Is the quality of the Blair Magnet Program going down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a sad that people on DCUM love to play the race card. The stats about APlus turoring is meaningless. The Poolesville cluster only accepts students into its math-science house if you live in their cluster. So the fact that ~66 got into Poolesville and ~13 got into Blair means nothing.

The two programs are very different and provide different learning environments. Just visit them and make a choice best for your family. Poolesville HS has a higher rating than Blair HS. That is a fact.

They ARE different learning environments, but not every family believes that "higher rating" equals "better learning environment." Blair is a highly rated academic school and a kid in Blair's Magnet program is getting a first rate education regardless. But some of us believe that it is also important for our kids to be in a "learning environment" that better reflects the world we live in - meaning kids from different backgrounds with different interests. The fact that Blair has so many different programs in the building was a draw for us.

I do agree that each family must determine what is important to them and decide accordingly.

BTW, I am a former Blair Magnet parent. My 2 kids are both at highly rated schools in the NE.

...and your other kids - where did they go and how did they do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live near Blair, and I've learned something in the years that my kids have been in MCPS schools (they are now both middle schoolers).

All of this talk about "better" schools and the lauding of the Poolesville environment is just veiled racism. Believe me, I talked that way myself without realizing where it came from. Nowt hat I see my kids thriving in schools with lots and lots of different people, I realize what I was thinkng and feeling behind all that blah blah blah about school environments.

If you make a decision to move somewhere because of the "environment" being better, ask yourself if it's really what you mean.

I'm glad for my kids, that they have friends of many different races and backgrounds.

You really need to get out more often. Do you even understand the schools that apply to Poolesville magnet are Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, or Watkins Mill.

We don't have to force diversity up here - our kids are in a diverse school environment since they were in pre-K.

Completely irrelevant point...

Just because diverse schools apply to the magnet does not make the magnet diverse. This is solely dependant on which kids actually get accepted.

The reason for the difference in the Poolesville and Blair is that the base population of Blair is diverse while the base population of Poolesville is not. Entering magnet kids are not flooding Poolesville with minorities....

Blair is not diverse. It has to create a magnet school so whites and asian will even consider going there.

Poolesville is not diverse - they have created a magnet program for diverse kids.

Poolesville magnet is more diverse than Blaire's magnet because Blaire's magnet is overpopulated with white and asians. The kids going to Poolesville don't need diversity because their lives are diverse. Whites in upper east MoCo don't need diversity because our neighborhoods and schools are diverse.

Blair is as diverse as realistically possible... Its essentially 25% AS, 25% WH, 25% BL, 25% HS, and any suggesting that the 25% of the WH is in the magnet is ridiculous.

Poolesville on the other hand is 60% WH, 23% AS, 5% BL, 7% HS, if the magnet is making the school diverse and BL and HS is only 10% what is the base population consist of?

FYI, Norhtwood which is extremely close to Blair in Silver Spring with no magnet program is 20% WH.

60% white is not diverse but 75% people of color is diverse. Oh Okay that makes sense. You can't have it both ways.

You don't own diversity down county. I don't know why you think you have cornered the market on diversity.

I'm not sure what constitutes people of color, but If you look at the categories MCPS uses (not me just to clear) the four major categories are equally split 25/25/25/25 or should we start using 2 categories colored and non-colored and then have 50% of each.

I'm not sure I understand what you are getting at?!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live near Blair, and I've learned something in the years that my kids have been in MCPS schools (they are now both middle schoolers).

All of this talk about "better" schools and the lauding of the Poolesville environment is just veiled racism. Believe me, I talked that way myself without realizing where it came from. Nowt hat I see my kids thriving in schools with lots and lots of different people, I realize what I was thinkng and feeling behind all that blah blah blah about school environments.

If you make a decision to move somewhere because of the "environment" being better, ask yourself if it's really what you mean.

I'm glad for my kids, that they have friends of many different races and backgrounds.

You really need to get out more often. Do you even understand the schools that apply to Poolesville magnet are Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, or Watkins Mill.

We don't have to force diversity up here - our kids are in a diverse school environment since they were in pre-K.

Completely irrelevant point...

Just because diverse schools apply to the magnet does not make the magnet diverse. This is solely dependant on which kids actually get accepted.

The reason for the difference in the Poolesville and Blair is that the base population of Blair is diverse while the base population of Poolesville is not. Entering magnet kids are not flooding Poolesville with minorities....

Blair is not diverse. It has to create a magnet school so whites and asian will even consider going there.

Poolesville is not diverse - they have created a magnet program for diverse kids.

Poolesville magnet is more diverse than Blaire's magnet because Blaire's magnet is overpopulated with white and asians. The kids going to Poolesville don't need diversity because their lives are diverse. Whites in upper east MoCo don't need diversity because our neighborhoods and schools are diverse.

Blair is as diverse as realistically possible... Its essentially 25% AS, 25% WH, 25% BL, 25% HS, and any suggesting that the 25% of the WH is in the magnet is ridiculous.

Poolesville on the other hand is 60% WH, 23% AS, 5% BL, 7% HS, if the magnet is making the school diverse and BL and HS is only 10% what is the base population consist of?

FYI, Norhtwood which is extremely close to Blair in Silver Spring with no magnet program is 20% WH.

Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, and Watkins Mill

All the schools that are upcounty have the same stats as Blaire. Watkins Mill 14% white - um what is your point. Really do you want to start talking about Northwood?

[Anonymous]

If only wishing made it so. Blair stats are better than Poolesville, get over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a sad that people on DCUM love to play the race card. The stats about APlus turoring is meaningless. The Poolesville cluster only accepts students into its math-science house if you live in their cluster. So the fact that ~66 got into Poolesville and ~13 got into Blair means nothing.

The two programs are very different and provide different learning environments. Just visit them and make a choice best for your family. Poolesville HS has a higher rating than Blair HS. That is a fact.

They ARE different learning environments, but not every family believes that "higher rating" equals "better learning environment." Blair is a highly rated academic school and a kid in Blair's Magnet program is getting a first rate education regardless. But some of us believe that it is also important for our kids to be in a "learning environment" that better reflects the world we live in - meaning kids from different backgrounds with different interests. The fact that Blair has so many different programs in the building was a draw for us.

I do agree that each family must determine what is important to them and decide accordingly.

BTW, I am a former Blair Magnet parent. My 2 kids are both at highly rated schools in the NE.

...and your other kids - where did they go and how did they do?

I have 4. The 2 that I mentioned went to Blair and are at highly rated schools in the NE. My second youngest attended Blake and currently attends a flagship state university in the Midwest and my youngest is a freshman at Blake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live near Blair, and I've learned something in the years that my kids have been in MCPS schools (they are now both middle schoolers).

All of this talk about "better" schools and the lauding of the Poolesville environment is just veiled racism. Believe me, I talked that way myself without realizing where it came from. Nowt hat I see my kids thriving in schools with lots and lots of different people, I realize what I was thinkng and feeling behind all that blah blah blah about school environments.

If you make a decision to move somewhere because of the "environment" being better, ask yourself if it's really what you mean.

I'm glad for my kids, that they have friends of many different races and backgrounds.

You really need to get out more often. Do you even understand the schools that apply to Poolesville magnet are Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, or Watkins Mill.

We don't have to force diversity up here - our kids are in a diverse school environment since they were in pre-K.

Completely irrelevant point...

Just because diverse schools apply to the magnet does not make the magnet diverse. This is solely dependant on which kids actually get accepted.

The reason for the difference in the Poolesville and Blair is that the base population of Blair is diverse while the base population of Poolesville is not. Entering magnet kids are not flooding Poolesville with minorities....

Blair is not diverse. It has to create a magnet school so whites and asian will even consider going there.

Poolesville is not diverse - they have created a magnet program for diverse kids.

Poolesville magnet is more diverse than Blaire's magnet because Blaire's magnet is overpopulated with white and asians. The kids going to Poolesville don't need diversity because their lives are diverse. Whites in upper east MoCo don't need diversity because our neighborhoods and schools are diverse.

Blair is as diverse as realistically possible... Its essentially 25% AS, 25% WH, 25% BL, 25% HS, and any suggesting that the 25% of the WH is in the magnet is ridiculous.

Poolesville on the other hand is 60% WH, 23% AS, 5% BL, 7% HS, if the magnet is making the school diverse and BL and HS is only 10% what is the base population consist of?

FYI, Norhtwood which is extremely close to Blair in Silver Spring with no magnet program is 20% WH.

Clarksburg, Damascus, Gaithersburg, Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Quince Orchard, Seneca Valley, and Watkins Mill

All the schools that are upcounty have the same stats as Blaire. Watkins Mill 14% white - um what is your point. Really do you want to start talking about Northwood?

Again absolutely irrelevant and not true ( I don't even want to get into the demographics of Damascus, etc.) This thread is about magnet programs, not what kind of kids go to regular highschools.

The reason Northwood was brought up is because you suggested that certain groups wouldn't send their kid to Blair without the magnet so I'm wondering why so many send their kid to Northwood which is no different demographically and is not a top school.

[Anonymous]

I've tutored students from both the magnets. Poolesville seems to giver a higher quality education. They are a little behind on contests and stuff but the education seems to be superior. jes my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've tutored students from both the magnets. Poolesville seems to giver a higher quality education. They are a little behind on contests and stuff but the education seems to be superior. jes my opinion.

Ah MCPS early release today. Bored?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've tutored students from both the magnets. Poolesville seems to giver a higher quality education. They are a little behind on contests and stuff but the education seems to be superior. jes my opinion.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've tutored students from both the magnets. Poolesville seems to giver a higher quality education. They are a little behind on contests and stuff but the education seems to be superior. jes my opinion.

Troll city....

A different topic altogether but r magnet students paying top dollar for tutors also how can you know what "contests" (whatever that means) one is good at through a tutoring session?

[Anonymous]

Don't want to tangle with name calling nasty types. Don't have a dog in this fight. Take a look at:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/montgomery-blair-high-school-9141
and
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/poolesville-high-school-9143

Then, go back a few years and look at the same ratings for both schools. One is rising and one is falling, no?

[Anonymous]

Any Poolesville students bag USAMO, USA Physics Olympiaid, IMO, Siemens, Intel, Davidson's Scholarships awards?

If you or any Pooleville magnet student has to look this up you are not even playing in the same ball park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any Poolesville students bag USAMO, USA Physics Olympiaid, IMO, Siemens, Intel, Davidson's Scholarships awards?

If you or any Pooleville magnet student has to look this up you are not even playing in the same ball park.

Does not invalidate the US News data showing one is declining and the other is rising!!!! IMO the Blair's USAMO, USA Physics Olympiaid, IMO, Siemens, Intel, Davidson's Scholarships awards are because of the students from the wealthy areas who come well prepared.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't want to tangle with name calling nasty types. Don't have a dog in this fight. Take a look at:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/montgomery-blair-high-school-9141
and
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/maryland/districts/montgomery-county-public-schools/poolesville-high-school-9143

Then, go back a few years and look at the same ratings for both schools. One is rising and one is falling, no?

But Blair High School and Blair Magnet are not the same thing. The Magnet is 400 kids out of 2800. The other 2400 presumably have some impact on the ratings? And the whole school magnet thing at Poolesville is relatively new. As others have pointed out, it's great that Poolesville is doing these magnet programs and enhacing the opportunities for the kids. That doesn't mean that Blair Magnet is falling.

[Anonymous]

Does not invalidate the US News data showing one is declining and the other is rising!!!! IMO the Blair's USAMO, USA Physics Olympiaid, IMO, Siemens, Intel, Davidson's Scholarships awards are because of the students from the wealthy areas who come well prepared.

If I follow your logic winners of prestigious national and international prizes in math, science, computer science, physics and research are positively correlated with the wealthy areas the students emanate from? If this is the case, can you tell us how the kids from Whitman, Wootton, Churchill and BCC perform by these metrics? To save you some frantic scurrying time ... doesn't hold a candle to Blair Magnet, Bronx Science, Stuv or Phillips Exeter.

If math and science scores were tied to wealth then America would be a the top of the heap on the PISA international exams rather than the bottom of the barrel with their education system under attack and in disarray.