Interview with GT, ex-MCPS, African-American Parent

[Anonymous]

A must-read.

http://www.takoma.com/archives/copy/2009/10/schoolscene1009.html

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this - it is rather insightful to this clueless parent with a boy child entering kindergarten next year...

[Anonymous]

bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A must-read.

http://www.takoma.com/archives/copy/2009/10/schoolscene1009.html

Thank you! Thank you! Um...did I say, thank you?!

[Anonymous]

Wish they would have clued us in on which private she is attending.

[Anonymous]

I didn't feel like I got enough specifics about what is more challenging at the new school vs. MCPS. She said she was angry while her daughter was at MCPS because she had to supplement at home so her daughter would be challenged. We supplement too but I fully expected to do that. Also, MCPS is a huge school system. Moving to a different school district might have meant that she didn't need private school. I realize that many people can't/don't want to move, so that's not always possible. Still, it's hard to generalize about MCPS, which is an enormous system. One thing I do agree with is that some of the gifted programs offer something that many kids in the "middle" could be prepared to take on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't feel like I got enough specifics about what is more challenging at the new school vs. MCPS. She said she was angry while her daughter was at MCPS because she had to supplement at home so her daughter would be challenged. We supplement too but I fully expected to do that. Also, MCPS is a huge school system. Moving to a different school district might have meant that she didn't need private school. I realize that many people can't/don't want to move, so that's not always possible. Still, it's hard to generalize about MCPS, which is an enormous system. One thing I do agree with is that some of the gifted programs offer something that many kids in the "middle" could be prepared to take on.

I think if you read it again, the woman said that she was happy living in Takoma Park and likes it there. So moving does not seem like an option. Also, she said that while she was behind in her writing skills. I think the big issue with her regarding MCPS is the fact that her GT DD was in the "red zone". However, I too was astonished that she was so upset that she had to "supplement" her DD's education with her own enrichment activities? I thought that was what parenting was? Or maybe I am wrong? The idea that she expected the schools to do everything seemed a bit out of whack to me.

[Anonymous]

I expect to "supplement" my child's education, too -- but I shouldn't feel a need to supplement basic academics. The woman said she felt the need to supplement reading, math and English... also to visit museums (science and social studies). Certainly visiting museums is somthing we all should do with our children.

I think the red zone/green zone factor is a big one. If your child is attending a school that has a very low percentage of children in poverty, the fact is the majority of the children in schools will very likely be working on or above grade level. Teachers who teach to the middle of the class will be taching on or above grade level in most cases. If you have a gifted child attending such a classroom -- chances are better that she'll be recieving instuction more geared to her ability level; chances are good that after school classes will be more of the "enrichment" variety and less of the "remedial" variety. ANd so on.

If your child's school has a very high percentage of children in poverty, the majority of the children in the school MAY not be working on grade level. They MAY, but chances are greater than in the other school that they will not. There will be therefore a much bigger focus in these schools on bringing kids up to the standard (grade level and able to pass tests). Kids who already are working on grade level or above, simply will be in the minority; and expectations for them just may not be the same as for kids in the higher socio-economic schools. Unless the principal of the school makes a conscientious effort to be sure that gifted/high academic ability kids are also being appropriately served, this is just the way it is.

[Anonymous]

As a lifelong MoCo resident and MCPS parent, I'm wondering where exactly we can point to and say, this part of the county is overwhelmingly low income. There are low income people in every zip code in the county; on the other hand, some areas are clearly majority high income (zip code 20854 or 20815, for example)-but there are not that many school districts that are altogether "poor"; just working class vs. old money. Takoma Park, MD is not an area I could classify as "poor". In our own school district, which is considered red zone and where there are a very high percentage of ESOL kids (thus maybe not enough kids writing at a high level in English at the elem level), there has been a decent opportunity for acceleration. When my child did not have a peer group in math, they moved him to the next grade level. I've heard similar stories from other parents with regard to reading and math. The lack of social studies and science education in the lower grades is much discussed. However, when we toured some of our nearby private schools, I didn't get the feeling that they were providing a lot of that at a high level either. It's true that if we were upcounty my child would likely be accelerated right within his own grade. But as long as it is available, then we're not be handed an inferior education. Don't get me wrong, this mother should do what is best for her child, but my personal experience has not been like hers (SO FAR) and we are also red zone parents. Maybe our principal is better at providing an environment that promotes identification of kids needing acceleration than her child's principal was. We'll see how it goes as my kids get older. I'll watch the writing education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Maybe our principal is better at providing an environment that promotes identification of kids needing acceleration than her child's principal was. We'll see how it goes as my kids get older. I'll watch the writing education.

I think that's very likely to be the case -- how a principal handles and enforces differentiation at the top end of the spectrum makes a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Maybe our principal is better at providing an environment that promotes identification of kids needing acceleration than her child's principal was. We'll see how it goes as my kids get older. I'll watch the writing education.

I think that's very likely to be the case -- how a principal handles and enforces differentiation at the top end of the spectrum makes a huge difference.

I'm the PP -- I'd like to add that IMO moving a child to the next grade level up for differentiated math or reading is not an acceptable soution long term. It may be a stop gap measure until something more permanent can be worked out. But it is definitely not ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a lifelong MoCo resident and MCPS parent, I'm wondering where exactly we can point to and say, this part of the county is overwhelmingly low income. There are low income people in every zip code in the county; on the other hand, some areas are clearly majority high income (zip code 20854 or 20815, for example)-but there are not that many school districts that are altogether "poor"; just working class vs. old money. Takoma Park, MD is not an area I could classify as "poor".

Well, here are some Free and Reduced Lunch statistics for schools in Takoma Park (zip 20912):

http://zipskinny.com/index.php?zip=20912&pagetype=schools

Carole Highlands Elementary: 79.1%
Piney Branch Elementary: 35.5%
Rolling Terrace Elementary: 51.2%
Takom Park Elementary 25.1%


So it does seem like there's a big difference within the 20912 Zip Code.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a lifelong MoCo resident and MCPS parent, I'm wondering where exactly we can point to and say, this part of the county is overwhelmingly low income.

"Red Zone" is the Down County Consortium. It is not like people have made this term up. MCPS Superintendent Weast has used this term to reflect the difference in the quality of education between MCPS schools. As for the poverty issue, at no point has anyone on this thread, until you, has made any implication that this difference was about income levels. Objective criteria point out that schools in the "red zone" are lower performing than other schools. These schools are also being targeted for the bulk of MCPS resources because of this. And GT parents in the "red zone" have routinely expressed displeasure at the lower quality of GT education in the "red zone". Try searching around here to get a better idea. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GTAletters/

[Anonymous]

PP, I'm one of the earlier postes who did refer to the Red ZOne schools as having a higher percentage of children in poverty. I don't live in Montgomery County, but I had heard the term "red zone" and thought it did mean schools in communities that had more families from lower socio-economic levels (as shown by higher # of students receiving Free/Reduced Lunch for example.) In general isn't it true, that the schools in the "down county consortium" have higher percentage of poor students?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Maybe our principal is better at providing an environment that promotes identification of kids needing acceleration than her child's principal was. We'll see how it goes as my kids get older. I'll watch the writing education.

I think that's very likely to be the case -- how a principal handles and enforces differentiation at the top end of the spectrum makes a huge difference.

I'm the PP -- I'd like to add that IMO moving a child to the next grade level up for differentiated math or reading is not an acceptable soution long term. It may be a stop gap measure until something more permanent can be worked out. But it is definitely not ideal.

Genuinely curious: why is a move to the next grade level not acceptable long term? What is a more permanent solution? Because if the child does not have a peer group within his/her own classroom, then what other option is there?