and that, because of this, it's ok that our schools aren't equipping him with the knowledge and opportunity we demand for our own kids. This, to me, is completely unacceptable.

Sarah (since we have the same last name I will use your first name),

ACPS is dedicated to closing the achievement gaps among demographics. My children attend Mt. Vernon CS so I am keenly aware of concerns about cultural and socioeconomic achievement gaps.

Teachers can do only so much. When a student's family does not speak English or the parents have limited educations, it is incredibly difficult to reinforce school lessons. The children's home life is not able to support what they learning in school. ACPS has been working to improve communication with non-English speaking families.

Your 8 year-old is very lucky. She/he has at least one parent who is tuned into the school system and is willing to make their voice heard. Many other students have parents who may be intimidated to meet with teachers because they did not complete junior high or high school. The parents might not be able to speak English well enough to feel comfortable meeting with their child's teacher and pride or fear prevents them from utilizing an interpeter in teacher meetings. Parents might not able to help their children with homework because they never learned those tasks.

Please know that our city's teachers do all that they can help their students. There is a limit to what our schools can provide. Frequently, the limit starts at home.

Kim, I do get that there are significant challenges that schools and teachers must overcome with some students coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds or families with limited English abilities. But consciously or subconsciously, far too many adults in (and outside) of school systems do not hold all students to the same expectations, oftentimes justifying different levels of performance because of the exact sort of challenges you list above. "Well, how much can we realistically expect? His parents don't speak English...look at his home life...no one in his house finished high school..." But every day, there are teachers and principals proving around the country that these challenges can be overcome and CANNOT be an excuse for why students aren't succeeding. Solving all the challenges associated with poverty before committing to educating all kids to high levels doesn't seem like a feasible option. And, by comparison, getting every kid a decent education seems actually doable. Finally, the gaps noted above for Alexandria schools are MORE THAN TWICE the national gaps. So however well-meaning, the efforts of ACPS aren't even getting results as good as still dismal national averages. This should be embarrassing and unacceptable for all involved.

Happy to provide additional data or share with you specific examples of the kinds of schools I'm talking about (most of which have far larger #s of low-income students and students of color than the ACPS schools).

Each year students spend an average of 1000 hours in public school. That means they spend an average of 7700 hours outside of school. Which enviroment affords the most room for improvent and gains? Exceptions are being presented as the rule here. While there are success stories sprinkled within public school buildings, here is the reality facec by many students in districts like ACPS: By age 3 impoverished students have heard an average of 10 million words, middle income students 20 million, upper income students 30 million. 46% of impoverished students are read to each night. Impoverished students are exposed to more toxins, increased physical and mental stress, are less likely to have adequate nutrition, and have far less social interaction than middle and upper income peers. These are not excuses, they are the realities of what students face. A disservice is done when one suggests that the solution lies solely within the public education system. Where schools have shown improvents is reaching families and tuning them into the value of reading at home and connecting knowledge building in schools to knowledge building at home. Teachers who do believe in all students will tell you that the key to a students success is through work by the student, the teacher, and the parent. Like a three legged stool, remove one leg and it fails. If you want success for these students, stop ignoring the other two legs.

Mr. Lewis - To me, every stat you cite above directly reinforces why schools MUST take on the responsibility of ensuring that all students are equipped with the knowledge and skills that they need to open future doors of opportunity. I agree 100% - there are a lot of areas we must address. But it sounds to me like you are saying that because of the realities of the life of a child who lives in poverty, it's then ok that the schools can't get them to pass even a basic knowledge test. And that writing off the education - and consequently their contribution back to our society - of millions of children is something we should all feel ok about because, well, there are just too many problems to solve. Yes, these children need more when they get to school and probably all the way through, too. I have a 2 year old, and when the time comes, I will certainly do whatever I can to make sure she gets an excellent teacher, because EVERYONE deserves an outstanding education. However, the fact is - what she and I will depend on school to provide to her is significantly less than what a low-income parent or student needs to get out of school to set them on a successful path. Districts like ACPS should recognize this and set priorities accordingly, but unfortunately political pressure - from those constituencies with louder voices and more connections than low-income parents have - too often prevents districts from putting enough resources toward the kids who most need them.

An additional thought. Just to be clear - if you follow the lines of the arguments made above by Mr. Lewis and Kim Moore, you essentially need to fix all of the issues associated with poverty before you can start holding schools truly accountable for the education of all students. Way too many kids in ACPS schools RIGHT NOW just cannot wait for that (highly unlikely) scenario to happen. What makes me particularly fired up about this issue right now is that the state of Virginia is resetting achievement targets for all students, and is actually setting different - and much lower - targets for children of color than for White students. This is a huge step backwards, as now there is little incentive from the state to worry about narrowing gaps in achievement. So unless districts and communities are willing to take seriously their achievement gaps, life is about to get even worse for poor kids and kids of color across Virginia.

Again, it is unclear as to how you draw the conclusion that it is schools which are failing the students. All other variables (nutrition, access to books, travel, sleep,etc.) are ignored and only education is challenged when comparing starkly contrasting groups of students. So step outside education and look at crime. Statistically more crime occurs within and around low income neighborhoods. Is this due to police departments not meeting the needs of all of the citizens? No, to suggest such would demonstrate clear ignorance of the numerous socio-economic issues which contribute to crime. Education is no different. The SOL results cited are not for a lack of school support, effort, and funding (ACPS spends a tremendous amount on low income students). The results reflect larger social, economic, and health issues which can not be addressed within schools. Schools are giving all students equal opportunities, that does not mean there will always be equal results.

I am not ignoring the other variables. I recognize that there are many contributing factors to the achievement gap, many of which are outside of the school. My point is that, given this reality, schools are one of the few factors that communities control for all kids. My biggest concern with the tired argument about out of school issues is that I have yet to hear a valid proposed solution to make sure that poor kids have the opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty. Fix their parents? Fix the structures in our society that create such inequities of wealth? That feels insurmountable and impossible to me. However, I do have some ideas (and evidence) of what can make the difference for kids in school. I firmly believe that demography cannot be destiny and that where we can - be it in schools, in criminal justice systems, in health care programs, or elsewhere - we have a societal responsibility to expand opportunity for all kids. I see an excellent education as the best avenue available for equal opportunity in our society. But it's clear that, unfortunately, others may see an excellent (or even decent) education as something we need to afford only to those who come to school with a certain set of opportunities (good nutrition, a safe neighborhood, parents who speak English fluently and read to them...) already under their belt. Therefore, I think we will have to agree to disagree and leave it there.

Communities control schools. Yes. Schools control differences in children. No. Therein lies the problem. It's like blaming a gas station because it provided the same fuel to both a Fiesta and a Ferrari and they perform differently. Forget the tired argument that they are completely different in almost all facets, just insist that the gas station give them both the same fuel and they should perform equally. In fact, argue that the gas station should give the Fiesta more fuel and new tires and continue to insist that there shouldnt be a difference in perfomance. Ignore facts and just believe. Sad. Until nutrition, safety, structures in society, etc. are addressed through areas other than our public schools, we are unfortunately going to see the same results. If and when we achieve significant societal change all student results still will not be the same. That is the reality of teaching individuals. So let's stop pitting one group of students against another. No students benefit from that approach to education. Recognize you can afford an excellent education to all students even if there are differences between student results.

Oh the Ferrari and Fiesta analogy is terrible. First of all, a Ferrari is a far superior car to a...Fiesta! Each Ferrari is built with the best materials and meticulous care. It's sole purpose of creation is be the best car on the road anywhere in the world. When you say that white or upper-income kids are the Ferraris, then you lose the debate. Sorry.