How to help MCPS' lowest performing students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Public school cannot fix absent or uneducated parenting, OP. That is the main hurdle.

If you're going to pick ONE single act that will impact every child for the better, that would be smaller classroom sizes, so that every child receives more individual feedback from their teacher. Right now, at any grade level, you need to be pretty functional to follow instruction, just because the teacher cannot spend enough time with each student. Students fall through the cracks, especially if their parents don't know how to work the system, request 504s or IEPs, etc.

Of course, I know it's not one act. A lot of schools are overcrowded. It means building more schools, which is always a huge problem in MoCo. It means billions in expenditure that the County tells us we don't have.

Agree. But as original question asks, how do you "fix" "uneducated" parenting? How does the community help those parents, make a change so it helps the current students which could help next gen too.

PP you replied to. You don't. You can't. Not in that moment in time. What you do today fixes the next generation. Generational education is a very long-term, selfless exercise that requires higher-order thinking skills, because you cannot receive feedback in real time, and demands a certain vision of the future from the deciding classes.

You just hope that you're doing sufficient work on the next generation, and you vote for politicians that prioritize public education and education, scientific reasoning and Culture with a Capital C.

So... NOT robbing public school budgets to pay for vouchers, or banning books, or claiming that the government can control the weather, or that human-driven climate change doesn't exist. FOR A START.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For meals, I’d like to see protein for breakfast - like some sort of egg dish. The kids eat pure sugar for breakfast and are starving two hours later, when a kindly teacher might give them a carb snack.

I’d limit the screen time in lower elementary and encourage parents to do the same. More time just reading a book to the class where they sit there and develop their listening and concentration skills.

I’d continually reinforce basic math facts - simple single digit addition, substitution, multiplication way longer than you’d think necessary.

Yes - identifying issues earlier, especially for kids whose parents can’t.

Encourage kids to do their multiplication flashcards at home and test them daily on it at the correct grade level.

Additional recess or outdoor time. Both a morning and afternoon recess or daily PE. Some hard exercise in the morning might really help the kids and lower the amount of time spent on classroom management.

THANK YOU!
Such great points!!

Those are great points, but so many of those require Home support and that’s exactly what so many of these kids lack. some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home? some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home

Most of those actually do not require home support, with intention. Though home support is, of course, helpful. Maybe you’re thinking at home meals? The kids I work with often have breakfast provided at school so I’m referring to school-provided breakfast.

Yes - flash cards (and any homework) are definitely tricky without home support but do work for some kids. It would require a lot of teacher administration but you’d want to incentivize the kids to learn their math facts by ditching some of the flash cards when learned, changing their in class work and tests, etc. Most kids do want to improve. For kids whose parents don’t understand English, math flashcards are a little easier to tell your kid to do than helping with other assignments. But yeah, a lot of kids won’t get assistance at home. You could also add those things into small group or push in/out. Games could be integrated to make it more fun. For the continual reinforcement of math facts, that was intended as a daily in-class exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Public school cannot fix absent or uneducated parenting, OP. That is the main hurdle.

If you're going to pick ONE single act that will impact every child for the better, that would be smaller classroom sizes, so that every child receives more individual feedback from their teacher. Right now, at any grade level, you need to be pretty functional to follow instruction, just because the teacher cannot spend enough time with each student. Students fall through the cracks, especially if their parents don't know how to work the system, request 504s or IEPs, etc.

Of course, I know it's not one act. A lot of schools are overcrowded. It means building more schools, which is always a huge problem in MoCo. It means billions in expenditure that the County tells us we don't have.

Agree. But as original question asks, how do you "fix" "uneducated" parenting? How does the community help those parents, make a change so it helps the current students which could help next gen too.

PP you replied to. You don't. You can't. Not in that moment in time. What you do today fixes the next generation. Generational education is a very long-term, selfless exercise that requires higher-order thinking skills, because you cannot receive feedback in real time, and demands a certain vision of the future from the deciding classes.

You just hope that you're doing sufficient work on the next generation, and you vote for politicians that prioritize public education and education, scientific reasoning and Culture with a Capital C.

So... NOT robbing public school budgets to pay for vouchers, or banning books, or claiming that the government can control the weather, or that human-driven climate change doesn't exist. FOR A START.

Pmcos dies not have vouchers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Public school cannot fix absent or uneducated parenting, OP. That is the main hurdle.

If you're going to pick ONE single act that will impact every child for the better, that would be smaller classroom sizes, so that every child receives more individual feedback from their teacher. Right now, at any grade level, you need to be pretty functional to follow instruction, just because the teacher cannot spend enough time with each student. Students fall through the cracks, especially if their parents don't know how to work the system, request 504s or IEPs, etc.

Of course, I know it's not one act. A lot of schools are overcrowded. It means building more schools, which is always a huge problem in MoCo. It means billions in expenditure that the County tells us we don't have.

Agree. But as original question asks, how do you "fix" "uneducated" parenting? How does the community help those parents, make a change so it helps the current students which could help next gen too.

PP you replied to. You don't. You can't. Not in that moment in time. What you do today fixes the next generation. Generational education is a very long-term, selfless exercise that requires higher-order thinking skills, because you cannot receive feedback in real time, and demands a certain vision of the future from the deciding classes.

You just hope that you're doing sufficient work on the next generation, and you vote for politicians that prioritize public education and education, scientific reasoning and Culture with a Capital C.

So... NOT robbing public school budgets to pay for vouchers, or banning books, or claiming that the government can control the weather, or that human-driven climate change doesn't exist. FOR A START.

Pmcos dies not have vouchers.

Mcps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For meals, I’d like to see protein for breakfast - like some sort of egg dish. The kids eat pure sugar for breakfast and are starving two hours later, when a kindly teacher might give them a carb snack.

I’d limit the screen time in lower elementary and encourage parents to do the same. More time just reading a book to the class where they sit there and develop their listening and concentration skills.

I’d continually reinforce basic math facts - simple single digit addition, substitution, multiplication way longer than you’d think necessary.

Yes - identifying issues earlier, especially for kids whose parents can’t.

Encourage kids to do their multiplication flashcards at home and test them daily on it at the correct grade level.

Additional recess or outdoor time. Both a morning and afternoon recess or daily PE. Some hard exercise in the morning might really help the kids and lower the amount of time spent on classroom management.

THANK YOU!
Such great points!!

Those are great points, but so many of those require Home support and that’s exactly what so many of these kids lack. some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home? some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home

Most of those actually do not require home support, with intention. Though home support is, of course, helpful. Maybe you’re thinking at home meals? The kids I work with often have breakfast provided at school so I’m referring to school-provided breakfast.

Yes - flash cards (and any homework) are definitely tricky without home support but do work for some kids. It would require a lot of teacher administration but you’d want to incentivize the kids to learn their math facts by ditching some of the flash cards when learned, changing their in class work and tests, etc. Most kids do want to improve. For kids whose parents don’t understand English, math flashcards are a little easier to tell your kid to do than helping with other assignments. But yeah, a lot of kids won’t get assistance at home. You could also add those things into small group or push in/out. Games could be integrated to make it more fun. For the continual reinforcement of math facts, that was intended as a daily in-class exercise.

If kids get what they need in class supported with good materials and textbooks most baring special needs can do homework just fine. People like you dumbing down things and making excuses are the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Public school cannot fix absent or uneducated parenting, OP. That is the main hurdle.

If you're going to pick ONE single act that will impact every child for the better, that would be smaller classroom sizes, so that every child receives more individual feedback from their teacher. Right now, at any grade level, you need to be pretty functional to follow instruction, just because the teacher cannot spend enough time with each student. Students fall through the cracks, especially if their parents don't know how to work the system, request 504s or IEPs, etc.

Of course, I know it's not one act. A lot of schools are overcrowded. It means building more schools, which is always a huge problem in MoCo. It means billions in expenditure that the County tells us we don't have.

Agree. But as original question asks, how do you "fix" "uneducated" parenting? How does the community help those parents, make a change so it helps the current students which could help next gen too.

PP you replied to. You don't. You can't. Not in that moment in time. What you do today fixes the next generation. Generational education is a very long-term, selfless exercise that requires higher-order thinking skills, because you cannot receive feedback in real time, and demands a certain vision of the future from the deciding classes.

You just hope that you're doing sufficient work on the next generation, and you vote for politicians that prioritize public education and education, scientific reasoning and Culture with a Capital C.

So... NOT robbing public school budgets to pay for vouchers, or banning books, or claiming that the government can control the weather, or that human-driven climate change doesn't exist. FOR A START.

Pmcos dies not have vouchers.

Yes... I was talking on a national level. That's as far as your voting rights go, PP. You have to take new immigrants at the education level they're at. But you can hope for a sliver of influence on people who move between US states, by voting for the right persons for President and Congress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For meals, I’d like to see protein for breakfast - like some sort of egg dish. The kids eat pure sugar for breakfast and are starving two hours later, when a kindly teacher might give them a carb snack.

I’d limit the screen time in lower elementary and encourage parents to do the same. More time just reading a book to the class where they sit there and develop their listening and concentration skills.

I’d continually reinforce basic math facts - simple single digit addition, substitution, multiplication way longer than you’d think necessary.

Yes - identifying issues earlier, especially for kids whose parents can’t.

Encourage kids to do their multiplication flashcards at home and test them daily on it at the correct grade level.

Additional recess or outdoor time. Both a morning and afternoon recess or daily PE. Some hard exercise in the morning might really help the kids and lower the amount of time spent on classroom management.

THANK YOU!
Such great points!!

Those are great points, but so many of those require Home support and that’s exactly what so many of these kids lack. some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home? some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home

Most of those actually do not require home support, with intention. Though home support is, of course, helpful. Maybe you’re thinking at home meals? The kids I work with often have breakfast provided at school so I’m referring to school-provided breakfast.

Yes - flash cards (and any homework) are definitely tricky without home support but do work for some kids. It would require a lot of teacher administration but you’d want to incentivize the kids to learn their math facts by ditching some of the flash cards when learned, changing their in class work and tests, etc. Most kids do want to improve. For kids whose parents don’t understand English, math flashcards are a little easier to tell your kid to do than helping with other assignments. But yeah, a lot of kids won’t get assistance at home. You could also add those things into small group or push in/out. Games could be integrated to make it more fun. For the continual reinforcement of math facts, that was intended as a daily in-class exercise.

If kids get what they need in class supported with good materials and textbooks most baring special needs can do homework just fine. People like you dumbing down things and making excuses are the problem.

Please re-read this exchange. But also, there are no textbooks in elementary school. There are math workbooks that stay at school. I don’t think you’re at MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For meals, I’d like to see protein for breakfast - like some sort of egg dish. The kids eat pure sugar for breakfast and are starving two hours later, when a kindly teacher might give them a carb snack.

I’d limit the screen time in lower elementary and encourage parents to do the same. More time just reading a book to the class where they sit there and develop their listening and concentration skills.

I’d continually reinforce basic math facts - simple single digit addition, substitution, multiplication way longer than you’d think necessary.

Yes - identifying issues earlier, especially for kids whose parents can’t.

Encourage kids to do their multiplication flashcards at home and test them daily on it at the correct grade level.

Additional recess or outdoor time. Both a morning and afternoon recess or daily PE. Some hard exercise in the morning might really help the kids and lower the amount of time spent on classroom management.

THANK YOU!
Such great points!!

Those are great points, but so many of those require Home support and that’s exactly what so many of these kids lack. some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home? some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home

Most of those actually do not require home support, with intention. Though home support is, of course, helpful. Maybe you’re thinking at home meals? The kids I work with often have breakfast provided at school so I’m referring to school-provided breakfast.

Yes - flash cards (and any homework) are definitely tricky without home support but do work for some kids. It would require a lot of teacher administration but you’d want to incentivize the kids to learn their math facts by ditching some of the flash cards when learned, changing their in class work and tests, etc. Most kids do want to improve. For kids whose parents don’t understand English, math flashcards are a little easier to tell your kid to do than helping with other assignments. But yeah, a lot of kids won’t get assistance at home. You could also add those things into small group or push in/out. Games could be integrated to make it more fun. For the continual reinforcement of math facts, that was intended as a daily in-class exercise.

If kids get what they need in class supported with good materials and textbooks most baring special needs can do homework just fine. People like you dumbing down things and making excuses are the problem.

Please re-read this exchange. But also, there are no textbooks in elementary school. There are math workbooks that stay at school. I don’t think you’re at MCPS?

There are some textbooks in middle and high school for history for math and history depending on the teacher. Some teachers refuse to use them. You can find the elementary workbooks online for free, or you can get copies from some schools or buy them. Or, get your own to supplement. You have options. Yes we are mcps. Our math teacher bought materials off the internet this year. They refuse to use the supplied textbook. We bought the materials to help our child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS lowest performing students are not predicted by rich or poor kids. It is predicted by race mainly.

which is correlated to rich and poor

No, it is related to group culture and identity, which is part of the racial identity.

Even a poor and uneducated ORM's kid will do well as it has been proven by the kids of uneducated Chinese restaurant workers in Chinatown in New York who end up in Stuyvesant magnet school.

Some racial, ethnic, national groups prioritize education.

All racial and ethnic groups prioritize education. Some people in each group don't or not in the way you believe they should.

Yep. And you have in each group who don't.

Believe there are more parents in mcps who prioritize than don't. But for those that don't, is there anything fellow teachers, other parents, commhnity, non profits, older students within same school district could do to get those students to improve their performance?

Nope. MYOB. You cannot parent the children of these losers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For meals, I’d like to see protein for breakfast - like some sort of egg dish. The kids eat pure sugar for breakfast and are starving two hours later, when a kindly teacher might give them a carb snack.

I’d limit the screen time in lower elementary and encourage parents to do the same. More time just reading a book to the class where they sit there and develop their listening and concentration skills.

I’d continually reinforce basic math facts - simple single digit addition, substitution, multiplication way longer than you’d think necessary.

Yes - identifying issues earlier, especially for kids whose parents can’t.

Encourage kids to do their multiplication flashcards at home and test them daily on it at the correct grade level.

Additional recess or outdoor time. Both a morning and afternoon recess or daily PE. Some hard exercise in the morning might really help the kids and lower the amount of time spent on classroom management.

THANK YOU!
Such great points!!

Those are great points, but so many of those require Home support and that’s exactly what so many of these kids lack. some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home? some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home

Most of those actually do not require home support, with intention. Though home support is, of course, helpful. Maybe you’re thinking at home meals? The kids I work with often have breakfast provided at school so I’m referring to school-provided breakfast.

Yes - flash cards (and any homework) are definitely tricky without home support but do work for some kids. It would require a lot of teacher administration but you’d want to incentivize the kids to learn their math facts by ditching some of the flash cards when learned, changing their in class work and tests, etc. Most kids do want to improve. For kids whose parents don’t understand English, math flashcards are a little easier to tell your kid to do than helping with other assignments. But yeah, a lot of kids won’t get assistance at home. You could also add those things into small group or push in/out. Games could be integrated to make it more fun. For the continual reinforcement of math facts, that was intended as a daily in-class exercise.

If kids get what they need in class supported with good materials and textbooks most baring special needs can do homework just fine. People like you dumbing down things and making excuses are the problem.

Please re-read this exchange. But also, there are no textbooks in elementary school. There are math workbooks that stay at school. I don’t think you’re at MCPS?

There are some textbooks in middle and high school for history for math and history depending on the teacher. Some teachers refuse to use them. You can find the elementary workbooks online for free, or you can get copies from some schools or buy them. Or, get your own to supplement. You have options. Yes we are mcps. Our math teacher bought materials off the internet this year. They refuse to use the supplied textbook. We bought the materials to help our child.

The context of multiplication flash cards was elementary school. My own children are older and have been able to borrow the text books from their middle and high schools in a lot of subjects - we’ve never needed to purchase them. You can also borrow the graphing calculator if desired.
I was refuting the argument someone made that my ideas were too difficult for students/families without home support. You then accused me of dumbing things down.

[Anonymous]

Textbooks
Fail kids who are struggling and make them repeat the grade
Make parents pay fees for children who repeat a grade twice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Textbooks
Fail kids who are struggling and make them repeat the grade
Make parents pay fees for children who repeat a grade twice.

You really want your nine year old in the same class as an eleven year old who has failed twice? A one year retention can work but age differences do also matter and don’t often help classroom dynamics.
And the fee thing is ridiculous, on so many levels.

[Anonymous]

I'm late to the conversation and not going back to page one to read all the comments. I've been an elementary teacher in MCPS for 23 years and the lack of engaged parenting has increased exponentially in the last decade. I don't know if it's extreme gentle parenting or just IDGAF parenting from others but there are so many more disrespectful and disruptive students than there were five years ago. It's absolutely crazy in schools right now. Even with a much better curriculum base, performance is abysmal for our students of color. Ironically enough, all we talk about in our professional learning is equity and how to help students of color succeed. There is only so much we can do at school. We really need more partnership with caregivers. Parents who will believe us when we try and talk to them about their kids. It's become so adversarial these last few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm late to the conversation and not going back to page one to read all the comments. I've been an elementary teacher in MCPS for 23 years and the lack of engaged parenting has increased exponentially in the last decade. I don't know if it's extreme gentle parenting or just IDGAF parenting from others but there are so many more disrespectful and disruptive students than there were five years ago. It's absolutely crazy in schools right now. Even with a much better curriculum base, performance is abysmal for our students of color. Ironically enough, all we talk about in our professional learning is equity and how to help students of color succeed. There is only so much we can do at school. We really need more partnership with caregivers. Parents who will believe us when we try and talk to them about their kids. It's become so adversarial these last few years.

It's a combination of what is happening at the schools and home. We see many teachers not having control and structure in their class and prefer to be friends over teachers/authority figures (and only a few rare exceptions to this and you can tell which classrooms are run well). As, well as the admin/principals wanting to be friends and no consequences nor holding students or staff accountable for their behavior nor professionally running the schools.

I wish more teachers would partner with parents. Its near impossible to get teachers to respond to concerns or let us know as parents if there is a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For meals, I’d like to see protein for breakfast - like some sort of egg dish. The kids eat pure sugar for breakfast and are starving two hours later, when a kindly teacher might give them a carb snack.

I’d limit the screen time in lower elementary and encourage parents to do the same. More time just reading a book to the class where they sit there and develop their listening and concentration skills.

I’d continually reinforce basic math facts - simple single digit addition, substitution, multiplication way longer than you’d think necessary.

Yes - identifying issues earlier, especially for kids whose parents can’t.

Encourage kids to do their multiplication flashcards at home and test them daily on it at the correct grade level.

Additional recess or outdoor time. Both a morning and afternoon recess or daily PE. Some hard exercise in the morning might really help the kids and lower the amount of time spent on classroom management.

THANK YOU!
Such great points!!

Those are great points, but so many of those require Home support and that’s exactly what so many of these kids lack. some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home? some of these kids don’t have good parental oversight or involvement. Who is going to push them to do flashcards at home

Most of those actually do not require home support, with intention. Though home support is, of course, helpful. Maybe you’re thinking at home meals? The kids I work with often have breakfast provided at school so I’m referring to school-provided breakfast.

Yes - flash cards (and any homework) are definitely tricky without home support but do work for some kids. It would require a lot of teacher administration but you’d want to incentivize the kids to learn their math facts by ditching some of the flash cards when learned, changing their in class work and tests, etc. Most kids do want to improve. For kids whose parents don’t understand English, math flashcards are a little easier to tell your kid to do than helping with other assignments. But yeah, a lot of kids won’t get assistance at home. You could also add those things into small group or push in/out. Games could be integrated to make it more fun. For the continual reinforcement of math facts, that was intended as a daily in-class exercise.

If kids get what they need in class supported with good materials and textbooks most baring special needs can do homework just fine. People like you dumbing down things and making excuses are the problem.

Please re-read this exchange. But also, there are no textbooks in elementary school. There are math workbooks that stay at school. I don’t think you’re at MCPS?

There are some textbooks in middle and high school for history for math and history depending on the teacher. Some teachers refuse to use them. You can find the elementary workbooks online for free, or you can get copies from some schools or buy them. Or, get your own to supplement. You have options. Yes we are mcps. Our math teacher bought materials off the internet this year. They refuse to use the supplied textbook. We bought the materials to help our child.

The context of multiplication flash cards was elementary school. My own children are older and have been able to borrow the text books from their middle and high schools in a lot of subjects - we’ve never needed to purchase them. You can also borrow the graphing calculator if desired.
I was refuting the argument someone made that my ideas were too difficult for students/families without home support. You then accused me of dumbing things down.

Not sure where you are at but some of our teachers don't have enough books so if you can afford it you are asked to buy it. Others only get classroom sets. We've only had textbooks in math and history. Our English right now has a copy of a few poems, not even the entire book, so we had to buy it if we wanted it. We also had to buy our own graphing calculator for home, they only have classroom sets.

Some of us who support at home spend a lot of time and money doing so and not everyone has the resources but some of the stuff you can get for free with effort but some of your suggestions are to dumb things down.