Starr will be on Kojo Nmamdi Show Today

[Anonymous]

noon on WAMU 88.5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:noon on WAMU 88.5.

thanks! it would be interesting to listen
Do they accept calls?

[Anonymous]

Ken Starr?

[Anonymous]

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-10-24/montgomery-county-schools-superintendent-joshua-starr

[Anonymous]

listening in right now.

so far: defends raises for teachers b/c raises will make "happy employees": "yes we could have used that money to make class size smaller, but we decided that raises are better b/c they are worth it"

Liberalism run amok! This guy doesn't realize that there is a financial crisis at play these days. One must allocate money where it will have the most impact. I would argue that would have been smaller class sizes, not raises.

[Anonymous]

He also says that the new report cards are supposed to be a "launching point" for a real conversation with teachers not an end unto themselves. Fine. But does he realize that parents have ONE parent-teacher conference in the fall. This conference last FIFTEEN MINUTES!

Is he kidding?! How much of a conversation are we supposed to have in 15 minutes?

[Anonymous]

Now he's saying that having 28-29 kids in a class is just fine. References that an 8th grader at Cabin John MS thinks its great to have a big class b/c she can learn from people with different perspectives. OK, sure.
Then he talks about an AP class with 31 kids.

My DD has 27 in her class in ES and it is a big problem.

[Anonymous]

He is now claming that if kids need to be accelerated in math, they will be accelerated. There is NOTHING happening right now under 2.0 that suggests that is true. Last week our principal specifically told a school wide meeting that there is currently NO mechanism to accelerate anyone.

[Anonymous]

He is now claming that if kids need to be accelerated in math, they will be accelerated. There is NOTHING happening right now under 2.0 that suggests that is true. Last week our principal specifically told a school wide meeting that there is currently NO mechanism to accelerate anyone.

Terrible communication up and down the chain of command. Perhaps he should tell this to the MCPS Principals. On second thought, the Principals may be more powerful than Starr.

[Anonymous]

He is now claming that if kids need to be accelerated in math, they will be accelerated. There is NOTHING happening right now under 2.0 that suggests that is true. Last week our principal specifically told a school wide meeting that there is currently NO mechanism to accelerate anyone.

What is the transparent, precise process (mechanism) and timeline for such to happen if deemed appropriate? Has the Superintendent or MCPS manager heard of such a concept?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is now claming that if kids need to be accelerated in math, they will be accelerated. There is NOTHING happening right now under 2.0 that suggests that is true. Last week our principal specifically told a school wide meeting that there is currently NO mechanism to accelerate anyone.

Who is that principal? Which school? When and how was it said?

Let's get some real facts and then fight then fight the fight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He also says that the new report cards are supposed to be a "launching point" for a real conversation with teachers not an end unto themselves. Fine. But does he realize that parents have ONE parent-teacher conference in the fall. This conference last FIFTEEN MINUTES!

Is he kidding?! How much of a conversation are we supposed to have in 15 minutes?

There is one scheduled conference. You can have as many additional ones as you like.

[Anonymous]

Ok, but in reality is a teacher supposed to be able to have multiple conferences for 26-28 students. Is there really time for all of that? Maybe it is better to have a reasonable report card that actually says something that makes sense. To have to schedule multiple conferences in order to make sense of the report card and get to the truth of your child's progress is silly and unrealistic.

Although, maybe this is the answer after all. Maybe when all the parents start insisting on these multiple meetings, the schools will realize their folly and rework the report card in order to be more useful.

[Anonymous]

I just posted on another similar topic list. This is all about being able to brag that your kid is gifted by forcing MCPS to accelerate your child!! Oy!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just posted on another similar topic list. This is all about being able to brag that your kid is gifted by forcing MCPS to accelerate your child!! Oy!!!

Right, that's what it's all about. Get real. What's the matter with you that you fail to recognize that, even if 2.0 is great (which I happen to doubt), this is a massive overhaul of the curriculum, report cards, classroom structure, etc., and yet parents have been given insufficient, sometimes inaccurate, information about what it is and how if will be implemented. In addition, some children are more adversely impacted by the roll-out of 2.0. For example, kids who have been accelerated for a couple of years and are now repeating basic work. (That alone, demonstrates a haphazard roll-out and shoddy communication to parents.

Wake up. This school system and this superintendent need to be held accountable for better communication and for explaining what 2.0 is really all about. (Is it about "social justice" or is it about education -- so far it is unclear). They should be able to tell us if even *this year's* curriculum has even been completely written, let alone rolled out to teachers. They should be able to tell us if *any* of this curriculum (or the other changes that go along with it) have been tested anywhere. They should be able to tell us if our kids are the test cases (hint: they are).

Maybe parents should stop blaming other parents and recognize that parents are raising very real concerns about how this has taken place.