Article in Bethesda magazine about magnet programs

[Anonymous]

Magnets are a huge waste of taxpayer money as well as immersion programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think what they are proposing is to make more magnets, but also restrict access to those zones.

So, if you look at what they started to do with IB, they created regional IB programs but kept RMIB as the flagship.

This has been unevenly successful, because the "best" kids still went to RMIB and there were not enough kids at the regional programs to create a strong cohort.

So it will be interesting to see if they learn from that, or double down.

I think there is a strong cohort of IB kids at BCC.

That's the impression, and with it the availability of a broader array of higher-rigor options, especially in the combination of IB HL and AP.

If they completely regionalize, without a flagship, they should make certain to provide those options in every region. If they keep a flagship magnet, it would make sense first to serve students where the local/regional cohort is not, itself, sufficient to provide such options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Magnets are a huge waste of taxpayer money as well as immersion programs.

I guess your kids didn’t get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Magnets are a huge waste of taxpayer money as well as immersion programs.

Good schools attract a higher tax base. That doesn’t necessarily mean we need to keep all the programs. Maybe some don’t warrant the cost. But we will lose people to other counties like Howard or Fairfax if we get rid of the premier magnets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't really understand what they're concretely proposing to change--but yes, it makes more sense to offer magnet-esque options in local schools. The way it is now, some kids get better access to magnets in their home schools, while other kids opt out because it takes 45 min-1 hr each way by bus to get to the magnet.

We need more magnet programs across the county-let’s hope they are high quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't really understand what they're concretely proposing to change--but yes, it makes more sense to offer magnet-esque options in local schools. The way it is now, some kids get better access to magnets in their home schools, while other kids opt out because it takes 45 min-1 hr each way by bus to get to the magnet.

We need more magnet programs across the county-let’s hope they are high quality.

I agree with this, but it takes time to build a program, and there will be hiccups and growing pains.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't really understand what they're concretely proposing to change--but yes, it makes more sense to offer magnet-esque options in local schools. The way it is now, some kids get better access to magnets in their home schools, while other kids opt out because it takes 45 min-1 hr each way by bus to get to the magnet.

We need more magnet programs across the county-let’s hope they are high quality.

I agree with this, but it takes time to build a program, and there will be hiccups and growing pains.

They can spend time building new magnet programs, but don’t distroy the existing good ones.

[Anonymous]

Time will tell whether the goal and result are "excellence" or just a watering down of programs. I don't see "access" in the opener either.

"Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is exploring the idea of creating regions across the county that would offer similar programs for high school students to increase equity, according to a presentation at the May 8 school board meeting."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on what they have talked aboiut in Board meetings, I don't think this is just about magnet programs. It's also about non-magnets housed in local schools. For example, WJ has APEX, B-CC has IB, there are others as well. These are not open to students outside the school.

WJ Apex only has three cohorted classes - Honors English 9 and 10 and Honors Bio. (Which is nice at an 3,000 student school.) Otherwise, the program now just requires additional APs (the evening seminar and required specific tracks disappeared a few years ago). I can’t see moving to WJ for this program unless you just prefer WJ to your home school.

Cohorted honors English and bio sound great. Our school (B-CC) has honors for all for all of these classes.