Have you time-traveled here from the '50s? |
Well, TPES is much more racially integrated than most of Montgomery County, for starters. But I do think that the "whole school" model that TPES has transitioned to is because of racial imbalance among the "magnet" kids back when those kids got more special treatment. For what it is worth, I'm in the broader neighborhood (Rolling Terrace) and have known kids that moved from our home school to the TPES magnet after kindergarten. Across the board these were total outliers - not just bright kids who were well-prepared by high quality pre-kindergarten experiences. They were kids who truly thought differently. I don't know if being at TPES gave them THAT much more academic instruction than staying at their home school, but I do suspect it gave them a group of peers that thought the same way. |
The funny part is there are no magnet classes. Everyone gets the STEM classes regardless of magnet status. |
The school, however, has both differentiated math and reading. There is a fairly wide range of ability and this helps kids work to their best. |
| Update to this thread: I just got off the phone with someone at TPES and this program is “under revision.” She didn’t have many details but did say that one thing she knew for sure is that next year the program will not be accepting out of boundary students at all. |
I think she was being sarcastic, especially regarding OP's irrelevant mention of her kid's school being a focus school. P.S. You mean time travelled from yesterday -- do you pay attention to what is happening now? |
| I'm so sick of Takoma and all it's special magnet programs. They get seats set aside for TPMS. They get an elementary magnet. They have a large local CES. Why do they get so much? |
Because it is a white neighborhood surround by some of the poorest neighborhoods in PG and MoCo and parents fought to get “enrichment” which was meant to help isolate their kids. Part of it is legit as many of the poorest will simply never achieve at a similar scholastic level as average middle class kids so they would proven a major distraction at best and a class derailment at worst. The other part is racism It is classic outraged liberal specialness |
Interesting theory but reality is these programs in Takoma are the most diverse in the county which indicates your speculation is simplify baseless right wing paranoia. |
Interesting. I wondered as much when the "application" page on the TPES website went completely blank. |
Thanks for updating. Not shocked at all that they are closing the out of boundary spots. It is ridiculous the special treatment that Takoma Park gets. |
I know how dare those unwashed hippies provide academic opportunities better than our beloved W's! It's just wrong! |