Moving to Bethesda or Kensington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the challenges here is that OP is looking for small class sizes and Black leadership/teachers, but also focusing on the more wealthy parts of the county.

The higher needs the school, the smaller the class sizes.

Also, MCPS tends to (not exclusively, but tends to) place Black administrators in majority Black schools, for exactly the reason that OP mentions - so that kids have leadership who looks like them. Those Black principals sometimes (and sometimes not) prioritize hiring diverse teachers.

So, both of the things that OP lists are actually easier to find outside the geographic zone being targeted.

OP here-- this makes sense ...thanks for breaking this down. So what about Silver Spring... any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

TKPK: Takoma Park
ESS: East Silver Spring Elementary School
TPMS: Takoma Park Middle School

(I think. I'm not the pp)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the challenges here is that OP is looking for small class sizes and Black leadership/teachers, but also focusing on the more wealthy parts of the county.

The higher needs the school, the smaller the class sizes.

Also, MCPS tends to (not exclusively, but tends to) place Black administrators in majority Black schools, for exactly the reason that OP mentions - so that kids have leadership who looks like them. Those Black principals sometimes (and sometimes not) prioritize hiring diverse teachers.

So, both of the things that OP lists are actually easier to find outside the geographic zone being targeted.

OP here-- this makes sense ...thanks for breaking this down. So what about Silver Spring... any thoughts?

In addition to the previously mentioned East Silver Spring, Oakland Terrace, and Flora Singer, I would check out Woodlin, Highland View, and Forest Knolls elementary schools. Very popular neighborhoods with young and diverse families.

[Anonymous]

Avoid Bethesda Elementary. Otherwise there are lots of good choices.

[Anonymous]

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02783.pdf

Kensington Parkwood is 6% black.

Kensington is not a diverse area. The zip code skews conservative (particularly the neighborhoods that feed into the local Catholic school, Holy Redeemer).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.

Thanks!

I suggest 20910 because you want to follow up ES with a positive MS experience. Look at ESS for small class sizes and strong teachers who reflect your son. Then TPMS which is inclusive with strong teachers.

I am not tracking the acronyms..would you mind spelling out... what is ESS and TPMS????

TKPK = Takoma Park
ESS = East Silver Spring
TPMS = Takoma Park Middle School (one of the best MS in the county, hosts the STEM magnet program and wins all the academic contests)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.

Thanks!

I suggest 20910 because you want to follow up ES with a positive MS experience. Look at ESS for small class sizes and strong teachers who reflect your son. Then TPMS which is inclusive with strong teachers.

I am not tracking the acronyms..would you mind spelling out... what is ESS and TPMS????

TKPK = Takoma Park
ESS = East Silver Spring
TPMS = Takoma Park Middle School (one of the best MS in the county, hosts the STEM magnet program and wins all the academic contests)

I think ESS ES has been very successful with AA kids with >5% based on test averages. It was statistically significant and whatever they're doing seems to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.

Thanks!

I suggest 20910 because you want to follow up ES with a positive MS experience. Look at ESS for small class sizes and strong teachers who reflect your son. Then TPMS which is inclusive with strong teachers.

I am not tracking the acronyms..would you mind spelling out... what is ESS and TPMS????

TKPK = Takoma Park
ESS = East Silver Spring
TPMS = Takoma Park Middle School (one of the best MS in the county, hosts the STEM magnet program and wins all the academic contests)

I think ESS ES has been very successful with AA kids with >5% based on test averages. It was statistically significant and whatever they're doing seems to work.

Wanted to clarify, my kids didn't go there and it may not even be called ESS ES that could be the MS. I don't know. I just remember reading a post about this here a few years back that stood out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.

Thanks!

I suggest 20910 because you want to follow up ES with a positive MS experience. Look at ESS for small class sizes and strong teachers who reflect your son. Then TPMS which is inclusive with strong teachers.

I am not tracking the acronyms..would you mind spelling out... what is ESS and TPMS????

TKPK = Takoma Park
ESS = East Silver Spring
TPMS = Takoma Park Middle School (one of the best MS in the county, hosts the STEM magnet program and wins all the academic contests)

I think ESS ES has been very successful with AA kids with >5% based on test averages. It was statistically significant and whatever they're doing seems to work.

That's a good example of the phenomenon from upthread - the schools with the highest overall scores may not actually be the schools serving specific communities well. There was a big thread a few years back about low test scores for AA kids at Piney Branch ES in Takoma Park, and one of the comparisons made at the time was that Black kids were doing better at East Silver Spring and Rolling Terrace, each of which is only about a half mile from Piney Branch and each of which is overall higher needs.

However, and this is another warning, both East Silver Spring and Piney Branch have had principal shifts since that conversation. When it comes to things like diverse hiring and supporting kids from all backgrounds, the administration makes an enormous difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone share excellent elementary schools-- small class sizes and strong teachers for an African American child. We want teachers who will reflect our child. Also if there are other forums that speak to this, please share.

Thanks!

I suggest 20910 because you want to follow up ES with a positive MS experience. Look at ESS for small class sizes and strong teachers who reflect your son. Then TPMS which is inclusive with strong teachers.

I am not tracking the acronyms..would you mind spelling out... what is ESS and TPMS????

TKPK = Takoma Park
ESS = East Silver Spring
TPMS = Takoma Park Middle School (one of the best MS in the county, hosts the STEM magnet program and wins all the academic contests)

I think ESS ES has been very successful with AA kids with >5% based on test averages. It was statistically significant and whatever they're doing seems to work.

That's a good example of the phenomenon from upthread - the schools with the highest overall scores may not actually be the schools serving specific communities well. There was a big thread a few years back about low test scores for AA kids at Piney Branch ES in Takoma Park, and one of the comparisons made at the time was that Black kids were doing better at East Silver Spring and Rolling Terrace, each of which is only about a half mile from Piney Branch and each of which is overall higher needs.

However, and this is another warning, both East Silver Spring and Piney Branch have had principal shifts since that conversation. When it comes to things like diverse hiring and supporting kids from all backgrounds, the administration makes an enormous difference.

I remember that one. I mean I think Piney Branch does about as well as any ES and there may be other factors that aren't readily apparent without greater information about the students at each school; however, it did make me think that ESS might be doing something better than everyone else.

[Anonymous]

I’m a little baffled by the test score discussion. I mean, don’t you realize that socioeconomics trump race when it comes to test scores? A black child with two parents who can afford a home in Bethesda or Kensington will thrive academically in local schools. Don’t compare that child to another black student in a lower-income area who might have a single parent who rents. Geez.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little baffled by the test score discussion. I mean, don’t you realize that socioeconomics trump race when it comes to test scores? A black child with two parents who can afford a home in Bethesda or Kensington will thrive academically in local schools. Don’t compare that child to another black student in a lower-income area who might have a single parent who rents. Geez.

You are assuming that socioeconomics trump race, but this often is not true. If you break down outcomes by income level the wealthy Black kids often do worse than poor White kids. The impacts of racism are severe and real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little baffled by the test score discussion. I mean, don’t you realize that socioeconomics trump race when it comes to test scores? A black child with two parents who can afford a home in Bethesda or Kensington will thrive academically in local schools. Don’t compare that child to another black student in a lower-income area who might have a single parent who rents. Geez.

You are assuming that socioeconomics trump race, but this often is not true. If you break down outcomes by income level the wealthy Black kids often do worse than poor White kids. The impacts of racism are severe and real.

Show me the data from mcps—not aggregate data, but income and school specific.

I don’t see how a black child in a two-parent affluent home in Bethesda or Kensington performs worse than a low-income white kid in Aspen Hill.

Full disclosure: I attended private school K-12 in MoCo, and the blacks and latinas who came up with me are doctors and lawyers and successful leaders. Socioeconomics and prioritizing education matters. My kids attend mcps and have a diverse friend group. It’s readily apparent to me that their peer group is doing well (two-parent homes, involved parents, solidly UMC or legit affluent).

I wonder if negative subcultural norms hamstring black students?

[Anonymous]

It would be super cool if PP could stop using "two parent homes" as some sort of dog whistle for what they think Black kids are lacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a little baffled by the test score discussion. I mean, don’t you realize that socioeconomics trump race when it comes to test scores? A black child with two parents who can afford a home in Bethesda or Kensington will thrive academically in local schools. Don’t compare that child to another black student in a lower-income area who might have a single parent who rents. Geez.

You are assuming that socioeconomics trump race, but this often is not true. If you break down outcomes by income level the wealthy Black kids often do worse than poor White kids. The impacts of racism are severe and real.

Show me the data from mcps—not aggregate data, but income and school specific.

I don’t see how a black child in a two-parent affluent home in Bethesda or Kensington performs worse than a low-income white kid in Aspen Hill.

Full disclosure: I attended private school K-12 in MoCo, and the blacks and latinas who came up with me are doctors and lawyers and successful leaders. Socioeconomics and prioritizing education matters. My kids attend mcps and have a diverse friend group. It’s readily apparent to me that their peer group is doing well (two-parent homes, involved parents, solidly UMC or legit affluent).

I wonder if negative subcultural norms hamstring black students?

Why are you so willing to believe a narrative about "negative subcultural norms" when there is reams of data on the impact of racism in public education systems on Black kids?