MCPS just isn't so great anymore - WashPo Opinion 9/6/2013

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-great-montgomery-county-schools-they-were-once-maybe-they-can-be-again/2013/09/06/e5bb70c0-15ab-11e3-be6e-dc6ae8a5b3a8_story.html

Where is the MCPS response to this?!

[Anonymous]

Well, a lot of it reflects changing demographics that are beyond MCPS' control. So MCPS has to change the kind of district it is ... offer more choice, pay more attention to the east county schools, stop paying so much attention to waht the article refers to as "squishy" initiatives like social-emotional development ...

MCPS needs to figure out a way to make east county schools remain attractive to middle/upper middle class east county residents

[Anonymous]

MCPS needs to figure out a way to make east county schools remain attractive to middle/upper middle class east county residents

That would require MCPS admitting that they need to do this . . .

What about a greater degree of school choice beyond the minimal magnet options that now exist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-great-montgomery-county-schools-they-were-once-maybe-they-can-be-again/2013/09/06/e5bb70c0-15ab-11e3-be6e-dc6ae8a5b3a8_story.html

Where is the MCPS response to this?!

If you read the opinion piece, instead of just the headline, you will realize that the author is not actually saying that MCPS schools are no longer so great. Rather, he is saying that MCPS is not doing as much as he thinks they ought to be to make sure that the poor brown and black kids in eastern Montgomery County get as good an education as the rich white kids in the "W" schools.

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

[Anonymous]

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I don't see why that option shouldn't be on the table. But it may be more politically possible in the form of choice versus "forced" busing.

There are currently some boundaries drawn that in effect already act to integrate in this way. Check out the BCC cluster boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I don't see why that option shouldn't be on the table. But it may be more politically possible in the form of choice versus "forced" busing.

There are currently some boundaries drawn that in effect already act to integrate in this way. Check out the BCC cluster boundaries.

Yeah, and my kids go to one of the diverse schools in the BCC cluster and half of the white families in the neighborhood won't send their kids to the school because there are too many poor and minority students. I think his article had some great points and his solution is a nice idea, but totally unrealistic. The minute you start changing the boundaries is the minute white people flee MoCo. Sad but true.

[Anonymous]

Dan Reed strikes again...the headline and article don't match.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, and my kids go to one of the diverse schools in the BCC cluster and half of the white families in the neighborhood won't send their kids to the school because there are too many poor and minority students. I think his article had some great points and his solution is a nice idea, but totally unrealistic. The minute you start changing the boundaries is the minute white people flee MoCo. Sad but true.

I mainly appreciated the opinion piece for its honesty in calling out the problem. The solutions to the problem are not so easy. I get tired of hearing a constant refrain about how "great" MCPS schools are, when clearly, there are some real challenges for MCPS. The main response to any criticism from MCPS seems always to be "we're so great! look at our national ranking" and never an admission, that, hey, something is wrong when you have massive failures on county-wide math exams, or MSA test scores fall pretty dramatically across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dan Reed strikes again...the headline and article don't match.

A Washington Post headline writer wrote the headline. The authors don't write their own headlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yeah, and my kids go to one of the diverse schools in the BCC cluster and half of the white families in the neighborhood won't send their kids to the school because there are too many poor and minority students. I think his article had some great points and his solution is a nice idea, but totally unrealistic. The minute you start changing the boundaries is the minute white people flee MoCo. Sad but true.

I mainly appreciated the opinion piece for its honesty in calling out the problem. The solutions to the problem are not so easy. I get tired of hearing a constant refrain about how "great" MCPS schools are, when clearly, there are some real challenges for MCPS. The main response to any criticism from MCPS seems always to be "we're so great! look at our national ranking" and never an admission, that, hey, something is wrong when you have massive failures on county-wide math exams, or MSA test scores fall pretty dramatically across the board.

But this is a problem MCPS actually admits to. One of the major goals of MCPS is "closing the achievement gap".

(And one of the major complaints on DCUM about MCPS is that one of the major goals of MCPS is "closing the achievement gap".)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-great-montgomery-county-schools-they-were-once-maybe-they-can-be-again/2013/09/06/e5bb70c0-15ab-11e3-be6e-dc6ae8a5b3a8_story.html

Where is the MCPS response to this?!

If you read the opinion piece, instead of just the headline, you will realize that the author is not actually saying that MCPS schools are no longer so great. Rather, he is saying that MCPS is not doing as much as he thinks they ought to be to make sure that the poor brown and black kids in eastern Montgomery County get as good an education as the rich white kids in the "W" schools.

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I think this is a great idea.

I have kids in the western part of the county and I'm appalled at the entitled, NIMBY, narrowminded view of many parents. It's a public school system and little Larla should have the chance to experience the range of human experience including working class people. I wish our schools weren't so divided along SES lines and would welcome a change of districts - make the high schools more horizonal across the county!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I don't see why that option shouldn't be on the table. But it may be more politically possible in the form of choice versus "forced" busing.

There are currently some boundaries drawn that in effect already act to integrate in this way. Check out the BCC cluster boundaries.

Yeah, and my kids go to one of the diverse schools in the BCC cluster and half of the white families in the neighborhood won't send their kids to the school because there are too many poor and minority students. I think his article had some great points and his solution is a nice idea, but totally unrealistic. The minute you start changing the boundaries is the minute white people flee MoCo. Sad but true.

Yep -- Rock Creek Forest. Those parents are awful -- I've heard they stop RCF parents in the neighborhood and ask them how they can send kids to THAT school. And it's a perfectly nice school. People are racist.

[Anonymous]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maryland-study-reveals-staggering-increase-of-illegal-immigration-costs-and-voter-dissatisfaction-78141522.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And I'm assuming that you don't support his proposed solution of boundary changes for better demographic and economic integration -- or do you?

I don't see why that option shouldn't be on the table. But it may be more politically possible in the form of choice versus "forced" busing.

There are currently some boundaries drawn that in effect already act to integrate in this way. Check out the BCC cluster boundaries.

Yeah, and my kids go to one of the diverse schools in the BCC cluster and half of the white families in the neighborhood won't send their kids to the school because there are too many poor and minority students. I think his article had some great points and his solution is a nice idea, but totally unrealistic. The minute you start changing the boundaries is the minute white people flee MoCo. Sad but true.

This. There is surely a reason that my kids' private school has many $$ kids IB for rosemary hills but almost no same-$$ kids IB for Westbrook or bradley hills.

[Anonymous]

This. There is surely a reason that my kids' private school has many $$ kids IB for rosemary hills but almost no same-$$ kids IB for Westbrook or bradley hills.

How sad is this?!!! Rosemary Hills is 58% white, 21% FARMS.