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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Honestly, I think if the specialty schools program was expanded, more middle class helicopter parents would put their kids in the county schools.  People need some sort of incentive, like winning a "lottery" or knowing that the other parents in their program at least applied and made an effort.[/quote]

I think this is true, but I wish it weren't because it only exacerbates the inequities. This school district is massive with some dismal schools and some great ones. But no one sees the gems unless they have the cache of a special program and that's a real shame. Some neighborhood schools are sadly getting overlooked. Some parents like the idea of a neighborhood school but are scared away by this very ingrained perception that the only way to make it in this county is in a specialty program. They don't even consider a neighborhood school for an instant. These are middle class helicopter parents who could make a huge difference in a school and use their muscle to make it better and promote the positives.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-specialty program. I just don't think it solves the bigger issue. To tackle the inequities and improve the reputation, the district as a whole needs to show it can educate all its students, not just those who get lucky enough to win the lottery or test TAG or whatever. [/quote]

I mean, I think everyone probably agrees with this in theory. But the inequities in education have plagued our country for literally its entire 250 year history, and it's not gonna be solved miraculously any time soon.

Specialty and magnet programs are fairly unique to the south and were originally devised as a solution to segregation. People will naturally segregate themselves, even when schools are desegregated by law, and that phenomenon is quite clear here in Maryland. Specialty and magnet programs give kids the opportunity to transcend the fate of their neighborhoods and diversify schools.

They are NOT perfect. There are many problems. But school self-segregation has gotten worse nationwide over the past decade or two, and I really think it is due in part to the dismantling and loss of funding for magnet schools, and this focus on "neighborhood" schools. When I hear people talk about the importance of supporting their "neighborhood" schools, I hear code for segregation.[/quote]

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