Reply to Big proposed class size increases for Title 1 and focus schools next year

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Reply to "Big proposed class size increases for Title 1 and focus schools next year"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Does anyone ever think how MCPS is failing the Non-Farms students at Title 1 schools? By keeping their performance low and lacking MCPS is only fulfilling its blind equity agenda. If you want equity, invent a time machine, and go back to USSR. [/quote]

Nobody of importance ever thinks that, unfortunately. Parents need to look out for their kids and not send them to such schools. [/quote]

Rich parents don't send their kids there, a few middle class moms and dads do. Desperate for a house they convince themselves that they are clever and come up with circle logic to placate themselves that they aren't screwing their kids over so Mom can have quartz counter tops. You'll hear lines like easier to stand out, smaller class sizes, better food at international night, better rounded experiences but what they really get is a bunch of friends who can't read and write, an overwhelmed teacher, lame birthday parties and their child being the one who doesn't fit in. Can you make it work, sure but most don't.

Everyone looks down on a worse school but they become irrational in understanding that their school is one of them. You ask the Avg Eastern Middle school parent when no one is looking and they will ramble on about MoCo being better than PG but there are plenty of Middle schools in PG better than Eastern and there is very little that differentiates that school from it's neighbors in Langley Park[/quote]

What makes the difference is having good teachers and admin.  Being at a rich school with bad teachers is worthless. [/quote]

Partially true but people underestimate the amount a community raises it's kids. Example; picture what style clothes you wish your kid would wear, now and what is your 15 or 16 year old wearing. Now multiply that over 1000s of micro decision points. Some the parents can influence 99%, some as low as 1%, but what the parents can select is the environment. To your point a bad teacher can gunk up a kids progress and even set them back, but find me a rational person who think poor schools with poor outcomes has a stronger concentration of good teachers than motivated communities with ample resources. We actually know these stats and affluent school's have more experience, education and time at the school on avg not to mention better production. Sure it's the kids mainly but you don't think good teachers are drawn to that or are you the type that thinks Michelle Pfeiffers are hunkering down in mass to save the paupers, life isn't that noble. [/quote]

As a parent of teens I heavily influence everything.  You may allow your kids to run your home but many of us don’t.  We are at what you’d consider poor schools and what we see makes the difference is the quality and skill of the teachers.  These kids and families you look down on are our friends and neighbors and I’d take them over someone like you any day.  [/quote]

Agree 💯 teachers (and supportive admin) make all the difference at a school but as a teacher at a Title I school who has spent years studying how trauma affects the brain, there is only so much teachers can do.

I love my school and do as much as possible to help kids succeed — I attend their weekend sports events, provide tutoring resources for parents, work with our community liaison to get kids signed up for community events, etc. However,  I would not feel comfortable with my children attending my school with the current admin.

Many of the kids at my school have gone through intense trauma, and many more have been exposed to SO MUCH that is not age appropriate. As a result, we see lots of behaviors that are either violent and very aggressive or behaviors that are not age appropriate (explicit sexual references, bringing edibles to school, threatening and cussing out teachers, etc.).

That, combined with the fact that most kids at my school require a high amount of support academically, is enough to make me think twice about having my kids educated in that environment. Sadly, more often than not, many of the kids coming from “stable” families eventually will either start to emulate the behaviors of the other students because it’s mainstream and accepted, or are bullied because they don’t fit in.

Moot point because my kids are older now, but what would need to change for me to feel comfortable with my kids attending my current school?

-Admin need to be flexible and creative, considering non-traditional learning environments (flexible mixed grade level grouping).

-Consider differentiating reading and math starting in second grade. It could be something as simple as having all students stay in class together for the first 45 min of reading so (in theory) even low students are exposed to rich academic language and discussions, and then they split into ability groups for the remaining 75 minutes of ELA. Have at least one para to help out in the low groups. Ability groupings should be flexible with movement up or down quarterly as needed.

-Allow teachers to adjust curriculum pacing so students could actually develop foundational skills.

-Compacted math should only consist of kids capable of doing the work and are ready for a challenge. We take the top 15 kids from 4th grade for our 4/5 math class, and the top 15 kids from 5th for our 5/6 math. Currently, we only have about 5-8 kids in each compacted math class that belong there. As a result, the teacher spends time remediating foundational skills — not the point of a compacted math class!

-Enforce real consequences for bullying, violent and aggressive behavior. We have multiple classes each week that have to relocate because of a violent and dangerous student. Even kindergartners throw tables and use scissors as weapons.

—Bring the fun back into school. Allow teachers to be creative with teaching content (how can you teach science to kids without hands on experiments?!?). Allow class celebrations and the occasional movie afternoon at the end of the quarter (versus EVerY miNuTE mUst be deVOteD to leArNinG!!!).

There are other issues with MCPS that seem to compound the challenges at my school:
-The curriculum is wayyyy too hard for the majority of my students.

-MCPS has too many useless “content coaches” we are required to meet with weekly (um great ideas on paper buddy but please demonstrate a lesson on dividing by fractions to my class when 80% have NO idea how to divide whole numbers!).

-There needs to be a newcomer evaluation process that allows transition time for students new to this country. If they can pass a grade level assessment, great! They go straight to their home school. If not, they attend a specialized center for 3-6 months to acclimate to the culture, language, letter/sound correspondence, etc. They don’t need to pass the test to leave the center but this will allow them time to transition.

-There needs to be a quicker process to place students in environments where they can receive the correct amount of support to be successful (behavior or academic). Our school does not have an LFI or autism program, yet we have many autistic students entering K that are non-verbal, not potty trained, violent, etc. or older aggressive students that need a BIP. Not fair to the remaining students, especially the kids who receive special ed services.

-Our SpEd teachers are now spending more than half their time managing these kids that require SO MUCH extra support, and that takes away from the time they are able to spend with students on their actual caseload.

-As mentioned by other PP’s, the parent education piece is vital. In general, I’ve found that immigrant parents at my school tend to be more wayyy more receptive to strategies and ideas to help their kids versus the parents that have been locked in generational poverty cycles. While there may be some overlap, MCPS needs to recognize and address these issues to further educate and empower families. [/quote]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom. [/quote]

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