Can "bad" schools get better?

[Anonymous]

and how long can it take?

Wondering if schools like Springbrook, Einstein, Magruder, Gaithersburg and Rockville will ever become more "desireable" or somewhat on par with "W" type schools (I know they will never be quite the same given demographics and housing types). Not everyone can afford a W school cluster so where do those people go? Plenty of nice, affordable homes in these areas and some are very convenient commute wise. Just wondering what a non "one percenter is to do"?

[Anonymous]

I do know that RM and Blair were once considered no so good and their reputations are much better now.

[Anonymous]

I feel like the answer is yes and no. Einstein and Magruder are considered great school as long as one likes diversity- which I do. Einstein especially has really changed its reputation in the past 20 years or so. However, they will never be a W school because of the demographics.

[Anonymous]

I think in case of RM, some high priced new housing changed the demographic a bitin teh last 10-15 years. I am not sure about Blair. Einstein has really turned around based on the school itself. I was just talking to A DCC parent who said it was her child's first choice..

[Anonymous]

I am confused. Where do people go who can't afford to live in Bethesda or Potomac? They go to the rest of the county. Most of the people in Montgomery County don't live in Bethesda or Potomac. Most of the students in MCPS aren't in Bethesda or Potomac clusters.

Also, it would be a mistake to assume that the schools in Bethesda and Potomac are good schools, and the schools not in Bethesda or Potomac are bad schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think in case of RM, some high priced new housing changed the demographic a bitin teh last 10-15 years. I am not sure about Blair. Einstein has really turned around based on the school itself. I was just talking to A DCC parent who said it was her child's first choice..

Einstein is still terrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in case of RM, some high priced new housing changed the demographic a bitin teh last 10-15 years. I am not sure about Blair. Einstein has really turned around based on the school itself. I was just talking to A DCC parent who said it was her child's first choice..

Einstein is still terrible

What is your first-hand, recent experience with Einstein?

[Anonymous]

People want W schools for a reason, better test scores, more involved parents and stronger PTA and less of a chance your kid will get stabbed in the hallway or have their designer jacket stolen.

[Anonymous]

BCC was once a "bad" school. Now it's one of the best. When I was in high school most kids in my BCC neighborhood went to private school. Many of us applied out of Western Jr High in 8th grade so we were kids who were in public school until then. Today the kids in that neighborhood mostly go to BCC. They added IB to try to keep families in the public school. I suspect the demographics also contributed although parts of the bCC zone have always been high SES.

[Anonymous]

Op - assuming you are defining "good" or "bad" based on academic performance, I think the answer to your question is "not likely." In my view, the MCPS has turned the corner already. Its good days are behind us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People want W schools for a reason, better test scores, more involved parents and stronger PTA and less of a chance your kid will get stabbed in the hallway or have their designer jacket stolen.

Yes, I agree. Those are the reasons why people want their children to go to the schools in the Watkins Mill, Wheaton, Whitman, and Wootton clusters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in case of RM, some high priced new housing changed the demographic a bitin teh last 10-15 years. I am not sure about Blair. Einstein has really turned around based on the school itself. I was just talking to A DCC parent who said it was her child's first choice..

Einstein is still terrible

What is your first-hand, recent experience with Einstein?

Ignore the Einstein troll. He/she shows up in every thread about DCC schools and trashes Einstein. When asked about personal experience with the school, troll conveniently doesn't reply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op - assuming you are defining "good" or "bad" based on academic performance, I think the answer to your question is "not likely." In my view, the MCPS has turned the corner already. Its good days are behind us.

This.

[Anonymous]

I think the issue is that SES and "good" schools are highly correlated. The easiest way to raise up a school is to increase SES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in case of RM, some high priced new housing changed the demographic a bitin teh last 10-15 years. I am not sure about Blair. Einstein has really turned around based on the school itself. I was just talking to A DCC parent who said it was her child's first choice..

Einstein is still terrible

What is your first-hand, recent experience with Einstein?

Ignore the Einstein troll. He/she shows up in every thread about DCC schools and trashes Einstein. When asked about personal experience with the school, troll conveniently doesn't reply.

NP here - I think PP is right though. Einstein is not one of the super performing schools in MCPS