Root cause of issues at MOCO schools?

[Anonymous]

New principal and now a new Director. The Director was a complete unknown and no email went out to the community yet. Seems like something that should have been done on day one if MCPS isn't timely about website updates.

They are in for a rude awakening on the problems the old pair left behind in their wake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New principal and now a new Director. The Director was a complete unknown and no email went out to the community yet. Seems like something that should have been done on day one if MCPS isn't timely about website updates.

They are in for a rude awakening on the problems the old pair left behind in their wake.

Who’s your new director? New to you or new overall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New principal and now a new Director. The Director was a complete unknown and no email went out to the community yet. Seems like something that should have been done on day one if MCPS isn't timely about website updates.

They are in for a rude awakening on the problems the old pair left behind in their wake.

Who’s your new director? New to you or new overall?

Was the director Brian Scriven ever a principal? He oversees some of the clusters but I couldn’t find any background info on him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How Entitled Parents Hurt Schools

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/24/opinion/rich-parents-hurt-schools-economic-segregation.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

Yeah, I’m not seeing the ‘bad’ for their children here. Just the alleged ‘bad’ for other people’s children.
It’s normal for a family to want the best education and environment for their child. That’s not a bad thing.
They did buy a house in a neighborhood so that their kids could attend certain schools with a good group of peers.

We sent our DD to a small private school. After a few years it was clear that the teaching and classes weren’t that great going forth and that the peer group wasn’t the best for DD so she changed schools for a better one. The new school had consistently great teachers and also a good peer group to choose from.
DD did as well as she possibly could have in school.

Should we have kept her at the old school ? To what end - to help the kids that weren’t overly interested in academics be more interested? Why?
For one, that would not have happened - the kids are on different tracks in life by their own choices. For two - that’s not a child’s role in life.

FYI these kids were all from the same racial and economic backgrounds at the old school. At the new school there was some increase in economic status but the richer the students were the worse they seemed to do in school really in many cases (and some worse behavior too).

(The best environment (academically and socially) to me seems to be a middle class one and not a rich/upper middle class one.)

If parents could trust that new public schools could be created with excellent teaching and classes there wouldn’t be an issue.

Finally - why is this posted in MoCo schools? The MoCo model is to create the hugest schools possible and then to seriously over crowd them FOREVER so how is this relevant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New principal and now a new Director. The Director was a complete unknown and no email went out to the community yet. Seems like something that should have been done on day one if MCPS isn't timely about website updates.

They are in for a rude awakening on the problems the old pair left behind in their wake.

Who’s your new director? New to you or new overall?

Was the director Brian Scriven ever a principal? He oversees some of the clusters but I couldn’t find any background info on him.

The only thing I found on a Brian Scriven was a Linked In stating that THIS Scriven was a principal in Balt since 2004.

doubtful it's the same guy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New principal and now a new Director. The Director was a complete unknown and no email went out to the community yet. Seems like something that should have been done on day one if MCPS isn't timely about website updates.

They are in for a rude awakening on the problems the old pair left behind in their wake.

Who’s your new director? New to you or new overall?

Was the director Brian Scriven ever a principal? He oversees some of the clusters but I couldn’t find any background info on him.

The only thing I found on a Brian Scriven was a Linked In stating that THIS Scriven was a principal in Balt since 2004.

doubtful it's the same guy

Same here! Weird that he has no bio anywhere...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New principal and now a new Director. The Director was a complete unknown and no email went out to the community yet. Seems like something that should have been done on day one if MCPS isn't timely about website updates.

They are in for a rude awakening on the problems the old pair left behind in their wake.

Who’s your new director? New to you or new overall?

Was the director Brian Scriven ever a principal? He oversees some of the clusters but I couldn’t find any background info on him.

The only thing I found on a Brian Scriven was a Linked In stating that THIS Scriven was a principal in Balt since 2004.

doubtful it's the same guy

Same guy.

Brian W. Scriven Director, Learning, Achievement, and Administration, Office of School Support and Improvement July 1, 2018
Present Position Director of School Support and Improvement of High Schools Experience in Montgomery County Public Schools 2014–present Director of School Support and Improvement of High Schools, Office of School Support and Improvement

Previous Experience 2008–2014 Principal, Woodlawn High School, Baltimore County Public Schools, Towson, MD 2004–2008 Principal, Woodlawn Middle School, Baltimore County Public Schools, Towson, MD 2000–2004 Assistant Principal, Deer Park Middle Magnet, Baltimore County Public Schools, Towson, MD 1998–2000 Dean of Student Affairs/Magnet Coordinator, Randallstown High School, Baltimore County Public Schools, Towson, MD 1992–1998 Teacher, Business Education, Woodlawn High School, Baltimore County Public Schools, Towson, MD 1989–1992 Full-time student 1987–1989 Licensed Property/Casualty Insurance Agent, Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company, Philadelphia, PA

Education 2000 College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, M.A. (Supervision and Leadership) 1992 Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA, B.S. (Education) 1987 Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, PA. B.S. (Business)

[Anonymous]

Guess he needs to update his LinkedIn!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lots of varied incidents from individuals. My perception is that over the past decade that I've been involved one way or another with MCPS, is that:
1 - there is no discipline. Partly because of the racial disparities that had occurred, so the pendulum has swung the other way and there's none. Teachers don't bother because they know the administration won't support them. Administration doesn't bother because they don't want the school numbers to look bad. Central office is all about the data, so no or fewer incidents = good, even if that's not reality.
2- pendulum has also swung away from discrete classrooms for all kinds of special ed. That's good, because many of these kids, many of whom were mis-diagnosed used to be locked in basement rooms and taught nothing. However, with mail streaming being the new normal, there are now kids in gen ed classrooms who clearly don't belong there, and the schools don't know how and/or don't have the resources to handle these kids. Throwing an uneducated para in a class with a violent ED kid is not going to make it work.
3- so much less respect for teachers today. Parents complain all the time about the teachers having it easy. The same teacher with 5 sections of 35 kids, many with behavior issues not being dealt with. They support their kid against the teacher, instead of working as a team to solve whatever the issue is. Not sure why this is, but there's a multi page thread about teachers being whiny. I think it's the parents who are whiny.
4- pay isn't great in the beginning, not for our high cost of living area.
5- professional development? That's all been cut, because parents don't like random days off (see many threads about that). Many professionals go to conferences and other continuing education classes to stay on top of their game, but we no longer afford teachers that opportunity. Instead they are told to do it on the summer. In the summer, when they don't get paid, and may have children of their own to care for.

I could go on and on, but teachers get into teaching because they want to work with kids. To see that spark when a kid understands a new concept. To teach. Instead, there's tons of paperwork, administrators and parents who don't support them, little money and no respect. There are already teacher shortages. I predict it will only get worse.

This is a very insightful post. Unfortunately most of these issues are not limited to MCPS, but school districts all across the country.

[Anonymous]

The "team" concept requires respect, dialog, opened mindedness, listening, careful thought and consi pRederation on both sides. Realize paents and students have also been burned by the system. Realize that many times a student can be falsely accused or misunderstood. Often the lack of training and understanding when it comes to working with children with with disabilities can be relevant. Parents feel like when they walk into meetings, decisions have been premade before they come into a room in the premeeting the MCPS staff had prior to the official meetings.

There are problems on both sides of the table. It's a BIG problem that ultimately hurts the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The "team" concept requires respect, dialog, opened mindedness, listening, careful thought and consi pRederation on both sides. Realize paents and students have also been burned by the system. Realize that many times a student can be falsely accused or misunderstood. Often the lack of training and understanding when it comes to working with children with with disabilities can be relevant. Parents feel like when they walk into meetings, decisions have been premade before they come into a room in the premeeting the MCPS staff had prior to the official meetings.

There are problems on both sides of the table. It's a BIG problem that ultimately hurts the child.

There are problems on both sides. I’ve had to push back against colleagues who want to predetermine a special ed outcome without saying so in words. That’s against the law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "team" concept requires respect, dialog, opened mindedness, listening, careful thought and consi pRederation on both sides. Realize paents and students have also been burned by the system. Realize that many times a student can be falsely accused or misunderstood. Often the lack of training and understanding when it comes to working with children with with disabilities can be relevant. Parents feel like when they walk into meetings, decisions have been premade before they come into a room in the premeeting the MCPS staff had prior to the official meetings.

There are problems on both sides of the table. It's a BIG problem that ultimately hurts the child.

There are problems on both sides. I’ve had to push back against colleagues who want to predetermine a special ed outcome without saying so in words. That’s against the law.

It may be against the law but many of those people feel they are above the law and do what is best/easiest for them vs. best interest of the child. Sadly there are more of them than you so in the meanwhile our kids go without they need or are forced in situations they shouldn't be in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The "team" concept requires respect, dialog, opened mindedness, listening, careful thought and consi pRederation on both sides. Realize paents and students have also been burned by the system. Realize that many times a student can be falsely accused or misunderstood. Often the lack of training and understanding when it comes to working with children with with disabilities can be relevant. Parents feel like when they walk into meetings, decisions have been premade before they come into a room in the premeeting the MCPS staff had prior to the official meetings.

There are problems on both sides of the table. It's a BIG problem that ultimately hurts the child.

All our IEP meetings the IEP is pre-written, we don't get a copy in advanced and get a final afterward that they refuse to modify. There is no team work. One specialist cannot even get my child's name right despite her providing services for several years. We get no input what so ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "team" concept requires respect, dialog, opened mindedness, listening, careful thought and consi pRederation on both sides. Realize paents and students have also been burned by the system. Realize that many times a student can be falsely accused or misunderstood. Often the lack of training and understanding when it comes to working with children with with disabilities can be relevant. Parents feel like when they walk into meetings, decisions have been premade before they come into a room in the premeeting the MCPS staff had prior to the official meetings.

There are problems on both sides of the table. It's a BIG problem that ultimately hurts the child.

All our IEP meetings the IEP is pre-written, we don't get a copy in advanced and get a final afterward that they refuse to modify. There is no team work. One specialist cannot even get my child's name right despite her providing services for several years. We get no input what so ever.

That’s both outrageous and against the law. I’d contest that IEP asap. I say that as a school counselor who knows the right procedure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The "team" concept requires respect, dialog, opened mindedness, listening, careful thought and consi pRederation on both sides. Realize paents and students have also been burned by the system. Realize that many times a student can be falsely accused or misunderstood. Often the lack of training and understanding when it comes to working with children with with disabilities can be relevant. Parents feel like when they walk into meetings, decisions have been premade before they come into a room in the premeeting the MCPS staff had prior to the official meetings.

There are problems on both sides of the table. It's a BIG problem that ultimately hurts the child.

All our IEP meetings the IEP is pre-written, we don't get a copy in advanced and get a final afterward that they refuse to modify. There is no team work. One specialist cannot even get my child's name right despite her providing services for several years. We get no input what so ever.

That’s both outrageous and against the law. I’d contest that IEP asap. I say that as a school counselor who knows the right procedure.

We gave up, do everything on our own and dropped the IEP. The services were a joke and they refused to do the supports my child needed. I cannot even figure out what my child learned last year or what the grades were based on as very little work came home. The school counselor, vp and principal and teachers don't return emails and refuse to speak in person.