Has anyone had a good experience with MCPS?

[Anonymous]

Since there’s so many threads lately that bash MCPS, I’m curious if there’s anyone that’s had a good experience with them.

[Anonymous]

Of course. My kids are still young but we have been very pleased with mostly everything about our local elementary. As of my neighbors we are all highly educated (and therefore critical.) And I also went to a fancy local private.

[Anonymous]

We did. DC went to MCPS for high school after private for K-8. We were very pleased with the school, the leadership, the academics, the teachers, the peer group, the sports. DC was not bothered by large classes. And liked AP classes so the supposed pressure to take APs was a non issue. The biggest shortcoming compared to private school was college counseling.

[Anonymous]

That should say “as have my neighbors who.” Need coffee!

[Anonymous]

Yes, I have. Two kids, one in middle school, one in high school, been in MCPS since kindergarten. MCPS is not perfect, but I don't expect perfection in this world.

[Anonymous]

I haven't been happy with the slow pace and curriculum of elementary school. I've been much happier with middle school. To have foreign language and an instrument every day in sixth grade is rare among public schools. The teachers work really hard in middle school and seem enthused about their subjects. The school leadership also seems professional.

[Anonymous]

I have two in high school. We have generally been happy..not everyday..but overall happy with where the kids are.

[Anonymous]

I've had good experience with MCPS. We are immigrants from a different continent. We were invited to this country with a job in hand because DH was working in a highly specialized research field. We have not had any experience with any other school system. There are many pros and cons of being part of an US K-12 public education system.

Pros -
1) Admission. Pros - We just had to register our child based on where they were zoned. There were no exams, interviews and bribes to the school. Cons - Admission to schools was based on where you have residency.

2) Transportation - Pros - We were given free transportation to school. Cons - Transportation did not have air-condition or seat belts.

3) Curriculum - Pros - Curriculum was very extensive. Cons - In the classroom level, curriculum was not implemented and taught well.

4) Textbooks - Pros - Textbooks were provided by school. Cons - Very few grades and subjects had textbooks assigned at all. This lead to confusion and lack of reference material.

5) Punishment - Pros - There was no physical punishment meted out by teachers and this is a great thing. Cons - There was no disciplinary action taken for disruption in the classroom. Suspension was only for extreme case of physical violence. As a result there is no classroom management.

6) Results, Pros - You are never held back regardless of how badly you do. Cons - There are many students who are unprepared to be in higher grades.

7) College preparedness. Pro- There is a road map of levels for all subjects that you can excel in an be prepared for college. Con - This road map requires support from both school and home and equal involvement. Since that is lacking for many students, many are not prepared to go to college.

8) Teachers - Pros - Most are educated. Cons - They are not well educated enough to teach. This is because they are a product of the education system that does not reward the best teachers.

We were able to take the good that MCPS offers and supplement at home based on what we were used to in our country of origin. Our kids have done well here because of that. We have been lucky to get good schools, accelerated curriculum and good students in the classroom. Instruction has been patchy and lack of textbooks is a major flaw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've had good experience with MCPS. We are immigrants from a different continent. We were invited to this country with a job in hand because DH was working in a highly specialized research field. We have not had any experience with any other school system. There are many pros and cons of being part of an US K-12 public education system.

Pros -
1) Admission. Pros - We just had to register our child based on where they were zoned. There were no exams, interviews and bribes to the school. Cons - Admission to schools was based on where you have residency.

2) Transportation - Pros - We were given free transportation to school. Cons - Transportation did not have air-condition or seat belts.

3) Curriculum - Pros - Curriculum was very extensive. Cons - In the classroom level, curriculum was not implemented and taught well.

4) Textbooks - Pros - Textbooks were provided by school. Cons - Very few grades and subjects had textbooks assigned at all. This lead to confusion and lack of reference material.

5) Punishment - Pros - There was no physical punishment meted out by teachers and this is a great thing. Cons - There was no disciplinary action taken for disruption in the classroom. Suspension was only for extreme case of physical violence. As a result there is no classroom management.

6) Results, Pros - You are never held back regardless of how badly you do. Cons - There are many students who are unprepared to be in higher grades.

7) College preparedness. Pro- There is a road map of levels for all subjects that you can excel in an be prepared for college. Con - This road map requires support from both school and home and equal involvement. Since that is lacking for many students, many are not prepared to go to college.

8) Teachers - Pros - Most are educated. Cons - They are not well educated enough to teach. This is because they are a product of the education system that does not reward the best teachers.

We were able to take the good that MCPS offers and supplement at home based on what we were used to in our country of origin. Our kids have done well here because of that. We have been lucky to get good schools, accelerated curriculum and good students in the classroom. Instruction has been patchy and lack of textbooks is a major flaw.

Thank you for your perspective! I agree with everything you've said, and I think it applies to a lot of strong school systems in the US.

As for us, we don't have a schoolaged kid yet, but everyone we've talked to seems to be happy with our local schools (aside from the overcrowding, which MCPS is hopefully going to address). There seems to be a lot of local pride.

[Anonymous]

Yes, we have. I will say my kids have been fortunate enough to get into HGCs and magnet programs. I do wish MCPS had real levels of classes, not everyone in "Advanced" or "Honors." And, I would love to see more textbooks.

[Anonymous]

I have criticized the MCPS curriculum many times on these boards, but I have also lauded my son's experience with the special needs team at his schools.

We come from a country where academics are much stronger in public school, but services and accommodations for special needs are non-existent apart from "time and a third" (a little extra time on tests). There are pros and cons to every school system.

My main beef is that there is so much money spent on education in this country compared to the rest of the world, how on earth are they not doing better? Other countries have heterogeneous populations, need to integrate non-native speakers, have wide socio-economic disparities, etc, and yet some do very well with their public education, better than the US.

I have the sneaking suspicion that it's in part due to moving away from a serious, rote-based learning system in elementary. Kids are entering middle school without all their facts down cold, because primary education instead seeks to capture students' interest and make learning "creative" and "fun". Which is a laudable goal, but taken too far in my opinion. I call it the "Snowflake Effect". Some adults think that whatever happens at school needs to be at least as distracting and entertaining as what the kids do at home on their tablets.

Instead of spending money on Promethean boards and individual laptops in elementary schools, and all the gizmos of maker fairs and specials (I know, I know, they're nice to have) we should be making time for stronger reading and arithmetic skills. Writing standards are actually pretty good in elementary MCPS! It's at the middle and high school level that they go downhill compared to private schools, because teachers have too many students to give adequate feedback.

I'm a research scientist. I don't need students to spend a ton of time on STEM in their primary years, or even middle school years. I need to see freshmen coming into my college class who have adequate skills in reading comprehension, writing, and basic knowledge of the world. When we discuss vaccines around the world, I don't want to read on someone's exam paper that "Europe" is a 3rd world country! I can't even imagine what history professors have to read at the freshman level...

[Anonymous]

mcps ruined my childhood

[Anonymous]

There's definitely been a strange uptick in anti-MCPS posts lately. Not sure if it's one person with some kind of odd vendetta or some kind of copycat thing, but a lot of them have the same tone.

Look, MCPS is a HUGE system dealing with a massive array of abilities and needs. Everyone seems to think they have the solution, but no one seems to want to do anything but complain. At privates, you will hear a lot less public complaining but plenty of whispered issues - no one wants to admit the product they thought was a panacea is actually not one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:mcps ruined my childhood

I thought all the problems were recent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:mcps ruined my childhood

I thought all the problems were recent?

Maybe PP is in high school.