Will mcps get better post-McKnight?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think moving out of state will solve the problem. Schools are falling apart everywhere.

Schools are fine, even great when families value education. The problem isn't the schools as much as it is the parents.

So true! Lazy parents expect the state to raise their children for them.

Parents not parenting and giving their kids guns. Parent allowing their kids to be hoodlums and not placing importance on education. It all starts At home. Ask the Asians.

Agree and the county can't address this. It isn't realistic for the government to provide values or raise your children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS used to be well regarded. It’s now a complete mess.

What’s the likelihood new administration will be able to right the course? What will it take?

Considering moving out of state because it’s been such a nightmare- especially with one kid in special Ed.

MCPS is one of the biggest school districts in the country. We have a lot of the benefits and problems that come with a large heterogeneous population (both culturally and socioeconomically). For the record, I have been very pleased with MCPS (no special ed needed). I have two in high school. I've been incredibly impressed by the breadth of options (especially in HS)!

If you're going to a small system in a wealthy area, it's probably going to be a better experience. There, you'll likely get the special ed support as well.

[Anonymous]

Contact Annapolis ASAP: https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1189779.page

[Anonymous]

It should continue to improve by leaps and bounds if they continue her pro-equity legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS used to be well regarded. It’s now a complete mess.

What’s the likelihood new administration will be able to right the course? What will it take?

Considering moving out of state because it’s been such a nightmare- especially with one kid in special Ed.

MCPS is one of the biggest school districts in the country. We have a lot of the benefits and problems that come with a large heterogeneous population (both culturally and socioeconomically). For the record, I have been very pleased with MCPS (no special ed needed). I have two in high school. I've been incredibly impressed by the breadth of options (especially in HS)!

If you're going to a small system in a wealthy area, it's probably going to be a better experience. There, you'll likely get the special ed support as well.

Me too! I have two kids who've gotten an incredible education that far exceeds what I had at a W 30+ years ago. One is at SMCS and the other is at RMIB. These amazing opportunities are there for any who value these things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS used to be well regarded. It’s now a complete mess.

What’s the likelihood new administration will be able to right the course? What will it take?

Considering moving out of state because it’s been such a nightmare- especially with one kid in special Ed.

MCPS is one of the biggest school districts in the country. We have a lot of the benefits and problems that come with a large heterogeneous population (both culturally and socioeconomically). For the record, I have been very pleased with MCPS (no special ed needed). I have two in high school. I've been incredibly impressed by the breadth of options (especially in HS)!

If you're going to a small system in a wealthy area, it's probably going to be a better experience. There, you'll likely get the special ed support as well.

Me too! I have two kids who've gotten an incredible education that far exceeds what I had at a W 30+ years ago. One is at SMCS and the other is at RMIB. These amazing opportunities are there for any who value these things.

LOL. Just consider yourself lucky that your child got in. There are plenty of well-qualified, bright kids who don't get into a HS Magnet program because there are more kids than seats available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCPS used to be well regarded. It’s now a complete mess.

What’s the likelihood new administration will be able to right the course? What will it take?

Considering moving out of state because it’s been such a nightmare- especially with one kid in special Ed.

MCPS is one of the biggest school districts in the country. We have a lot of the benefits and problems that come with a large heterogeneous population (both culturally and socioeconomically). For the record, I have been very pleased with MCPS (no special ed needed). I have two in high school. I've been incredibly impressed by the breadth of options (especially in HS)!

If you're going to a small system in a wealthy area, it's probably going to be a better experience. There, you'll likely get the special ed support as well.

Me too! I have two kids who've gotten an incredible education that far exceeds what I had at a W 30+ years ago. One is at SMCS and the other is at RMIB. These amazing opportunities are there for any who value these things.

LOL. Just consider yourself lucky that your child got in. There are plenty of well-qualified, bright kids who don't get into a HS Magnet program because there are more kids than seats available.

I'm the poster who mentioned the breadth of options...I was referring to early college, regional career programs, signature programs, magnets...all of it. There seems to be something for everyone which is not the case in most of the US schools districts. Also, if you are accepted to none of them, you can find your path in high school. There are so many courses offered at every high school!

I graduated from a semi-rural system in Virginia where we only had 6 classes each day in HS and limited options for electives. It's a world of difference!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only if they hire a change maker and that might be too bold for MCPS.

+ 1 million

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is such a strong culture in central office that it will take a complete shakeup with all of the leadership being fired to change it. McKnight was only part of the problem.

This is what they need to do. Frankly, they may need an interim for a year or two to do the firings etc before bringing in the change maker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm laughing. My friends in FCPS would probably disagree with you. The issues are all over, not limited to MCPS.

Agree the issues are all over. Politics and No Child Left Behind may have had good intentions, but teaching to the test became a thing, not to mention no autonomy for teachers, and the massive loss of respect by parents (worsened during the pandemic), low pay, long hours and so much that teachers have to do that isn't teaching. Add in public money being stripped from publics to send kids to privates in some states, and it's a perfect storm.

Public education is in a world of trouble

Your diagnosis of the problems in public education misses most of the important issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is such a strong culture in central office that it will take a complete shakeup with all of the leadership being fired to change it. McKnight was only part of the problem.

This is what they need to do. Frankly, they may need an interim for a year or two to do the firings etc before bringing in the change maker.

No need for an interim if they can find and hire a strong change agent. But, since this is MCPS in MoCo, the likelihood of that happening is next to nil.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is such a strong culture in central office that it will take a complete shakeup with all of the leadership being fired to change it. McKnight was only part of the problem.

This is what they need to do. Frankly, they may need an interim for a year or two to do the firings etc before bringing in the change maker.

No need for an interim if they can find and hire a strong change agent. But, since this is MCPS in MoCo, the likelihood of that happening is next to nil.

I'm not the PP, but I am someone whose job includes change management. I actually think a long-term interim might be the right call here. It would be a bold move, and I'm not sure the BoE has the stomach for it, but here's the case:

In organizations where there are long-standing issues of trust, it can be hard for a new leader to both make the necessary changes and to build appropriate long-term relationships with staff and clients (in this case, families). In a toxic situation, people still have relationships. You might know that Sue in the next cubicle hasn't done an honest day of work in 15 years, but you also like her and she brings brownies on Fridays, and you are going to be mad at whomever takes action against her even if that action is deserved.

MCPS has massive trust issues. The reporting over the last year has revealed a culture of impunity, in which "favored" individuals were not only shielded from consequences, but rewarded and promoted while whistle-blowers were subject to retaliation.

In this case, where the toxic leadership reaches down so far, an interim superintendent might be the right choice. Let someone come in for 18 months and make all the hard decisions, without worrying about building the longer-term relationships. Then that person leaves a better-functioning, de-corrupted, leadership team for the next person to take over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is such a strong culture in central office that it will take a complete shakeup with all of the leadership being fired to change it. McKnight was only part of the problem.

This is what they need to do. Frankly, they may need an interim for a year or two to do the firings etc before bringing in the change maker.

No need for an interim if they can find and hire a strong change agent. But, since this is MCPS in MoCo, the likelihood of that happening is next to nil.

The interim they have is McKnight 2.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCPS used to be well regarded. It’s now a complete mess.

What’s the likelihood new administration will be able to right the course? What will it take?

Considering moving out of state because it’s been such a nightmare- especially with one kid in special Ed.

MCPS is going to see its demographics continue to shift towards more Hispanic and less white/Asian. Especially with rising levels of immigration, MCPS is taking in more students with little to no background in English and many who do not know how to read and write in their native language. This is going to continue to lead to low testing and academic data. This data will cause many families, who can afford it, to send their kids to private school and look to move to adjacent counties.

Whomever is hired as superintendent will likely continue the policies of the moment in education, which will lead to further decline. There's no way the BOE has the courage to hire someone that come in and completely revamp the system and be honest about its problems. There would be too much of a political backlash.

So if your children are in high school, you can probably ride it out before things completely fall off a cliff but if your children are in elementary school, time to pull up Zillow and find better alternatives to MoCo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is such a strong culture in central office that it will take a complete shakeup with all of the leadership being fired to change it. McKnight was only part of the problem.

This is what they need to do. Frankly, they may need an interim for a year or two to do the firings etc before bringing in the change maker.

No need for an interim if they can find and hire a strong change agent. But, since this is MCPS in MoCo, the likelihood of that happening is next to nil.

I'm not the PP, but I am someone whose job includes change management. I actually think a long-term interim might be the right call here. It would be a bold move, and I'm not sure the BoE has the stomach for it, but here's the case:

In organizations where there are long-standing issues of trust, it can be hard for a new leader to both make the necessary changes and to build appropriate long-term relationships with staff and clients (in this case, families). In a toxic situation, people still have relationships. You might know that Sue in the next cubicle hasn't done an honest day of work in 15 years, but you also like her and she brings brownies on Fridays, and you are going to be mad at whomever takes action against her even if that action is deserved.

MCPS has massive trust issues. The reporting over the last year has revealed a culture of impunity, in which "favored" individuals were not only shielded from consequences, but rewarded and promoted while whistle-blowers were subject to retaliation.

In this case, where the toxic leadership reaches down so far, an interim superintendent might be the right choice. Let someone come in for 18 months and make all the hard decisions, without worrying about building the longer-term relationships. Then that person leaves a better-functioning, de-corrupted, leadership team for the next person to take over.

Your plan would make sense if we didn't know who the interim superintendent would be. But we do. And Dr. Felder is no change agent.

She is of the same ilk as Dr. McKnight. She parrots equity-focused soundbites and speaks in empty eduspeak. She is there to keep doing what was already in motion. Not change things.