Gang Activity in Montgomery County Shcools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
They reflect the level of education of the student body of a given school.

And what do you do with that information?

Use it to improve schools that need improvement. Funding, technology, better teachers etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more worried about the overall trajectory of Montgomery County in terms of budgets.

This is totally unpopular, but as poorer families move into the county and wealthier families move out, the shortfalls will become more and more significant and tough decisions are going to have to be made in order to maintain the level of services not only for the schools, but for the county in general. This could mean higher taxes, or a reduction in services.

I'm not blaming anyone, just stating what is obvious to me.

Where are the wealthier families moving out to, and how do you know that they are doing this?

I'm not sure where they are moving to, though I suspect surrounding counties. Or maybe they aren't leaving at all, they are just pulling their kids out of public schools.
I'm doing some research on the county, so I'd be happy to post my results here once I finish (unless somebody has already done this). Also, if I'm off base with this assessment, I'll happily eat crow

I do know that the FARMS rate in Montgomery County between the 2010/11 school year and the 2016/17 school year has gone up by 3.4% (important to note that this is kids who have EVER received FARMS). Here is a link to the MCPS snapshot for 2010/11: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/about/statistics.aspx, and here is the summary for 2016/17: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/county.pdf

Another interesting tidbit from this time frame; the percentage of white students went down by 7.9%, while the percentage of Hispanic students went up by 6.7%. (The percentages of Black and Asian students decreased during this time frame as well)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more worried about the overall trajectory of Montgomery County in terms of budgets.

This is totally unpopular, but as poorer families move into the county and wealthier families move out, the shortfalls will become more and more significant and tough decisions are going to have to be made in order to maintain the level of services not only for the schools, but for the county in general. This could mean higher taxes, or a reduction in services.

I'm not blaming anyone, just stating what is obvious to me.

Where are the wealthier families moving out to, and how do you know that they are doing this?

I'm not sure where they are moving to, though I suspect surrounding counties. Or maybe they aren't leaving at all, they are just pulling their kids out of public schools.
I'm doing some research on the county, so I'd be happy to post my results here once I finish (unless somebody has already done this). Also, if I'm off base with this assessment, I'll happily eat crow

I do know that the FARMS rate in Montgomery County between the 2010/11 school year and the 2016/17 school year has gone up by 3.4% (important to note that this is kids who have EVER received FARMS). Here is a link to the MCPS snapshot for 2010/11: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/about/statistics.aspx, and here is the summary for 2016/17: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/county.pdf

Another interesting tidbit from this time frame; the percentage of white students went down by 7.9%, while the percentage of Hispanic students went up by 6.7%. (The percentages of Black and Asian students decreased during this time frame as well)

That doesn't show that wealthier families are moving out, or putting their children in private schools. The population of the county is increasing, and so is the number of students enrolled in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there are two types of insecure parents: those who use test scores to justify how much they paid for their Bethesda house and those who claim that test scores don't matter because their kids get a good education anyway. Am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing the fact that the parents are saying A SCHOOL'S OVERALL AVERAGE TEST SCORE doesn't matter TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL KID'S EDUCATION, because their individual kid is getting a good education.

Capital letters for emphasis.

Those are in my second category.

No, they're not. Unless you think that parents who say, "My kid is getting a good education in a school with lots of kids who are poor and brown", in response to comments that it is not possible to get a good education in a school with lots of kids who are poor and brown, must be insecure.

Well, if they weren't insecure, they wouldn't try so hard to make it look like test results don't matter.

GROUP test results do not, in fact, matter for the INDIVIDUAL high-performing student.

You cannot measure school performance based only on individual high-performing students.

Nobody is saying that you can measure group results using individual results.

Then how do you measure group results?

Explain to me why group results are important to you.

They reflect the level of education of the student body of a given school.

And the impact of that on you and your child is...?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm more worried about the overall trajectory of Montgomery County in terms of budgets.

This is totally unpopular, but as poorer families move into the county and wealthier families move out, the shortfalls will become more and more significant and tough decisions are going to have to be made in order to maintain the level of services not only for the schools, but for the county in general. This could mean higher taxes, or a reduction in services.

I'm not blaming anyone, just stating what is obvious to me.

Where are the wealthier families moving out to, and how do you know that they are doing this?

I'm not sure where they are moving to, though I suspect surrounding counties. Or maybe they aren't leaving at all, they are just pulling their kids out of public schools.
I'm doing some research on the county, so I'd be happy to post my results here once I finish (unless somebody has already done this). Also, if I'm off base with this assessment, I'll happily eat crow

I do know that the FARMS rate in Montgomery County between the 2010/11 school year and the 2016/17 school year has gone up by 3.4% (important to note that this is kids who have EVER received FARMS). Here is a link to the MCPS snapshot for 2010/11: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/about/statistics.aspx, and here is the summary for 2016/17: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/county.pdf

Another interesting tidbit from this time frame; the percentage of white students went down by 7.9%, while the percentage of Hispanic students went up by 6.7%. (The percentages of Black and Asian students decreased during this time frame as well)

That doesn't show that wealthier families are moving out, or putting their children in private schools. The population of the county is increasing, and so is the number of students enrolled in MCPS.

You are correct; it doesn't show that wealthier families are moving out or putting their kids in private school. As I said before, more research is needed on my part.

Yes, the population is increasing as are the number of students. Also increasing: the number of students who need free and reduced meals.

Still, my primary concerns are the budget issues that the county is facing. If these issues continue they could have negative consequences for the school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there are two types of insecure parents: those who use test scores to justify how much they paid for their Bethesda house and those who claim that test scores don't matter because their kids get a good education anyway. Am I missing something?

I suspect you miss a lot because clearly this thread has gone over your head. You've oversimplified.

Standardized test scores are fine and should be measured and aggregated. But there are many parents in the DCC who don't feel aggregate standardized test scores = moving to a "GS rating of 9 or 10" area because they know their kids can get a fine education in the DCC. Having a lot of low-income kids with many barriers does not = schools can't educate. My kids don't have those barriers, have access to many assets that are shaping them and preparing them for college and the world, and are able to take advantage of a lot of the innovative programs in the DCC. While I'm sad that some kids are not doing as well, their not doing well does not impact my kids' college paths.

Ok, I understand now, this is about insecure parents who use test scores to justify how much they paid for their Bethesda house and secure parents who claim that test scores don't matter because their kids get a good education anyway.

Yes, I think that's right. I'm not sure why if you were at a W school you'd come on bash about DCC, schools that you have no experience with. Your justification for that, is "but test scores!" I'm not sure a secure person would need to do this.

Your assumption that I am from a W school is completely wrong. And that was ironic (if you didn't get it).

It's not ironic because what you said completely captured the discussion. I get you were trying to be, but you are missing the discussion here. No one from the DCC has been insecure in their defense of the school. They are simply saying the test scores don't deter them and they believe their kids are getting a good education.

[Anonymous]

Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

That's a valid point. That being said, I'm surprised at how segregated the county is by income. I was at a meeting last night where the MCPS Superintendent was answering questions. A question came up about the concentration of FARMS students in certain areas of the county. He stated that even if he were to spread out the FARMS kids, it would mean around 39% FARMS at each school--even though he agrees with the UMD report where it was determined that around ~20% FARMS was the ideal level in order for everyone to benefit.

He said that since we will not achieve those levels (some schools are less than 6% FARMS and then others are 60% FARMS--very few with that magical 20-25% number), we need to focus on building stronger schools, which I definitely agree with.

[Anonymous]

Anyone wondering why people from east county might look so harshly and judgmentally at DCC might want to look at the WJ suicide thread. As sad as that is, most of the discussion is about the pressure cooker that is those schools and the pressure kids feel from parents and peers to perform. I had no idea it was like that. Of course that's just one thread, but the hyper focus on "success" and money might explain how some people there just can't understand that people in Silver Spring can be genuinely happy and lead fulfilling lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

That is such a small percentage of the DCC. Fact is it is mostly poor and minority, the few middle class pockets are the exception not the rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

That is such a small percentage of the DCC. Fact is it is mostly poor and minority, the few middle class pockets are the exception not the rule.

There are several very large, perfectly normal middle class neighborhoods in the DCC. Not what I would call pockets. And most people have a bachelors degree or above if you can judge class by that. Also, minorities can be middle class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

That is such a small percentage of the DCC. Fact is it is mostly poor and minority, the few middle class pockets are the exception not the rule.

It’s clear you know nothing about the area and are apparently not able to understand and interpret demographic data. At this point I call troll because no one can be this dense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

That is such a small percentage of the DCC. Fact is it is mostly poor and minority, the few middle class pockets are the exception not the rule.

It’s clear you know nothing about the area and are apparently not able to understand and interpret demographic data. At this point I call troll because no one can be this dense.

Who is the dense one when you are in denial and the demographic trends of an area? Which school is majority white? Which school has a shrinking FRAMs rate? Which school doesn’t have a high percentage of the kids which have been on FRAMs at one point or another? The dense part is your denial, but keep on keeping on, fat dumb and happy is the American way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy families are not moving out, at least in my area. We paid under 200K to get into my neighborhood in the late 90s. You can't get in for less than 500K now. The area used to be for working class families, now it is dual income professionals, many with advanced degrees. I get that this isn't ALL of DCC, but it is certainly some areas. I'm sure some areas have gone downhill, but I'm not sure those are the ones where wealthy families were before.

That is such a small percentage of the DCC. Fact is it is mostly poor and minority, the few middle class pockets are the exception not the rule.

It’s clear you know nothing about the area and are apparently not able to understand and interpret demographic data. At this point I call troll because no one can be this dense.

Who is the dense one when you are in denial and the demographic trends of an area? Which school is majority white? Which school has a shrinking FRAMs rate? Which school doesn’t have a high percentage of the kids which have been on FRAMs at one point or another? The dense part is your denial, but keep on keeping on, fat dumb and happy is the American way

Whites are the largest group at plenty of DCC schools, but the fact that you are even willing to be this open about overwhelming whiteness being one of your criteria is a sign of how low this discussion has fallen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there are two types of insecure parents: those who use test scores to justify how much they paid for their Bethesda house and those who claim that test scores don't matter because their kids get a good education anyway. Am I missing something?

Yes, you're missing the fact that the parents are saying A SCHOOL'S OVERALL AVERAGE TEST SCORE doesn't matter TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL KID'S EDUCATION, because their individual kid is getting a good education.

Capital letters for emphasis.

Those are in my second category.

No, they're not. Unless you think that parents who say, "My kid is getting a good education in a school with lots of kids who are poor and brown", in response to comments that it is not possible to get a good education in a school with lots of kids who are poor and brown, must be insecure.

Well, if they weren't insecure, they wouldn't try so hard to make it look like test results don't matter.

GROUP test results do not, in fact, matter for the INDIVIDUAL high-performing student.

You cannot measure school performance based only on individual high-performing students.

Nobody is saying that you can measure group results using individual results.

+1

DH and I are highly-educated and affluent. Our family travels, our house is print-rich, our kids have lots of opportunities to explore their interests. We take them to museums, we travel abroad, they do weekend activities that support their intellectual growth.

Our kids are in a DCC school with a 35ish percent FARMS population and are doing great. The odds are greatly in their favor and to the extent that the odds were improved by them attending a W school rather than the DCC one, the difference would be infintesimal.

Which college did you go to? All colleges are the same because a couple of successful alumni can be found from most right? No difference in Yale vs UDC