Second round options for Woodward boundary study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The attitude toward the arts is tragic. I went to a high school with an arts magnet and I actually was not part of it, although I did take an elective or two and participate in an after school club. The artsy kids found a creative outlet and they found their people there. I know it kept some of them on the right path and helped them to succeed academically. There were also some top across the board academic students in the program.

But honestly…. Those of you who think arts have no value, are you also the people complaining that they don’t teach novels in schools anymore? Do you think that is somehow different?

It's not the purpose of public education for artsy kids to find a creative outlet for their people. What's wrong with you?

I get that we are not speaking the same language here, but I thought keeping kids motivated to be successful in school was very much part of the point of public education.

Having 6 Art magnet honestly seems like a huge waste of tax payers money and no way you need so many to avoid kids taking wrong path. One should be plenty for county. What next 6 sports magnets? We don't have unlimited resources in county.

Having few Art class as option is very different than making a school Art magnet. That too a brand new school which will take few years for academics to get sorted to start with.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This argument has nothing to do with the second round options. Stay on topic please!

Actually it has a lot to do with the boundary options. Some posters, and I suspect you are one of them, care about options from one perspective and one perspective only - what option will get them to avoid ending up in Woodward.

More thoughtful discussion is how to give Woodward a chance to be a good school so it is not a matter of life and death if you end up there. Not placing a useless arts magnet in Woodward would be a step in right direction.

1 - By not making much higher FARMS than WJ
2 - By not playing Art magnet there
3 - Put a STEM oriented program like plan was for second new school( Crown)

Otherwise all three factors are going to ensure that Woodward won't have enough high level kids. Yes, there are many in Tilden, but they will try to opt for WJ and who ever can't get will be forced to stay in Woodward. Einsten Art program attracted many Art students, but did nothing to imporve the school. Most high level kids from that region opted to attend other schools. Woodward situation will be similar.

I think 3 is hard to do because Wheaton has established Stem program and it will be better to let it that way, but 1 & 2 can be done to give a new school best chance to succeed.

+1. They're setting Woodward up for failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This argument has nothing to do with the second round options. Stay on topic please!

Actually it has a lot to do with the boundary options. Some posters, and I suspect you are one of them, care about options from one perspective and one perspective only - what option will get them to avoid ending up in Woodward.

More thoughtful discussion is how to give Woodward a chance to be a good school so it is not a matter of life and death if you end up there. Not placing a useless arts magnet in Woodward would be a step in right direction.

1 - By not making much higher FARMS than WJ
2 - By not playing Art magnet there
3 - Put a STEM oriented program like plan was for second new school( Crown)

Otherwise all three factors are going to ensure that Woodward won't have enough high level kids. Yes, there are many in Tilden, but they will try to opt for WJ and who ever can't get will be forced to stay in Woodward. Einsten Art program attracted many Art students, but did nothing to imporve the school. Most high level kids from that region opted to attend other schools. Woodward situation will be similar.

I think 3 is hard to do because Wheaton has established Stem program and it will be better to let it that way, but 1 & 2 can be done to give a new school best chance to succeed.

+1. They're setting Woodward up for failure.

I guess it depends on how you define failure. If you're saying it will become a dropout mill with a community that will avoid it like the plague than I would say you're being hyperbolic. If your point is the are not engineering it to be a new shinny W level school that raises property values based on prestige you may be right. But I don't think anyone cares about the latter save for the home owners

[Anonymous]

+1. They're setting Woodward up for failure.

I guess it depends on how you define failure. If you're saying it will become a dropout mill with a community that will avoid it like the plague than I would say you're being hyperbolic. If your point is the are not engineering it to be a new shinny W level school that raises property values based on prestige you may be right. But I don't think anyone cares about the latter save for the home owners

How about wishing for a school with good class offerings that will provide quality education and prepare students for college. Does it have to be one of the two extremes you provided?

[Anonymous]

It's wildly premature to say they're setting Woodward up for failure.

I hate to say it, but the program makeup of the school is not what will make it a success or failure. It will be the selections for the principal and the admin team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's wildly premature to say they're setting Woodward up for failure.

I hate to say it, but the program makeup of the school is not what will make it a success or failure. It will be the selections for the principal and the admin team.

In some normal circumstances that may be true. But this is a completely new school. Making it arts magnet will tie principal and admin hands as they will have to devote significant resources to various arts classes and hire teachers with art qualifications. If school hires a good history teacher, that teacher can teach regular history classes and advanced history classes. If school hires a good math teacher, that teacher can teach regular math classes and STEM-worthy math classes. However, if school hires a drama teacher, that teacher can only teach drama and address needs of a very small portion of student population.

[Anonymous]

I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

Wrong. You have too much faith in MCPS and a govt run startup (which will have greater odds at failure than a regular startup). Get real. I guess you’re ok with mediocre schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

DP, and I agree. But it's useless to say anything here. DCUM is a complaint echo chamber.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

DP, and I agree. But it's useless to say anything here. DCUM is a complaint echo chamber.

+2. Woodward will be a fine school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

DP. Disagree. I hope your kid gets into the highly competitive arts magnet. More importantly, I hope my home gets zoned to WJ!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

Agreed it will fall in line with schools like Rockville high and Blair. Not great but decent places. Problem is lots of people over there think North Bethesda is Bethesda and want Bethesda prestige and peers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

Agreed it will fall in line with schools like Rockville high and Blair. Not great but decent places. Problem is lots of people over there think North Bethesda is Bethesda and want Bethesda prestige and peers

lol so it’s a goal to have an avg school. God forbid having a great one

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm so amused by the hysterical people posting about Woodward like it's going to be like Kennedy or Watkins Mill.

It will be a perfectly good school no matter what they focus it on. Test scores will be fine. Not as high as the wealthier schools, because they track with SES. But your high achieving kid will do well there and probably have a sizeable cohort.

Experienced admins will be excited to open a brand new high school. Teachers who want to be in either a brand new facility or to work with a less needy population of kids than the MCPS average will flock there, especially if a good admin is chosen.

It will all be fine.

Agreed it will fall in line with schools like Rockville high and Blair. Not great but decent places. Problem is lots of people over there think North Bethesda is Bethesda and want Bethesda prestige and peers

lol so it’s a goal to have an avg school. God forbid having a great one

Sounds like you think great schools are defined by who they exclude 🤮

[Anonymous]

The key to Woodward’s success will be engagement and involvement of the parents. The neighborhoods we assume will deed to Woodward are very involved people. The new admin will have to encourage that continued involvement.