Montco Schools are no longer the best
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Anonymous
I think this part is very true. We came from CA where school funding is abysmal. Services offered by mcps is leagues above what we got in CA - and I don't mean special needs services, I mean things like art, PE, gifted, immersion, IB programs. |
Anonymous
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Did you even read the first link, or was this a quick "Google and skim"? The principal study cited relates to publicly funded "private" charter schools, which is obviously not what we're talking about here. FWIW, the valedictorian at my private high school graduated with a B+/A- average. Not one student in a class of 80 had an "A" average. Roughly 1/4 of my graduating class attended Ivy League or equivalents. My GPA jumped a full grade my freshman year of college, with much less effort on my part. Your portrayal of privates certainly does not reflect my experience. All that said, I have no doubt that many privates are grade inflation factories and that many publics perform admirably. However, the core issue here is whether MCPS will continue to perform admirably. Unfortunately, I have serious doubts, given the expanding population and limited resources. There are two studies linked. The first is helpful in that they include all the critiques of these types of studies and they study the same groups of kids going to two different types of schools. The second is helpful in that it specifically controls for parents which is (I guess) important according to the study. We will agree to disagree. I would say your anecdotal experience from years ago doesn't have much to say about public v. private schools around here now. Also, these studies suggest that your parents and your friends' parents impacted your later success rather than the incremental benefit of private school over public. This is what they mean by controlling for parental involvement/success and the 'incremental' benefit of private all else being equal. Grade inflation is an ongoing conversation at universities -- specifically how much worse it has gotten in the last 10 years and how entitled students are when they arrive. So your experience (N=1) could remain valid and still not speak to the current conditions. It also still fits within the general findings that parents dictate student success rather than private over public schools. I'm fine with the 'expanding population'. But you are right in that a private school keeps out the 'expanding population' you refer to with such disdain. |
Anonymous
Agree 1,000% |
Anonymous
| Is OP aware that all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders get Chromebooks? That there are interactive white boards in every classroom in elementary? The private school I work at has none of these. |
Anonymous
Did you even read the first link, or was this a quick "Google and skim"? The principal study cited relates to publicly funded "private" charter schools, which is obviously not what we're talking about here. FWIW, the valedictorian at my private high school graduated with a B+/A- average. Not one student in a class of 80 had an "A" average. Roughly 1/4 of my graduating class attended Ivy League or equivalents. My GPA jumped a full grade my freshman year of college, with much less effort on my part. Your portrayal of privates certainly does not reflect my experience. All that said, I have no doubt that many privates are grade inflation factories and that many publics perform admirably. However, the core issue here is whether MCPS will continue to perform admirably. Unfortunately, I have serious doubts, given the expanding population and limited resources. There are two studies linked. The first is helpful in that they include all the critiques of these types of studies and they study the same groups of kids going to two different types of schools. The second is helpful in that it specifically controls for parents which is (I guess) important according to the study. We will agree to disagree. I would say your anecdotal experience from years ago doesn't have much to say about public v. private schools around here now. Also, these studies suggest that your parents and your friends' parents impacted your later success rather than the incremental benefit of private school over public. This is what they mean by controlling for parental involvement/success and the 'incremental' benefit of private all else being equal. Grade inflation is an ongoing conversation at universities -- specifically how much worse it has gotten in the last 10 years and how entitled students are when they arrive. So your experience (N=1) could remain valid and still not speak to the current conditions. It also still fits within the general findings that parents dictate student success rather than private over public schools. I'm fine with the 'expanding population'. But you are right in that a private school keeps out the 'expanding population' you refer to with such disdain. I'll agree to disagree (and certainly concede that my post was based on anecdotal personal experience). However, I think it's worth clarifying my concern about expanding population: I do not disdain the "expanding population" itself in any way. I am concerned solely and exclusively about lack of resources to serve a growing student population. It's my opinion that no young child can receive an excellent education in a 30-student class. I hope that MCPS finds the resources to continue to provide an excellent education to all, and would gladly pay more taxes to help realize that. Unfortunately, I don't believe that this is a likely outcome. Same $$$ + more students = lesser education for all. |
Anonymous
I agree - I see the same complaints from Virginia posters |
Anonymous
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First of all, there is nothing wrong with saying my best friends are black.
I agree that MoCo as a whole focuses too much on issues pertaining to the immigration community. Just look at your local county libraries. ESL classes, computer training classes and I'm like #250 on hold for a new fiction book. The schools here are not focus on improving academic achievement.. FWIW, I'm an immigrant myself.. |
Anonymous
WTF? What does being #250 for a library book have to do with immigrants? And I don't know if you realize this but the achievement gap exists for the black American-born student group as well. FWIW, I'm an immigrant, too, educated in the US, and we go to the library often, too. Sorry, we are adding to your long wait. This was one of the oddest posts. |
Anonymous
Its a cliche "I'm not a racist - some of my best friends are black" - unfortunately, having friends of a different race does not mean that you do not behave in a racist manner or spout racist crap! |
Anonymous
| What she's saying is that resources are going to ESL classes instead of getting more books. |
Anonymous
Do you have any first-hand experience with MoCo schools vs. private? I do. We spent a total of ten years in MCPS with two kids before giving up and going private. There is FAR more grade inflation in MCPS than at private school, and the work is far more rigorous - lots of writing, creative thinking, project-based work, and NO MULTIPLE CHOICE WORKSHEETS! Read the article in Bethesda Magazine - very illuminating. Our county officials believe they have to choose between helping the immigrant children who will may not graduate, and the offspring of college-educated affluent people. Sadly, that's not the real choice. They need to do both. Our "good" schools are far behind those of other developed nations. We need to challenge all our kids to excel. |
Anonymous
As an educated, legal immigrant, I'd love to hear your thoughts on illegal immigration, the average skill land education level of an illegal immigrant here, and its effects on MoCo and MCPS. |
Anonymous
It's yet another example of how your tax dollars are redirected to bringing up the bottom instead of providing basic services to all (enough books). You can forget about the county challenging any of the other populaces here adequately. |
Anonymous
Agree. AA and Hispanics are the central focus in this county. everyone else can fend for themselves and keep paying their inflating taxes please. |
Anonymous
Firstly, congrats to the Asian dude harping about his kids' avievement bar. Secondly, correct, low skilled, uneducated illegal immigrants are straining our sanctuary state/county (we are 2nd to LA in incoming illegals for years) and budget. Thirdly, Africans and Caribbean immigrants work study and test better than our general black and Hispanic population. But don't fear, MCPS will dumb every down in no time flat. |