When/how did MCPS go downhill?

[Anonymous]

As a former MCPS (graduated in the early 90’s), I remember MCPS being the top district in Maryland. People moved here for the schools. Reading this forum and looking at Great Schools rating, I’m shocked by all the negative comments and how many people opt for private school. Plus I’m surprised to see that majority of the schools have such low ratings. What on earth happened and when? What can be done to get the old MCPS reputation back?

[Anonymous]

Soo many things, many of which are not in the hands of the district.

Population expansion, Recessions, Technology growth (cell phones), “Gentle parenting” run amok, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a former MCPS (graduated in the early 90’s), I remember MCPS being the top district in Maryland. People moved here for the schools. Reading this forum and looking at Great Schools rating, I’m shocked by all the negative comments and how many people opt for private school. Plus I’m surprised to see that majority of the schools have such low ratings. What on earth happened and when? What can be done to get the old MCPS reputation back?

Great Schools ratings did not exist then. MCPS controlled the PR and routinely lied about standings. MCPS wasn’t even the best in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

I think MCPS has struggled with some things— curriculum changes, the pandemic etc— but I really don’t think you can take comments on this board as evidence it has gone significantly downhill.

My kids graduated in the last few years and while I would change some things if I could overall they got a very good education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soo many things, many of which are not in the hands of the district.

Population expansion, Recessions, Technology growth (cell phones), “Gentle parenting” run amok, etc.

That's all true but the biggest change happened when the BOE went from a mix of conservatives and liberals to a mix of liberals and the far left. Liberals are afraid to challenge far left ideology for fear of being labeled racist, anti-trans, etc. So the far left has run amok. MCPS will continue to spiral downward until it bears resemblance to PGCPS circa 1990.

So what year(s) did this start the decline?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soo many things, many of which are not in the hands of the district.

Population expansion, Recessions, Technology growth (cell phones), “Gentle parenting” run amok, etc.

That's all true but the biggest change happened when the BOE went from a mix of conservatives and liberals to a mix of liberals and the far left. Liberals are afraid to challenge far left ideology for fear of being labeled racist, anti-trans, etc. So the far left has run amok. MCPS will continue to spiral downward until it bears resemblance to PGCPS circa 1990.

The suggestion that it was significant shift in the BoE that caused problems is the least plausible scenario. When did this shift happen and how did it affect classroom teaching?

[Anonymous]

There are already multiple threads on this topic and ones over from this year. Search. If OP is a private school recruiter, go away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a former MCPS (graduated in the early 90’s), I remember MCPS being the top district in Maryland. People moved here for the schools. Reading this forum and looking at Great Schools rating, I’m shocked by all the negative comments and how many people opt for private school. Plus I’m surprised to see that majority of the schools have such low ratings. What on earth happened and when? What can be done to get the old MCPS reputation back?

MCPS is still objectively and comparatively a top district. It now has to be that to a larger more diverse population. And it can’t as easily get away with ignoring or keeping out students that it didn’t previously serve well.

There are problems in MCPS to be certain, but many on DCUM have no idea how to solve them particularly in the interest of all students so instead complain on DCUM (and in school).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are already multiple threads on this topic and ones over from this year. Search. If OP is a private school recruiter, go away.

Seriously. This is like the 8th version of this exact same thread. OP is late to the party. But I understand the shock at the decline. MCPS really has fallen far from its grace.

[Anonymous]

I agree with others above that much of the "decline" is just due to demographic shift, as well as new metrics propagated by real estate agents to institutionalize residential segregation.

With that said, this is part of a broader attack on public education nationwide, including through tax cuts for the wealthy.

In 1993, the highest corporate tax rate was 38%. By 2020, that number had gone down to 21%.

In 1993,, the highest individual tax rate was almost 40%. By 2020, that number was down to 37% even as the highest income Americans gained new mechanisms to shield their wealth from taxation.

It's harder to do more with less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others above that much of the "decline" is just due to demographic shift, as well as new metrics propagated by real estate agents to institutionalize residential segregation.

With that said, this is part of a broader attack on public education nationwide, including through tax cuts for the wealthy.

In 1993, the highest corporate tax rate was 38%. By 2020, that number had gone down to 21%.

In 1993,, the highest individual tax rate was almost 40%. By 2020, that number was down to 37% even as the highest income Americans gained new mechanisms to shield their wealth from taxation.

It's harder to do more with less.

MCPS, at a $3 billion+ plus budget, has more resources and staff than it has ever had in its history. What are you even talking about “doing more with less”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others above that much of the "decline" is just due to demographic shift, as well as new metrics propagated by real estate agents to institutionalize residential segregation.

With that said, this is part of a broader attack on public education nationwide, including through tax cuts for the wealthy.

In 1993, the highest corporate tax rate was 38%. By 2020, that number had gone down to 21%.

In 1993,, the highest individual tax rate was almost 40%. By 2020, that number was down to 37% even as the highest income Americans gained new mechanisms to shield their wealth from taxation.

It's harder to do more with less.

MCPS, at a $3 billion+ plus budget, has more resources and staff than it has ever had in its history. What are you even talking about “doing more with less”?

Oh please "tax cuts" - property taxes are high and never declining here. Whatever nationwide problems exist in other places are not an issue here now.

[Anonymous]

My oldest started K in MCPS in 2004. I had been told that “MCPS is one of the best school systems in the nation”, but when I researching the schools before my daughter started, I was reading that you send your kids to MCPS schools for socialization and then educate them at home. When my child started school I was shocked by how bad the curriculum was and their grading and grouping policies were also problematic. Joining a curriculum review committee made me realize it was even worse than I had realized.

MCPS does offer some fantastic opportunities and my kids were fortunate to be able to take advantage of some of, for which I’m very grateful. I do feel they graduated with excellent educations, but I also had to fill in many gaps along the way. From talking to the parents of other kids, my children’s teachers, and reading on DCUM, I’ve concluded that DCUM’s lofty reputation is largely due to parents working with their kids at home, a booming tutoring industry, and teachers surreptitiously teaching needed content where they see deficiencies in the MCPS curriculum.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was pretty bad when I went but the curriculum was much better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with others above that much of the "decline" is just due to demographic shift, as well as new metrics propagated by real estate agents to institutionalize residential segregation.

With that said, this is part of a broader attack on public education nationwide, including through tax cuts for the wealthy.

In 1993, the highest corporate tax rate was 38%. By 2020, that number had gone down to 21%.

In 1993,, the highest individual tax rate was almost 40%. By 2020, that number was down to 37% even as the highest income Americans gained new mechanisms to shield their wealth from taxation.

It's harder to do more with less.

MCPS, at a $3 billion+ plus budget, has more resources and staff than it has ever had in its history. What are you even talking about “doing more with less”?

And we have way more students. Don't forget that part of the equation.