educational consultants for MCPS?

[Anonymous]

DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

[Anonymous]

I tried this OP. I paid several hundred dollars to an educational consultant in Maryland, filled out paperwork, told her my child’s needs, explained the areas I was thinking about moving to, and asked which pyramids she thought met my criteria. I kid you not, she said she could only recommend the W schools. I said I couldn’t afford those and was looking at Silver Spring and Rockville. She said I needed to find a way to afford them, like living in an apartment or maybe renting an apartment in a W school area and actually living in Silver Spring if I want to. I said I thought that was illegal and also would not be affordable. It was a HORRIBLE waste of money. If I wanted that advice, I could have come to DCUM. I pushed back and said, “you mean to tell me there is no school in Silver Spring where my child can get a good education?” And she said something like, “I’m sure there is, but it’s hit or miss.” I said “ok, I’m asking you to tell me the hits. That’s what I am paying an educational consultant for.” And she repeated that she can only recommend the W schools.

Worthless and offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there such thing as a knowledgeable educational consultant for MCPS? We are considering a move there but not sure about which pyramid.

All schools offer the same curriculum and teachers. Move to an area that you like.

+1. In summary—if your child is exceptionally gifted they will get attention. If your child has significant SN they will get attention. Everyone else in the county falls in the middle. The middle is very wide. Students in the middle don’t get much focus.

.

Nope to the second point about S/N, particularly dyslexia. Had to leave county to get FAPE.

Where did you go?

Hoco

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

And what's your house price range?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there such thing as a knowledgeable educational consultant for MCPS? We are considering a move there but not sure about which pyramid.

All schools offer the same curriculum and teachers. Move to an area that you like.

+1. In summary—if your child is exceptionally gifted they will get attention. If your child has significant SN they will get attention. Everyone else in the county falls in the middle. The middle is very wide. Students in the middle don’t get much focus.

.

Nope to the second point about S/N, particularly dyslexia. Had to leave county to get FAPE.

Where did you go?

Hoco

Just kidding!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tried this OP. I paid several hundred dollars to an educational consultant in Maryland, filled out paperwork, told her my child’s needs, explained the areas I was thinking about moving to, and asked which pyramids she thought met my criteria. I kid you not, she said she could only recommend the W schools. I said I couldn’t afford those and was looking at Silver Spring and Rockville. She said I needed to find a way to afford them, like living in an apartment or maybe renting an apartment in a W school area and actually living in Silver Spring if I want to. I said I thought that was illegal and also would not be affordable. It was a HORRIBLE waste of money. If I wanted that advice, I could have come to DCUM. I pushed back and said, “you mean to tell me there is no school in Silver Spring where my child can get a good education?” And she said something like, “I’m sure there is, but it’s hit or miss.” I said “ok, I’m asking you to tell me the hits. That’s what I am paying an educational consultant for.” And she repeated that she can only recommend the W schools.

Worthless and offensive.

There's a misconception about schools today. Maybe it stems from a time when the population was more homogenous, don't know, but things like GS rating simply measure the absence of low-income students. This doesn't indicate great opportunities. Most schools have a high-achieving cohort so you can do well in most places. For example, if your kids are in early elementary, I'd suggest looking at focus schools where class sizes are often 15-16 instead of 25-30, or maybe even a school with a local CES where a more reasonable percentage of capable students can benefit from the enrichment. For example, there are many wonderful G&T programs in MCPS, but unfortunately, they're limited to a few students. In fact, there are many more students who could benefit than there are seats so any place where you might have better odds may be a good choice. A recent thread on this forum that discussed such things was something like DCC trios. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tried this OP. I paid several hundred dollars to an educational consultant in Maryland, filled out paperwork, told her my child’s needs, explained the areas I was thinking about moving to, and asked which pyramids she thought met my criteria. I kid you not, she said she could only recommend the W schools. I said I couldn’t afford those and was looking at Silver Spring and Rockville. She said I needed to find a way to afford them, like living in an apartment or maybe renting an apartment in a W school area and actually living in Silver Spring if I want to. I said I thought that was illegal and also would not be affordable. It was a HORRIBLE waste of money. If I wanted that advice, I could have come to DCUM. I pushed back and said, “you mean to tell me there is no school in Silver Spring where my child can get a good education?” And she said something like, “I’m sure there is, but it’s hit or miss.” I said “ok, I’m asking you to tell me the hits. That’s what I am paying an educational consultant for.” And she repeated that she can only recommend the W schools.

Worthless and offensive.

ha ha, thanks for the warning. it is entirely possible that DCUM is a better consultant!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

And what's your house price range?

I’m renting. I would like to pay under $2500 month for a 2-bedroom but can stretch a little. I would consider buying a condo or small house if the PITI wasn’t more than $3000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

I actually believe this may be true

I’m looking for a metro accessible area with affordable rent ($2500-3000 for a 2 br) or cheap condo/small house. I really dislike the suburbs/driving so hopefully something more walkable. My kid is very bright and quirky so I’d love to be in a neighborhood where kids are similar. Currently have to commute to L’Enfant Plaza only 1 day/week.

So far I have zeroed in on:

- TP/Blair. There are some affordable condos on Maple/Lee and a few house rentals. But I’d have to convince my STBX that those schools are good enough
- Silver Creek/BCC. There’s a little pocket of garden level condos (Rock Creek Gardens) walkable to Silver Spring metro.
- Sligo/Einstein. Lots of rentals at my budget in Silver Spring. STBX thinks Einstein is “bad.”
- Deal/Wilson. Apartment or cheaper condo along Conn Ave. I like the idea of staying in DC and feel like we’d fit in best here.
- Hardy/Foxhall High. Apartment or cheap condo in Glover Park or Wesley Heights. I love parks and trees so this is actually my personal favorite option
- Westland/BCC. I would rent near the metro but I think this area is more expensive. Also Bethesda just scares me, seems unappealing as a place to live and full of rich people? Please tell me I’m being a reverse snob.
- Tilden/WJ. Near White Flint metro. Housing more affordable but scares me to move so far from city. But I think this may be a good school choice.
- Virginia. No. I see Confederate ghosts and lots of traffic there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tried this OP. I paid several hundred dollars to an educational consultant in Maryland, filled out paperwork, told her my child’s needs, explained the areas I was thinking about moving to, and asked which pyramids she thought met my criteria. I kid you not, she said she could only recommend the W schools. I said I couldn’t afford those and was looking at Silver Spring and Rockville. She said I needed to find a way to afford them, like living in an apartment or maybe renting an apartment in a W school area and actually living in Silver Spring if I want to. I said I thought that was illegal and also would not be affordable. It was a HORRIBLE waste of money. If I wanted that advice, I could have come to DCUM. I pushed back and said, “you mean to tell me there is no school in Silver Spring where my child can get a good education?” And she said something like, “I’m sure there is, but it’s hit or miss.” I said “ok, I’m asking you to tell me the hits. That’s what I am paying an educational consultant for.” And she repeated that she can only recommend the W schools.

Worthless and offensive.

There's a misconception about schools today. Maybe it stems from a time when the population was more homogenous, don't know, but things like GS rating simply measure the absence of low-income students. This doesn't indicate great opportunities. Most schools have a high-achieving cohort so you can do well in most places. For example, if your kids are in early elementary, I'd suggest looking at focus schools where class sizes are often 15-16 instead of 25-30, or maybe even a school with a local CES where a more reasonable percentage of capable students can benefit from the enrichment. For example, there are many wonderful G&T programs in MCPS, but unfortunately, they're limited to a few students. In fact, there are many more students who could benefit than there are seats so any place where you might have better odds may be a good choice. A recent thread on this forum that discussed such things was something like DCC trios. Good luck!

Thank you - this viewpoint is exactly what I need to discuss with my STBX. He believes that only the W schools or Fairfax are “good.” Is there a site where I can show him test scores from each school? For myself, my concern is that the schools not only have a cohort but also be safe and organized. I don’t think we’d fit in at all at very wealthy school though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

I actually believe this may be true

I’m looking for a metro accessible area with affordable rent ($2500-3000 for a 2 br) or cheap condo/small house. I really dislike the suburbs/driving so hopefully something more walkable. My kid is very bright and quirky so I’d love to be in a neighborhood where kids are similar. Currently have to commute to L’Enfant Plaza only 1 day/week.

So far I have zeroed in on:

- TP/Blair. There are some affordable condos on Maple/Lee and a few house rentals. But I’d have to convince my STBX that those schools are good enough
- Silver Creek/BCC. There’s a little pocket of garden level condos (Rock Creek Gardens) walkable to Silver Spring metro.
- Sligo/Einstein. Lots of rentals at my budget in Silver Spring. STBX thinks Einstein is “bad.”
- Deal/Wilson. Apartment or cheaper condo along Conn Ave. I like the idea of staying in DC and feel like we’d fit in best here.
- Hardy/Foxhall High. Apartment or cheap condo in Glover Park or Wesley Heights. I love parks and trees so this is actually my personal favorite option
- Westland/BCC. I would rent near the metro but I think this area is more expensive. Also Bethesda just scares me, seems unappealing as a place to live and full of rich people? Please tell me I’m being a reverse snob.
- Tilden/WJ. Near White Flint metro. Housing more affordable but scares me to move so far from city. But I think this may be a good school choice.
- Virginia. No. I see Confederate ghosts and lots of traffic there.

Is ex supportive of the Deal/Wilson option? If so, Sligo/Einstein and TP/Blair are going to be similar. I would not consider Wilson to be a better school than Einstein or Blair, I think they are pretty similar. What type of extracurriculars is your kid into? This might sway people's advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really do your research. If you do you may not choose this district.
- agreed to write their own curriculum for a private company (Pearson) for new common core standards and stayed with it for a decade - even when they knew it was failing students
-had student data hacked in 2015 - likely by a competitor to Pearson and covered it up
-former superintendent took a junket to Australia and New Zealand after giving Pearson exclusive contract, then retired
-current superintendent was consultant for Discovery Education / which wants to push its old shark videos as science curriculum - look for them to be given contracts
-serious sexual assault by staff members - teachers, coaches, bus drivers, students, covered up by staff members

This is a failed system that spends 3 billion a year of tax dollars with no inspector general. No other system as large as this goes this unchecked - it has misspent money on everything from bus cameras to promethium boards to astroturf fields but offers so many jobs to county residents everyone just looks away. If you decide to really look at this criminal and corrupt organization you will likely decide to send your child to a private school or move to HoCo.

Tell us what you really think!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

Be afraid. Be very afraid!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCUM is your educational consultant. What areas are you looking in OP, and how old are your kids?

I actually believe this may be true

I’m looking for a metro accessible area with affordable rent ($2500-3000 for a 2 br) or cheap condo/small house. I really dislike the suburbs/driving so hopefully something more walkable. My kid is very bright and quirky so I’d love to be in a neighborhood where kids are similar. Currently have to commute to L’Enfant Plaza only 1 day/week.

So far I have zeroed in on:

- TP/Blair. There are some affordable condos on Maple/Lee and a few house rentals. But I’d have to convince my STBX that those schools are good enough
- Silver Creek/BCC. There’s a little pocket of garden level condos (Rock Creek Gardens) walkable to Silver Spring metro.
- Sligo/Einstein. Lots of rentals at my budget in Silver Spring. STBX thinks Einstein is “bad.”
- Deal/Wilson. Apartment or cheaper condo along Conn Ave. I like the idea of staying in DC and feel like we’d fit in best here.
- Hardy/Foxhall High. Apartment or cheap condo in Glover Park or Wesley Heights. I love parks and trees so this is actually my personal favorite option
- Westland/BCC. I would rent near the metro but I think this area is more expensive. Also Bethesda just scares me, seems unappealing as a place to live and full of rich people? Please tell me I’m being a reverse snob.
- Tilden/WJ. Near White Flint metro. Housing more affordable but scares me to move so far from city. But I think this may be a good school choice.
- Virginia. No. I see Confederate ghosts and lots of traffic there.

Is ex supportive of the Deal/Wilson option? If so, Sligo/Einstein and TP/Blair are going to be similar. I would not consider Wilson to be a better school than Einstein or Blair, I think they are pretty similar. What type of extracurriculars is your kid into? This might sway people's advice.

My DS 10 is not a sporty kid at all. He will probably be interested in things like theater clubs, school newspaper, yearbook, etc, but really just likes video games for now.

[Anonymous]

Einstein has a top-notch theater program. Along with dance and visual arts.