Another article about the magnet programs in Washington Post

[Anonymous]

Is this the study ex-superintendent (what was his name??) initiated before he was let go about a year ago? He felt magnets didn't serve the county students adequately? He wanted a top-down review of magnet programs and identify "potential improvements"?

[Anonymous]

This quote is from the article:
“It is outrageous,” said Diego Uriburu, co-chair of the Montgomery County Latino Advocacy Coalition. “There are great inequities in terms of access. The majority of our families don’t even know these programs exist.”

Sorry, I don't buy this. I have a second grader in MCPS. I received TWO phone calls about the Parent Questionnaire and BOTH were translated completely in Spanish.

The questionnaire itself was also translated in Spanish.

If your phone number is in the directory, then you also received this message. We're at a Title 1 School, so I completely understand that some people have more barriers than others, but the above quote is just ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
What makes you angry? What makes you feel racist? And why does it make you feel racist?

Makes me angry that they would even remotely consider getting rid of these programs or changing them to admit a less qualified but more racially diverse set of students.

There seems to be an implication that the current system is racist. So if I support the current system I am racist.

There are many reasons these programs are not racially diverse. Nothing will be solved by gutting these programs. Kids that truly need these programs and are thriving in them will be the ones hurt in the process.

Who in MCPS is saying anything about getting rid of the programs or admitting less-qualified students? Nobody. Not in the consultants' report, not in the Washington Post article. What the consultants are saying is that participation in the application magnets is unequal in terms of race. That is nothing to dispute; it is a fact.

So then the questions are

a. is this a problem?
b. if so, should somebody do something about it?
c. if so, what?

The consultants are saying: yes, this is a problem; yes, MCPS should do something about it; what MCPS should do about it is increase the numbers of black, Hispanic, and poor students who apply to the application magnets and the numbers of black, Hispanic, and poor students who are qualified to be there.

Do you find this problematic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This quote is from the article:
“It is outrageous,” said Diego Uriburu, co-chair of the Montgomery County Latino Advocacy Coalition. “There are great inequities in terms of access. The majority of our families don’t even know these programs exist.”

Sorry, I don't buy this. I have a second grader in MCPS. I received TWO phone calls about the Parent Questionnaire and BOTH were translated completely in Spanish.

The questionnaire itself was also translated in Spanish.

If your phone number is in the directory, then you also received this message. We're at a Title 1 School, so I completely understand that some people have more barriers than others, but the above quote is just ridiculous.

So you think the guy is just making it up about lots of families not knowing the programs exist?

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, there were group of people demanding more seats in magnets. Kids were skipping classes to protest with their parents. They argued the magnets were not racially diverse enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ If they implement, this will be the beginning of the end for the MoCo magnets as we know it.

In what way does broadening the base of applicants spell the end of application-only magnets?

It's not about broadening the base of applicants. The end goal here is to bring race into the selection process.

That's interesting, because what the actual report actually says is that it's about broadening the base of applicants.

Also, it's illegal to bring race into the selection process.

Not if you call it "holistic" admission process.

Yes, it's still illegal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ If they implement, this will be the beginning of the end for the MoCo magnets as we know it.

In what way does broadening the base of applicants spell the end of application-only magnets?

It's not about broadening the base of applicants. The end goal here is to bring race into the selection process.

That's interesting, because what the actual report actually says is that it's about broadening the base of applicants.

Also, it's illegal to bring race into the selection process.

Not if you call it "holistic" admission process.

Yes, it's still illegal.

No, I don't think so. Colleges use it all the time.

[Anonymous]

This was in the comment section:

Teacher2015
8:19 PM EDT [Edited]
Since MCPS is all about hiring consultants and ordering studies to address the academic gap let's try another novel approach. Forget assuming race is the potent sinister variable in this disparity of
meeting the acceptance guidelines.
Instead let's just look at the commonalities that academically achieving students have in common.
Two parent families
Adults that are actively engaged with their children and school activities
Adults that monitor what their children are doing in school
Adults that communicate with the teachers and principal
Adults that attend school meetings
Adults that set academic goals for their children
Adults that read to their children on a daily basis
Education is absolutely an endeavor between the teacher, the student and the parents!


I completely agree. This applies to kids of ALL races. This is not something schools can 'fix'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this the study ex-superintendent (what was his name??) initiated before he was let go about a year ago? He felt magnets didn't serve the county students adequately? He wanted a top-down review of magnet programs and identify "potential improvements"?

Yup, it's the same report. Some people said this study was a precursor to kill the magnets at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-school-district-examines-racial-disparities-in-its-gifted-programs/2016/03/21/1caacdf6-eb88-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html

How is it that people don't know about these programs? I got something in the mail and ConnectEd multiple calls / emails.

I had a child at an HGC several years back. I would have heard about the process through ConnectEd, etc, but the real reason we applied was we knew a neighbor who's kid had attended. Similarly I know people who've applied since in no small part because they spoke with us. The process is bizarre and it's hard to navigate without some first hand experience for encouragement. ConnectEd is over used and half of it sounds like spam, it's not surprising that families don't change the course of their kid's education based on a robo call. I don't have any suggestions for improving the system, but I have no trouble believing there's inertia that keeps the same groups of people applying/not applying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

No, I don't think so. Colleges use it all the time.

Colleges are different from public school districts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So you think the guy is just making it up about lots of families not knowing the programs exist?

Not the PP but I think the problem goes deeper and sending out more emails or calls will not fix it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was in the comment section:

Teacher2015
8:19 PM EDT [Edited]
Since MCPS is all about hiring consultants and ordering studies to address the academic gap let's try another novel approach. Forget assuming race is the potent sinister variable in this disparity of
meeting the acceptance guidelines.
Instead let's just look at the commonalities that academically achieving students have in common.
Two parent families
Adults that are actively engaged with their children and school activities
Adults that monitor what their children are doing in school
Adults that communicate with the teachers and principal
Adults that attend school meetings
Adults that set academic goals for their children
Adults that read to their children on a daily basis
Education is absolutely an endeavor between the teacher, the student and the parents!


I completely agree. This applies to kids of ALL races. This is not something schools can 'fix'.

This is the OP. I love this comment. So true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was in the comment section:

Teacher2015
8:19 PM EDT [Edited]
Since MCPS is all about hiring consultants and ordering studies to address the academic gap let's try another novel approach. Forget assuming race is the potent sinister variable in this disparity of
meeting the acceptance guidelines.
Instead let's just look at the commonalities that academically achieving students have in common.
Two parent families
Adults that are actively engaged with their children and school activities
Adults that monitor what their children are doing in school
Adults that communicate with the teachers and principal
Adults that attend school meetings
Adults that set academic goals for their children
Adults that read to their children on a daily basis
Education is absolutely an endeavor between the teacher, the student and the parents!

I completely agree. This applies to kids of ALL races. This is not something schools can 'fix'.

Eh. All this is saying is that the children of middle-class, educated families tend to do better than the children of poor, uneducated families. OK, so then what? What should MCPS do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

No, I don't think so. Colleges use it all the time.

Colleges are different from public school districts.

Well, only if colleges are private.