Montgomery county's new SJ program

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS has been trying to close the gap for how many years now? And what has it resulted in? some kids still doing poorly and brighter kids not being challenged. MCPS has been meeting some populations where they are by providing free meals, free clothes, free medical care, extra classes, but none of this is working and it is impacting other populations. it would be fantastic if these dollars would go to hiring more teachers. Smaller classrooms will benefit all. how about more classes to challenge brighter kids?? Not the dumbed down versions of honors classes we have today where 75% of the grade is in them. Bring back tracking so that all the kids in a classroom have a chance to move at the same.pace. how about more extracurricular activities? face it, some kids are not destined for success as you and I envision it. And as outsiders, we can't fix what is going on at home. There are some problems that MCPS will never be able to fix.

You're saying that, based on what? The argument seems to be: MCPS tried x, y, and z, and it didn't solve the a big, complex, societal problem completely, so MCPS should just stop doing all of those things. (What free clothes and free medical care is MCPS providing, by the way?)

"Some kids are not destined for success" is what people say about the kids of those people - you know, them. I could say the same with equal validity about your kids - my kids are doing fine in school, so if yours aren't, I guess they're just not destined for success, sorry. Right?

we know whatever they have been doing to.close the achievement gap, and they have been doing something since this has been a priority for Yeats, is not working because the achievement gap is not shrinking. and I said some kids aren't destined for success as we would think about it. some of the most successful people did terrible in school or didnt even go. in these cases, there is nothing a school could have done to keep them there and make them an academic success, so why continue to throw money at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS has been trying to close the gap for how many years now? And what has it resulted in? some kids still doing poorly and brighter kids not being challenged. MCPS has been meeting some populations where they are by providing free meals, free clothes, free medical care, extra classes, but none of this is working and it is impacting other populations. it would be fantastic if these dollars would go to hiring more teachers. Smaller classrooms will benefit all. how about more classes to challenge brighter kids?? Not the dumbed down versions of honors classes we have today where 75% of the grade is in them. Bring back tracking so that all the kids in a classroom have a chance to move at the same.pace. how about more extracurricular activities? face it, some kids are not destined for success as you and I envision it. And as outsiders, we can't fix what is going on at home. There are some problems that MCPS will never be able to fix.

You're saying that, based on what? The argument seems to be: MCPS tried x, y, and z, and it didn't solve the a big, complex, societal problem completely, so MCPS should just stop doing all of those things. (What free clothes and free medical care is MCPS providing, by the way?)

"Some kids are not destined for success" is what people say about the kids of those people - you know, them. I could say the same with equal validity about your kids - my kids are doing fine in school, so if yours aren't, I guess they're just not destined for success, sorry. Right?

coming from nature SJ warrior. everyone is a winner!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've just about had it with social justice. if MCPS just gets down to teaching, maybe kids would grow up not feeling so hateful and entitled. Instead, everyone walks around terrified of using the wrong color, pronoun, etc. Afraid to state their opinions because some SJ group will persecute them if it doesn't align with their thoughts. SJ is causing more harm than good. Montgomery county has lost its mind.

Better to be in a position where you are merely terrified of word choice, than actually systemically discriminated against.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've just about had it with social justice. if MCPS just gets down to teaching, maybe kids would grow up not feeling so hateful and entitled. Instead, everyone walks around terrified of using the wrong color, pronoun, etc. Afraid to state their opinions because some SJ group will persecute them if it doesn't align with their thoughts. SJ is causing more harm than good. Montgomery county has lost its mind.

Better to be in a position where you are merely terrified of word choice, than actually systemically discriminated against.

Actually, I would rather be able to speak freely and be discriminated against than tiptoe through life afraid to offend someone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS has been trying to close the gap for how many years now? And what has it resulted in? some kids still doing poorly and brighter kids not being challenged. MCPS has been meeting some populations where they are by providing free meals, free clothes, free medical care, extra classes, but none of this is working and it is impacting other populations. it would be fantastic if these dollars would go to hiring more teachers. Smaller classrooms will benefit all. how about more classes to challenge brighter kids?? Not the dumbed down versions of honors classes we have today where 75% of the grade is in them. Bring back tracking so that all the kids in a classroom have a chance to move at the same.pace. how about more extracurricular activities? face it, some kids are not destined for success as you and I envision it. And as outsiders, we can't fix what is going on at home. There are some problems that MCPS will never be able to fix.

You're saying that, based on what? The argument seems to be: MCPS tried x, y, and z, and it didn't solve the a big, complex, societal problem completely, so MCPS should just stop doing all of those things. (What free clothes and free medical care is MCPS providing, by the way?)

"Some kids are not destined for success" is what people say about the kids of those people - you know, them. I could say the same with equal validity about your kids - my kids are doing fine in school, so if yours aren't, I guess they're just not destined for success, sorry. Right?

coming from nature SJ warrior. everyone is a winner!

It's better than writing off kids, which is what you're doing (other people's kids, of course).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've just about had it with social justice. if MCPS just gets down to teaching, maybe kids would grow up not feeling so hateful and entitled. Instead, everyone walks around terrified of using the wrong color, pronoun, etc. Afraid to state their opinions because some SJ group will persecute them if it doesn't align with their thoughts. SJ is causing more harm than good. Montgomery county has lost its mind.

Better to be in a position where you are merely terrified of word choice, than actually systemically discriminated against.

Actually, I would rather be able to speak freely and be discriminated against than tiptoe through life afraid to offend someone.

Then you may do so. You may speak freely, and the people who hear you may choose how to respond to what you say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

we know whatever they have been doing to.close the achievement gap, and they have been doing something since this has been a priority for Yeats, is not working because the achievement gap is not shrinking. and I said some kids aren't destined for success as we would think about it. some of the most successful people did terrible in school or didnt even go. in these cases, there is nothing a school could have done to keep them there and make them an academic success, so why continue to throw money at it.

No, that's a statistical fallacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

we know whatever they have been doing to.close the achievement gap, and they have been doing something since this has been a priority for Yeats, is not working because the achievement gap is not shrinking. and I said some kids aren't destined for success as we would think about it. some of the most successful people did terrible in school or didnt even go. in these cases, there is nothing a school could have done to keep them there and make them an academic success, so why continue to throw money at it.

No, that's a statistical fallacy.

Well, the achievement gap hasn't budged in the last 20 years. It seemed to be closing rapidly in the 70s as actual barriers against AAs were removed, but once that work was finished it hasn't really changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

we know whatever they have been doing to.close the achievement gap, and they have been doing something since this has been a priority for Yeats, is not working because the achievement gap is not shrinking. and I said some kids aren't destined for success as we would think about it. some of the most successful people did terrible in school or didnt even go. in these cases, there is nothing a school could have done to keep them there and make them an academic success, so why continue to throw money at it.

No, that's a statistical fallacy.

Well, the achievement gap hasn't budged in the last 20 years. It seemed to be closing rapidly in the 70s as actual barriers against AAs were removed, but once that work was finished it hasn't really changed.

That's an argument for further desegregation.

[Anonymous]

I would support a program that serves as a boarding school for kids from unstable families so that they can have regular meals, a decent place to sleep, and discipline enforced to do homework and study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would support a program that serves as a boarding school for kids from unstable families so that they can have regular meals, a decent place to sleep, and discipline enforced to do homework and study.

Speaking of things we've already tried, and that failed.

[Anonymous]

I know plenty of AAs in MoCo who put their high achieving kids in private and parochial schools. So, sorry, they can't be in your magnet program to boost your numbers.

[Anonymous]

MCPS had one principal tried something different and had positive result: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/03/AR2007110301167_3.html?sid=ST2007110301386

I would like to hear from Nancy Navarro since she witnessed the success ofclosing GAP in one MCPS ES. From the article: “Last week, the school held a Closing the Gap dinner, with a five-course meal for families of improved students and a speech by the school board's president, Nancy Navarro. Parents of students who exited the gap told how they got out.”

[Anonymous]

^ wow. How is this common sense model not being expanded? Of COURSE it is much harder for a teacher to teach a mixed abilities class rather than meet the needs of the kids in a more targeted way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ wow. How is this common sense model not being expanded? Of COURSE it is much harder for a teacher to teach a mixed abilities class rather than meet the needs of the kids in a more targeted way.

There's also decades of experience showing that tracking (which is what "meeting the needs of the kids in a more targeted way" means in the real world) benefits certain groups of kids at the expense of other certain groups of kids.