A few years ago I wrote a piece dealing with the TJ admissions process. I testified before the Fairfax County School Board where many tried to convince them not to destroy the excellent program offered at TJ for qualified students who had a passion for STEM and would highly benefit from learning with and from like minded peers. It is certainly no seecret that some of the very top middle school students in Northern Virginia were not offered admission over the last few years. Even though I now teach outside of the FCPS school system, I still work with many of the top middle school students in the Northern Virginia area through mentoring, summer camps, and my current school. As stated, some of the very top math/science students in all of Northern Virginia were not offered admission to TJ. With the current school board in place, I see no solution short term or long to the TJ Admissions issue. If TJ disappeared of the face of the earth tomorrow, some on the current FCPS School Board would be quite fine with it.
The good news is that the best and most passionate math students are no longer trapped into learning just in a school building. They have access to like minded peers through online venues, and in person after-school venues. I know of high school students who were not offered admission to TJ but were recruited by some of the most prestigious universities in the nation because of their math/science accomplishments outside of their school. When our best students are not intellectually challenged in their classrooms, their needs can be certainly met via other venues. My big concern is that some families (some of the very students whom FCPS claims to want at TJ) may not be familiar with some of the opportinities offered both online and in-person. Hopefully we can continue to get the word out not only to families of the very best students, but to families of all motivated students