Achievement Gap in MoCo

[Anonymous]

I think mcps and the whole county is too large, in square miles and in population. It needs to be split into 2-4 normal sized counties and budgets. Too much slush fund and conflicting "goals" as it is now. I know this comes up every few years but management of the county is getting worse and worse, and we all know it is a zero sum game.

[Anonymous]

So you all think illegal aliens have not contributed to overpopulated schools and Math 2.0?

This sentence epitomizes everything that is wrong with MCPS parents, at least those who post on this board. I don't get the sense that any parents at my kid's close-in elementary think like this, but please just for the sake of clarity, could all you who think your precious geniuses are being cheated out of their right to algebra in fourth grade by those evil Poor Immigrants with Lazy Parents please do us all a favor, and identify yourselves at the next PTA meeting or school pickup? All you need to do is wear a name tag that says I'm a Bigoted Shrew. That way the rest of us can avoid you.

[Anonymous]

I think mcps and the whole county is too large, in square miles and in population. It needs to be split into 2-4 normal sized counties and budgets. Too much slush fund and conflicting "goals" as it is now. I know this comes up every few years but management of the county is getting worse and worse, and we all know it is a zero sum game.

This. X1000

MCPS just isn't functional. Its too large, creates little emperor personas for its leadership, wastes vast amounts of money and doesn't deliver for any kids.

[Anonymous]

Did you know illegal immigrants run Wall Street and created the global financial crisis, crash, depression and recession we and the County are struggling to emerge from?

[Anonymous]

So you all think illegal aliens have not contributed to overpopulated schools and Math 2.0?

MCPS parent here who thinks Starr should be run out of town and 2.0 with him. These problems have nothing to do with legal or illegal immigrants. In our school, its the immigrant parents who value education more and are even more upset about MCPS screwing up the curriculum.

The overcrowding is not from immigrants, its from MCPS and the board being too incompetent to project growth and manage their budget or enforce development pay packs to the school system for growth. Starr chose to raise teacher salaries AND increase class sizes to do this. He did this knowing that he doesn't have the budget to pay for the growth in salaries and benefits in future years so it will get worse. Politically, he wanted the support of the teacher's union so off he went with a bad fiscal decision that harms students. The rest of the county is furious with MCPS and they will not be seeing one cent beyond maintenance of effort due to actions from the school board and Starr. MCPS has no clue how they are going to the growth and they can't even get the numbers correct!

The only meaningful way to close the achievement gap is by raising the performance of the kids at the bottom, not holding others back. This requires resources, better trained educators, tutors, and one on one or small group ratios for those students. MCPS grossly mismanages their budget and Starr's latest mistake means they have even less money. No one in central office is going to look at cutting out the waste in central office. They are screwed and looking for a way out. They have all bought into the idea that if they only teach to the bottom and don't assess the higher achievers beyond the mediocre level then they can hit their quota of closing the achievement gap. These decisions are about finding a way to sustain the current individuals in MCPS through smoke and mirrors.

[Anonymous]

The flaw with this line of thinking is that you assume middle and upper income people 1.) want the school day to get even longer and 2.) will drive across the county for schools where their kids can spend more hours at a desk. Or move across the county, even, from Bethesda to Langley Park.

Strong SES parents, as a rule, don't clamor for extended school day. Frankly, their kids don't need it

My red zone neighborhood has lots of middle income families w/ 2 WOH parents. Many would welcome not having to cobble together after care for their kid given the early end to the school day compared to most work schedules. I'd also welcome not having to supervise HW upon return from work. If you're well off enough to have a SAHP then no you will not want a longer day. But by me, that's not the majority of the young middle class families, nor are most of us senior enough to simply WAH all the time or super flex hrs to be back home by 3:30/4 from jobs in the city.

No, of course I do not think people will bus their kids to the east for this (???) but do I think it may help drive where people decide to buy a house - yes. And it's not so much about getting someone who can afford to live in Bethesda to decide to up and most east. It's about the MANY middle class families already living in the east that don't use public schools or are considering moving north/west when their preschoolers start real school. It's about attracting people there to stay and use the schools, plus new people to consider the area.

[Anonymous]

The estimated cost of K-12 public schooling for the children of illegal aliens in Maryland amounts to nearly one billion dollars per year.

[Anonymous]

Based on estimates of the illegal immigrant population in Maryland and documented costs of K-12 schooling, Marylanders spend more than $966 million annually on education for an estimated 80,800 children of illegal aliens. An additional amount of nearly $250 million is spent on providing special English instruction to an estimated 35,000 children of illegal aliens. About 9.6 percent of the K-12 public school students in Maryland are children of illegal aliens.

[Anonymous]

Maryland has a rapidly growing illegal alien population of about 250,000 persons, more than quadrupling since 2000. Between 2000 and 2008, the state’s foreign-born population has grown by 34.6 percent while it’s native-born population increased by 3.3 percent. Public school enrollment of students who require special instruction in English has soared even more, rising by 93.5 percent from 2000 to 2008 while overall enrollment of native-born declined slightly.

[Anonymous]

"An Illegal Alien's Guide to the Top Five Best Places to Live In America".

"When 'relocating' to the United States, it's best to avoid states that have selfishly put the interests of their legal residents ahead of yours with laws that hinder your access to jobs and benefits. But many attractive destinations remain, endorsed by millions of illegal aliens already there.

Montgomery County has the dubious honor as number two on the list. And here is why, "If jobs are what attract you, then this upscale community close to our nation's capital offers the mother of all magnets."

"The first step to getting a job is to visit a Casa de Maryland (CASA) Welcome Center. Their employment specialists help you find a job and don't give a hoot about your legal status. They will even help you acquire an IRS-issued taxpayer identification number because, of course, you're here illegally and not eligible for a real Social Security number. This powerful organization is truly the illegal alien Welcome Wagon with $16 million in assets, $4.9 million of it acquired in 2010 from government contracts!

"Don't worry about secure communities because the county recently opposed its implementation. And for college-bound illegal aliens, take advantage of in-state-tuition now that the state passed the Maryland Dream Act."

And as a final tip, "Given that the citizens of these destinations keep voting for politicians who enact policies that welcome illegal immigration, we're certain they'll be pleased by your arrival."

Is it any wonder that this so-called Maryland Dream Act was sponsored by a senator from Montgomery County at the expense of the legal residents of this sanctuary state?

[Anonymous]

No, no, no, you can't have it both ways.

You can't say "illegal aliens don't pay taxes!!!!!!!!!!" (as though there were no such thing as sales taxes) AND complain about CASA giving people an IRS-issued taxpayer identification number.

You also can't say "illegal aliens don't pay taxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and then complain about the Maryland Dream Act, which students only qualify for if they or their parents have paid state income taxes.

Keep in mind, also, that a large proportion of the "children of illegal aliens" are US citizens. Or maybe we should repeal the 14th Amendment?

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the same ole sour grapes from old establishment flunkies who can't compete with their own let alone new immigrants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland has a rapidly growing illegal alien population of about 250,000 persons, more than quadrupling since 2000. Between 2000 and 2008, the state’s foreign-born population has grown by 34.6 percent while it’s native-born population increased by 3.3 percent. Public school enrollment of students who require special instruction in English has soared even more, rising by 93.5 percent from 2000 to 2008 while overall enrollment of native-born declined slightly.

Is this really true? That's a harsh statistic for the schools. 93% increase in ESOL (is that what it means) is a huge financial burden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland has a rapidly growing illegal alien population of about 250,000 persons, more than quadrupling since 2000. Between 2000 and 2008, the state’s foreign-born population has grown by 34.6 percent while it’s native-born population increased by 3.3 percent. Public school enrollment of students who require special instruction in English has soared even more, rising by 93.5 percent from 2000 to 2008 while overall enrollment of native-born declined slightly.

foreign born does not always equal illegal.

[Anonymous]

Plus we are probably going to see immigration reform soon so get used to it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/20/wonkbook-amazingly-immigration-reform-keeps-not-falling-apart/