Op-Ed from previous MCPS SMOBs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our schools are integrated. Our neighborhoods are not. How you gonna solve that, HS kids?

That's not completely truthful. There are many gerrymandered boundaries that serve to exacerbate this problem. This why the boundary study needs to happen after 40 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Interestingly, charter schools operate like private schools. Instead of lowering bar, they raise it.

Why can’t mcps do the same?

Factually incorrect statement.

https://www.city-journal.org/html/new-kind-catholic-school-15326.html

The Cristo Rey Jesuit model has impressive results.

There are other charter schools that do raise the bar and similarly have impressive results.

Does anyone think mcps is a model worth preserving when it comes to closing the gap AND preparing all students (including white kids, native English speakers, etc) for success? Please don’t bother weighing in if your kid landed in a HGC and magnet; your kid is one of the anointed ones receiving a different education than the rest.

Statistically most charter schools lower the bar at the expense of public funds. Point is the average charter costs more and has lower test scores. Meanwhile their boards fly around in private jets. This is not a good use of public funds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Certain zip codes succeeded at preventing construction of rental housing and public transportation. Fix that, and the W schools will magically become more diverse.

And, let’s make each W school a magnet so high performing kids from anywhere in the county can attend.

Easy.

How would that fix things to bus kids into the W schools that are overcrowded? Every school should have their own magnet program, especially the underperforming to encourage families to stay in those.

Every school does have signature programs already.

Don’t be daft, people. Everyone with a pulse knows the famed W schools are considered the best in the area. They are also the whitest since they are in areas that succeeded at preventing affordable/rental housing and public transportation.

Go look at how many apartments you have in Aspen Hill, Glenmont, Wheaton, and Silver Spring. Compare # of rentals East and West County. Now pull out the metro map. I’ll wait.

MCPS isn’t segregated, but *certain* school pyramids effectively are because of zoning and development choices by the county lobbied by developers and homeowners for decades. The good news is there’s still green space on the western side of the county; let’s start building mixed use development (commercial and affordable rentals). Because that will take a long time, let’s implement an affirmative action style optional magnet-esque program.

I take issue with the mention of Sherwood in the linked article. We are practically up-county with a nearly hour long commute during rush hour to the DCC schools. Personally, I think the clusters were a half-a$$ way to address diversity and opportunity rather than doing the hard work of addressing the housing affordability and zoning issues. And, there’s a lot to be said about creating community through neighborhood schools.

The "famed" W's aren't really anything special. They're just heavily segregated to exclude poor people. This impacts their average but hardly means they're great schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Statistically most charter schools lower the bar at the expense of public funds. Point is the average charter costs more and has lower test scores. Meanwhile their boards fly around in private jets. This is not a good use of public funds.

If charters schools are not good, parents won't send their kids there.

Beauty of free choice and competition.

[Anonymous]

This is a great article! I have started to call out supposedly progressive neighbors who are moving for "better schools". I ask them what does that mean?

Also, we need to advocate for more affordable housing in Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an achievement gap--blacks and Latinos are behind whites and Asians.

How can that gap be closed?

Blacks and Latinos must work harder than whites and Asians.

If whites and Asians study 2 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 3 hours a day.

If whites and Asians study 4 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 6 hours a day.

Until that happens, how can the achievement gap be closed?

+1. I agree.

If I can make only 1 out of 10 for 3-pointer, I have to practice more 3-point shooting to get better in order up my percentage.

Maybe the neighborhood kids at the neighborhood park was laughing at my bad 3-point shooting, I can either give up (and do nothing) or go home to practice on my own.

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/10/11/this-trail-blazing-suburb-has-tried-years-tackle-race-what-if-trying-isnt-enough/?arc404=true

School has been integrated but the gap oersists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our schools are integrated. Our neighborhoods are not. How you gonna solve that, HS kids?

Hmm, how about a countywide boundary study?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In addition the affordable housing in the Western part of the county, why don’t we build high end residences/developments in the East side of the County? Won’t be as pricey as West side and UMC people will buy (they love new developments)! Full developments, not one off tear downs. Why was development stopped in East side of county years ago?

Who's "we", how many units are in a "full development," and where specifically do you think they should go?

Does the new development on Randolph Road count, where the Montrose Christian Academy used to be? How about that new development on Connecticut Ave south of Matthew Henson State Park? Or...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is an achievement gap--blacks and Latinos are behind whites and Asians.

How can that gap be closed?

Blacks and Latinos must work harder than whites and Asians.

If whites and Asians study 2 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 3 hours a day.

If whites and Asians study 4 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 6 hours a day.

Until that happens, how can the achievement gap be closed?

Go away.

[Anonymous]

“ After all, integrated schools are empirically proven to produce the kind of equality that the country is marching for. For black and brown children, integrated schools lead to higher test scores, increased graduation rates and higher levels of college enrollment. ”
No this again. Black and brown students do better when surrounded by white and asian students. I would like to ask the black SMOB member what his follow whitE and Asian students do to make him a better high school student. Did he do better on his AP English class? Did he pass his Calculus class effortless? Did other two SMOBs help their fellow black and brown students do better in school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“ After all, integrated schools are empirically proven to produce the kind of equality that the country is marching for. For black and brown children, integrated schools lead to higher test scores, increased graduation rates and higher levels of college enrollment. ”
No this again. Black and brown students do better when surrounded by white and asian students. I would like to ask the black SMOB member what his follow whitE and Asian students do to make him a better high school student. Did he do better on his AP English class? Did he pass his Calculus class effortless? Did other two SMOBs help their fellow black and brown students do better in school?

PP, if you're sincerely interested in learning about segregated vs. integrated schools, there's plenty out there on the Internet for you to read.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an achievement gap--blacks and Latinos are behind whites and Asians.

How can that gap be closed?

Blacks and Latinos must work harder than whites and Asians.

If whites and Asians study 2 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 3 hours a day.

If whites and Asians study 4 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 6 hours a day.

Until that happens, how can the achievement gap be closed?

Go away.

DP.. why? The ^PP is not wrong. My kid is not athletic, so he needs to work harder and practice more to be at the same level as the rest of his teammates. He may not like that fact, but it is what it is. He sucks at sports, and he knows it, but I tell him that part of the problem is that he doesn't want to try harder to get better. He'd rather play on his computer. I say to him that he obviously doesn't want it enough if he isn't willing to try harder.

My other DC's reading scores are not super high, and gets upset when DC doesn't score well. I tell this DC that if DC wants better test scores, DC needs to read more, but DC would rather watch TV, says reading is boring. OK, then, I guess you are not going to get better test scores because if you want to get better at something, you need to practice more. That is a truthism that is applicable to life in general.

I'm Asian Am. ,btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an achievement gap--blacks and Latinos are behind whites and Asians.

How can that gap be closed?

Blacks and Latinos must work harder than whites and Asians.

If whites and Asians study 2 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 3 hours a day.

If whites and Asians study 4 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 6 hours a day.

Until that happens, how can the achievement gap be closed?

Go away.

DP.. why? The ^PP is not wrong. My kid is not athletic, so he needs to work harder and practice more to be at the same level as the rest of his teammates. He may not like that fact, but it is what it is. He sucks at sports, and he knows it, but I tell him that part of the problem is that he doesn't want to try harder to get better. He'd rather play on his computer. I say to him that he obviously doesn't want it enough if he isn't willing to try harder.

My other DC's reading scores are not super high, and gets upset when DC doesn't score well. I tell this DC that if DC wants better test scores, DC needs to read more, but DC would rather watch TV, says reading is boring. OK, then, I guess you are not going to get better test scores because if you want to get better at something, you need to practice more. That is a truthism that is applicable to life in general.

I'm Asian Am. ,btw.

Are you saying that your kid is not athletic because he's Asian-American? Like, there's something about Asian-Americans that makes them personally bad at sports, and so they have to work harder? You're not saying that, are you? Because that would be a ridiculous thing to say. Just like saying that there's something about Black kids and Latino kids that makes them personally bad at school, and so they have to work harder, is a ridiculous thing to say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is an achievement gap--blacks and Latinos are behind whites and Asians.

How can that gap be closed?

Blacks and Latinos must work harder than whites and Asians.

If whites and Asians study 2 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 3 hours a day.

If whites and Asians study 4 hours a day, blacks and Latinos need to study 6 hours a day.

Until that happens, how can the achievement gap be closed?

Go away.

DP.. why? The ^PP is not wrong. My kid is not athletic, so he needs to work harder and practice more to be at the same level as the rest of his teammates. He may not like that fact, but it is what it is. He sucks at sports, and he knows it, but I tell him that part of the problem is that he doesn't want to try harder to get better. He'd rather play on his computer. I say to him that he obviously doesn't want it enough if he isn't willing to try harder.

My other DC's reading scores are not super high, and gets upset when DC doesn't score well. I tell this DC that if DC wants better test scores, DC needs to read more, but DC would rather watch TV, says reading is boring. OK, then, I guess you are not going to get better test scores because if you want to get better at something, you need to practice more. That is a truthism that is applicable to life in general.

I'm Asian Am. ,btw.

Are you saying that your kid is not athletic because he's Asian-American? Like, there's something about Asian-Americans that makes them personally bad at sports, and so they have to work harder? You're not saying that, are you? Because that would be a ridiculous thing to say. Just like saying that there's something about Black kids and Latino kids that makes them personally bad at school, and so they have to work harder, is a ridiculous thing to say.

Stop it. She is not saying her son is not athletic because he’s Asian American. She is saying her son is not athletic and happens to be Asian American. Educational success begins at home and there is something lacking in poor black/brown households making it so their kids don’t attain the level of educational success they could have attained in different environments.