Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 16:14     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Are you really trying to compare the most well-resourced school in DCPS to an entire neighboring school system??
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 16:12     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Not too many people move from MCPS to DCPS for a reason.


In fairness, not many people that would send their kids to JR or Walls move to MCPS either. It is just there are many people where they don't have JR as a neighborhood option and Walls is a small school.

Admittedly, MCPS has Whitman, Churchhill, BCC, Wooten...many good options for HS. I have heard close-in MCPS middle school is an issue for a lot of people, but they go with the flow because they do have strong HS options.

Also, college competition is more severe from these MCPS high schools, so if you have great stats at JR you are not competing against nearly as many kids with great stats for T20 colleges.


This is exactly my impression. If you buy a starter home in Brookland, you are likely going to move to MoCo because it's cheaper and there's more housing stock and school options than moving IB for JR. Particularly because there's a good chance you can only afford Blair/Einstein, maybe BCC, but not Whitman or Wooten. But if you buy IB for JR, you had the financials to choose between MCPS and JR and are unlikely to change your mind for largely similar schools. Plus, many people don't LIKE those high schools and would rather deal with the warts at JR than the pressure cooker elitism in MoCo.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 16:07     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to DCPS - no teachers for some classes. I'm suer it happens at MCPS too. Eventually, they get one after a mediocre sub. Not blaming teachers/subs...the pay sucks.


I've had kids in MCPS for 15 years and have never heard of a teacherless class at one of my kids' schools.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:41     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Anonymous wrote:Not too many people move from MCPS to DCPS for a reason.


In fairness, not many people that would send their kids to JR or Walls move to MCPS either. It is just there are many people where they don't have JR as a neighborhood option and Walls is a small school.

Admittedly, MCPS has Whitman, Churchhill, BCC, Wooten...many good options for HS. I have heard close-in MCPS middle school is an issue for a lot of people, but they go with the flow because they do have strong HS options.

Also, college competition is more severe from these MCPS high schools, so if you have great stats at JR you are not competing against nearly as many kids with great stats for T20 colleges.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:39     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
I'd take MCPS over DCPS any day.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:37     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
The teacher shortage is nation wide. I am a teacher and on a number of list serves for teachers. Complaints are the same all over. We are all filling in, using our free and planning periods to cover for others, and teaching new classes at the last minute. My son has a math teacher who just took over his French class in another school. It is hard to find teachers generally and mid year it is even harder. I encourage anyone who ever considered teaching to do it now. We need you.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:37     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Not too many people move from MCPS to DCPS for a reason.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:30     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
JR can work v. well for go-getter kids. MoCo pushes the not-so-motivated much harder overall.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 14:53     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Anonymous wrote:Thanks for this, OP. We, like many elementary parents, are constantly hearing these things and questioning whether the grass would be greener if we bailed to MoCo. Part of it is that the families that did leave have an interest in justifying their decision, part of it is probably post-pandemic challenges that are actually happening everywhere. But looking at the families and the kids that attend, it's really hard to imagine that it's that much different than over there.

It is that much different
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 14:35     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Thanks for this, OP. We, like many elementary parents, are constantly hearing these things and questioning whether the grass would be greener if we bailed to MoCo. Part of it is that the families that did leave have an interest in justifying their decision, part of it is probably post-pandemic challenges that are actually happening everywhere. But looking at the families and the kids that attend, it's really hard to imagine that it's that much different than over there.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 13:59     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
I agree with the OP... my (high-achieving) sophomore has solid teachers and is being challenged...it is much improved over last year.

My older DC graduated from J-R (then Wilson) and is doing fine at a top 30 college.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 13:42     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Welcome to DCPS - no teachers for some classes. I'm suer it happens at MCPS too. Eventually, they get one after a mediocre sub. Not blaming teachers/subs...the pay sucks.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 13:32     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
A few teacherless classes?!? How does that work? I don't have a kid in public, but this would be a serious problem. Yikes.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 11:30     Subject: Re:constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
Do you need validation?
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 11:08     Subject: constant chatter about Montgomery County schools being better
My daughter and her entire friend group of varying degrees of academic abilities love JR and are doing great. Sure there is unpredictability and a few teacherless classes occasionally but it is a great school with excellent outcomes for those who want it. I don't see a comparison apple to apple but we have friends in MCPS who have similar complaints and likes.