What are the real facts about MCPS inequities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally, some wealthier PTA’s give hundreds of dollars to teachers to purchase supplies, have grants for larger purchases, support teachers with food, messages, awards etc. The boosters make sure the sports teams and music programs have the best equipment and uniforms. I don’t think there is much difference in teaching overall, but anything outside of the classroom has a big difference between wealthy and poor schools. Over time staff end up gravitating to schools easier to commute to more than anything else. Poorer neighborhoods don’t have a lot of good overall housing/location for teachers. If a poor school is getting more money it is going to special programs and staffing that high most achieving students are not part of.

At our elementary the PTA built a planetarium and the parents run a space curriculum because the teachers by policy can't support it. It culminates at a space night where various physics and space clubs from the feeder middle and high schools come in set up while various space professionals come in and give presentations serviced by a line of food trucks. I was blown away by how cool it was for my kids and while definitely a perk that requires money many schools have unique charms like pools or theater programs.

What MCPS school has a pool?

Wheaton High School and Gaithersburg Middle School.

Gaithersburg is run by the city and Wheaton does not have a pool. There is an outdoor pool that is not heated run by the red department but it’s only open summers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is extremely fair. I went to HS on Long Island and literally places like Garden City an award winning school similar to Winston Churchill was was next to Hempstead HS a very dangerous HS with a very very high drop out rate, drug use, shootings, stabbing etc.

Literally on boundary line one house goes Garden City HS and next door neighbor Hempstead. Being town based Long Island has some of the best High Schools in the country and some of the worst in the country.

MCPS all the schools are nice

Plenty of dcum posters want to switch to a system like this where property taxes go only to the school where the properties feed into instead of being pooled for a larger district like MoCo. Never going to happen but this is what these people want and it's disgusting.

Ironically when the town controls school budget usually rich towns have better schools. But I know some very rich towns bad schools as rich parents do private and vote against the school budget to keep taxes down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally, some wealthier PTA’s give hundreds of dollars to teachers to purchase supplies, have grants for larger purchases, support teachers with food, messages, awards etc. The boosters make sure the sports teams and music programs have the best equipment and uniforms. I don’t think there is much difference in teaching overall, but anything outside of the classroom has a big difference between wealthy and poor schools. Over time staff end up gravitating to schools easier to commute to more than anything else. Poorer neighborhoods don’t have a lot of good overall housing/location for teachers. If a poor school is getting more money it is going to special programs and staffing that high most achieving students are not part of.

At our elementary the PTA built a planetarium and the parents run a space curriculum because the teachers by policy can't support it. It culminates at a space night where various physics and space clubs from the feeder middle and high schools come in set up while various space professionals come in and give presentations serviced by a line of food trucks. I was blown away by how cool it was for my kids and while definitely a perk that requires money many schools have unique charms like pools or theater programs.

What MCPS school has a pool?

Wheaton High School and Gaithersburg Middle School.

Gaithersburg is run by the city and Wheaton does not have a pool. There is an outdoor pool that is not heated run by the red department but it’s only open summers.

Gaithersburg pool is literally attached to the school building. The lifeguards maybe paid by the city but MCPS students have the benefit of using the pool including high school swim teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally, some wealthier PTA’s give hundreds of dollars to teachers to purchase supplies, have grants for larger purchases, support teachers with food, messages, awards etc. The boosters make sure the sports teams and music programs have the best equipment and uniforms. I don’t think there is much difference in teaching overall, but anything outside of the classroom has a big difference between wealthy and poor schools. Over time staff end up gravitating to schools easier to commute to more than anything else. Poorer neighborhoods don’t have a lot of good overall housing/location for teachers. If a poor school is getting more money it is going to special programs and staffing that high most achieving students are not part of.

At our elementary the PTA built a planetarium and the parents run a space curriculum because the teachers by policy can't support it. It culminates at a space night where various physics and space clubs from the feeder middle and high schools come in set up while various space professionals come in and give presentations serviced by a line of food trucks. I was blown away by how cool it was for my kids and while definitely a perk that requires money many schools have unique charms like pools or theater programs.

What MCPS school has a pool?

Wheaton High School and Gaithersburg Middle School.

Gaithersburg is run by the city and Wheaton does not have a pool. There is an outdoor pool that is not heated run by the red department but it’s only open summers.

Gaithersburg pool is literally attached to the school building. The lifeguards maybe paid by the city but MCPS students have the benefit of using the pool including high school swim teams.

"Built in 1975, the Gaithersburg Aquatic Center is owned by Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and operated jointly with the City of Gaithersburg. MCPS operates, schedules & staffs the facility for its use during school hours. The City operates, programs & staffs the pool for community use after school hours, on weekends & during summer vacation."

https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/about-us/city-facilities/aquatic-center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS is extremely fair. I went to HS on Long Island and literally places like Garden City an award winning school similar to Winston Churchill was was next to Hempstead HS a very dangerous HS with a very very high drop out rate, drug use, shootings, stabbing etc.

Literally on boundary line one house goes Garden City HS and next door neighbor Hempstead. Being town based Long Island has some of the best High Schools in the country and some of the worst in the country.

MCPS all the schools are nice

Plenty of dcum posters want to switch to a system like this where property taxes go only to the school where the properties feed into instead of being pooled for a larger district like MoCo. Never going to happen but this is what these people want and it's disgusting.

Ironically when the town controls school budget usually rich towns have better schools. But I know some very rich towns bad schools as rich parents do private and vote against the school budget to keep taxes down

Each town has it's own central office, BOE and super. It's so wonderful!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W schools may have more money from boosters and some nicer things for athletics (but it is becoming more even), but take a look at the Wheaton High School matriculation list this year and any jealousy might disappear (it’s pretty amazing — CalTech, a couple MITs, Harvard, Stanford, Harvey Mudd, Swathmore and many more. It is an impressive list).

Super Jealous of Wheaton by looking at the few kids who made it though one can totally overlook the 50% FARMS rate, poor test scores, almost unmeasurable AP participation rate (2%),high dropout and suspension rate. It's a Gem

The AP participation rate at Wheaton High School is 63%

Participation is not the same as passing. Of 425 graduates, 203 graduates (47.8%) achieved a passing score on AP (3+) or IB (4+). Only 71.8% took the SAT (which likely means that 28.2% of the students may not even be applying to colleges).

Even Blair is only at 52% passing (and the only reason it's that high is due to the magnet program there).

If you compare Wheaton and Blair with other High Schools, they achieve about the same AP/IB passing rates of graduating students as Quince Orchard HS.

Whitman 84.0
Wootton 78.4
Churchill 77.9
Poolesville 76.2
BCC 69.6
RM 67.0
QO 55.3
Magruder 46.7

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04427.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04234.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04201.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04406.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04125.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04152.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04510.pdf

DP In a perfect world family income would not determine whether a child goes to college, but it does. I'm not sure why you think it's so terrible to be around kids that aren't going to college. Yes, it's a sign the school might be able to serve those kids better, but the W schools are not doing anything different, they just serve a different population.

But isn't that the whole point of school? To ensure a child has a successful life?

If a kid's parents can't afford college, and they know that, how about a Plan B? Why not Small Business School, business accounting, or a trade, or something that will either start a career or at least position them to earn tuition or land jobs in companies with tuition reimbursement programs? If they're hands-on types, why not teach them 3-D printing / manufacturing, or robot/drone repair, or something to position them for futuristic next-gen labor categories?

If the kids are dropping out of High School at 10% rates, that's a problem. It means that MCPS isn't meeting their needs and interests. If they don't have the money for college, at least give them a life-line. This is what pisses me off about MCPS. They think that redrawing a boundary or dumping them into a different school with rich kids will make a dropout successful. No, it won't. It will just make them check out of school faster.

PP here - I don't disagree with you that MCPS could serve those students better. But I'm always perplexed by folks like you who on the one hand:

1. Insist that W schools are better for YOUR child
2. Reject the idea that poor kids could benefit from going to wealthier schools

It's really obvious you just hate poor kids and want them to fail, to punish their parents whom you see as neglectful (not that you've ever met any of these families).

In fact it's the rich kids that are going to be fine either way and the poor kids that have a lot to gain from balancing demographics a little more.

Not true at all. Nothing against FARMS students. But I know that sometimes FARMS has hard working people (entry-level office workers, immigrants, young professionals just starting out, people just with hard luck situations such as a medical illness or single-parent, etc.), and sometimes FARMS is a sign of other circumstances (paroled convicted criminals, registered sex offenders, gang members, drug dealers, etc.). The good FARMS families won't have any issues no matter where they go, and no one will even know they are FARMS kids. But I also know you can't separate kids from good families based upon boundary lines. I know that at some schools, if a fight breaks out, and it's business as usual. Other schools, a fight breaks out, and all the other kids whip out their cell phones to record it.

For many years I lived in a neighborhood where elementary schoolers played in the playgrounds after dark. The same kids were arrested for drugs and fighting when they were old enough to be formally charged. I read the weekly comments on social media and parents posting the house videos of either HS or young adults. Eventually they make mistakes and are caught. Maybe they'll do okay after a stretch, but maybe not. I just know the parents are angry enough at all the post-covid neighborhood thefts, assaults, and national shootings that I can see a huge backlash at some point.

By all means, change up all the boundaries, if you think busing troubles away to another school helps. I just think MCPS will make the school-to-jail pipeline worse than it is now.

Think I'm not telling the truth? [shrug] Whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W schools may have more money from boosters and some nicer things for athletics (but it is becoming more even), but take a look at the Wheaton High School matriculation list this year and any jealousy might disappear (it’s pretty amazing — CalTech, a couple MITs, Harvard, Stanford, Harvey Mudd, Swathmore and many more. It is an impressive list).

Super Jealous of Wheaton by looking at the few kids who made it though one can totally overlook the 50% FARMS rate, poor test scores, almost unmeasurable AP participation rate (2%),high dropout and suspension rate. It's a Gem

The AP participation rate at Wheaton High School is 63%

Participation is not the same as passing. Of 425 graduates, 203 graduates (47.8%) achieved a passing score on AP (3+) or IB (4+). Only 71.8% took the SAT (which likely means that 28.2% of the students may not even be applying to colleges).

Even Blair is only at 52% passing (and the only reason it's that high is due to the magnet program there).

If you compare Wheaton and Blair with other High Schools, they achieve about the same AP/IB passing rates of graduating students as Quince Orchard HS.

Whitman 84.0
Wootton 78.4
Churchill 77.9
Poolesville 76.2
BCC 69.6
RM 67.0
QO 55.3
Magruder 46.7

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04427.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04234.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04201.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04406.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04125.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04152.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04510.pdf

DP In a perfect world family income would not determine whether a child goes to college, but it does. I'm not sure why you think it's so terrible to be around kids that aren't going to college. Yes, it's a sign the school might be able to serve those kids better, but the W schools are not doing anything different, they just serve a different population.

But isn't that the whole point of school? To ensure a child has a successful life?

If a kid's parents can't afford college, and they know that, how about a Plan B? Why not Small Business School, business accounting, or a trade, or something that will either start a career or at least position them to earn tuition or land jobs in companies with tuition reimbursement programs? If they're hands-on types, why not teach them 3-D printing / manufacturing, or robot/drone repair, or something to position them for futuristic next-gen labor categories?

If the kids are dropping out of High School at 10% rates, that's a problem. It means that MCPS isn't meeting their needs and interests. If they don't have the money for college, at least give them a life-line. This is what pisses me off about MCPS. They think that redrawing a boundary or dumping them into a different school with rich kids will make a dropout successful. No, it won't. It will just make them check out of school faster.

PP here - I don't disagree with you that MCPS could serve those students better. But I'm always perplexed by folks like you who on the one hand:

1. Insist that W schools are better for YOUR child
2. Reject the idea that poor kids could benefit from going to wealthier schools

It's really obvious you just hate poor kids and want them to fail, to punish their parents whom you see as neglectful (not that you've ever met any of these families).

In fact it's the rich kids that are going to be fine either way and the poor kids that have a lot to gain from balancing demographics a little more.

You nailed it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally, some wealthier PTA’s give hundreds of dollars to teachers to purchase supplies, have grants for larger purchases, support teachers with food, messages, awards etc. The boosters make sure the sports teams and music programs have the best equipment and uniforms. I don’t think there is much difference in teaching overall, but anything outside of the classroom has a big difference between wealthy and poor schools. Over time staff end up gravitating to schools easier to commute to more than anything else. Poorer neighborhoods don’t have a lot of good overall housing/location for teachers. If a poor school is getting more money it is going to special programs and staffing that high most achieving students are not part of.

At our elementary the PTA built a planetarium and the parents run a space curriculum because the teachers by policy can't support it. It culminates at a space night where various physics and space clubs from the feeder middle and high schools come in set up while various space professionals come in and give presentations serviced by a line of food trucks. I was blown away by how cool it was for my kids and while definitely a perk that requires money many schools have unique charms like pools or theater programs.

What MCPS school has a pool?

Wheaton High School and Gaithersburg Middle School.

Gaithersburg is run by the city and Wheaton does not have a pool. There is an outdoor pool that is not heated run by the red department but it’s only open summers.

Gaithersburg pool is literally attached to the school building. The lifeguards maybe paid by the city but MCPS students have the benefit of using the pool including high school swim teams.

All the high school swim teams swim at the public indoor pools. The only difference is convince as it is walkable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:W schools may have more money from boosters and some nicer things for athletics (but it is becoming more even), but take a look at the Wheaton High School matriculation list this year and any jealousy might disappear (it’s pretty amazing — CalTech, a couple MITs, Harvard, Stanford, Harvey Mudd, Swathmore and many more. It is an impressive list).

Super Jealous of Wheaton by looking at the few kids who made it though one can totally overlook the 50% FARMS rate, poor test scores, almost unmeasurable AP participation rate (2%),high dropout and suspension rate. It's a Gem

The AP participation rate at Wheaton High School is 63%

Participation is not the same as passing. Of 425 graduates, 203 graduates (47.8%) achieved a passing score on AP (3+) or IB (4+). Only 71.8% took the SAT (which likely means that 28.2% of the students may not even be applying to colleges).

Even Blair is only at 52% passing (and the only reason it's that high is due to the magnet program there).

If you compare Wheaton and Blair with other High Schools, they achieve about the same AP/IB passing rates of graduating students as Quince Orchard HS.

Whitman 84.0
Wootton 78.4
Churchill 77.9
Poolesville 76.2
BCC 69.6
RM 67.0
QO 55.3
Magruder 46.7

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04757.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04602.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04427.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04234.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04201.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04406.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04125.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04152.pdf
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04510.pdf

DP In a perfect world family income would not determine whether a child goes to college, but it does. I'm not sure why you think it's so terrible to be around kids that aren't going to college. Yes, it's a sign the school might be able to serve those kids better, but the W schools are not doing anything different, they just serve a different population.

But isn't that the whole point of school? To ensure a child has a successful life?

If a kid's parents can't afford college, and they know that, how about a Plan B? Why not Small Business School, business accounting, or a trade, or something that will either start a career or at least position them to earn tuition or land jobs in companies with tuition reimbursement programs? If they're hands-on types, why not teach them 3-D printing / manufacturing, or robot/drone repair, or something to position them for futuristic next-gen labor categories?

If the kids are dropping out of High School at 10% rates, that's a problem. It means that MCPS isn't meeting their needs and interests. If they don't have the money for college, at least give them a life-line. This is what pisses me off about MCPS. They think that redrawing a boundary or dumping them into a different school with rich kids will make a dropout successful. No, it won't. It will just make them check out of school faster.

PP here - I don't disagree with you that MCPS could serve those students better. But I'm always perplexed by folks like you who on the one hand:

1. Insist that W schools are better for YOUR child
2. Reject the idea that poor kids could benefit from going to wealthier schools

It's really obvious you just hate poor kids and want them to fail, to punish their parents whom you see as neglectful (not that you've ever met any of these families).

In fact it's the rich kids that are going to be fine either way and the poor kids that have a lot to gain from balancing demographics a little more.

Not true at all. Nothing against FARMS students. But I know that sometimes FARMS has hard working people (entry-level office workers, immigrants, young professionals just starting out, people just with hard luck situations such as a medical illness or single-parent, etc.), and sometimes FARMS is a sign of other circumstances (paroled convicted criminals, registered sex offenders, gang members, drug dealers, etc.). The good FARMS families won't have any issues no matter where they go, and no one will even know they are FARMS kids. But I also know you can't separate kids from good families based upon boundary lines. I know that at some schools, if a fight breaks out, and it's business as usual. Other schools, a fight breaks out, and all the other kids whip out their cell phones to record it.

For many years I lived in a neighborhood where elementary schoolers played in the playgrounds after dark. The same kids were arrested for drugs and fighting when they were old enough to be formally charged. I read the weekly comments on social media and parents posting the house videos of either HS or young adults. Eventually they make mistakes and are caught. Maybe they'll do okay after a stretch, but maybe not. I just know the parents are angry enough at all the post-covid neighborhood thefts, assaults, and national shootings that I can see a huge backlash at some point.

By all means, change up all the boundaries, if you think busing troubles away to another school helps. I just think MCPS will make the school-to-jail pipeline worse than it is now.

Think I'm not telling the truth? [shrug] Whatever.

You are kidding yourself if you don't think drugs, alcohol and violence happen at richer schools. In fact, some of the wealthier schools have had far more problems this year than the other schools.

Please let us know what school your kids are at. You are not someone I'd want near my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally, some wealthier PTA’s give hundreds of dollars to teachers to purchase supplies, have grants for larger purchases, support teachers with food, messages, awards etc. The boosters make sure the sports teams and music programs have the best equipment and uniforms. I don’t think there is much difference in teaching overall, but anything outside of the classroom has a big difference between wealthy and poor schools. Over time staff end up gravitating to schools easier to commute to more than anything else. Poorer neighborhoods don’t have a lot of good overall housing/location for teachers. If a poor school is getting more money it is going to special programs and staffing that high most achieving students are not part of.

At our elementary the PTA built a planetarium and the parents run a space curriculum because the teachers by policy can't support it. It culminates at a space night where various physics and space clubs from the feeder middle and high schools come in set up while various space professionals come in and give presentations serviced by a line of food trucks. I was blown away by how cool it was for my kids and while definitely a perk that requires money many schools have unique charms like pools or theater programs.

What MCPS school has a pool?

Wheaton High School and Gaithersburg Middle School.

Gaithersburg is run by the city and Wheaton does not have a pool. There is an outdoor pool that is not heated run by the red department but it’s only open summers.

Gaithersburg pool is literally attached to the school building. The lifeguards maybe paid by the city but MCPS students have the benefit of using the pool including high school swim teams.

All the high school swim teams swim at the public indoor pools. The only difference is convince as it is walkable.

Our high school actually had practices and swim meets at Gaithersburg. Not everyone gets the nicer facilities at the indoor public pools.

[Anonymous]

And this is one way MCPS keeps going downhill: instead of ALL parents working together for the good of ALL the students, they keep parents fighting for their own school. MCPS likes when we fight against each other instead of pushing them to do better for all students.

Anyone here long enough to remember when Paul Gellar and Melissa McKenna organized the CIP testimony where every cluster coordinator said, "we need to make the pie bigger?" ALL testified for the need for more funds for all, not just "our school needs xxx" and "our school needs yyy" and "our school needs zzz"???

It worked! And ever since it has been back to bickering between schools for scraps - everyone is me, me, me, rather than advocating for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And this is one way MCPS keeps going downhill: instead of ALL parents working together for the good of ALL the students, they keep parents fighting for their own school. MCPS likes when we fight against each other instead of pushing them to do better for all students.

Anyone here long enough to remember when Paul Gellar and Melissa McKenna organized the CIP testimony where every cluster coordinator said, "we need to make the pie bigger?" ALL testified for the need for more funds for all, not just "our school needs xxx" and "our school needs yyy" and "our school needs zzz"???

It worked! And ever since it has been back to bickering between schools for scraps - everyone is me, me, me, rather than advocating for all.

The county's demographics have drastically changed over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages but this doesn't mean that opportunities to gain an education are any worse today than 20-30 years ago. As someone who attended MCPS in the early 90s, I feel my kids today are getting a much better education. So I don't buy this myth that things are going downhill. If you want to do well in school and get a first-rate public education, that's possible; however, if you're one of these parents who expects the county to raise your kids then probably not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:some parents care, some don't. it's not really an issue with MCPS. it's an issue w/ families' involvement (or lack thereof)

Wow! Are you out of touch or what? Try to keep up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And this is one way MCPS keeps going downhill: instead of ALL parents working together for the good of ALL the students, they keep parents fighting for their own school. MCPS likes when we fight against each other instead of pushing them to do better for all students.

Anyone here long enough to remember when Paul Gellar and Melissa McKenna organized the CIP testimony where every cluster coordinator said, "we need to make the pie bigger?" ALL testified for the need for more funds for all, not just "our school needs xxx" and "our school needs yyy" and "our school needs zzz"???

It worked! And ever since it has been back to bickering between schools for scraps - everyone is me, me, me, rather than advocating for all.

The county's demographics have drastically changed over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages but this doesn't mean that opportunities to gain an education are any worse today than 20-30 years ago. As someone who attended MCPS in the early 90s, I feel my kids today are getting a much better education. So I don't buy this myth that things are going downhill. If you want to do well in school and get a first-rate public education, that's possible; however, if you're one of these parents who expects the county to raise your kids then probably not.

I totally agree with the first part of your statement. It is possible to get a quality education in MCPS. Many students do. At the same time, the focus on "equity" as measured by test scores has a detrimental impact on all aspects of public education, which includes the excessive administrative burden placed on teachers, the time spent on test-related issued which takes away from actual learning, and the well-intentioned changes to discipline policies that allow disruptive and sometimes violent students to remain in classrooms. As a result of conditions that are less conducive to the success of all students, the gap as measured by testing is growing, because families with the financial means to fill in gaps in their children's educations will do so, while others fall further behind. Given the demographic changes in the county, the current tests are not a good measure of student progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anecdotally, some wealthier PTA’s give hundreds of dollars to teachers to purchase supplies, have grants for larger purchases, support teachers with food, messages, awards etc. The boosters make sure the sports teams and music programs have the best equipment and uniforms. I don’t think there is much difference in teaching overall, but anything outside of the classroom has a big difference between wealthy and poor schools. Over time staff end up gravitating to schools easier to commute to more than anything else. Poorer neighborhoods don’t have a lot of good overall housing/location for teachers. If a poor school is getting more money it is going to special programs and staffing that high most achieving students are not part of.

At our elementary the PTA built a planetarium and the parents run a space curriculum because the teachers by policy can't support it. It culminates at a space night where various physics and space clubs from the feeder middle and high schools come in set up while various space professionals come in and give presentations serviced by a line of food trucks. I was blown away by how cool it was for my kids and while definitely a perk that requires money many schools have unique charms like pools or theater programs.

What MCPS school has a pool?

Wheaton High School and Gaithersburg Middle School.

Gaithersburg is run by the city and Wheaton does not have a pool. There is an outdoor pool that is not heated run by the red department but it’s only open summers.

Gaithersburg pool is literally attached to the school building. The lifeguards maybe paid by the city but MCPS students have the benefit of using the pool including high school swim teams.

All the high school swim teams swim at the public indoor pools. The only difference is convince as it is walkable.

Our high school actually had practices and swim meets at Gaithersburg. Not everyone gets the nicer facilities at the indoor public pools.

Ksac is really old and gross. Olney is just ok. MLK I think is pretty run down too. Germantown is nicest but because it is newer. None are truly nice. But, you can take your kids anywhere to swim. Wheaton outdoor is extremely run dow and needs a full replacement.