Changes in MCPS in the last 15 years

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And I spent my entire teaching career in MCPS. My kids spent four years in the system before we moved out of the area.

I will NEVER return singing its praises b/c where are now is SUPERIOR to our former system. So while MCPS may be better than some systems, it's NOT THE best.

You just can't quit MCPS, can you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the descriptions here, DC ES are much better! Kids have PE more than once a week. They also get music and art. At my kids current charter, kids have PE 2-3 times a week, plus theater/art depending on the grade. Classes sizes are no more than 20 kids. DC school also offer free Pre-K. Reallyl glad we decided not to move to MC.

And in which PART of DC is this school located?

Will you be staying in the area for MS and HS?

Here's the thing. . . . While an ES may be wonderful by your standards, the HS isn't always so great. This is why those with means end up paying for private.

NP. I don't think it is useful to start a DC vs MCPS sub-thread here. On the whole, DCPS is dealing with many of the same issues as MCPS, including demographic shifts in the overall population, increased numbers of ELLs, and resegregations of public schools.

PP seems happy with their DCPS charter. Great! I'm happy with my MCPS public + gifted programs. PP was willing to deal with the charter lottery, which I wasn't particularly interested in tackling. I was willing to help my kids navigate the gifted testing system, which maybe other folks would like to avoid.

It's not a bad thing for different families to be happy in neighboring school districts, but the overall challenges that both districts are facing are pretty similar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

And I spent my entire teaching career in MCPS. My kids spent four years in the system before we moved out of the area.

I will NEVER return singing its praises b/c where are now is SUPERIOR to our former system. So while MCPS may be better than some systems, it's NOT THE best.

You just can't quit MCPS, can you?

Oh yes, I can!

[Anonymous]

Seems like things have gotten better and better each year that I've lived here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on the descriptions here, DC ES are much better! Kids have PE more than once a week. They also get music and art. At my kids current charter, kids have PE 2-3 times a week, plus theater/art depending on the grade. Classes sizes are no more than 20 kids. DC school also offer free Pre-K. Reallyl glad we decided not to move to MC.

And in which PART of DC is this school located?

Will you be staying in the area for MS and HS?

Here's the thing. . . . While an ES may be wonderful by your standards, the HS isn't always so great. This is why those with means end up paying for private.

NP. I don't think it is useful to start a DC vs MCPS sub-thread here. On the whole, DCPS is dealing with many of the same issues as MCPS, including demographic shifts in the overall population, increased numbers of ELLs, and resegregations of public schools.

PP seems happy with their DCPS charter. Great! I'm happy with my MCPS public + gifted programs. PP was willing to deal with the charter lottery, which I wasn't particularly interested in tackling. I was willing to help my kids navigate the gifted testing system, which maybe other folks would like to avoid.

It's not a bad thing for different families to be happy in neighboring school districts, but the overall challenges that both districts are facing are pretty similar.

dC is not a growing sanctuary city for illegal Hispanics and their offspring like Fairfax, Arlington, and especially Montgomery County are. Not even close in numbers or acceleration. If anything deceleration once many left Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. And they’re not moving to CASA de Anacostia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the change is that there are a lot more poor brown people now, much like the rest of the US, and many don't like it.

Whether you like it or not, doesn’t change the fact that the demographics of MCPS have changed.

OP’s sister doesn’t really see it at Wootton, but we see it at other schools.

Our MS sends out every email and newsletter in Spanish and spends money to have translators at all events. My friend at Frost doesn’t report the same.

MCPS closes during Jewish holidays because there are so many here. Is that a bad thing, too?

They should do a recount of that instead of citing numbers from 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The BOE did not higher all these Equity Officers for nothing. Desegregation coming to a neighborhood near you. By any means necessary.

No it’s not. No kids are getting bussed 4-8 miles in Wash DC area rush hour twice a day! There arent enough busses, drivers, nor time to do that for ES, MS, HS bus circuit. You want to see tons of busses on 270, 495, Georgia Ave, Conn Ave, River Road, Seminary Rd.

They’d look like crackheads suggesting or doing that. They already know that kill rate that half the county puts on the Blair magnet commute, now they want to 50x that!?!? What a bunch of jokesters. If they had a normal job they’d have been fired for overpaying consultants right now “to tell them what they want to hear.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, who has been in the system about 10 years, Il would say certain school districts have changed a lot more than ever. The achievement gap has created a situation whereby a whole lot of kids are doing great and do great no matter what, but a whole bunch of other kids are way behind. As a result there is “no middle”. It is very very difficult to find a lesson plan or curriculum that can easily work in this situation. No matter the lesson it feels like there is a disservice to a group in class where thing are either too easy or too hard. This is especially true in middle school where most class are heterogenous and they don’t like to track.

Differentiating is racist!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the change is that there are a lot more poor brown people now, much like the rest of the US, and many don't like it.

Whether you like it or not, doesn’t change the fact that the demographics of MCPS have changed.

OP’s sister doesn’t really see it at Wootton, but we see it at other schools.

Our MS sends out every email and newsletter in Spanish and spends money to have translators at all events. My friend at Frost doesn’t report the same.

MCPS closes during Jewish holidays because there are so many here. Is that a bad thing, too?

They should do a recount of that instead of citing numbers from 30 years ago.

They did. Perhaps you missed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems like things have gotten better and better each year that I've lived here.

+100 I heart curriculum 3.0 and the cohort criteria which has help make the magnet selection more inclusive.

[Anonymous]

Serious question - why aren’t there charters in MoCo? DC schools have improved enormously over the last decade and that must be due (in part) to the charter schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - why aren’t there charters in MoCo? DC schools have improved enormously over the last decade and that must be due (in part) to the charter schools.

There was one a few years ago in Kensington, but it closed down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Serious question - why aren’t there charters in MoCo? DC schools have improved enormously over the last decade and that must be due (in part) to the charter schools.

Totally agree. DCPS is on upswing in Nw DC and it’s charter schools ES, MS, and HS.

It would be a great solution here to. More school choice for all.

[Anonymous]

Could be a great solution to overcrowding etc and meet some of the special needs/wants of different communities. Why doesn’t the County Council authorize non-profit charter schools to provide free public education in MoCo. I believe this has also helped in LA and elsewhere. Some groups must be opposed here in MoCo....

[Anonymous]

Who has right to authosize. charter Schools? County council or BOE? Cannot wait to have a school like KIPP to open in MC.