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Charter School Effort in Montgomery County
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Anonymous
| Looks like some parents are trying to start a charter school in Montgomery County: http://themorechild.com/2009/06/13/moco-charter-school-effort-launches/ |
Anonymous
| It will never pass. |
Anonymous
| Why? |
Anonymous
|
b/c although charters are under the county umbrella, they are in direct competition with the county schools, which is something the superintendent doesn't like
If you can manage to complete the 50 lb packet and jump through hoops, they'll still question the need to create a charter. In this case, the school wishes to focus on IB. We have PYP, MYP and IB diploma programs throughout the county. So why is there a need to create another one? I am not arguing against the school. Personally, I think the school's concept is great. But again, imagine if the K-8 model, which I love, just takes off and proves to be successful, there is no way the county could revamp elementary and middle schools in order to embrace the K-8 philosophy. Never mind the time and money that's been invested in middle school reform . . . Add to that the need to find good people to run the school. Most educators (and I am one) don't have the background to run the financial part. You're dealing with a building, academic materials, teacher supplies, and maintenance. It's not easy. And if you don't have an administrator who's trained to do observations? It's just not as easy as it sounds. I wish them luck. But they really need to think things through and to have a solid plan to present for approval. |
Anonymous
| Why are people so afraid of a charter school idea? |
Anonymous
It's the competition. If MCPS has consortium schools (NE, Downcounty, for example), the schools are "competing" against each other for students as they promote their special programs. Throwing a charter into the mix, especially one with a solid curriculum, creates problems for the school system b/c if it is successful, it makes the county schools look bad. |
Anonymous
. . . and the county doesn't want the schools to look bad. MoCo has a lot invested in the "brand." |