MCPS Is Broken What Are Your Ideas to Fix It?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you talking academically?

It's not the fault of MCPS, which is actually one of the best school systems in the nation.

The problem is two-fold and national: we don't pay our teachers enough, and we don't have rigorous teachers' degrees. We need to offer competitive pay, but only if teacher education is overhauled so that only the best and brightest are selected for education diplomas. As things stand now, we scrape the bottom of the barrel in terms of applicants, since people know they will never receive the recognition they deserve in this field. Some applicants are passionate, committed and highly intelligent, and to them it is a labor of love. My kids have had a few teachers like these, and they are worth their weight in gold. But unfortunately, the rest are not that intelligent. You cannot train students to think critically when the teachers cannot do it themselves.

So MCPS wastes its time and money fiddling with curriculum changes, because it's very hard to find excellent teachers in the morass of this nation's educational standards.

Finland is the well-known example of a country overhauling its education to prioritize teacher excellence. As a result, they are consistently at the top of listings for student achievement.

And most BOEs are over active helicopter parents, who never taught. Usually the MCPS Board is of liberal persuasion, and no real management experience. It’s really an echo chamber of those who think they are important and, most come across as “enlightened” self-righteous, or pious. We have a BOE-wanna be (in training) in Rockville area and, in my opinion, this person fits that description perfectly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am all for getting rid of the 50% rule and putting back final exams but it would definitely hurt the grades of kids who work hard but don’t have support at home (many ADHD, ESOL, SPED, minorities). I would tweak the 50% rule down to a 35%. That would get ride of the easy B’a and C’s teachers are forced to give that hide deficiencies among groups and has lowered a lot of the academic standards in the county. I know some teachers that don’t really even both grading and just give every student an A. The teachers that give C’a and D’Souza regularly are far more likely to get in trouble. I have seen it happen. -a MCPS teacher

which is why I stated that MCPS should spend more on more support, tutors and smaller class sizes for those who clearly have some need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dumb thread. Not worth a response. Vote.

Voting Apple Ballot 2022!

Can you even name who's on the Apple ballot 22? Hmm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:broken school system is not the cause, it's the result of poor county policies. low SES families = f'ed school system

It's not just because of low SES families. It's the culture of low expectations. There is a boy in my DC's MS who is a troublemaker and has done some terrible things. DC tells me that he's from a well off family. Zero consequences. MCPS doesn't do restorative justice the way it was intended.

IMO, MCPS leadership are too concerned with the optics of certain demographics not performing well. They are obsessed with the achievement gap without any good plans to address it other than lowering the bar and half-a$$ implementation of restorative justice.

They push certain groups to challenge themselves by taking more AP classes when that same group has an abysmal record on performing even at grade level. What a way to set them up for failure.

MCPS needs to focus on two things:
1. continuing to provide challenging curriculum and programs for the high achieving students
2. get the lower performing students to at least perform at grade level. Stop focusing on the fact that this group has low representation in test in magnets and such. There's a reason why that group has a low pass rate for AP exams. It would be one thing if they had a high pass rate and low representation in test in magnets, but if they can't even pass AP exams at a high rate, then there's no point in pushing them into test in magnets. Way to set them up for failure.

Focus instead on smaller class sizes and after school tutors where they are needed. I don't mind paying taxes to provide support for certain groups who need it. I myself grew up lower income to parents who don't speak English.

Wrong they need to fix the gerrymandered boundaries and stop listening to the right-wing crazies. Sure, a bunch or people here hate the MCEA and all but most people support the Apple ballot. You gjuys are just way out of touch.

Which boundaries are “gerrymandered”? And how would that improve achievement?

Start with Gaithersburg ES. Draw boundaries based upon school proximity. R10 is a joke.

[Anonymous]

Original question response - to fix MCPS, first of all you can't solve a problem until you acknowledge one exists. Fire the MCPS sup and the CO cronies that supported her. Clean house entirely. Next, there was a window of opportunity to go hybrid. That window closed. Now there's so many infections you MUST go virtual for at least two weeks (e.g. end of Q3). After that, I would offer hybrid (so the folks insisting on using MCPS as a full-time daycare may do so) while the other students stagger (ex. only in-person once or twice a week, so that you can social distance in-class and in the cafeteria). MCPS also refused help from parents that offered cleaning supplies and air filtration systems. MCPS wanted everything to look normal - well, guess what - it's not normal. Accept the help. Finally, MCPS has to be honest in communications and not lie. YOU MUST PUBLISH ACCURATE DATA EVERY DAY. PRINCIPALS SHOULD HOLD WEEKLY CALLS WITH PARENTS ON SPECIFIC SITUATIONS AND SOLICIT IDEAS. Right now MCPS is the know-it-all ivory tower.

There. Now that I've said it, MCPS can proceed to do whatever the hell it wants.

[Anonymous]

^--Meant end of Q2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My personal view is that they need to return to a focus on high standards and expectations for both staff and students. This can be accomplished through a number of different ways, but the details are probably not that important right now. What are your ideas?

what is the process to replace the interim superintendent?

[Anonymous]

Why don’t we have school choice/vouchers or charter schools here?

[Anonymous]

Get rid of the overly entitled hags who are whining about library books when they can damn well afford actual books

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason MCPS is failing is that we don’t value education as a country. We don’t really value children. Otherwise they wouldn’t have the worst, crumbling buildings and teachers who are paid low wages

In addition to that, there are no consequences in schools like there used to be. Kids know they can get away with pretty much any behavior. Also, the expectations are low, low, low. Turn in work whenever you want during the quarter and there are no late penalties? Come on. The kids are having a great time at school these days. They aren't learning much but they can play on their phones all day, turn in next to nothing and still pass. Woo hoo!

This +1000000000000000000000

[Anonymous]

MCPS’s biggest problem is rather than focusing on teaching kids, it is trying to solve social problems. It needs to focus on education and not social justice issues or politics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS’s biggest problem is rather than focusing on teaching kids, it is trying to solve social problems. It needs to focus on education and not social justice issues or politics.

I agree with this to the point that MCPS (all school districts) need to be able to focus on education. Unfortunately we as a nation have decided not to focus on societal issues, and have hamstrung schools with dealing with them in kid/families. I understand that schools are central to a community, but that doesn’t mean they are the place where food, mental health, clothing, disability and a whole host of other issues should be managed or resolved.

[Anonymous]

Full time Paras in all K-2 classes or at least half day. Changing the pedagogical approach of K-2 to more Montessori like so students can explore and move on as needed. Would also give time for more individual/small group attention which would hopefully identify LD’s sooner and start interventions sooner. In upper US, providing the enriched curriculum to all schools, so if they truly have a cohort of kids it could be taught and taught well. Where cohorts don’t exist those students could go to the CES. At the MS level changing the crap advisory sessions to real study skills class. At MS and HS level, stepping up expectations. Like penalizing for late work from 7th grade forward and making honors classes actual be a step up in the depth and effort required. On level classes should still be rigorous for all students, but taking an honors class should be indicate that you’ve had to do more.

[Anonymous]

-Front 90% of budget on the most important years - K-5.
-Reorg into a Success for All model from Hopkins.
-Change culture - no more lying/no more trying to defend a reputation as the ‘Nations best’. Hell MCPS is ranked 5 in Maryland! Intellectual honesty - particularly for spec Ed kids
-Be honest about the number of ghost students - and how they have impacted the school district. Demand federal funds to educate them. Or demand funds from their home countries in the Northern Triangle
-focus on solid science backed curriculum followed by rigorous
teacher training. You are attracting the lower third of each college class but you can mold them with continuous learning
-no more money to outside counsel. 11 million in 2017 to fight families on IEPs - morally repugnant.
-inspector general
-create sex crimes unit focused on MCPS. You are attracting pedophiles. Do something about it.
-principal training. They are most important positions. Give them training and create short term high risk/high reward positions akin to senior executive service (ie 1 year contracts but big bonuses)

[Anonymous]

Break it up. We need a few smaller school districts.