Reply to Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]would Farmland prefer Woodward or Kennedy (Option 3)?[/quote]

Farmland prefers Woodward rather than busing all the kids 45 minutes to Kennedy. Tilden schools (Farmland, Garrett Park, Luxmanor) provide most of the FARMS/diversity that WJ currently has. Moving all of those schools out of WJ, without moving DCC schools in, makes WJ into Whitman 2.0.

In addition to FARMS families, you also have a lot of regular middle class families with kids at Farmland whose parents work at NIH or the Naval Hospital living over in congressional and across Rockville pike. Often with only one car (or no car) and they have to walk or take public transportation.

Busing all the FARMS families plus transit challenged families from Farmland to Kennedy, when they can walk to Woodward (even easier to get to) is a terrible idea and honestly just mean. And same thing for families near Kennedy being bused to Woodward. [/quote]

This is why option 3 doesn’t really move the needle on FARMS at Kennedy. [/quote]

None of the options really move the FARMS needles.  The only outlier is option 3 bussing kids to Whitman, and Whitman goes from like 6% to 20%.  But everywhere else in option 3 doesn’t seem to do a whole lot[b] (considering that the “magic” FARMS rate is 20-30%; once you get above that it apparently makes no difference for educational outcomes).[/b][/quote]

This is far from certain. One of the studies found that below 35% improved math outcomes.

Research is not perfect. Regression analyses can never account for all confounding variables and you can't do an experiment on this. Significant variation exists between schools, teachers and student bodies even with the same poverty rates.

It could be interesting to look at MCPS climate survey results at schools with different poverty rates. Of course those surveys are far from perfect but I have found that the staff survey results generally matched up with what I heard from staff with experience at the specific schools.[/quote]

The equalizing of FARMS rates seems to not have very good support in terms of helping educational outcomes.  If that’s accurate why go through the expense and trouble of doing so?  Is it to manage behavioral issues?[/quote]

Incorrect. There is a lot of research including a very good study involving Montgomery County specifically. My grad professor in another state taught that study as an example of good research.

The issue is that this type of research is not going to be very exact in terms of a "tipping point" and my guess is that, for example  40% is likely substantially better for kids than 60%.[/quote]

Ok then by these different percentages (higher than 20-30%) is there meaningful difference for the changes in option 3?  Meaning if you get a school going from 60 to 50 is that going to improve outcomes?[/quote]

I have no idea. I'm not impressed by Option 3 frankly and don't think it's worth it. I doubt the BOE would go for it either but who knows. I want Option 1 but modified so Wheaton doesn't end up overcrowded.

But I also don't agree with the argument that it is 20-30% FARMS or bust, and that's the claim by post above was responding to.[/quote]

I agree that Option 3 seems woefully misguided even from an “improving demographics” standpoint.  And I can’t imagine it is cost neutral given the numerous islands and the busing that would need to occur.

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