Can Prince George's schools ever be improved?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PG County schools will only get worse over time. As long as poor blacks keep moving out of DC into PG things will only deteriorate. On the other hand as whites move into DC the DCPS schools will get better. Its a pattern that any sociologist will tell you about.

I know. Cause all black people are dumb and all white people are super smart! Thanks. I didn't know that.

[Anonymous]

PG County schools will only get worse over time. As long as poor blacks keep moving out of DC into PG things will only deteriorate. On the other hand as whites move into DC the DCPS schools will get better. Its a pattern that any sociologist will tell you about.

Which sociologist? Can you name one that shares this view?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It appears some feel the overpaid Superintendent of MCPS in the neighboring County believes part of the solution to the problem in PG County is heterogeneous grouping in the classroom by ability. This strategy is called the social justice philosophy that promises to improve the public educational system. I hope this brilliant revelation from the neighboring County is helpful. THe MCPS Superintendent has been reading again and is sold on the idea of social justice to improve educational performance of our students and this begins with heterogeneous grouping by ability in the classroom.

What??? Starr (and I'm not a fan) does talk about social justice and he wants heterogeneous classrooms (meaning classrooms of mixed ability). He is absolutely hostile to the idea of ability grouping (which would create groups of homogeneous abilities).

[Anonymous]

Was dumbfounded yesterday to find that a friend will not be sending her children to the neighborhood school in her sought-after Montgomery County town. The teach-to-the-test culture is too soul-crushing, she thinks. So they paid maybe 5 times as much as we did for a house, and is ending up in the same pickle. I've always assumed that grass was greener, but maybe not always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was dumbfounded yesterday to find that a friend will not be sending her children to the neighborhood school in her sought-after Montgomery County town. The teach-to-the-test culture is too soul-crushing, she thinks. So they paid maybe 5 times as much as we did for a house, and is ending up in the same pickle. I've always assumed that grass was greener, but maybe not always.

SAT FAIL

[Anonymous]

In this current budget crisis and with the testing requirements, no I don't think they can be improved in the short term. There are challenges in the school system that require creative solutions that aren't possible in a system that's inflexible. We need better facilities (the cost of maintaining the older buildings eats a lot of the per-student allocation), additional facilities (to address overcrowding in younger grades and cut down on huge 2500 student high schools), more teachers to address a variety of needs (non-native English speakers and learners is a big one), more flexibility with curriculum to bring back more recess and daily physical education (a major positive contributor to learning in the lower grades), and simply more money to keep arts/drama/music/language programs. If all of these were in place, we might be able to attract and retain teachers who are (a) well-educated, trained, and certified (rather than Teach for America types, who seem to be the bulk of new teachers) and (b) interested in making a commitment for the long term to the school system.

Parent involvement is only the icing on the cake, and has to do with the success of individual students. Systemic problems need systemic solutions, and what we see in PG is just a reflection of the way we see public education around the country. As the Montgomery County person pointed out, the schools may be better funded with more extracurriculars and better arts programs, but they are still bound by the testing requirements. We are facing a fundamental challenge in this country in what we believe public education should achieve and what the best pedagogical approach is. Until we create schools that are based on sound principles at their core, many people are going to opt out if they can, even from "good" schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was dumbfounded yesterday to find that a friend will not be sending her children to the neighborhood school in her sought-after Montgomery County town. The teach-to-the-test culture is too soul-crushing, she thinks. So they paid maybe 5 times as much as we did for a house, and is ending up in the same pickle. I've always assumed that grass was greener, but maybe not always.

Clearly a 1% problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was dumbfounded yesterday to find that a friend will not be sending her children to the neighborhood school in her sought-after Montgomery County town. The teach-to-the-test culture is too soul-crushing, she thinks. So they paid maybe 5 times as much as we did for a house, and is ending up in the same pickle. I've always assumed that grass was greener, but maybe not always.

I agree PP. I live in Prince George's County and send my kids to public school here. I have friends with children in Montgomery County Public Schools -- Silver Spring, Potomac, Gaithersburg. My children seem to be getting just as good an education as those who live in MCPS, from what I can tell; and we possibly may be happier with the schools than my friends are. Certainly they paid a lot more for their houses than we did; I'm not sure sure that it resulted in a much better school system for their children -- although I will be honest, all our kids are in elementary school. I think they have less concern about middle and high schools than we do.

[Anonymous]

For the people mocking the post on my friend in Montgomery County who is now questioning the schools ("SAT FAIL" and "1% problem") you miss the point. Are my friends reasonably well off? Yes, reasonably but not 1%. But that isn't the point. The point is we are all doing what we can to make sure our kids get a good education AND are happy as much of each day as possible. I worry that if I send my kid to our PG county school he'll not get a good education and will also be stressed by the constant focus on following rigid rules, seeing friends suspended for rules infractions. My friend has different but still valid worries. Would I change places? Yes, if I had the means. But still, she hasn't solved the school conundrum either, and I feel sorry that she is in that boat after spending so much money.

[Anonymous]

Where you get them Trayvon hoodies?

[Anonymous]

It will never be solved until the people in PG realize that, when you are poorer, you need to spend a larger fraction of your income on basics (housing, food, education, police). This means a higher tax rate. If you refuse to have a higher tax rate, you will always have 3rd rate education, police, etc. (or a flock of rich people magically move to PG so there is more income in dollars for the same tax rate).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will never be solved until the people in PG realize that, when you are poorer, you need to spend a larger fraction of your income on basics (housing, food, education, police). This means a higher tax rate. If you refuse to have a higher tax rate, you will always have 3rd rate education, police, etc. (or a flock of rich people magically move to PG so there is more income in dollars for the same tax rate).

Amen. Stop spending your money on Air Jordans. designer clothing, snack food, liquor and beer, and guns.

[Anonymous]

I'm sure that the people spending money irresponsibly aren't the ones who care about improving the county's schools.

[Anonymous]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/public-schools-minority-students_b_1408878.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sure that the people spending money irresponsibly aren't the ones who care about improving the county's schools.

But they are the ones that vote against tax increases. (although, it is a bit hard to imagine them voting... but anyway... the PG county voters, whichever ones are voting, prevent adequate funding for the schools)