Reply to Thursday Nov 20 BOE Discussion on Boundaries and Regional Program Model

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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][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Btw an equity mindset would mean[b] placing programs in schools that have gaps.[/b] Like if there are zero advanced science classes at a school, put a science program there.

They are doing the opposite. They are putting programs at schools that already have the classes. Then they proposing having certain kids from other schools get driven by their parents to their home school to take a bus to this school that already has these classes to take them. [/quote]

[b]Highlighted sentence is exactly the reason why SMCS was originally established at Blair.[/b] Wootton and Churchill kids sacrifice long bus ride for an excellent education, and kids living in DCC area also benefits from (Blair kids can freely take any magnet class as long as prerequisite is met and counselor approves). CO can move this program to Kennedy or Gaithersburg. It’ll still be excellent and filled with majority of W kids. They can add one more closer to Ws so to allow more access. Dismantling it completely and make 6…… that’s as crazy as it sounds like.[/quote]
No.
Keep repeating that same lie, doesn't make it true. 
The magnet was placed there to stem white flight. [/quote]

DP I don't personally know the history of Blair's SMCS. That being said, if what you are saying is true, [b]isn't putting criteria based academic programs at Whitman and BCC[/b] that are only reasonably accessible to families with their own transportation a way to promote White flight?[/quote]
Whitman and BCC are not the only places that will have criteria based academic programs. STEM won't be at either places, for example. [/quote]

On Thursday they proposed an interest based engineering program at BCC. It will not attract kids struggling in math. 75% of Black students and 86% of Latino students in MCPS are not proficient in high school math.[/quote]

Central office is pulling programs out of the air; doesn't seem there is much rhyme or reason to many of them. [/quote]

BCC already has an engineering program. They will attract students from other schools with it which will increase the staff allocation for BCC. Can't say the same for the Einstein biomedical program that doesn't exist and won't get any resources.[/quote]

Both Whitman and BCC have engineering. That means Whitman students continue to have the same access they always had.

Northwood, Einstein, and Blair do not have engineering programs. DCC students who want engineering go to Wheaton, which is closer than BCC will be. Moreover, the DCC model allowed a few hundred non-Wheaton students per year to access the engineering program.

The new model will accept maybe 30 non-BCC students in the first few years. It seems like there won’t be limits on BCC students who want to sign up for engineering classes.

So basically, BCC and Whitman students will have unrestricted access to engineering, while 30 students from Blair, Einstein and Northwood will get into the program.

There’s no equity in this proposal and MCPS should stop pretending otherwise. [/quote]

The Blair magnet has multiple engineering courses in that program, to which Blair Northwood and Einstein kids can access seats. So now you have three schools that were not available to you before but which are now available with engineering. We cannot locate all programs at Einstein, sorry. [/quote]

First of all it's incredibly disingenuous to say Einstein kids "can access" seats at other schools. First they have to get into the program by lottery or by criteria and they also have to figure out the commute which not all schools can do.

Whitman and BCC have all the programs already. They have engineering, they have advanced math, they have advanced humanities. Every single student at these schools can access those programs, not just ones that win the lottery. To suggest Einstein families are asking for too much when Whitman and BCC already have everything is disgusting and offensive.

How about just having one AP physics class at 
Einstein. Not asking for the three different AP physics classes that BCC and Whitman have that give their students an edge for admission to engineering programs. Just one. Am I being greedy?[/quote]

I don’t know why your principal won’t give you a physics class. He or she should. End of story. That said, the reality is there isn’t one. So these are your current choices, of which you have multiple ways to get what you need. There is also an MCPS online option to take AP courses for credit. This only matters if your kid is both high achieving and also really interested in science. I have two high achieving high schoolers and it’s nice to have the option but they would be fine with ib physics if that’s all there was. [/quote]

Thanks. That's nice that you think the principal should ensure access to AP physics. Unfortunately, MCPS has proposed nothing tangible to that effect. Just that the lucky few students can commute to other schools to access these courses. The rest will be sol. And to be shrieking "equity!" while proposing  a system that isn't designed or intended to be equitable at all is really, really low.[/quote]

Right. But at the end of the day these are two different issues. Yes the regional programs might offer you a path to access courses your school doesn’t offer, but truly, you shouldn’t have to go elsewhere and seek out a special program to have the majority of your basic academic needs met. So it shouldn’t matter where the regional programs are, because the programs should be for wants not for needs.[/quote]

MCPS must think we are idiots if they think they can convince us they are unrelated. Of course they are related. They obviously know this because they are proposing placing programs based on existing assets, like the availability of advanced coursework. The are intentionally NOT placing advanced academic programs at schools that don't currently have a lot of advanced academic classes. If they did that instead, they would be increasing equity, but equity is not their goal.[/quote]

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