First hearing on districtwide boundary study is tonight

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I’d say that’s a huge difference. It’s a competitive regional IB like Richard Montgomery now, not a local school.

It will only be a big deal if people choose to send their kids their. If it is opened to outside kids already, is there any data on how many kids from the Western schools have chosen to attend?

Even if it were to develop a strong reputation, there are going to be lots of parents who will be unwilling to send their kid there for geography alone. That's a hell of a commute when the neighborhood school is a good option. And that hesitance may make it harder to attract enough top students to develop the strong reputation in the first instance. It is a vicious cycle, somewhat similar to the difficulties of improving city schools, but it is hard to get those first families to stay and build something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile, in Howard County, the vote to bus kids district by district is happening as we speak. https://hcpsstv.new.swagit.com/events/4336

The district is HCPSS.

OK, then, polygon by polygon. Polygon is what MCPS refers to as cluster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I’d say that’s a huge difference. It’s a competitive regional IB like Richard Montgomery now, not a local school.

It will only be a big deal if people choose to send their kids their. If it is opened to outside kids already, is there any data on how many kids from the Western schools have chosen to attend?

Even if it were to develop a strong reputation, there are going to be lots of parents who will be unwilling to send their kid there for geography alone. That's a hell of a commute when the neighborhood school is a good option. And that hesitance may make it harder to attract enough top students to develop the strong reputation in the first instance. It is a vicious cycle, somewhat similar to the difficulties of improving city schools, but it is hard to get those first families to stay and build something.

It isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile, in Howard County, the vote to bus kids district by district is happening as we speak. https://hcpsstv.new.swagit.com/events/4336

The district is HCPSS.

OK, then, polygon by polygon. Polygon is what MCPS refers to as cluster.

Report back - how did the vote go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I’d say that’s a huge difference. It’s a competitive regional IB like Richard Montgomery now, not a local school.

It will only be a big deal if people choose to send their kids their. If it is opened to outside kids already, is there any data on how many kids from the Western schools have chosen to attend?

Even if it were to develop a strong reputation, there are going to be lots of parents who will be unwilling to send their kid there for geography alone. That's a hell of a commute when the neighborhood school is a good option. And that hesitance may make it harder to attract enough top students to develop the strong reputation in the first instance. It is a vicious cycle, somewhat similar to the difficulties of improving city schools, but it is hard to get those first families to stay and build something.

There are kids from Clarksburg at RMIB. Similar commute. I think the lure of an IB diploma at a magnet school might be attractive enough for some.

Weird, though, to have IB local program in BCC AND allow them to be in a regional magnet for IB. Why would someone from BCC go to Kennedy for IB when they can stay at the home school, other than *maybe* a large peer group?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I’d say that’s a huge difference. It’s a competitive regional IB like Richard Montgomery now, not a local school.

It will only be a big deal if people choose to send their kids their. If it is opened to outside kids already, is there any data on how many kids from the Western schools have chosen to attend?

Even if it were to develop a strong reputation, there are going to be lots of parents who will be unwilling to send their kid there for geography alone. That's a hell of a commute when the neighborhood school is a good option. And that hesitance may make it harder to attract enough top students to develop the strong reputation in the first instance. It is a vicious cycle, somewhat similar to the difficulties of improving city schools, but it is hard to get those first families to stay and build something.

There are kids from Clarksburg at RMIB. Similar commute. I think the lure of an IB diploma at a magnet school might be attractive enough for some.

Weird, though, to have IB local program in BCC AND allow them to be in a regional magnet for IB. Why would someone from BCC go to Kennedy for IB when they can stay at the home school, other than *maybe* a large peer group?

Presumably the application cohort. I wouldn't do it (we're facing a similar potential choice between Seneca Valley HS IB and Watkins Mill HS application IB, and Watkins Mill HS is just the next cluster over), but that doesn't mean nobody will. And surely there are people from IB home schools in the RM application IB program.

[Anonymous]

Why did they group Wooten for Watkins Mill IB and Magruder for Springbrook? That doesn’t fit their usual groupings.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, Wootton, no offense meant by misspelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I’d say that’s a huge difference. It’s a competitive regional IB like Richard Montgomery now, not a local school.

It will only be a big deal if people choose to send their kids their. If it is opened to outside kids already, is there any data on how many kids from the Western schools have chosen to attend?

Even if it were to develop a strong reputation, there are going to be lots of parents who will be unwilling to send their kid there for geography alone. That's a hell of a commute when the neighborhood school is a good option. And that hesitance may make it harder to attract enough top students to develop the strong reputation in the first instance. It is a vicious cycle, somewhat similar to the difficulties of improving city schools, but it is hard to get those first families to stay and build something.

There are kids from Clarksburg at RMIB. Similar commute. I think the lure of an IB diploma at a magnet school might be attractive enough for some.

Weird, though, to have IB local program in BCC AND allow them to be in a regional magnet for IB. Why would someone from BCC go to Kennedy for IB when they can stay at the home school, other than *maybe* a large peer group?

I don't think the allure of an IB program itself is that strong. That seems to seldom be a reason per se that people choose BCC over other options. If it becomes a magnet filled with top caliber students who strongly outperform other cohorts in academics/college placement, then it may have real appeal.

Are there enough kids from Clarksburg to make a meaningful difference overall? And the Clarksburg home school is arguably not as strong as the schools now in the Kennedy cluster, meaning they may be a little more willing to put up with the commute for a magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think the allure of an IB program itself is that strong. That seems to seldom be a reason per se that people choose BCC over other options. If it becomes a magnet filled with top caliber students who strongly outperform other cohorts in academics/college placement, then it may have real appeal.

Are there enough kids from Clarksburg to make a meaningful difference overall? And the Clarksburg home school is arguably not as strong as the schools now in the Kennedy cluster, meaning they may be a little more willing to put up with the commute for a magnet.

Oh for pete's sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sure that ALL families don’t appreciate hearing negative attitudes about their current schools. For example, every time someone talks about Kensington schools and moving boundaries, they take the opportunity to bad mouth Einstein while at the same time bad mouthing Kensington families who don’t go to Einstein.

The Einstein families and students are proud of their school. Einstein is not “stigmatized.” Future speakers should take care not to openly criticize schools or families who’ve made a choice about where to live.

Anyone who has lived in MoCo for awhile has an "impression" of Einstein that is not flattering...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think the allure of an IB program itself is that strong. That seems to seldom be a reason per se that people choose BCC over other options. If it becomes a magnet filled with top caliber students who strongly outperform other cohorts in academics/college placement, then it may have real appeal.

Are there enough kids from Clarksburg to make a meaningful difference overall? And the Clarksburg home school is arguably not as strong as the schools now in the Kennedy cluster, meaning they may be a little more willing to put up with the commute for a magnet.

Oh for pete's sake.

Right or wrong, that is a lot of people's perception and that's what would matter here. Many people who buy in those areas do it specifically for the schools. It will take a lot for them to decide that, after paying a real premium for the local school, it is worth sending their kid across the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I am sure a lots of WJ, Whitman,and churchill kids who could not get into RMIB or Blair due to cohort effect will choose Kennedy’s new IB regional magnet. I am not sure if kids from BCC would come unless MCPS terminate the IB there. Actually, if MCPS waters down the acadamic programs in WJ, Whitam, Churchill, and BCC, more MC and UMC kids will choose a regional magnet in DCC. This is a way to reach diversity without forced bussing.

If people choose Kennedy for IB over their own W school, they are seriously misinformed. What a joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did they group Wooten for Watkins Mill IB and Magruder for Springbrook? That doesn’t fit their usual groupings.

Presumably, the western part of the county, Wootton, Gaithersburg, QO, etc.. is being served by WM, while the eastern part is being served by Springbrook.

You have to draw the lines somewhere. There are no regional IB programs on the western side, and that was done on purpose, ie, to draw western side towards the eastern side. Remember, RMIB is a county wide IB program. I think eventually, they will do away with a county IB program and force everyone into regional programs. RMIB may become a regional program, which means they will have to redraw the service area for IB regional again at some point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy IB isn't new it has always been open to the DCC kids. What is new is that it is open to several W schools now.

I am sure a lots of WJ, Whitman,and churchill kids who could not get into RMIB or Blair due to cohort effect will choose Kennedy’s new IB regional magnet. I am not sure if kids from BCC would come unless MCPS terminate the IB there. Actually, if MCPS waters down the acadamic programs in WJ, Whitam, Churchill, and BCC, more MC and UMC kids will choose a regional magnet in DCC. This is a way to reach diversity without forced bussing.

If people choose Kennedy for IB over their own W school, they are seriously misinformed. What a joke.

That's what some people said about RM when the IB magnet started there.