Anonymous wrote:I really think you should attribute this feeling to public schooling being more difficult now generally and not just MCPS. I’m not saying that MCPS doesn’t have its problems, but folks are creating a narrative that all things MCPS are terrible and this isn’t true.

+1 agree. I think it's a nationwide problem.

Anonymous wrote:The issue isn’t MCPS. Its society. This is the first generation being raised with phones and iPads as easy entertainment. Kids don’t learn to manage themselves, think for themselves, be creative, etc. Their parents are millennials who were raised in structured activities, trophy for everything, and now don’t have some essential parenting skills like setting boundaries.

The public education system isn’t designed to be a service industry that so many people treat it as. Too many people (federal, state, local, individual) have very different ideas of how it should operate, which pulls it in too many directions. Yes there are plenty of problems, but it’s not something that MCPS alone can fix.

Absolutely agree. I was a teacher and school administrator for many years and now I work with schools through an education nonprofit. So much of what DCUM attributes to MCPS is post-pandemic society that public, charter and independent schools are experiencing across the United States. Of course MCPS has areas that it needs to strengthen - along with every other school and district in the country - but the melodrama on here about MCPS is absurd. It's everywhere. It's the state of our country and a wake up call for change.

The problems are diverse, but they point back to the same cause: MCEA's control of the Board of Education. Until the union falls apart, MCPS isn't likely to get better.

Anonymous wrote:The issue isn’t MCPS. Its society. This is the first generation being raised with phones and iPads as easy entertainment. Kids don’t learn to manage themselves, think for themselves, be creative, etc. Their parents are millennials who were raised in structured activities, trophy for everything, and now don’t have some essential parenting skills like setting boundaries.

The public education system isn’t designed to be a service industry that so many people treat it as. Too many people (federal, state, local, individual) have very different ideas of how it should operate, which pulls it in too many directions. Yes there are plenty of problems, but it’s not something that MCPS alone can fix.

I agree with this.

First steps to any functional organization/business: Figure out your mission statement and set clear boundaries for what you do and do not do. The goals need to be clear and achievable.

MCPS has this mission statement:
"The mission of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is to ensure every student has the academic, creative problem solving, and social emotional skills to be successful in college, career and community, regardless of his or her background."

Ummm, does anyone think that mission is possible? I don't. Therefore, of course they will fail.

In contrast, here is Anne Arundel's:
"The mission of Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) is to educate students to be prepared for college, careers, and community engagement. The goal is to empower students to create a better quality of life for themselves, their communities, and future generations.

Much more achievable, yes?

We have a failure to align with reality at the top.

Anonymous wrote:For those that have been around the school system for a pretty long time, has the public confidence in MCPS has ever been lower? Is this rock bottom for the once mighty public school system?

It's pretty clear that MCPS makes teachers want to quit, parents celebrating being done, and students opting out of attending school in droves. And it's also pretty clear that MCPS central office administrators monitor this page, and gaslight the entire community by arguing that the dumpster is not on fire.

What a sad state of affairs...

Wow, I had no idea that they monitored DCUM. Creepy!
Yes, I've lost all confidence for my own DC and pulled him. I'm hoping MCPS finds its way eventually though. Montgomery County is our home and it's difficult to come to terms that I live in a place where the schools are in such a low condition permanently.

The issue isn’t MCPS. Its society. This is the first generation being raised with phones and iPads as easy entertainment. Kids don’t learn to manage themselves, think for themselves, be creative, etc. Their parents are millennials who were raised in structured activities, trophy for everything, and now don’t have some essential parenting skills like setting boundaries.

The public education system isn’t designed to be a service industry that so many people treat it as. Too many people (federal, state, local, individual) have very different ideas of how it should operate, which pulls it in too many directions. Yes there are plenty of problems, but it’s not something that MCPS alone can fix.

Kids skipping school is not a part of the decline. Actually, things might improve if more kids skipped. The issue here is that Maryland stopped allowing kids to drop out back in 2017. It used to be that totally unmotivated kids left when they were 16, around 10th grade. Now they aren’t allowed to leave so they just skip school or sit in class disrupting everything.

OP, you told no lies.

My oldest graduated from MCPS in 2023, having spent all his academic life there (after Montessori preschool). My youngest is in 9th grade.

Even when my kids were little, there were posts on DCUM saying how MCPS stinks and how far it had sunk from its "heyday".

Please take everything with a grain of salt, OP.

Another thread on this topic? The summary is yes everyone is tired. What alternatives do you propose? Clearly some students don't attend classes numerous examples given here..mcps CO on this forum won't change trying to control optics 🙄

I really think you should attribute this feeling to public schooling being more difficult now generally and not just MCPS. I’m not saying that MCPS doesn’t have its problems, but folks are creating a narrative that all things MCPS are terrible and this isn’t true.

Been teaching with MCPS for 15 years. It’s such a sad state of affairs.

Yes everything ypu said is true!
Veteran mcps educator

For those that have been around the school system for a pretty long time, has the public confidence in MCPS has ever been lower? Is this rock bottom for the once mighty public school system?

It's pretty clear that MCPS makes teachers want to quit, parents celebrating being done, and students opting out of attending school in droves. And it's also pretty clear that MCPS central office administrators monitor this page, and gaslight the entire community by arguing that the dumpster is not on fire.

What a sad state of affairs...