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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A school is made by teachers, students, admins, supporting staffs, and facility.  Since MCPS uses the same curriculum for all its schools, the curriculum shouldn't vary among different schools. Special programs or choice programs are not discussed here.
Let’s discuss why some svhools are strong but others are weak by looking into each component and then ask how to improve it.  Remember, the goal of MCPS is not to produce schools with equal out come.  MCPS should provide tools for EACH student to reach his/her potential

[/quote]

wow - that's exactly the argument many used in favor of segregation![/quote]

One of the main arguments in favor of an emphasis on racial mix is that white kids get the best teachers and instruction, therefore you must have black kids in the classroom with them, otherwise black children will get the crap teachers and crap instruction (and the crap facilities).

Redistricting is a fact of public school management but[b] if the lesser teachers and instruction are being concentrated in schools with a higher minority population that's a problem.[/b]

[/quote]

There's a lot of research around this, but it can be hard to extrapolate to a place like MoCo. In general, the higher the number of Black and Latinx kids in a school district, the worse the resources for schools. That is particularly true in places with city-based and town-based school districts.

Some of those inequities are smoothed in a large diverse county-wide district like MCPS, but there are other challenges. I've had kids in both high-needs and low-needs MCPS schools, and the low-needs schools are funding a tremendous number of additional activities and opportunities out of PTA (parental) funds. They are also able to be very generous with teachers, which reduces the amount that a teacher needs to spend out of pocket. This can be appealing to some teachers, who move from high-needs to low-needs schools as they progress in their careers.

At the same time, there are plenty of high quality teachers who chose teaching because they wanted to work with high-needs student populations, or who stay in a specific school because it works for their commute or they like the administration.

So, it's a mixed bag. I've seen very weak teachers move from a high-needs to a low-needs school, and I wonder how they fare there, with a demanding parent community and zero classroom management skills. I've also seen teachers move from a low-needs to a high-needs school and struggle because their mode of instruction rests on every kid having access to a computer at home and plenty of time and space to do their work.

The final factor is parent advocacy. I've not done a comprehensive survey, but it does seem that the squeaky wheel gets the grease in MCPS. If you have a critical mass of well-connected parents, you get your facilities revamped ahead of schedule (BCC) or hang on to benefits the rest of the county doesn't have (Piney Branch).

It's complicated, in short. [/quote]

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