Regional model - which programs in which schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do we think there’s any hope of changing the school choices for these programs at this point or is it too late?

It depends on Mr. O's role and determination on level of participation next year. He is at the age for retirement with full pension. So he can choose to retire if he sees he is not listened or even worse, used by CO as a scapegoat, or he can choose to voice out as loud as he can and see if CO could be convinced. I'm not optimistic that the latter situation could happen. The entire study team didn't convince CO a tiny bit and ended up in a hostile situation.

Unfortunately, even if Mr. O fully embraces his new role, he will focus his energy on making sure that new magnets have credible curriculums. He won't try to influence magnet placement since that will only antagonize people.

Sadly but true. One hand cannot clap.

So if these programs at these schools fails then what?

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, even if Mr. O fully embraces his new role, he will focus his energy on making sure that new magnets have credible curriculums. He won't try to influence magnet placement since that will only antagonize people.

Sadly but true. One hand cannot clap.

So if these programs at these schools fails then what?

Many programs will fail. It is inevitable. And nothing will happen. In a couple of years, Taylor will be doing something else, most current BOE members will be doing something else. It will be on parents to navigate this experiment the best way they can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, even if Mr. O fully embraces his new role, he will focus his energy on making sure that new magnets have credible curriculums. He won't try to influence magnet placement since that will only antagonize people.

Sadly but true. One hand cannot clap.

So if these programs at these schools fails then what?

Many programs will fail. It is inevitable. And nothing will happen. In a couple of years, Taylor will be doing something else, most current BOE members will be doing something else. It will be on parents to navigate this experiment the best way they can.



yup

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do we think there’s any hope of changing the school choices for these programs at this point or is it too late?

Probably too late, but I think there's a chance that with a *very* concerted and strategic effort (that also includes the leadership of the school itself being interested in the changes), a couple changes could be made.

I also think there is a (small) chance to try to get some sort of commitment to transportation that includes walkable bus stops rather than the currently budgeted version (which is one bus from each high school to each regional program, which may or may not stop anywhere else besides the high school.)

I think there is zero chance of delaying this or making bigger changes than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do regions 1 and 6 separate theatre and music? There are so many kids who do both and school musicals benefit from having strong musicians in the school.

+1

Are they gonna fix this? The arts should be at one school.

I really hope not, because Einstein actually got the visual arts and the music magnet in this iteration, which it really, really should. In the first iteration Northwood was given all the performing arts magnets. They split them up to try to assuage all the complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do regions 1 and 6 separate theatre and music? There are so many kids who do both and school musicals benefit from having strong musicians in the school.

+1

Are they gonna fix this? The arts should be at one school.

I really hope not, because Einstein actually got the visual arts and the music magnet in this iteration, which it really, really should. In the first iteration Northwood was given all the performing arts magnets. They split them up to try to assuage all the complaints.

Then they should just put theater and dance at Einstein too and place all of the engineering programs at Northwood. Splitting each in half is spreading the peanut butter too thin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do regions 1 and 6 separate theatre and music? There are so many kids who do both and school musicals benefit from having strong musicians in the school.

+1

Are they gonna fix this? The arts should be at one school.

I really hope not, because Einstein actually got the visual arts and the music magnet in this iteration, which it really, really should. In the first iteration Northwood was given all the performing arts magnets. They split them up to try to assuage all the complaints.

Then they should just put theater and dance at Einstein too and place all of the engineering programs at Northwood. Splitting each in half is spreading the peanut butter too thin.

Agreed. Kids from other art disciplines learn from each other. Einstein needs theater and dance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing I don’t like for region 1 is putting humanities at Whitman. I would really like to see this at Einstein or Northwood, and I don’t care which. My DCC kids could apply to IB at BCC but that’s still the second furthest option. I don’t see why Whitman needs a major draw magnet.

Neither BCC nor Whitman need magnets. They already have all the advanced classwork in their schools that they need. We know this because vanishingly few kids from these schools go to RMIB or Blair SMCS.

Obviously, these schools will attract high-performing kids from Einstein and Northwood (and maybe Blair) who have access to transportation from their parents. It won't go the other way around. BCC students and definitely not Whitman students will definitely NOT be traveling to Einstein, Northwood or Blair. This is how you create inequity. You try to make everything uniform, the same for everyone, but you ignore how these schools, including their course offerings, and the populations they serve are very different, and so trying to give everyone the same thing means giving more opportunities to the wealthiest students.

Yes, exactly.  The program analysis team admitted they did not consider equity in where programs were placed, and it shows. They seemed confused at the idea that anyone would have expected them to.  They really do not understand equity at all, and just use it as a buzzword.

And to the other poster who said "if Whitman doesn't have magnets, no one from out of boundaries will get to go to Whitman"... you can still give Whitman interest-based programs that allow out of boundary kids to go to Whitman if they really want.  The languages magnet seems fine to me-- Whitman offers more languages than other schools, let kids from other schools take advantage of Whitman language classes if they really want them. Their interest-based LASJ program also seems fine to me as an acceptable generic "I want my kid at Whitman, here's a way to do it" option.  

However, criteria-based academic magnets drawing top students are a totally different ballgame.  They increase the number of advanced students and advanced classes at schools, which can be really important and valuable for schools that struggle with that otherwise.  Giving a program like that to Whitman not only gives this benefit to a school that does not at all need it rather than to a school like Northwood that would have gained a lot from it, but actually actively hurt other schools by decreasing the number of advanced students in-bounds who stay. 

(It's also just offensive that Whitman kids will get a leg up in admissions to the humanities program because they will have a local set-aside that gives them a disproportionate share of slots.)

I'm not sure how this would really work for Region 5 - Currently we have Watkins Mill, Gaithersburg HS and Magruder and QO in Region 5. As a QO parent we would rather send our advanced kid to QO and just take AP courses rather than going to Gaithersburg HS which does not have a good rep and because the magnet will most likely be diluted with no strong cohorts for Region 5. I'm sure there will be other parents from QO who think the same.

It sucks because we had access to Poolesville before but now our kid who has no inclination to do anything in the medical field has to go to Gaithersburg or Watkins Mill for the advanced courses they are interested in and we want our kid in a learning environment not in schools with the worst reputations upcounty.

[Anonymous]

What happens to the kids currently enrolled in the current magnets, and the kids who are enrolling now for next year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens to the kids currently enrolled in the current magnets, and the kids who are enrolling now for next year?

They're able to stay at those schools/programs through graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing I don’t like for region 1 is putting humanities at Whitman. I would really like to see this at Einstein or Northwood, and I don’t care which. My DCC kids could apply to IB at BCC but that’s still the second furthest option. I don’t see why Whitman needs a major draw magnet.

Neither BCC nor Whitman need magnets. They already have all the advanced classwork in their schools that they need. We know this because vanishingly few kids from these schools go to RMIB or Blair SMCS.

Obviously, these schools will attract high-performing kids from Einstein and Northwood (and maybe Blair) who have access to transportation from their parents. It won't go the other way around. BCC students and definitely not Whitman students will definitely NOT be traveling to Einstein, Northwood or Blair. This is how you create inequity. You try to make everything uniform, the same for everyone, but you ignore how these schools, including their course offerings, and the populations they serve are very different, and so trying to give everyone the same thing means giving more opportunities to the wealthiest students.

Yes, exactly.  The program analysis team admitted they did not consider equity in where programs were placed, and it shows. They seemed confused at the idea that anyone would have expected them to.  They really do not understand equity at all, and just use it as a buzzword.

And to the other poster who said "if Whitman doesn't have magnets, no one from out of boundaries will get to go to Whitman"... you can still give Whitman interest-based programs that allow out of boundary kids to go to Whitman if they really want.  The languages magnet seems fine to me-- Whitman offers more languages than other schools, let kids from other schools take advantage of Whitman language classes if they really want them. Their interest-based LASJ program also seems fine to me as an acceptable generic "I want my kid at Whitman, here's a way to do it" option.  

However, criteria-based academic magnets drawing top students are a totally different ballgame.  They increase the number of advanced students and advanced classes at schools, which can be really important and valuable for schools that struggle with that otherwise.  Giving a program like that to Whitman not only gives this benefit to a school that does not at all need it rather than to a school like Northwood that would have gained a lot from it, but actually actively hurt other schools by decreasing the number of advanced students in-bounds who stay. 

(It's also just offensive that Whitman kids will get a leg up in admissions to the humanities program because they will have a local set-aside that gives them a disproportionate share of slots.)

I'm not sure how this would really work for Region 5 - Currently we have Watkins Mill, Gaithersburg HS and Magruder and QO in Region 5. As a QO parent we would rather send our advanced kid to QO and just take AP courses rather than going to Gaithersburg HS which does not have a good rep and because the magnet will most likely be diluted with no strong cohorts for Region 5. I'm sure there will be other parents from QO who think the same.

It sucks because we had access to Poolesville before but now our kid who has no inclination to do anything in the medical field has to go to Gaithersburg or Watkins Mill for the advanced courses they are interested in and we want our kid in a learning environment not in schools with the worst reputations upcounty.

Just stay at QO. My DD is at Blair but if she was a bit younger she would not be attending a magnet. Even Blair won't be Blalr anymore. I predict many of these magnets will fail and at some point we will be back to a few strong ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens to the kids currently enrolled in the current magnets, and the kids who are enrolling now for next year?

They're able to stay at those schools/programs through graduation.

So they say. Until there aren't enough buses to transport these kids and the new routes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do regions 1 and 6 separate theatre and music? There are so many kids who do both and school musicals benefit from having strong musicians in the school.

+1

Are they gonna fix this? The arts should be at one school.

I really hope not, because Einstein actually got the visual arts and the music magnet in this iteration, which it really, really should. In the first iteration Northwood was given all the performing arts magnets. They split them up to try to assuage all the complaints.

Then they should just put theater and dance at Einstein too and place all of the engineering programs at Northwood. Splitting each in half is spreading the peanut butter too thin.

This would be nice to have Engineering or Stem or preferably both at Northwood as its far easier for the families to get between these two schools than other schools. One needs to be academic. Northwood is probably a better choice depending on their leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens to the kids currently enrolled in the current magnets, and the kids who are enrolling now for next year?

They're able to stay at those schools/programs through graduation.

So they say. Until there aren't enough buses to transport these kids and the new routes.

MCPS needs to budget for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing I don’t like for region 1 is putting humanities at Whitman. I would really like to see this at Einstein or Northwood, and I don’t care which. My DCC kids could apply to IB at BCC but that’s still the second furthest option. I don’t see why Whitman needs a major draw magnet.

Neither BCC nor Whitman need magnets. They already have all the advanced classwork in their schools that they need. We know this because vanishingly few kids from these schools go to RMIB or Blair SMCS.

Obviously, these schools will attract high-performing kids from Einstein and Northwood (and maybe Blair) who have access to transportation from their parents. It won't go the other way around. BCC students and definitely not Whitman students will definitely NOT be traveling to Einstein, Northwood or Blair. This is how you create inequity. You try to make everything uniform, the same for everyone, but you ignore how these schools, including their course offerings, and the populations they serve are very different, and so trying to give everyone the same thing means giving more opportunities to the wealthiest students.

Yes, exactly.  The program analysis team admitted they did not consider equity in where programs were placed, and it shows. They seemed confused at the idea that anyone would have expected them to.  They really do not understand equity at all, and just use it as a buzzword.

And to the other poster who said "if Whitman doesn't have magnets, no one from out of boundaries will get to go to Whitman"... you can still give Whitman interest-based programs that allow out of boundary kids to go to Whitman if they really want.  The languages magnet seems fine to me-- Whitman offers more languages than other schools, let kids from other schools take advantage of Whitman language classes if they really want them. Their interest-based LASJ program also seems fine to me as an acceptable generic "I want my kid at Whitman, here's a way to do it" option.  

However, criteria-based academic magnets drawing top students are a totally different ballgame.  They increase the number of advanced students and advanced classes at schools, which can be really important and valuable for schools that struggle with that otherwise.  Giving a program like that to Whitman not only gives this benefit to a school that does not at all need it rather than to a school like Northwood that would have gained a lot from it, but actually actively hurt other schools by decreasing the number of advanced students in-bounds who stay. 

(It's also just offensive that Whitman kids will get a leg up in admissions to the humanities program because they will have a local set-aside that gives them a disproportionate share of slots.)

I'm not sure how this would really work for Region 5 - Currently we have Watkins Mill, Gaithersburg HS and Magruder and QO in Region 5. As a QO parent we would rather send our advanced kid to QO and just take AP courses rather than going to Gaithersburg HS which does not have a good rep and because the magnet will most likely be diluted with no strong cohorts for Region 5. I'm sure there will be other parents from QO who think the same.

It sucks because we had access to Poolesville before but now our kid who has no inclination to do anything in the medical field has to go to Gaithersburg or Watkins Mill for the advanced courses they are interested in and we want our kid in a learning environment not in schools with the worst reputations upcounty.

Just stay at QO. My DD is at Blair but if she was a bit younger she would not be attending a magnet. Even Blair won't be Blalr anymore. I predict many of these magnets will fail and at some point we will be back to a few strong ones.

Nothing will change at Blair. It will be fine.