MCPS just isn't so great anymore - WashPo Opinion 9/6/2013

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-great-montgomery-county-schools-they-were-once-maybe-they-can-be-again/2013/09/06/e5bb70c0-15ab-11e3-be6e-dc6ae8a5b3a8_story.html

Where is the MCPS response to this?!

If you read the opinion piece, instead of just the headline, you will realize that the author is not actually saying that MCPS schools are no longer so great. Rather, he is saying that MCPS is not doing as much as he thinks they ought to be to make sure that the poor brown and black kids in eastern Montgomery County get as good an education as the rich white kids in the "W" schools.

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I think this is a great idea.

I have kids in the western part of the county and I'm appalled at the entitled, NIMBY, narrowminded view of many parents. It's a public school system and little Larla should have the chance to experience the range of human experience including working class people. I wish our schools weren't so divided along SES lines and would welcome a change of districts - make the high schools more horizonal across the county!

Why do you live in the western part of MoCo if you want your child to experience a range of SES at school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-great-montgomery-county-schools-they-were-once-maybe-they-can-be-again/2013/09/06/e5bb70c0-15ab-11e3-be6e-dc6ae8a5b3a8_story.html

Where is the MCPS response to this?!

If you read the opinion piece, instead of just the headline, you will realize that the author is not actually saying that MCPS schools are no longer so great. Rather, he is saying that MCPS is not doing as much as he thinks they ought to be to make sure that the poor brown and black kids in eastern Montgomery County get as good an education as the rich white kids in the "W" schools.

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I think this is a great idea.

I have kids in the western part of the county and I'm appalled at the entitled, NIMBY, narrowminded view of many parents. It's a public school system and little Larla should have the chance to experience the range of human experience including working class people. I wish our schools weren't so divided along SES lines and would welcome a change of districts - make the high schools more horizonal across the county!

Why do you live in the western part of MoCo if you want your child to experience a range of SES at school?

Well, I'm just for them to be in those western schools -- when we bought we didn't have kids. Our actual neighborhood is very diverse and closest shopping/downtown area is Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why do you live in the western part of MoCo if you want your child to experience a range of SES at school?

Not the PP, but I live in the western part of Montgomery County, and my kid's public elementary school is about 25% white, 22% FARMS.

[Anonymous]

I think education and educational resources should be improved for all students in Montgomery County. My kids attend one of the W clusters and I would say there are many things wrong within the entire MCPS system. For example, with 2.0 being rolled out this year in high school math classes, the text books do not align with the assignments. The tests including the HSA also will not align with the 2.0 curriculum. Why implement a system that the resources including textbooks and tests have not been written for? Where will the impact be felt the greatest? Probably within the poorer communities because parents at the W schools supplement, provide tutors, and are heavily involved in their children's education. Children who do not have other resources and are solely dependent on MCPS for their education are at a great disadvantage. Bussing will not change this disparity.

[Anonymous]

All the rich kids are moving to DC, where the good schools are

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think education and educational resources should be improved for all students in Montgomery County. My kids attend one of the W clusters and I would say there are many things wrong within the entire MCPS system. For example, with 2.0 being rolled out this year in high school math classes, the text books do not align with the assignments. The tests including the HSA also will not align with the 2.0 curriculum. Why implement a system that the resources including textbooks and tests have not been written for? Where will the impact be felt the greatest? Probably within the poorer communities because parents at the W schools supplement, provide tutors, and are heavily involved in their children's education. Children who do not have other resources and are solely dependent on MCPS for their education are at a great disadvantage. Bussing will not change this disparity.

I agree 100%!!!

[Anonymous]

PP, perhaps you are unaware that the Common Core curriculum is taking effect state-wide in the 2013-2014 school year? And that the HSA is a state-wide test?

Meanwhile, instead of talking about the problems of fortunate kids in "W" schools, could we focus on the problems of less-fortunate kids in non-"W" schools, which is what the WP opinion piece is about?

[Anonymous]

For those who don't know, Dan Reed has railed against the downcounty system and MCPS in general since a group of very determined and very white parents bested MCPS in the 1990's to keep BCC from joining the downcounty cluster. While what these parents did was undoubtedly racist and MCPS was gutless in its response, the "problem" Reed is trying to rectify is that an incredibly large and diverse county cannot have a completely consistent approach to education, and outcomes are inevitably going to vary across schools and zones.

It wasn't that long ago that Poolesville had a different school year to accommodate harvest seasons, for example.

Results are going to vary across school and over time. And still, MCPS is one of the best districts in the country and within a group of 3 of the top districts in this area, in whatever order you choose.

[Anonymous]

Results are going to vary across school and over time. And still, MCPS is one of the best districts in the country and within a group of 3 of the top districts in this area, in whatever order you choose.

I just knew we were going to be reminded of how MCPS is one of the best districts in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who don't know, Dan Reed has railed against the downcounty system and MCPS in general since a group of very determined and very white parents bested MCPS in the 1990's to keep BCC from joining the downcounty cluster.

Huh? Dan Reed is 25 years old. Was he railing against the downcounty consortium in elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Results are going to vary across school and over time. And still, MCPS is one of the best districts in the country and within a group of 3 of the top districts in this area, in whatever order you choose.

I just knew we were going to be reminded of how MCPS is one of the best districts in the country*.

*When one defines "district" as a county comprised of 65,000 students or more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Results are going to vary across school and over time. And still, MCPS is one of the best districts in the country and within a group of 3 of the top districts in this area, in whatever order you choose.

I just knew we were going to be reminded of how MCPS is one of the best districts in the country.

That's like saying DC has a great school district, if you only look at the JKLMM schools. Get your head out of the sand.

[Anonymous]

I support Dan Reed in trying to promote more equity in the county, but I do think he is a little behind the times. The truth is that, with the skyrocketing housing costs of 2000-2007 or so, and with the current continued recession, there seem to be many more middle and upper middle class families in some of the formerly "red zone" schools. Even on DCUM, there was a time a few years ago when it seemed hardly anyone said anything positive about Silver Spring schools, and now you see lots of people touting Flora Singer, Forest Knolls, Oakland Terrace, etc. I'm not saying everything has been fixed, but when it costs half a million dollars to buy a basic home in the county, you are going to see more middle and upper middle class folks on the "wrong" side of the county, and the schools will likely improve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, perhaps you are unaware that the Common Core curriculum is taking effect state-wide in the 2013-2014 school year? And that the HSA is a state-wide test?

Meanwhile, instead of talking about the problems of fortunate kids in "W" schools, could we focus on the problems of less-fortunate kids in non-"W" schools, which is what the WP opinion piece is about?

Just curious what MCPS can do about "less fortunate kids" in "non-W" schools, when everyone is acknowledging that what makes kids "fortunate" in this situation are their parents? The level of education of the parents, their involvement in the education of their kids, their ability to provide resources and opportunity for the kids - how is MCPS going to solve for that? Throwing more money and resources has not worked in the past and it will not work now. Unless MCPS can provide new "parents"...I don't think they can bridge the gap.


Make parents accountable. Fail the kids who do not make the grade in ES and MS...make them repeat the grade...first year when they repeat provide them intensive tutoring, but if they fail again, make the parents pay fees for the kids education. Once the parents have to pay fees they will become more serious about little Johnny's study habits.

It will also stem the flow of every one who comes to MoCo and MCPS for a free ride instead of a good education. MCPS should be in the business of education...instead they have become social services hub for too many people.

My kids' home high school ranks pretty low, I however do not think boundaries should be redrawn to redistribute high performing kids from good schools to poorer performing schools. Think...we have only manipulated the data instead of actually raising the standards of poor performing kids.

The focus should be poor performing kids ...not poor performing schools. Don't dilute standards of a good "W" school. Instead make them the model for other schools.

If boundaries need to be redrawn...they should be done only to make sure that the ES students go to the "neighborhood" schools.

[Anonymous]

To the PP, it's not quite fair to say the only thing you could do to help kids in poverty is give them new parents. I thought the research was pretty clear on the benefits of putting disadvantaged kids in smaller classes, and in schools not completely full of other disadvantaged kids.