Down county MS/HS...what are you worried about?
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Anonymous
So true! The answer to the OP's question is the fact that racists and elitists don't want their precious snowflakes to encounter those lower SES brown folks. Of course they will never admit it, but it's the truth. Montgomery County is full of subtle racism. However, folks claim to be so liberal and tolerant. 
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Anonymous
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Ok we've established that all high schools in all counties have students who smoke pot. Agreed.
Now let's look at average SAT scores, GPAs, colleges attended by year, national awards won by school (natl merit, etc) scholarships awarded as a % of the graduating class, number of AP classes for which kids were awarded credit I think the picture starts to emerge when these factors are viewed in spreadsheet. It doesn't mean that you'll get k iced in the halls of Einstein at all. Doesn't mean some teens get a fine education there. But the student bodies are different in ways apart from who has the most pigment |
Anonymous
It's been my expereince tht "special snowflakes" get MORE attention in lower SES schools here in MCPS. In the west county schools, everyone is "above average." In the east county schools, they need to differentiate by classroom and they do. |
Anonymous
Also not subtle racism. |
Anonymous
If you look at safety at a glance (http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/Safetyglance/) for Blair as an example, 20% of kids do not feel safe, 7% of parents think the school is not safe. So clearly there is a disconnect between what the parents think and what the kids think. 40% of kids say bullying is an issue and 60% think stealing is an issue. Those are high numbers. Northwood have physical fights weekly. 35% of students do not feel safe at school. |
Anonymous
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My kid went to MS in the west and now goes to high school in the east. Things are FINE. I'd rather my kid be in a supervised school with those "unsafe" kids in an east county school rather than the home of an unsupervised kid in the west part of the county who was raised by a nanny. Different parts of the county have different problems. Choose your poison.
Test scores only show that the peer group of higher performing kids is larger which means more competition. There are smart kids at all these schools. East kids seem to be more down to earth, less self-indulgent; they are the kind of kids you might enjoy raising as opposed to some of the more priviledged kids farther west. I'm assuming that those who have raised the issue regarding safety and test scores of the DCC have no personal experience there. Please stop repeating what you read and hear. A school is much more than a data sheet, and there are some fine and very successful kids that are a product of the DCC. |
Anonymous
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don't worry. Whatever you do is right, and you are now at liberty to put others down.
There's West County ways of fucking up, and there's East County ways of fucking up. Some administrators can handle the wider East County diversity, others can handle the "everyone's a special snowflake" West County parents. |
Anonymous
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The divide is less obvious upcounty. This is a Silver Spring vs. Bethesda/Potomac fued.
I choose to stay out of it and live neither place. |
Anonymous
Okay, there is some truth to safety, test scores, and other issues with the schools in Down County. I can't disagree with the Safety at a Glance Information. However, there is still a level of veiled racism that exist in MCPS that folks just push under the rug. Even in the Down County schools the expectations for black and Latino students are not that high. Some teachers automatically assume that a black or a Latino student doesn't measure up and they treat that student according to their own personal biases. That's why so many AA families end up choosing private and parochial schools for their children because the cards are stack against their child in some MCPS. Even AA students from high SES and ivy legacies still encounter the veil racism at MCPS no matter if they reside in Down County or not. MCPS just lumps all Latinos and blacks into the same category of "those students" instead of teaching towards the individual student's needs. Here you have above average black and Latino students who are mistakenly thrown into the lower groups because some bias teacher assumed that the student was below average. Some parents have to fight tooth and nail just to get certain schools to recognize that their child is not below average and that they want the school to have higher expectations for their child. People get sick of the fighting, the stereotyping, and the fact that some people in MCPS don't have high expectations for every student. Yes, some people may avoid Down County because of testing data, etc. However, I can't deny that the negative perceptions about blacks and Latinos don't have something to do with people's view about Down County as well. The division and veiled racism in MCPS is too obvious to ignore. |
Anonymous
I wish I could like your comment 1000 times...especially the bolded. I have friends that live in areas with HORRIBLE schools. I'm not saying that MCPS is perfect, but if you only experienced just a month of what others in less-privileged districts experience...I mean, the School District of Philadelphia just laid off scores of people, including assistant principals, counselors, etc. Perspective. |
Anonymous
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11:58
I agree with what you wrote. Calling people racist because they don't want to live down county is just closing the conversation. There are plenty of people that don't live down county for a multitude of reasons and just calling them all racist is just wrong. The problem with all the advice on this board is that many will not just admit the issues in each school so that people can make informed decisions. Just because I don't want to live in a down county neighborhood does not mean I am racist. I actually think downcounty lacks diversity in the opposite direction and there are many schools that do not have this issue in other parts of the county. Just because I choose a diverse middle county school does not mean I am afraid of blacks and Latinos. Downcounty neighborhood/schools have issues. Besides there are tons of MoCo residents that don't work in the city and don't need to live there for a good commute. I have no desire to live downcounty (Silver Spring or Bethesda) simply because we like it mid and upper county. That is not because we are racist. Some neighborhoods have crime. Just because I state that does not make me racist. There are diverse areas/schools without the same crime. It would be refreshing if people could just be honest. Silver Spring is a city and with city living comes crime. You have to decide if you are willing to take the good with the bad, not pretend the bad is not there. |
Anonymous
Some of these children come from families where education and achievement are not emphasized. These are single parent families, working 2-3 jobs and are just trying to put food on the table. Good bless them! My child is fortunate to have parents that know how (and have the time) to be an advocate, and I wouldn't call my experience a "tooth and nail" fight. For example, my AA child was recommended not to take all honors classes and a AP course in the 9th grade because it might be overwhelming. We ignored the recommendation and my child completed the year with a 3.85. Next year my child is registered for several AP classes as opposed to honors classes that were recommended. We just ignored the recommendation. The bottom line is we set the standards as parents, not the school system. There is subtle racism everywhere. Not just in public schools. Privates have their issues, and I laugh at people who think that private school erases some of these perceptions. And there's a whole world of perceptions waiting for them at college and in the workforce. Want your AA or hispanic child to go to a competitive college? You better start getting them ready!! Just wait until they dorm with a student who has never been to school with a AA or hispanic child, let alone visited a home of another child not of the same race. Use this as a learning experience for your child. Along the way, they will learn how to advocate for themselves. |
Anonymous
You do realize these are statistics of the folks who PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY? You do realize that not every student and family participated.... I know...I got a study in the mail...tried to folo instrux to login in and give responses...link didn't work...I did not respond to study |
Anonymous
There is crime everywhere...even where u live... I live in Silver Spring...I know there is crime... it is not crime-ridden... people are not being mugged on my block every day... folks are not selling drugs on the corner... there is no place with NO CRIME AT ALL |
Anonymous
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I don't have a dog in this fight.
But I used to live in an area with crime issues (not in MOCO). And I have to say, I HATE when people use the excuse "there is crime everywhere." Yeah, that's a given, but in some places, there is significantly more crime and there is more violent crime. You can like where you live, but be honest. In some places, there is a statistically stronger likelihood that a person will be a victim of a crime. Now, it is true that in some cases it is an issue of perception (i.e. the crime rate in reality isn't as bad as the reputation). But a crime map pretty much shows the reality; there are areas with a greater concentration of crime, which means more frequent crime. |