Another article about the magnet programs in Washington Post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Post acts like magnet acceptance is some kind of "perk".

The purpose of the magnet programs is to serve those students whose needs would not be met by the standard curriculum.

Is there any study or data indicating that the magnet programs have excluded students who are now in regular curricula and frustrated that their schoolwork is too easy?

And does that set of wrongly excluded students disproportionately include some particular demographic? Where's that data?

Collect that data, then we can discuss whether the magnet acceptance procedures are flawed.

Well when you identify a whole slew of kids as gifted in 2nd grade many who are at the top of their class and the majority don't make it to the magnet its understandable that many feel like they are getting slighted and that they would be better served in a more challenging environment.

We need to distinguish between "feeling slighted" and complaining that their exams are too easy and homework load too skimpy.

[Anonymous]

I have not heard my kid, who did not get into the middle-school magnet and feels generally academically unchallenged at school, express a desire for harder tests and more homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have not heard my kid, who did not get into the middle-school magnet and feels generally academically unchallenged at school, express a desire for harder tests and more homework.

Yes, that's generally a complaint of the parent, not the kid. FWIW, I have a kid in HGC, and DC has very little HW, a few projects. I still wonder about the lack of HW.

[Anonymous]

Well, I guess I'm just taking it for granted that at that age it has to be the parents playing a large part in the decision making process. My kid surely wouldn't have known anything about requesting to be tested for HGC entrance. Sort of one of the issues addressed in the choice report.

[Anonymous]

The problem is how American schools want to "close the achievement gap".

They never think they should increase the length of the school year, or increase the hours in the school day or make underachieving students (of all races) get intensive tutoring or mentoring. No. Their solution is to create a quota system and have different criteria of selection for different groups, or dumb down the curriculum or make the reporting of grades so general as to be useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is how American schools want to "close the achievement gap".

They never think they should increase the length of the school year, or increase the hours in the school day or make underachieving students (of all races) get intensive tutoring or mentoring. No. Their solution is to create a quota system and have different criteria of selection for different groups, or dumb down the curriculum or make the reporting of grades so general as to be useless.

Kids in the US are already in school for more hours per year than kids in a lot of other countries.

[Anonymous]

The problem is not about HOW they want to close the achievement gap. The problem is that closing the achievement gap is not an appropriate goal.

I will gladly pay twice what I now pay in MC taxes to IMPROVE THE EDUCATION of kids on the lower side of the achievement gap. However, I would then be forced (also gladly) to pay 4X more than the new figure (my back of the envelop calculations suggest that is the rest of what I earn) to private schools/tutors or to where ever I have to to make sure that my children get a top 10% education and therefore that the achievement gap NEVER closes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is not about HOW they want to close the achievement gap. The problem is that closing the achievement gap is not an appropriate goal.

I will gladly pay twice what I now pay in MC taxes to IMPROVE THE EDUCATION of kids on the lower side of the achievement gap. However, I would then be forced (also gladly) to pay 4X more than the new figure (my back of the envelop calculations suggest that is the rest of what I earn) to private schools/tutors or to where ever I have to to make sure that my children get a top 10% education and therefore that the achievement gap NEVER closes.

Well, yes, that's how percentiles work. If you insist that your children be in the top 10%, regardless of what the top 10% is, then it's in your best interest to make sure that the lower 90% is as low as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is how American schools want to "close the achievement gap".

They never think they should increase the length of the school year, or increase the hours in the school day or make underachieving students (of all races) get intensive tutoring or mentoring. No. Their solution is to create a quota system and have different criteria of selection for different groups, or dumb down the curriculum or make the reporting of grades so general as to be useless.

Kids in the US are already in school for more hours per year than kids in a lot of other countries.

Well, as they are always comparing the US with countries in the top 10 on the PISA test, and many happen to be Asian countries, a lot of kids in a lot of the Asian countries spend a lot of time in cram schools after school. So, compared to them, our kids don't spend much time in school at all. Our kids also get a less rigorous curriculum because of it. I don't mind. I don't want my kid to be spending all day in school, but if some kids need to spend extra time in school, or after school tutoring, and it's free, the parents should encourage it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington Post acts like magnet acceptance is some kind of "perk".

The purpose of the magnet programs is to serve those students whose needs would not be met by the standard curriculum.

Is there any study or data indicating that the magnet programs have excluded students who are now in regular curricula and frustrated that their schoolwork is too easy?

And does that set of wrongly excluded students disproportionately include some particular demographic? Where's that data?

Collect that data, then we can discuss whether the magnet acceptance procedures are flawed.

Well when you identify a whole slew of kids as gifted in 2nd grade many who are at the top of their class and the majority don't make it to the magnet its understandable that many feel like they are getting slighted and that they would be better served in a more challenging environment.

It is not possible for a "whole slew of kids" to be at the very top of the class. Only a few can be at the top of the class.

They (or more accurately, their parents) may feel slighted that they didn't make it into the HGC. But that doesn't mean that they should be there. Its purpose is to serve students whose needs cannot be met at the home school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is how American schools want to "close the achievement gap".

They never think they should increase the length of the school year, or increase the hours in the school day or make underachieving students (of all races) get intensive tutoring or mentoring. No. Their solution is to create a quota system and have different criteria of selection for different groups, or dumb down the curriculum or make the reporting of grades so general as to be useless.

You know what's been proven to close the achievement gap? Integrated schools.

https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-now-full-text

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is how American schools want to "close the achievement gap".

They never think they should increase the length of the school year, or increase the hours in the school day or make underachieving students (of all races) get intensive tutoring or mentoring. No. Their solution is to create a quota system and have different criteria of selection for different groups, or dumb down the curriculum or make the reporting of grades so general as to be useless.

You know what's been proven to close the achievement gap? Integrated schools.

https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-now-full-text

Nothing has closed the achievement gap. There are a few things that slightly narrow the achievement gap in some places on a small scale and they often aren't reproducible. I think it's amusing that people in MoCo think that the schools here will be able to do something about the gap when hundreds of billions have been spent all over the country to no avail. These gaps are mirrored everywhere in the world.

[Anonymous]

If you look at the schools like Water Johnson, Richard Montgomary, or Qince Orchard, the Bl/Hisp dont do well as their wh/as counter parts Almost in every school, except ivy leagues, the gap persist. Integration or segragation.
I have met a few very bright bl students and they are all highly desired by the best colleges and professional schools, better than the Asian kids.
Many of the bl high achievers are immegrants from africa!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem is how American schools want to "close the achievement gap".

They never think they should increase the length of the school year, or increase the hours in the school day or make underachieving students (of all races) get intensive tutoring or mentoring. No. Their solution is to create a quota system and have different criteria of selection for different groups, or dumb down the curriculum or make the reporting of grades so general as to be useless.

You know what's been proven to close the achievement gap? Integrated schools.

https://www.propublica.org/article/segregation-now-full-text

Nothing has closed the achievement gap. There are a few things that slightly narrow the achievement gap in some places on a small scale and they often aren't reproducible. I think it's amusing that people in MoCo think that the schools here will be able to do something about the gap when hundreds of billions have been spent all over the country to no avail. These gaps are mirrored everywhere in the world.

Suppose you read the article before commenting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you look at the schools like Water Johnson, Richard Montgomary, or Qince Orchard, the Bl/Hisp dont do well as their wh/as counter parts Almost in every school, except ivy leagues, the gap persist. Integration or segragation.
I have met a few very bright bl students and they are all highly desired by the best colleges and professional schools, better than the Asian kids.
Many of the bl high achievers are immegrants from africa!

Segregation in Maryland's schools has increased over the past two decades. In 2010, 54% of Maryland’s black students were enrolled in schools where at least 90 percent of students were members of racial and ethnic minorities. Schools with high concentrations of minority students tend to be disproportionately poor and have fewer experienced teachers, inferior facilities, less-challenging classes, and lower graduation rates. In Montgomery County in 2010, about one in four Latino or African American students was enrolled in an intensely segregated school.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/report-half-of-black-students-in-maryland-attend-segregated-schools/2013/04/18/9097c29a-a83e-11e2-8302-3c7e0ea97057_story.html