Teacher exposes the craptastic decline iof MCPS in Reddit rant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a failure on both the extreme right and left. But in MoCo, clearly it is the left at fault. Covid shutdowns, a focus on equal outcomes at the expense of quality, and a failure to impose discipline.

It is a disaster.

Agree. Our politicians on both sides of the aisle have let us down here in the US.

But, locally, here in Montgomery County, it is clearly the left-wing crazies who are at fault. They have dragged down our school system with their push for ultra-progressive policies. We desperately need some balance.

There's honestly a lot of stuff going on here, and some blame to go around on all sides.

At the national level, the over-reliance on "metrics" that was pushed by both GOP and Democratic administrations has severely damaged teacher autonomy. It has also meant that state-level education administrators are in turn pushing the test regimes downward to individual districts, and then it flows down to the school level. So instructional weeks are lost to tests like the MCAP that take more than a year to be graded and have no educational value other than "ranking" schools and districts.

At the state level, governors have played favorites with funding, which means county-level districts struggle to predict how much they will have on hand for capital projects and other badly-needed changes.

At the Montgomery County Council level, you have a body that should have some oversight responsibility for schools but fails to do so. Only two council members even signed onto the letter asking for an independent investigation of a sex pest and serial harasser who had recently been promoted by the Central Office. That is the lowest possible bar, and most of the Council failed to clear it.

Then you have the school board, 100% asleep at the wheel, rubber stamping Central Office decisions with no questions and no oversight. They are supposed to play a "balance of powers" role, and are just catastrophically bad at it.

Finally, the Central Office. This is honestly where the worst decisions are originating. Chasing fad after fad, never pausing long enough to see whether something is working. Also, they've gone turbo mode on dismantling both special education programs like LAD (for kids with learning differences) and METS (for kids whose pre-MCPS educational experience was disrupted) and simultaneously getting rid of differentiated classrooms in middle and high schools (Honors for All).

Similarly, the issues with school discipline are primarily coming from Central Office, who are tying administrators' hands. They have not adequately trained or resourced teachers to use alternative discipline options, while essentially barring folks from using tools like detention or expulsion.

These are decisions being made by folks who are decades out of the classroom, and who didn't spend that much time as teachers to begin with. They are absolutely out of touch with the day-to-day experiences of our public schools, and making their choices with their eye on the "metrics" and looking to the next job.

Holy crap. This is the most on-point, nuanced, accurate assessment of the disaster that has led to the current state of MCPS. You need to submit something that traces these dysfunctions and their trickle-down effects in an op-ed for MoCo 360, Maryland Matters or the Washington Post. GREAT JOB!

Yes! We need some way to demand accountability.

We do! It's called voting.

Last election we had a retired teacher run—someone who had seen the problems from the inside and had really insight. Of course she didn’t win because people thought she’d be too teacher friendly. It’s ridiculous — a woman who worked for decades to educate our children and wanted to serve and voters preferred the no nothings currently in charge.

Who?

https://moco360.media/2022/11/01/in-school-board-race-former-mcps-teacher-and-incumbent-face-off-for-district-5-seat/

I don’t know this woman at all and don’t really know if she would have been good but in general I think the Board and central office need to spend a lot more time listening to experienced teachers’ views on what works and what doesn’t. In my opinion, they are really the only ones who know what they are talking about and most of them really have the best of intentions.

In reading her answers to the questions posed by MoCo360, she very much seems like more of the same of what's the current BoE. No thank you.

+1. I've read the article and the retired teacher doesn't sound convincing on many issues, especially her weird talk denying learning loss during the pandemic. I am glad she didn't get elected. I think it's important to listen to teachers, but it doesn't mean teachers should run the system or BOE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great just what we need. More admin bloat at 250,000 a year. MCPS currently as more than 3 billion a year in funding. Almost 5 billion if you factor in operating budget. No more money for mediocrity.

That's a great point. How many central office employees are there? According the MCPS there are 11,000 staff (not counting the 12,900 teachers). I know that includes everyone from the superintendent to janitors, but that's 1 staff member for every 14 students. That seems high by a few hundred percent.

[Anonymous]

There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

Cue progressive screeching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

"Bad" schools - you mean those in lower income areas. That doesn't make them "bad."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a failure on both the extreme right and left. But in MoCo, clearly it is the left at fault. Covid shutdowns, a focus on equal outcomes at the expense of quality, and a failure to impose discipline.

It is a disaster.

Agree. Our politicians on both sides of the aisle have let us down here in the US.

But, locally, here in Montgomery County, it is clearly the left-wing crazies who are at fault. They have dragged down our school system with their push for ultra-progressive policies. We desperately need some balance.

There's honestly a lot of stuff going on here, and some blame to go around on all sides.

At the national level, the over-reliance on "metrics" that was pushed by both GOP and Democratic administrations has severely damaged teacher autonomy. It has also meant that state-level education administrators are in turn pushing the test regimes downward to individual districts, and then it flows down to the school level. So instructional weeks are lost to tests like the MCAP that take more than a year to be graded and have no educational value other than "ranking" schools and districts.

At the state level, governors have played favorites with funding, which means county-level districts struggle to predict how much they will have on hand for capital projects and other badly-needed changes.

At the Montgomery County Council level, you have a body that should have some oversight responsibility for schools but fails to do so. Only two council members even signed onto the letter asking for an independent investigation of a sex pest and serial harasser who had recently been promoted by the Central Office. That is the lowest possible bar, and most of the Council failed to clear it.

Then you have the school board, 100% asleep at the wheel, rubber stamping Central Office decisions with no questions and no oversight. They are supposed to play a "balance of powers" role, and are just catastrophically bad at it.

Finally, the Central Office. This is honestly where the worst decisions are originating. Chasing fad after fad, never pausing long enough to see whether something is working. Also, they've gone turbo mode on dismantling both special education programs like LAD (for kids with learning differences) and METS (for kids whose pre-MCPS educational experience was disrupted) and simultaneously getting rid of differentiated classrooms in middle and high schools (Honors for All).

Similarly, the issues with school discipline are primarily coming from Central Office, who are tying administrators' hands. They have not adequately trained or resourced teachers to use alternative discipline options, while essentially barring folks from using tools like detention or expulsion.

These are decisions being made by folks who are decades out of the classroom, and who didn't spend that much time as teachers to begin with. They are absolutely out of touch with the day-to-day experiences of our public schools, and making their choices with their eye on the "metrics" and looking to the next job.

Holy crap. This is the most on-point, nuanced, accurate assessment of the disaster that has led to the current state of MCPS. You need to submit something that traces these dysfunctions and their trickle-down effects in an op-ed for MoCo 360, Maryland Matters or the Washington Post. GREAT JOB!

Yes! We need some way to demand accountability.

We do! It's called voting.

Last election we had a retired teacher run—someone who had seen the problems from the inside and had really insight. Of course she didn’t win because people thought she’d be too teacher friendly. It’s ridiculous — a woman who worked for decades to educate our children and wanted to serve and voters preferred the no nothings currently in charge.

Who?

https://moco360.media/2022/11/01/in-school-board-race-former-mcps-teacher-and-incumbent-face-off-for-district-5-seat/

I don’t know this woman at all and don’t really know if she would have been good but in general I think the Board and central office need to spend a lot more time listening to experienced teachers’ views on what works and what doesn’t. In my opinion, they are really the only ones who know what they are talking about and most of them really have the best of intentions.

I just read the article. She sounds exactly like the rat of the BOE talking about equity and changing boundaries. No thanks.

Equity and changing boundaries is not the problem with thr Board of Ed. The problem is they don't actually act independently from MCPS central office, and pretty much approve everything MCPS wants. The fact that Coll called.it out is promising: "And I think that goes back to whether or not the Board of Education is perceived as a rubber stamp for the superintendent, or having a Board of Ed that takes ownership of its mission, which is to provide direction and policymaking and oversight of the school system." What we need is more Board of Ed members who see their role that way. We can quibble over the details of their policy preferences later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

edit "over pay"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

If you believe that the only good schools are ones in neighborhoods with over-priced real estate, what do you think we as a society owe to people who truly cannot afford to live in those neighborhoods?

Surely, you also believe that an adequate education is a human right and the key to breaking cycles of generational poverty. Are you okay with real estate prices being the tool that creates a permanent underclass?

The slide began with eliminating finals, but that policy was a symptom of decline, not the cause. What we are calling pandemic learning loss was like a heart attack after the patient had a Krispy Kreme donut following a decade of daily Big Macs.

It is time for a true overhaul. But one that must include parental accountability as well. And buying a $900k house zoned to a W feeder doesn’t discharge your responsibility. Affluent parents need to advocate for a grading policy that supports rather than diminishes students learning time management and accountability skills. Affluent parents need to have constructive conversations with their children about the feedback teachers provide and not just react to low grades with angry emails and vitriolic DCUM posts. Your child didn’t get an A on homework because they really understand the concept. They got an A because that category only allows 100%, 90% (if late), and 50% (if never submitted). The C they got on classwork shows their true achievement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a failure on both the extreme right and left. But in MoCo, clearly it is the left at fault. Covid shutdowns, a focus on equal outcomes at the expense of quality, and a failure to impose discipline.

It is a disaster.

Agree. Our politicians on both sides of the aisle have let us down here in the US.

But, locally, here in Montgomery County, it is clearly the left-wing crazies who are at fault. They have dragged down our school system with their push for ultra-progressive policies. We desperately need some balance.

There's honestly a lot of stuff going on here, and some blame to go around on all sides.

At the national level, the over-reliance on "metrics" that was pushed by both GOP and Democratic administrations has severely damaged teacher autonomy. It has also meant that state-level education administrators are in turn pushing the test regimes downward to individual districts, and then it flows down to the school level. So instructional weeks are lost to tests like the MCAP that take more than a year to be graded and have no educational value other than "ranking" schools and districts.

At the state level, governors have played favorites with funding, which means county-level districts struggle to predict how much they will have on hand for capital projects and other badly-needed changes.

At the Montgomery County Council level, you have a body that should have some oversight responsibility for schools but fails to do so. Only two council members even signed onto the letter asking for an independent investigation of a sex pest and serial harasser who had recently been promoted by the Central Office. That is the lowest possible bar, and most of the Council failed to clear it.

Then you have the school board, 100% asleep at the wheel, rubber stamping Central Office decisions with no questions and no oversight. They are supposed to play a "balance of powers" role, and are just catastrophically bad at it.

Finally, the Central Office. This is honestly where the worst decisions are originating. Chasing fad after fad, never pausing long enough to see whether something is working. Also, they've gone turbo mode on dismantling both special education programs like LAD (for kids with learning differences) and METS (for kids whose pre-MCPS educational experience was disrupted) and simultaneously getting rid of differentiated classrooms in middle and high schools (Honors for All).

Similarly, the issues with school discipline are primarily coming from Central Office, who are tying administrators' hands. They have not adequately trained or resourced teachers to use alternative discipline options, while essentially barring folks from using tools like detention or expulsion.

These are decisions being made by folks who are decades out of the classroom, and who didn't spend that much time as teachers to begin with. They are absolutely out of touch with the day-to-day experiences of our public schools, and making their choices with their eye on the "metrics" and looking to the next job.

Holy crap. This is the most on-point, nuanced, accurate assessment of the disaster that has led to the current state of MCPS. You need to submit something that traces these dysfunctions and their trickle-down effects in an op-ed for MoCo 360, Maryland Matters or the Washington Post. GREAT JOB!

Yes! We need some way to demand accountability.

We do! It's called voting.

Last election we had a retired teacher run—someone who had seen the problems from the inside and had really insight. Of course she didn’t win because people thought she’d be too teacher friendly. It’s ridiculous — a woman who worked for decades to educate our children and wanted to serve and voters preferred the no nothings currently in charge.

Who?

https://moco360.media/2022/11/01/in-school-board-race-former-mcps-teacher-and-incumbent-face-off-for-district-5-seat/

I don’t know this woman at all and don’t really know if she would have been good but in general I think the Board and central office need to spend a lot more time listening to experienced teachers’ views on what works and what doesn’t. In my opinion, they are really the only ones who know what they are talking about and most of them really have the best of intentions.

I just read the article. She sounds exactly like the rat of the BOE talking about equity and changing boundaries. No thanks.

Mcps hasn't had a holistic boundary study in decades because of parents complaining and lawyering up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

If you believe that the only good schools are ones in neighborhoods with over-priced real estate, what do you think we as a society owe to people who truly cannot afford to live in those neighborhoods?

Surely, you also believe that an adequate education is a human right and the key to breaking cycles of generational poverty. Are you okay with real estate prices being the tool that creates a permanent underclass?

The slide began with eliminating finals, but that policy was a symptom of decline, not the cause. What we are calling pandemic learning loss was like a heart attack after the patient had a Krispy Kreme donut following a decade of daily Big Macs.

It is time for a true overhaul. But one that must include parental accountability as well. And buying a $900k house zoned to a W feeder doesn’t discharge your responsibility. Affluent parents need to advocate for a grading policy that supports rather than diminishes students learning time management and accountability skills. Affluent parents need to have constructive conversations with their children about the feedback teachers provide and not just react to low grades with angry emails and vitriolic DCUM posts. Your child didn’t get an A on homework because they really understand the concept. They got an A because that category only allows 100%, 90% (if late), and 50% (if never submitted). The C they got on classwork shows their true achievement.

Wait, they don't take final exams in MCPS?

Absolutely pathetic. What are these kids going to do when they get to college? Fail so much our colleges will have to water down curricula?

This is insane. Where's the education in MCPS and why do they keep raising my taxes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

If you believe that the only good schools are ones in neighborhoods with over-priced real estate, what do you think we as a society owe to people who truly cannot afford to live in those neighborhoods?

Surely, you also believe that an adequate education is a human right and the key to breaking cycles of generational poverty. Are you okay with real estate prices being the tool that creates a permanent underclass?

The slide began with eliminating finals, but that policy was a symptom of decline, not the cause. What we are calling pandemic learning loss was like a heart attack after the patient had a Krispy Kreme donut following a decade of daily Big Macs.

It is time for a true overhaul. But one that must include parental accountability as well. And buying a $900k house zoned to a W feeder doesn’t discharge your responsibility. Affluent parents need to advocate for a grading policy that supports rather than diminishes students learning time management and accountability skills. Affluent parents need to have constructive conversations with their children about the feedback teachers provide and not just react to low grades with angry emails and vitriolic DCUM posts. Your child didn’t get an A on homework because they really understand the concept. They got an A because that category only allows 100%, 90% (if late), and 50% (if never submitted). The C they got on classwork shows their true achievement.

All MCPS schools are basically the same before they are filled with kids. W schools are filled with the kids of families who value education, very low SES schools are filled with kids whose families don't value education. That's the difference. It's why we in the W schools don't want busing. If they balanced the farms rate across all the schools they would ruin all the schools.

And what do we owe them? Nothing. Their own culture causes this. I do like the fact that the handful of kids who want to learn in these schools are able to get to the magnets though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a failure on both the extreme right and left. But in MoCo, clearly it is the left at fault. Covid shutdowns, a focus on equal outcomes at the expense of quality, and a failure to impose discipline.

It is a disaster.

Agree. Our politicians on both sides of the aisle have let us down here in the US.

But, locally, here in Montgomery County, it is clearly the left-wing crazies who are at fault. They have dragged down our school system with their push for ultra-progressive policies. We desperately need some balance.

There's honestly a lot of stuff going on here, and some blame to go around on all sides.

At the national level, the over-reliance on "metrics" that was pushed by both GOP and Democratic administrations has severely damaged teacher autonomy. It has also meant that state-level education administrators are in turn pushing the test regimes downward to individual districts, and then it flows down to the school level. So instructional weeks are lost to tests like the MCAP that take more than a year to be graded and have no educational value other than "ranking" schools and districts.

At the state level, governors have played favorites with funding, which means county-level districts struggle to predict how much they will have on hand for capital projects and other badly-needed changes.

At the Montgomery County Council level, you have a body that should have some oversight responsibility for schools but fails to do so. Only two council members even signed onto the letter asking for an independent investigation of a sex pest and serial harasser who had recently been promoted by the Central Office. That is the lowest possible bar, and most of the Council failed to clear it.

Then you have the school board, 100% asleep at the wheel, rubber stamping Central Office decisions with no questions and no oversight. They are supposed to play a "balance of powers" role, and are just catastrophically bad at it.

Finally, the Central Office. This is honestly where the worst decisions are originating. Chasing fad after fad, never pausing long enough to see whether something is working. Also, they've gone turbo mode on dismantling both special education programs like LAD (for kids with learning differences) and METS (for kids whose pre-MCPS educational experience was disrupted) and simultaneously getting rid of differentiated classrooms in middle and high schools (Honors for All).

Similarly, the issues with school discipline are primarily coming from Central Office, who are tying administrators' hands. They have not adequately trained or resourced teachers to use alternative discipline options, while essentially barring folks from using tools like detention or expulsion.

These are decisions being made by folks who are decades out of the classroom, and who didn't spend that much time as teachers to begin with. They are absolutely out of touch with the day-to-day experiences of our public schools, and making their choices with their eye on the "metrics" and looking to the next job.

Holy crap. This is the most on-point, nuanced, accurate assessment of the disaster that has led to the current state of MCPS. You need to submit something that traces these dysfunctions and their trickle-down effects in an op-ed for MoCo 360, Maryland Matters or the Washington Post. GREAT JOB!

Yes! We need some way to demand accountability.

We do! It's called voting.

Last election we had a retired teacher run—someone who had seen the problems from the inside and had really insight. Of course she didn’t win because people thought she’d be too teacher friendly. It’s ridiculous — a woman who worked for decades to educate our children and wanted to serve and voters preferred the no nothings currently in charge.

Who?

https://moco360.media/2022/11/01/in-school-board-race-former-mcps-teacher-and-incumbent-face-off-for-district-5-seat/

I don’t know this woman at all and don’t really know if she would have been good but in general I think the Board and central office need to spend a lot more time listening to experienced teachers’ views on what works and what doesn’t. In my opinion, they are really the only ones who know what they are talking about and most of them really have the best of intentions.

I just read the article. She sounds exactly like the rat of the BOE talking about equity and changing boundaries. No thanks.

Mcps hasn't had a holistic boundary study in decades because of parents complaining and lawyering up

And almost no one would would oppose a countywide boundary study of they hadn't underhandedly made diversity the top factor in the boundary policy. Had they left it alone or made proximity the top factor almost everyone would have supported it to fix the few wonky boundaries we have and to lessen overcrowding. Perhaps the BOE should go back to the drawing board with the boundary policy and change it to reflect the wishes of the 95% of people who said they didn't want busing in the boundary survey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

If you believe that the only good schools are ones in neighborhoods with over-priced real estate, what do you think we as a society owe to people who truly cannot afford to live in those neighborhoods?

Surely, you also believe that an adequate education is a human right and the key to breaking cycles of generational poverty. Are you okay with real estate prices being the tool that creates a permanent underclass?

The slide began with eliminating finals, but that policy was a symptom of decline, not the cause. What we are calling pandemic learning loss was like a heart attack after the patient had a Krispy Kreme donut following a decade of daily Big Macs.

It is time for a true overhaul. But one that must include parental accountability as well. And buying a $900k house zoned to a W feeder doesn’t discharge your responsibility. Affluent parents need to advocate for a grading policy that supports rather than diminishes students learning time management and accountability skills. Affluent parents need to have constructive conversations with their children about the feedback teachers provide and not just react to low grades with angry emails and vitriolic DCUM posts. Your child didn’t get an A on homework because they really understand the concept. They got an A because that category only allows 100%, 90% (if late), and 50% (if never submitted). The C they got on classwork shows their true achievement.

Wait, they don't take final exams in MCPS?

Absolutely pathetic. What are these kids going to do when they get to college? Fail so much our colleges will have to water down curricula?

This is insane. Where's the education in MCPS and why do they keep raising my taxes?

Finals, college, and success are aspects of whiteness. As an anti-racism school system, MCPS must eschew these things and work toward equity.

[Anonymous]

My kid is at the high school that doesn’t seem to recognize the 50% rule. His teachers told him they got rid of it this year.

And yes, no final exams, but they are now called end of the semester assessments. Potaytoh Potahtoh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are only 2-6 good high schools in MoCo and people pay a lot to live there.

The other people buy cheap houses zoned for bad schools

"Bad" schools - you mean those in lower income areas. That doesn't make them "bad."

MaybeC but their stats make them bad.

MCPS releases data showing what percentage of students are proficient in Math and Reading. Just look at those to determine which schools are not adequately educating our kids. There are too many in MCPS.