Reply to Sign Petition Asking for Boundaries Now, Programs Later

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Btw for those who are posting about the DCC without any familiarity with it, it offers programs that are NOT segregated programs. They benefit several hundreds of kids at each school and are interest based. The school choice aspect has positives and negatives. How do we address the negatives without eliminating the positives. Zero work has been done on this question. Why would you take something away and expect the community to not push back?[/quote]

The negatives being that it does lead to  greater levels of segregation along race/class, as the better resourced kids in the consortium lottery to other schools.  It's why Kennedy is so under-utilized.[/quote]

I am the PP you are responding to, and I totally agree with you. But the narrative that these programs only benefit wealthy kids is incorrect. And their regional program model will just reproduce the segregation across the county and make it worse by including the wealthiest schools as a "choice" that kids can lottery into.[/quote]

I am supportive of ending the consortia and the regional programs.

The programs maybe don't 'only' benefit wealthy kids, but certainly they lean toward benefiting kids with more resources in terms of parental transportation, parental job flexibility, multiple parents, etc.  And that's just because of the travel.[/quote]
Yes it sounds like we agree. The programs are open to all kids that are interested including those at the home schools, and transportation from kids' neighborhoods is provided (unlike the regional program model) but yes, it is not an especially equitable model. The regional program proposal is especially INEQUITABLE.[/quote]

What would it take to get people who have had school choice to accept an end to it, except for "you will have every imaginable class and service that you desire"?  In the context of a budget set at a school level (per number of kids, with some extra funding for special needs and ELL), what is the best way to allocate that money?[/quote]

Speaking for myself, I would prefer zero school choice. Barring that, I think they should put criteria based academic magnet programs at schools that need them to sustain advanced academic classes, not at schools that already have advanced academic classes for their own students and gain nothing from having a magnet program at their school.[/quote]

I am concerned that criteria-based magnet schools don't lead to measurable improvements for even a good portion of kids at the school.  Certainly it doesn't seem like Blair SMCS has done this.  I would love to see data to the contrary, but aside from those ~30 kids at Blair that get into the magnet, I don't see the good it is doing school-wide, even for the 'above average but not magnet level' kids.  Certainly the school seems to brag about the program quite a bit (and it sounds like an amazing program), but I wonder if the focus on the magnets just masks the issues with the non-magnet kids.  [/quote]

There are academically advanced kids zoned for every MCPS school. But schools restrict course availability in many schools, reducing opportunities for those students. [b]If[/b] they are going to have magnets, they should place them in schools that do not otherwise have enough interest to hold advanced classes. Not at high income schools, which will increase segregation. However, as you imply, this is irrelevant to the students that need the most support. As I said above, [b]Speaking for myself, I would prefer zero school choice. [/b] Meaning, no magnets. Everyone goes to their home school.[/quote]

You are responding to me, and I am fine with placing the magnets in higher-FARMS school.  I honestly don't see the issue with that, other than I don't actually think it will help the school overall.  But if that's what makes people feel they got something, then so be it.[/quote]
You're being a little condescending, I am going to try to spell this out in more simple terms:

1. There should be no magnet programs
2. I[b]f they do have magnet programs, they should NOT place them in high income schools, because that will increase segregation.[/b]
3. Therefore, if they do have magnet programs, they should place them in low income schools.[/quote]

Wow, I am a DP and I could not disagree with you more. 
1. The current magnet programs are the best educational opportunities in MCPS and when they have gotten rid of them, advanced learners have been left with insufficient work at even the best resourced schools 
2. Diversity is great, but their job is education, not solve the county’s issue that people tend to choose housing in certain ways that create homogeneity. I think it’s more important that they focus on giving all kids a great education. 
3. You are assuming a lot and I’m not sure your assumptions are correct. Many students access all kinds of programs and they come from all backgrounds. But if they actually gave comprehensive transportation, that would help much more, for all families. [/quote]

It's okay for us to disagree. Fwiw my "assumptions" are based in research and experiences of other magnets, as well as the vehement arguments that are being used to dissolve the DCC. You can't insist the DCC must be taken away and say it is good to have specialized programs that kids get transportation to.[/quote]

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