MCPS is no longer a desirable school district

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is Churchill and Whitman then a big step down.

No Sir. I am in whitman cluster and the ES is $hit. Staff is phoning it in and lying. Buying for the schools in MoCo was a huge mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ask any mcps educator and they will tell you the truth- that this district has steadily declined over the last 20 years. Many choose to send their kids to private if they can afford it. I believe there are a lot of central office duds contributing to this conversation and saying overly postive, erroneous things.

this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

I want to laugh but the emoji isn't large enough. If you ask any veteran teacher to compare their students today to ten years ago, they will tell you brutally that today's crop is probably 3 grade levels behind their previous students. I am an AP teacher and on multiple teacher forums. The AP exams themselves are quickly devolving: calculator use, no passages written before the 19th century, four MC choices instead of five, all stimulus questions for history instead of relying on banked knowledge, rhetorical analysis that just relies on identifying an author's "purpose" instead of analyzing their actual rhetoric, etc. etc. The College Board is driving many classroom changes in the name of equity, but they aren't the only ones. Many teachers are moving away from grading, homework, summer assignments and now must make time to read any books they actually use in class. But, of course, the kids are so brilliant that they can cover the same amount of material as before.

I agree education is shit and you guys are doing a terrible job but I also think the invention of smart phones should change education. There is no reason to remember most facts that are easily accessed in seconds. There is a greater need to be able to judge an authors intention as misinformation is now rampant. And so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is Churchill and Whitman then a big step down.

No Sir. I am in whitman cluster and the ES is $hit. Staff is phoning it in and lying. Buying for the schools in MoCo was a huge mistake.

Yep, those teachers are coasting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

Something something grade inflation.

Motivated parents crowd into the "desirable" districts, leaving poorer or less motivated parents to the other districts where most of the students don't receive A's.

Most places I have lived redistrict schools on a regular basis to prevent this from happening quite so much, but in the DC area regular redistricting isn't apparently a thing.

Where did you live that they regularly redistricted? I’ve lived in 5 different states and none did this. In most of America, it’s the biggest determinant of home value which is the biggest determinant of wealth accumulation for the middle class. I’m genuinely curious where they do this regularly and if it affects the real estate narket. They need a freakonomjcs episode about this!

DP. Howard County right next door redistricts every few years, to keep numbers from being too uneven.

+1. Loudon has been redistricting just to keep up with people moving there. If MCPS just bit the bullet and did the full county boundary study and then reviewed them every 5/6 years, they would be much better off.

I feel that parents in other counties accept redistricting better than we do here. Maybe because it's not part of the culture in MCPS? Parents here would protest it.

My friend in Loudoun will have her 6th & 7th grader going to 2 different middle schools in the fall. (Neither are in a special program)

Imagine how that would go here!

I met a parent whose non-magnet kid will be joining their magnet sibling due to not liking their HS. The sibling will not be in magnet. That kind of nonsense should stop.

Parents protested in Howard County in 2019. It got national news coverage. It didn't matter and they went ahead with the plans that were being protested against anyways.

As they should have and as MCPS should do also. Most of these protest have no valid argument. School district is supposed to make the best use of it resources. And if adjusting the boundaries helps achieve that goal so be it.

Do you not remember the upcounty boundary study and the parents who protested just like Howard County did? And just like Howard County, MCPS board didn't give a crap and went ahead and adjusted the boundary as they wanted.

I do! Hi! *waves*

Lots of kids were reassigned to a closer school, a big group of kids who used to get bus service became walkers, my kid got into competitive colleges even though my neighbor assured me that NOBODY from THAT high school would EVER get into ANY college, a new middle school building is about to open, the people who sued lost their lawsuit, and five years from now, "Remember the upcounty boundary study!" will be as relevant as "Remember the Maine!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

Something something grade inflation.

Motivated parents crowd into the "desirable" districts, leaving poorer or less motivated parents to the other districts where most of the students don't receive A's.

Most places I have lived redistrict schools on a regular basis to prevent this from happening quite so much, but in the DC area regular redistricting isn't apparently a thing.

Where did you live that they regularly redistricted? I’ve lived in 5 different states and none did this. In most of America, it’s the biggest determinant of home value which is the biggest determinant of wealth accumulation for the middle class. I’m genuinely curious where they do this regularly and if it affects the real estate narket. They need a freakonomjcs episode about this!

DP. Howard County right next door redistricts every few years, to keep numbers from being too uneven.

+1. Loudon has been redistricting just to keep up with people moving there. If MCPS just bit the bullet and did the full county boundary study and then reviewed them every 5/6 years, they would be much better off.

I feel that parents in other counties accept redistricting better than we do here. Maybe because it's not part of the culture in MCPS? Parents here would protest it.

My friend in Loudoun will have her 6th & 7th grader going to 2 different middle schools in the fall. (Neither are in a special program)

Imagine how that would go here!

I met a parent whose non-magnet kid will be joining their magnet sibling due to not liking their HS. The sibling will not be in magnet. That kind of nonsense should stop.

Parents protested in Howard County in 2019. It got national news coverage. It didn't matter and they went ahead with the plans that were being protested against anyways.

As they should have and as MCPS should do also. Most of these protest have no valid argument. School district is supposed to make the best use of it resources. And if adjusting the boundaries helps achieve that goal so be it.

Do you not remember the upcounty boundary study and the parents who protested just like Howard County did? And just like Howard County, MCPS board didn't give a crap and went ahead and adjusted the boundary as they wanted.

I do! Hi! *waves*

Lots of kids were reassigned to a closer school, a big group of kids who used to get bus service became walkers, my kid got into competitive colleges even though my neighbor assured me that NOBODY from THAT high school would EVER get into ANY college, a new middle school building is about to open, the people who sued lost their lawsuit, and five years from now, "Remember the upcounty boundary study!" will be as relevant as "Remember the Maine!"

Sigh. I'm the PP you're responding to and my point was not to denounce the upcounty boundary study. My point was to counter the other PP who was claiming that MCPS isn't used to boundary studies unlike Howard and Loudoun counties.

[Anonymous]

As a teacher and parent, I dont think the school system is “shit”. I think the curriculums are decent except for benchmark. The opportunities are there for those that seek them out. I do wish grading and behavior has more responsibility on the students (and parents). RJ and the equity stuff is just to avoid lawsuits and follow state/Fed rules. Not very effective in maintaining discipline in schools, but that’s not really the point of it anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher and parent, I dont think the school system is “shit”. I think the curriculums are decent except for benchmark. The opportunities are there for those that seek them out. I do wish grading and behavior has more responsibility on the students (and parents). RJ and the equity stuff is just to avoid lawsuits and follow state/Fed rules. Not very effective in maintaining discipline in schools, but that’s not really the point of it anyways.

+1

As a fellow teacher, agree 1000%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

Something something grade inflation.

Motivated parents crowd into the "desirable" districts, leaving poorer or less motivated parents to the other districts where most of the students don't receive A's.

Most places I have lived redistrict schools on a regular basis to prevent this from happening quite so much, but in the DC area regular redistricting isn't apparently a thing.

Where did you live that they regularly redistricted? I’ve lived in 5 different states and none did this. In most of America, it’s the biggest determinant of home value which is the biggest determinant of wealth accumulation for the middle class. I’m genuinely curious where they do this regularly and if it affects the real estate narket. They need a freakonomjcs episode about this!

DP. Howard County right next door redistricts every few years, to keep numbers from being too uneven.

+1. Loudon has been redistricting just to keep up with people moving there. If MCPS just bit the bullet and did the full county boundary study and then reviewed them every 5/6 years, they would be much better off.

I feel that parents in other counties accept redistricting better than we do here. Maybe because it's not part of the culture in MCPS? Parents here would protest it.

My friend in Loudoun will have her 6th & 7th grader going to 2 different middle schools in the fall. (Neither are in a special program)

Imagine how that would go here!

I met a parent whose non-magnet kid will be joining their magnet sibling due to not liking their HS. The sibling will not be in magnet. That kind of nonsense should stop.

Parents protested in Howard County in 2019. It got national news coverage. It didn't matter and they went ahead with the plans that were being protested against anyways.

As they should have and as MCPS should do also. Most of these protest have no valid argument. School district is supposed to make the best use of it resources. And if adjusting the boundaries helps achieve that goal so be it.

Do you not remember the upcounty boundary study and the parents who protested just like Howard County did? And just like Howard County, MCPS board didn't give a crap and went ahead and adjusted the boundary as they wanted.

I do! Hi! *waves*

Lots of kids were reassigned to a closer school, a big group of kids who used to get bus service became walkers, my kid got into competitive colleges even though my neighbor assured me that NOBODY from THAT high school would EVER get into ANY college, a new middle school building is about to open, the people who sued lost their lawsuit, and five years from now, "Remember the upcounty boundary study!" will be as relevant as "Remember the Maine!"

I remember this too. I remember when our school didn't have gang violence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher and parent, I dont think the school system is “shit”. I think the curriculums are decent except for benchmark. The opportunities are there for those that seek them out. I do wish grading and behavior has more responsibility on the students (and parents). RJ and the equity stuff is just to avoid lawsuits and follow state/Fed rules. Not very effective in maintaining discipline in schools, but that’s not really the point of it anyways.

I agree, but most of these problems go back to parenting or lack thereof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, have you lived elsewhere in the country?

I have lived in Boulder, CO; Los Angeles; Richmond, VA; North Carolina and Miami.

Whether people want to believe it or not DC area public schools are very well funded much moreso than many districts across the country.

According to some sources, MCPS is ranked lower than Howard County and Frederick County Public Schools. Oh, and Anne Arundel is #40 (MCPS is #220)

Just saying..
https://www.fox5dc.com/news/most-sought-after-school-districts-in-us-ranked-in-new-survey-see-where-yours-comes-in

most sought after (as determined by a sample from a test prep company) is very different than quality:

Test Prep Insight, a study and test prep company, spoke with 3,000 parents across the nation to find out which school districts they would most want their children to be in if they had the choice

The largest cohort at MCPS these days is Hispanic. MCPS's demographics have changed significantly. It's not that places like Howard do a better job; rather, their makeup is more similar to MCPS 30 years ago. In terms of educational opportunities though MCPS is mostly the same or even better than it was in the past.

This but it is also rose colored glasses. MoCo has been shifting for years and sliding down hill due to demographics. It had crappy kids filling its schools 30 years ago to the point they had a problem kid high school they since had to close to protect kids feeling which just leaves them in their home school. Blair, Kennedy and middles like Lee were a mess 30 years ago. They gave the magnet kids a different lunch, class bell timing and building at the old Blair so they didn’t have to be exposed to the general pop. That wasn’t because ALL of MoCo was great. Now there are even less schools performing at the old standards but there are a few but you have pay up to live there, hint none of them are in a consortium .

I hear what you're saying but it doesn't align with reality. Back when I was in school there were only a few dozen kids with an A average now I hear something like 50% of Wootton's class has a perfect 4.0. It sure seems like kids today are doing better than ever.

Something something grade inflation.

Motivated parents crowd into the "desirable" districts, leaving poorer or less motivated parents to the other districts where most of the students don't receive A's.

Most places I have lived redistrict schools on a regular basis to prevent this from happening quite so much, but in the DC area regular redistricting isn't apparently a thing.

Where did you live that they regularly redistricted? I’ve lived in 5 different states and none did this. In most of America, it’s the biggest determinant of home value which is the biggest determinant of wealth accumulation for the middle class. I’m genuinely curious where they do this regularly and if it affects the real estate narket. They need a freakonomjcs episode about this!

DP. Howard County right next door redistricts every few years, to keep numbers from being too uneven.

+1. Loudon has been redistricting just to keep up with people moving there. If MCPS just bit the bullet and did the full county boundary study and then reviewed them every 5/6 years, they would be much better off.

I feel that parents in other counties accept redistricting better than we do here. Maybe because it's not part of the culture in MCPS? Parents here would protest it.

My friend in Loudoun will have her 6th & 7th grader going to 2 different middle schools in the fall. (Neither are in a special program)

Imagine how that would go here!

I met a parent whose non-magnet kid will be joining their magnet sibling due to not liking their HS. The sibling will not be in magnet. That kind of nonsense should stop.

Parents protested in Howard County in 2019. It got national news coverage. It didn't matter and they went ahead with the plans that were being protested against anyways.

As they should have and as MCPS should do also. Most of these protest have no valid argument. School district is supposed to make the best use of it resources. And if adjusting the boundaries helps achieve that goal so be it.

Do you not remember the upcounty boundary study and the parents who protested just like Howard County did? And just like Howard County, MCPS board didn't give a crap and went ahead and adjusted the boundary as they wanted.

I do! Hi! *waves*

Lots of kids were reassigned to a closer school, a big group of kids who used to get bus service became walkers, my kid got into competitive colleges even though my neighbor assured me that NOBODY from THAT high school would EVER get into ANY college, a new middle school building is about to open, the people who sued lost their lawsuit, and five years from now, "Remember the upcounty boundary study!" will be as relevant as "Remember the Maine!"

I remember this too. I remember when our school didn't have gang violence.

That's amazing since there hasn't been a single gang-related incident in an MCPS school in over a decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher and parent, I dont think the school system is “shit”. I think the curriculums are decent except for benchmark. The opportunities are there for those that seek them out. I do wish grading and behavior has more responsibility on the students (and parents). RJ and the equity stuff is just to avoid lawsuits and follow state/Fed rules. Not very effective in maintaining discipline in schools, but that’s not really the point of it anyways.

I'm a parent and I agree. Maybe it's because my kids are motivated and we set high expectations for them, but they've been doing very well at school. We also are impressed with the availability of programs. I don't see how anyone can complain about that. There's a program for practically anyone based on their interest. What I don't like is the lack of discipline, too much time and effort is spent in trying to protect the kids who bully, fight, and terrorize others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher and parent, I dont think the school system is “shit”. I think the curriculums are decent except for benchmark. The opportunities are there for those that seek them out. I do wish grading and behavior has more responsibility on the students (and parents). RJ and the equity stuff is just to avoid lawsuits and follow state/Fed rules. Not very effective in maintaining discipline in schools, but that’s not really the point of it anyways.

I'm a parent and I agree. Maybe it's because my kids are motivated and we set high expectations for them, but they've been doing very well at school. We also are impressed with the availability of programs. I don't see how anyone can complain about that. There's a program for practically anyone based on their interest. What I don't like is the lack of discipline, too much time and effort is spent in trying to protect the kids who bully, fight, and terrorize others.

+1000

Similarly, I went to a W 30 years ago and my kids today are getting a much stronger education from MCPS. It comes down to parenting.

[Anonymous]

You're living in a fantasy land if you think today's MCPS is anywhere close to what it was 20 years ago. Huge decline and definitely no improvement on the horizon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're living in a fantasy land if you think today's MCPS is anywhere close to what it was 20 years ago. Huge decline and definitely no improvement on the horizon

My kids are getting a much better education than I did 30 years ago. The main difference today is that the county's demographics have shifted, impacting overall test averages. However, if you look deeper, you'll find that the same cohorts perform about the same today; it's just that the mix of students has changed, affecting the overall average. MCPS remains as strong as ever in terms of learning opportunities, but I will concede that a big difference today is many problems arise from parents who aren't involved and expect the county to raise their kids for them.