Reply to MoCo is diverse, for sure, but MCPS schools are not

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Reply to "MoCo is diverse, for sure, but MCPS schools are not"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

It's not the education it's the lack of intellectually motivated peer group that is objectionable.  The school district sets a county wide curriculum and all schools follow it.  It's the implementation that differs and the implementation differs because of the student population that the material is presented to.  For example, let's say Hamlet is a required read for all 11th graders in MCPS.  One school might cover the book in 2 weeks and have a multiple choice exam at the end.  Another school might cover the material over 4 weeks, require small group discussions, essays, and class presentations to invoke thoughtful discussion.  The material as manadated to be covered is met by both schools.  The education that the school board can control is the same.  The insights and in depth learning that comes from being surrounded by like motivated peers is not something that the school board controls through its curriculum.  For the school system, the curriculum is the education.  [b]The education is the same across all schools.[/b][/quote]

This is like saying that if you go to a fancy restaurant for dinner, the dinner is the same if they put you in the best table in the restaurant vs. the table next to the bathrooms.

It also completely overlooks the proven fact that if you put poor kids in a non-poor school, the poor kids benefit from that intellectually-motivated peer group. That's the whole point. A poor kid does better in a non-poor school than in a high-poverty school. That's why economic segregation is bad for poor kids.[/quote]

I totally agree that improving the peer group will improve a child's educational achievement.  But what's the solution?  How many underachieving kids can you move into a high achieving school before the school is no longer high achieving?  Will you ever be able to move enough underachieving kids to make a difference in the achievement gap?  Or will the high achieving kids' parents decide to pull them out before you get there?[/quote]

Well, let's see. Both of my kids are currently at schools (one elementary, one middle) with a FARMS rate of about 20%. That seems to be working pretty well. Meanwhile, the FARMS rate at the schools in Bethesda and Potomac generally hovers around [u]<[/u]5%. So I think there's plenty of room for economic desegregation before anybody needs to panic about being deluged by the underachieving poors.[/quote]

But what is the solution?  If the school is overcrowded (as many are), do you remove students from their neighborhood school and bus kids in?  If the school is located in a place that is not close to neighborhoods where the less advantaged kids are, does redistricting make any sense?  If you bus, how do you choose who is bused in?  How many?  It's not that I don't understand the problem, it's that I don't understand what *exactly* you want to have done.  What specific process do you propose to achieve desegregation?[/quote]

Let's look at what other options people in similar situations have explored in our area.  We know in DC, people that are unhappy try to get into charters.  I know MCPS tried one charter and it was not successful, but would bring in charter schools be a solution?  The other experience I have is with Balt City schools.  When you buy a house in Balt City, if you want a good education, you are most likely going to have to pay for private.  You know what the school offers and the school stats are before you buy the house.  That your local school is subpar is not a shock when it's time for your kids to enter school.[/quote]

Sooo...charter (not available in MCPS) or private?  In other words, opt out entirely?[/quote]

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