Why are Maryland schools so anti-achievement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I think it's a crime for a school system encourage proficiency (mediocrity) rather than encouraging each child's potential for excellence.

Taken from Dictionary.com


pro·fi·cien·cy
[pruh-fish-uhn-see] Show IPA
noun
the state of being proficient; skill; expertness: proficiency in music.


pro·fi·cient
[pruh-fish-uhnt] Show IPA
adjective
1.
well-advanced or competent in any art, science, or subject; skilled: a proficient swimmer.
noun
2.
an expert.

Can you find the definition that says being proficient is equal to being mediocre?

[Anonymous]

I'll step in for the poster. Proficient was the wrong word. I'll let you substitute any word of your choosing. It doesn't change the thrust of the assertions.

MCPS does not encourage, promote, or provide pathways for proficient students to take on more challenge.

This is acceptable in music and athletics but not academics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll step in for the poster. Proficient was the wrong word. I'll let you substitute any word of your choosing. It doesn't change the thrust of the assertions.

MCPS does not encourage, promote, or provide pathways for proficient students to take on more challenge.

This is acceptable in music and athletics but not academics.

I am not either if the PPs, but this is a valid assertion, IME.

But to be honest, I don't think this is an issue unique to MCPS. Public schools are designed to make sure that everyone gets to a basic level. They are not designed to encourage creativity and to challenge high achievers. It's just the way the American school system seems to work.

[Anonymous]

I am not either if the PPs, but this is a valid assertion, IME.

But to be honest, I don't think this is an issue unique to MCPS. Public schools are designed to make sure that everyone gets to a basic level. They are not designed to encourage creativity and to challenge high achievers. It's just the way the American school system seems to work.

Thank you for your honesty and making the most damning statement regarding the American public school system and MCPS. And because this is the way the American system works are you suggesting we accept it and roll with it under it's own inertia where ever ths system takes us?

[Anonymous]

Why is the administration of American sports (amateur, community youth, AAU, USA swimming and on and on...) different from American public education?

....It's just the way the American sports system seems to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is the administration of American sports (amateur, community youth, AAU, USA swimming and on and on...) different from American public education?

....It's just the way the American sports system seems to work.

I agree with this. Sports are cutthroat around here but academics are egalitarian.

[Anonymous]

I agree with this. Sports are cutthroat around here but academics are egalitarian.

Academics are egalitarian aound here...up county and down county...from one zip code to another...across this magical land. And in this magical land of America with our wonderful egalitarian public education (Ninety percent, 90%, of students in America attend public schools) we rank where in the world?

At the Olympic games our cut throat sports system gains us the number 1 ranking and raking in medals. We are so proud of this.

Where do we rank in education?

I propose a solution. Let's make sports in America egalitarian (like public education) so we no longer get to rake in the most medals in the world at the Olympic Games. I think settling for somewhere in the high teens and twenties on the global scale seems much more appropriate and egalitarian. Certainly, more in line with our primary and secondary school educational performance.

[Anonymous]

I agree with this. Sports are cutthroat around here but academics are egalitarian.

Cutthroat sports (much like policing the world, drone attacks and the NSA) are by far our preference.

We worship and idolize our athletes. We enroll our kids in multiple sporting activities when they are in diapers (but chatise other parents for teaching 3 or 4 year-olds multiplications tables). We drive, car pool back and forth from club to club, sweaty gym to chlorinated pool houses, game to game, practise to practise, at all hours of the early morning, afternoon and night. We buy billions of sporting attire with our favorite athletes plasted all over the clothing and bedroom and bathroom walls. We spend $$ billions attending games in school, club and professional stadiums. We pay these adored athletes billions of dollars (contracts worth $250 million over 10 years, tens of millions per year in many sports).

Our children are taken our of school daily to attend sporting events and make their warm-ups, practises and matches/games. We rarely take our kids out of the meets and games to attend school. They skip and miss classes throughout the year so we can leave work to transport them to their games.

Repetitive physical work outs and drills, challenge and stimulation (including creatine, milk and protein supplements) are encouraged and promoted in the pursuit of cardiovascular endurance and hypertophy and faster contraction of our skeletal muscle fibres and winning; yet when it comes to mental workouts (homework, math, worksheets, practice and prep) the laity are quick to claim this regime leads to low IQ and neuronal atrophy. Such work should automatically disqualify students from magnet programs and honors classes/courses. These kids while worthy to take to the pitch with this preparation and not worthy to join the rest of us laggards in the classroom.

Given the American love affair with sports one might conclude the US public education system needs a little of the "cutthroat" some posters see in sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am not either if the PPs, but this is a valid assertion, IME.

But to be honest, I don't think this is an issue unique to MCPS. Public schools are designed to make sure that everyone gets to a basic level. They are not designed to encourage creativity and to challenge high achievers. It's just the way the American school system seems to work.

Thank you for your honesty and making the most damning statement regarding the American public school system and MCPS. And because this is the way the American system works are you suggesting we accept it and roll with it under it's own inertia where ever ths system takes us?

I'm the PP. I think it often feels that way - there doesn't seem to be much you can do. I was just making the point that this is not an issue limited to MoCo schools. It is a nationwide issue, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I agree with this. Sports are cutthroat around here but academics are egalitarian.

Academics are egalitarian aound here...up county and down county...from one zip code to another...across this magical land. And in this magical land of America with our wonderful egalitarian public education (Ninety percent, 90%, of students in America attend public schools) we rank where in the world?

The sad thing is that we 'think' we're egalitarian. But, the people who are actually 'privileged' aren't subjected to the mediocrity of public education. They can afford the best schools, where creativity and achievement are valued. There is a (good) reason why Obama's girls don't go to public school!

So, we pretend to be 'egalitarian', but that is not really the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The sad thing is that we 'think' we're egalitarian. But, the people who are actually 'privileged' aren't subjected to the mediocrity of public education. They can afford the best schools, where creativity and achievement are valued. There is a (good) reason why Obama's girls don't go to public school!

So, we pretend to be 'egalitarian', but that is not really the case.

Actually, we pretend to be egalitarian about public schools, but in reality, poor kids receive a much worse public education than rich kids.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec92/vol50/num04/[e-mail]

Unless you think that all of the best schools are private schools?

And I'm pretty sure that the reason why Obama's girls don't go to public school is because there's no way that the public school could deal with the privacy and security requirements. Which other people's girls (mine, for example) don't have.

[Anonymous]

The sad thing is that we 'think' we're egalitarian. But, the people who are actually 'privileged' aren't subjected to the mediocrity of public education. They can afford the best schools, where creativity and achievement are valued. There is a (good) reason why Obama's girls don't go to public school!

So, we pretend to be 'egalitarian', but that is not really the case.

You are right. But even if Obama's girls go to private school remember only 10% of school aged kids in the US go to private school. The vast majority, 90%, go to public school. Here is the kicker: the vast majority of whites attend rural and suburban schools (essentially segregated/apartheid) while the vast majority of others attend urban US public schools (also largely segregated and apartheid). What seems true in your statement is our apartheid system of public education and funding by neighborhood and zip code is indeed egalitarian.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. "We pretend to be "egalitarian" (even Romney agrees), but that is not really the case."

[Anonymous]

Why is the administration of American sports (amateur, community youth, AAU, USA swimming and on and on...) different from American public education?

It seems apartheid in American sports and past American Olympic teams faded earlier than apartheid in the present American public education system? I wonder why?

Why is the administration of American sports different form American public education today?

Do our education bureaucrats need an education from American jocks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll step in for the poster. Proficient was the wrong word. I'll let you substitute any word of your choosing. It doesn't change the thrust of the assertions.

MCPS does not encourage, promote, or provide pathways for proficient students to take on more challenge.

This is acceptable in music and athletics but not academics.

I am not either if the PPs, but this is a valid assertion, IME.

But to be honest, I don't think this is an issue unique to MCPS. Public schools are designed to make sure that everyone gets to a basic level. They are not designed to encourage creativity and to challenge high achievers. It's just the way the American school system seems to work.

I would agree this is true until high school, when the availability of AP courses, greater choice in selection of courses, and the availability of cross-registration at MC or UMD means that proficient students have more options to challenge themselves. But, kids shouldn't have to wait until high school for this. In fact, IMO, many kids who need more stimulation/challenge are so thoroughly turned off by school by the time they get to HS, that they aren't interested in the increased rigor.

[Anonymous]

I would agree this is true until high school, when the availability of AP courses, greater choice in selection of courses, and the availability of cross-registration at MC or UMD means that proficient students have more options to challenge themselves. But, kids shouldn't have to wait until high school for this. In fact, IMO, many kids who need more stimulation/challenge are so thoroughly turned off by school by the time they get to HS, that they aren't interested in the increased rigor.

If a student has to wait until high school (age 14) for access to these pathways is the ball game over for many who may be so far behind and fear the long hill road to catch-up with other peer-beneficiaries of "fancy" public school education (with bells, whistles and enrichment).

Can you imagine an administrative/leadership strategy of this delay for athletics/sports and music. Make upward mobility, advancement and acceleration difficult (no or few incentives) for all until the age of 14 (high school)?

There goes all those Olympic medals and music awards and achievements.

MCPS, our wonderful educational bureaucrats who pay millions of dollars for fancy consultants (quid pro quo), are simply brilliant as they execute their real game plan/agenda.

Not all the public are as stupid and foolish as they thiink.