What makes Whitman such a (reputation of a) "pressure cooker?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read the book called "overachievers". It's not the courses or the number of AP classes taken. It is the school environment: the student body, the parents and the rat race to the top.

And yet college outcomes are about the same as 4 or 5 other MCPS schools with similar demographics and far below the magnet programs, which aren't pressure cookers.

That's one of the reason it's a pressure cooker. Almost everyone fighting for the few spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how kids do at the various schools after high school - like without the support systems and added aid or pressure, do Whitman students continue to excel generally in the college atmosphere, or do some flounder more or less than would be expected. … is there a marked difference between students at the various high school and their achievement levels after high school? Anyone know of any reports or research done as a follow up to high school achievement ?

The same as kids from any school. Whitman is remarkably average for MCPS. Its overall scores reflect its demographics. Take similar demographics from any MCPS school, and you will have similar outcomes.

Maybe but you’re confusing hypothetical with results. The inverses of your same argument works too. Like

Yes take Whitman kids and call the school Kennedy, Einstein or Blair and the will still succeed. But if you put all the Blair kids in Whitman they would still be Blair kids.

It’s the demographics cuts both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how kids do at the various schools after high school - like without the support systems and added aid or pressure, do Whitman students continue to excel generally in the college atmosphere, or do some flounder more or less than would be expected. … is there a marked difference between students at the various high school and their achievement levels after high school? Anyone know of any reports or research done as a follow up to high school achievement ?

The same as kids from any school. Whitman is remarkably average for MCPS. Its overall scores reflect its demographics. Take similar demographics from any MCPS school, and you will have similar outcomes.

Maybe but you’re confusing hypothetical with results. The inverses of your same argument works too. Like

Yes take Whitman kids and call the school Kennedy, Einstein or Blair and the will still succeed. But if you put all the Blair kids in Whitman they would still be Blair kids.

It’s the demographics cuts both ways.

On the contrary. You are confusing bulk statistics with actual outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Read the book called "overachievers". It's not the courses or the number of AP classes taken. It is the school environment: the student body, the parents and the rat race to the top.

And yet college outcomes are about the same as 4 or 5 other MCPS schools with similar demographics and far below the magnet programs, which aren't pressure cookers.

Both my kids went through SMCS @Blair and graduated with well above 4.0 weighted and only studied maybe 2 hours a night. I gues there were things they could've done to make it harder, but I can't imagine Whitman is anywhere near Blair in terms of difficulty or demands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how kids do at the various schools after high school - like without the support systems and added aid or pressure, do Whitman students continue to excel generally in the college atmosphere, or do some flounder more or less than would be expected. … is there a marked difference between students at the various high school and their achievement levels after high school? Anyone know of any reports or research done as a follow up to high school achievement ?

The same as kids from any school. Whitman is remarkably average for MCPS. Its overall scores reflect its demographics. Take similar demographics from any MCPS school, and you will have similar outcomes.

Maybe but you’re confusing hypothetical with results. The inverses of your same argument works too. Like

Yes take Whitman kids and call the school Kennedy, Einstein or Blair and the will still succeed. But if you put all the Blair kids in Whitman they would still be Blair kids.

It’s the demographics cuts both ways.

What is a "Blair kid"? What is a "Whitman kid"? Please explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how kids do at the various schools after high school - like without the support systems and added aid or pressure, do Whitman students continue to excel generally in the college atmosphere, or do some flounder more or less than would be expected. … is there a marked difference between students at the various high school and their achievement levels after high school? Anyone know of any reports or research done as a follow up to high school achievement ?

It is all word of mouth, but my kids and their friends reported being incredibly prepared for college vis a vis their peers at said colleges (and that is colleges from Williams to South Carolija and all in between). I would not have believed it since in mcps they never seem to write a lengthy research paper nor take a final, but that’s the report I got from my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how kids do at the various schools after high school - like without the support systems and added aid or pressure, do Whitman students continue to excel generally in the college atmosphere, or do some flounder more or less than would be expected. … is there a marked difference between students at the various high school and their achievement levels after high school? Anyone know of any reports or research done as a follow up to high school achievement ?

It is all word of mouth, but my kids and their friends reported being incredibly prepared for college vis a vis their peers at said colleges (and that is colleges from Williams to South Carolija and all in between). I would not have believed it since in mcps they never seem to write a lengthy research paper nor take a final, but that’s the report I got from my kids.

Not surprised. There is this notion of adaptation. Average kid will step up to the rigor and quality of work demanded of them. Thus any increase when they get to college is negligible because they just adjust for it. If the student learns How to Learn and Study and how to Advocate for Self during MS to HS they’ll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how kids do at the various schools after high school - like without the support systems and added aid or pressure, do Whitman students continue to excel generally in the college atmosphere, or do some flounder more or less than would be expected. … is there a marked difference between students at the various high school and their achievement levels after high school? Anyone know of any reports or research done as a follow up to high school achievement ?

The same as kids from any school. Whitman is remarkably average for MCPS. Its overall scores reflect its demographics. Take similar demographics from any MCPS school, and you will have similar outcomes.

Maybe but you’re confusing hypothetical with results. The inverses of your same argument works too. Like

Yes take Whitman kids and call the school Kennedy, Einstein or Blair and the will still succeed. But if you put all the Blair kids in Whitman they would still be Blair kids.

It’s the demographics cuts both ways.

What is a "Blair kid"? What is a "Whitman kid"? Please explain.

Well, my kid's demographic at Blair has a higher SAT average than the same demographic at Whitman, according to MCPS data, so they're saying that Blair's kids are just more intelligent.