Achievement gap continues to grow between high- and low-income schools

[Anonymous]

I think some of the earlier posts went down a darker path, so maybe the comments about race baiting weren't directed at your comments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You'd be wrong. Our school has > 90% FARMS. > 50% ESOL. And it's not a cake walk. It's not all working out just fine. We're planning to move to a better school district because of it. But talking about a group of people as if they alone are to blame for poverty and language barriers isn't helpful. Why do you have more of a right to access public education than any of those families? For me it's not enough to say that because a child's parents violated immigration laws, we ought to feel resentful towards them and treat them like they're stealing all of our public services. Maybe we disagree on that point, but to me that is what feels like race-baiting. Talking about who pays what in taxes and who's a freeloader etc. - that's where it starts to feel like hate and seems to be drifting away from the underlying issue of how to deal with population growth and poverty in a compassionate way. And I totally agree that it has an undeniable impact on the schools. I'm not pretending it doesn't. But please can we stop with the finger pointing about who is wrongfully availing themselves of public services.

I agree with you 100%. And who says every immigrant is illegal anyway? I happen to think that poster just doesn't like immigrants but couches it as being against illegal immigrants as that is somehow more socially acceptable.
While I do sometimes have negative feelings towards immigrants, I then have to remind myself that it is only an act of fate that I happened to be born a white, UMC American. Why am I and my family more deserving of a better life than anyone else on the planet?[/quote]

I think this is a terribly unfair and ignorant generalization. I moved to Silver Spring for the diversity. I am a second generation American. I have people from all parts of the world (West Africa, East Asia, Latin America) as family members. Does that mean I can't express concern about the issues confronting my local school, many of which are a direct result of the influx of a large and predominantly poor immigrant population? I'm not questioning their right to be there or to go to school. I'm asking, what can be done to ensure that the overall quality of education isn't diminished as a result? Afterall, a lousy school affects EVERYONE, even the kids who you are presumably defending, albiet in a very misguided way.

Am I not entitled to a top rate education because I'm not wealthy enough or inclined to move to an all-white, wealthy enclave in MoCo? I should just put up and shut up because I happen to be middle class and unable to flee? That's elitism. So how about not throwing stones from your glass house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so depressing. Anecdotally, I can tell by looking around my neighborhood and comparing what I see to the FARMS and ESOL rates at the local elementary school, people of any means are sending their kids elsewhere. While $300k isn't that much for the DC area, that is the minimum for a sfh in the DCC, and that requires a middle class income. It's sad that that doesn't equate to a middle class school. I stress all the time about where to send my kids to school. Take a chance on local high FARMS high ESOL school? Scramble to try to move to at least a better elementary school in the DCC, or out of it altogether? Can't afford private, so maybe send them to a Catholic school? I think that there is a critical mass of professional-class parents that if everyone just decided to send their kids to the local schools, it would diversify the schools and provide the peer group most of us worry about the schools lacking. The problem is no one wants to experiment with their own kids so they try I get out. Hence the "white flight" (really not race-based, actually socioeconomic-based).

It seems that MoCo's solution is to provide meals (FARMS), have ESOL teachers in classrooms, keep class sizes smaller, and in some cases put in community health clinics at schools. I'm sure the thinking is that providing these extras are to bring the kids who need the services up while not impacting the kids who don't need the services. Problem is, how is it not impacting those kids if their peers are so behind and so much in need of basics?

I don't know what the solution is, but it seems the county has to do something to address this. They can't just throw more resources to address the issues surrounding poverty. They will have to reassure the middle class families that the schools can meet their kids' academic needs as well.

I have observed this too. About 5 years ago MCPS redrew the boundaries clustering FARMS kids tougher in certain schools and pouring appropriate resources to manage that. The schools typically retained magnet or HGC centers. The school like the one we are at as a result are unusual for SS. High SES, under enrolled and whiter. Guess where the property prices are going up! I think 5 years from now certain pyramids in SS are going to be very desirable and certain ones really desirable to be tracked into.

[Anonymous]

I think they're going to start changing boundaries. There's a capacity study in the works and I bet they're going to shake things up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think they're going to start changing boundaries. There's a capacity study in the works and I bet they're going to shake things up.

They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they're going to start changing boundaries. There's a capacity study in the works and I bet they're going to shake things up.

They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont

That would be so great!

[Anonymous]

"They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont "

ha! that'll be the day! Pigs would fly sooner than Potomac would permit that.

Agree with an earlier PP that the way to "save" the schools in the DCCC is to focus on reattracting and reassuring the middle class parents - of whatever race of course - about how their kids will do. The Blair magnet is so successful because it does just that - creates an environment where they can thrive and in turn captures those kids into the student body where they must interact with others in extracurriculars or specials classes presumably and their parents become part of the PTA. I live in a part of SS with a school that's roughly 2/3 FARM but there are MANY middle class homes around - they must either be sprinkled into other school clusters or else mostly using private or getting county waivers (a few of those in my neighborhood alone) though. If they were at our school instead it would help all the kids there. I say that as someone happy with the school so far but that realizes that more kids from middle class homes would be helpful too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont "

ha! that'll be the day! Pigs would fly sooner than Potomac would permit that.

Agree with an earlier PP that the way to "save" the schools in the DCCC is to focus on reattracting and reassuring the middle class parents - of whatever race of course - about how their kids will do. The Blair magnet is so successful because it does just that - creates an environment where they can thrive and in turn captures those kids into the student body where they must interact with others in extracurriculars or specials classes presumably and their parents become part of the PTA. I live in a part of SS with a school that's roughly 2/3 FARM but there are MANY middle class homes around - they must either be sprinkled into other school clusters or else mostly using private or getting county waivers (a few of those in my neighborhood alone) though. If they were at our school instead it would help all the kids there. I say that as someone happy with the school so far but that realizes that more kids from middle class homes would be helpful too.

I feel for families in silver spring schools with high farms. Silver spring clustering seems to want to group kids in schools by ses. Other silver spring schools are going from strength to strength.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont "

ha! that'll be the day! Pigs would fly sooner than Potomac would permit that.

Agree with an earlier PP that the way to "save" the schools in the DCCC is to focus on reattracting and reassuring the middle class parents - of whatever race of course - about how their kids will do. The Blair magnet is so successful because it does just that - creates an environment where they can thrive and in turn captures those kids into the student body where they must interact with others in extracurriculars or specials classes presumably and their parents become part of the PTA. I live in a part of SS with a school that's roughly 2/3 FARM but there are MANY middle class homes around - they must either be sprinkled into other school clusters or else mostly using private or getting county waivers (a few of those in my neighborhood alone) though. If they were at our school instead it would help all the kids there. I say that as someone happy with the school so far but that realizes that more kids from middle class homes would be helpful too.

I feel for families in silver spring schools with high farms. Silver spring clustering seems to want to group kids in schools by ses. Other silver spring schools are going from strength to strength.

I don't know that this is true. We are in the Einstein district, but live almost 6 miles away from Einstein, in Woodside Park (which I think is the most expensive neighborhood in Silver Spring). Blair is one mile from our house.

Why are we zoned for Einstein? Socioeconomic diversity, that's why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont "

ha! that'll be the day! Pigs would fly sooner than Potomac would permit that.

Agree with an earlier PP that the way to "save" the schools in the DCCC is to focus on reattracting and reassuring the middle class parents - of whatever race of course - about how their kids will do. The Blair magnet is so successful because it does just that - creates an environment where they can thrive and in turn captures those kids into the student body where they must interact with others in extracurriculars or specials classes presumably and their parents become part of the PTA. I live in a part of SS with a school that's roughly 2/3 FARM but there are MANY middle class homes around - they must either be sprinkled into other school clusters or else mostly using private or getting county waivers (a few of those in my neighborhood alone) though. If they were at our school instead it would help all the kids there. I say that as someone happy with the school so far but that realizes that more kids from middle class homes would be helpful too.

I feel for families in silver spring schools with high farms. Silver spring clustering seems to want to group kids in schools by ses. Other silver spring schools are going from strength to strength.

I don't know that this is true. We are in the Einstein district, but live almost 6 miles away from Einstein, in Woodside Park (which I think is the most expensive neighborhood in Silver Spring). Blair is one mile from our house.

Why are we zoned for Einstein? Socioeconomic diversity, that's why.

Blair is overcrowded and Einstein is not. That is why. And Einstein is going to be if not already a desirable school. With your area and everyone up to Kensington headed there. More and more high farms schools are feeding into Blair. You'll be glad to be in Einstein

[Anonymous]

The same is true for northwood. Although it isn't that coveted now. The feeder schools have all improved drastically and have engaged families. TPES TPMS and BLAIR will always attract bright kids to the magnet and their higher farms neighborhoods will balance that.

[Anonymous]

RunRunRunRunRun from the poor people!
Goood God ! FARMS families could be folks making almost $50,000 (about the average U.S. income) or $15,000.00
Some of you ...ughh...I just can't!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"They should cluster schools longitudinally. Would Potomac be inline with Wheaton or Glenmont "

ha! that'll be the day! Pigs would fly sooner than Potomac would permit that.

Agree with an earlier PP that the way to "save" the schools in the DCCC is to focus on reattracting and reassuring the middle class parents - of whatever race of course - about how their kids will do. The Blair magnet is so successful because it does just that - creates an environment where they can thrive and in turn captures those kids into the student body where they must interact with others in extracurriculars or specials classes presumably and their parents become part of the PTA. I live in a part of SS with a school that's roughly 2/3 FARM but there are MANY middle class homes around - they must either be sprinkled into other school clusters or else mostly using private or getting county waivers (a few of those in my neighborhood alone) though. If they were at our school instead it would help all the kids there. I say that as someone happy with the school so far but that realizes that more kids from middle class homes would be helpful too.

I think if you dig a little deeper, you'll see that MCPS has abandoned any effort to re-attract and reassure middle class parents in the red zone. They see the red zone as a lost cause when it comes to making the schools more attractive for middle class families. From what I've been told, there's a "you knew this about your area when you moved here" attitude in response to red zone parents who think MCPS ought to at least pretend to give a crap about whether any of the middle class families will take a chance on their local schools. It's really too bad. I think they feel overwhelmed by the budget and overcrowding and really just pray to scrape by at this point. Caring what parents think about their assigned schools in the red zone has been bumped to the bottom of the list at this point. Those parents just get into specialty programs elsewhere in the county or go private. The problem solves itself, right?

[Anonymous]

All evidence to the contrary. Mcps has actually given up on the affluent schools and is focusing resources in red zone and bridging the gap. It's the rich folks that have to fend for themselves.

[Anonymous]

"I think if you dig a little deeper, you'll see that MCPS has abandoned any effort to re-attract and reassure middle class parents in the red zone. They see the red zone as a lost cause when it comes to making the schools more attractive for middle class families. From what I've been told, there's a "you knew this about your area when you moved here" attitude in response to red zone parents who think MCPS ought to at least pretend to give a crap about whether any of the middle class families will take a chance on their local schools. It's really too bad. I think they feel overwhelmed by the budget and overcrowding and really just pray to scrape by at this point. Caring what parents think about their assigned schools in the red zone has been bumped to the bottom of the list at this point. Those parents just get into specialty programs elsewhere in the county or go private. The problem solves itself, right?"

Well that sure seems dumb. You will not be able to truly "fix" the poorer schools without re attracting middle class families. And even if they improve test scores at high cost they will need to keep up the funneling of resources there since each year will be a fresh batch of kids. On the other hand if you attract middle class families you will help recover the school since those families will help volunteer and create a student body that is more academic focused. If they do not care about that then they do deserve to be criticized for the state of the high schools since nothing else will really help in the same way.