The very best or good? Two divergant views on schools for one child

[Anonymous]

17:09 here. We're in Wooten going to Travilah but I have heard the same thing from a bunch of parents in BCC and Churchill. We have friends at StoneMill and they call it Stone Mill U for all the worksheets and pressure on the tests. The problem seems to be that Montgomery County has taken a very rigid view of NCLB and structured everything around those darn tests.

I don't like the idea of young kids getting pizza parties and junk food treats for completing huge take home workbooks that don't really further their education but just up the tally for the school. MCPDS performance is all based on the tests so administrators are highly motivated to focus on this. I don't think its a coincidence that more expensive programs like art, science, or physical education are being cut in favor of test prep during a year when there is a tough budget. NCLB is the excuse the system is using.

I think VA is better because they had a more rationale test model in place prior to NCLB.

[Anonymous]

There's no such thing as the very best. There will be things you dislike about any school you choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes your kid may need a private. I have a friend in this situation - moved to MoCo for the schools and then one of her kids had needs the public schools would not adequately address. I would buy a house that left you with enough that you could do private if you absolutely had to. We are in DC, like our house and neighborhood, and send both kids (we only have 2) to private. We looked at moving to MoCo but decided we would rather keep this house and pay tuition than move. If we had moved to the biggest house we could buy and counted on public school and then turned out to have a need for private like what happened to my friend, I would have been beside myself.

This was our situation exactly. Am frustrated at the situation, but I rationalize that DC2 will almost certainly go to public school--totally different child than DC1--and we really like where we live now and our new, bigger house, so it wasn't totally a bad move. Still, sometimes I think we would have been better off staying in our smaller DC house and paying tuitions.

[Anonymous]

Good enough schools for elementary, save some money, private schools for high school/college if the kid shows an aptitude. Enriching after-school activities and travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You may want to really research the public school first. We decided to move to Montgomery County for the great public schools. The test scores are great but the more we learn about the school the more upset we are about going there. They truly lack good educational aspects like science, deeper math concepts, art, drama, music and anything beyond what NCLB scores. The class sizes are exploding and the facilities are aging at best. The MCPS teachers are frustrated and the administrators just perpetuate the problem.

If we could afford to move I would go to Arlington or go live in a condo and pay for private school.

In public, it's the same everywhere. Don't think Arlington is any better than Mo Co.

The economy is tanking, and as a result, the hatchet hits the schools hard.

Even private schools are suffering. Tuition is on the rise and enrollment is dropping.

[Anonymous]

Don't think Arlington is any better than Mo Co.

Arlington still has science, art, music (vocal and instrumental), Continental Math League . . . .

Max kindergarten class size is being increased to 24 (teacher + aide). I don't think there was chick-hatching this year. No raises next year. So yes, there have been cutbacks, but not what you're saying.

[Anonymous]

IMO the VA schools in general focus more on Science and Social Studies than MD schools do, if only because up till recently, MD state did not have any tests in Science and Social Studies, and VA has tested those areas for many years. IN my child's MD school Social Studies is taught for perhaps 1 hour total all week, and science a little more. When they get to the 4th and 5th grad elevel science is taught more intensely, because it will be tested in 5th grade. But I miss the attention to history, civis, economics and geography that was a part of the VA elementary schoo curriculum every day when I used to teach there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:17:09 here. We're in Wooten going to Travilah but I have heard the same thing from a bunch of parents in BCC and Churchill. We have friends at StoneMill and they call it Stone Mill U for all the worksheets and pressure on the tests. The problem seems to be that Montgomery County has taken a very rigid view of NCLB and structured everything around those darn tests.

I don't like the idea of young kids getting pizza parties and junk food treats for completing huge take home workbooks that don't really further their education but just up the tally for the school. MCPDS performance is all based on the tests so administrators are highly motivated to focus on this. I don't think its a coincidence that more expensive programs like art, science, or physical education are being cut in favor of test prep during a year when there is a tough budget. NCLB is the excuse the system is using.

I think VA is better because they had a more rationale test model in place prior to NCLB.

16:44 here. My son's zoned for Stone Mill and I completely agree. My neighbors have nightmare stories. And this is one of the top performing elementary schools. Not best, but definitely up there. It's a complete factory atmosphere with no creativity whatsoever.