bump

I am not commenting on the merit of the curriculum 2.0. However, Change.org or other online petions have an effect. For example the following petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/please-do-not-change-the-8th-grade-culmination-nyboston-trips
brought about the following change.
http://germantown.patch.com/articles/parents-contest-possible-changes-to-middle-school-magnet-program#photo-4945854

Paper signatures is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Times and tools have changed. We should use the tools that is aligned with the current time.

MCPS is accountable to students, parents and taxpayers. As a government service, they most certainly do need to be responsive to the community that they serve.

I understand that Starr has tried to dismiss the survey but the arguments that the 1500 signatures probably came from people out of state is grasping at straws. No one in West Virginia gives a rat's behind about the math curriculum in MD. This isn't a hot topic such as gun control, the presidency or anything that would attract anyone beyond parents in MCPS or possibly taxpayers worried about property values if a drop in school prestige affects the local housing market.

The petition isn't the only tool that parents should use to raise awareness but its valuable that it is visible. I know that our principal tried to say that parents are not complaining anymore about the curriculum. She went on to try to report that everyone must be happy after they watched the video. An email went out from our PTA and many people were very shocked at these statements. Parents have been complaining at our school to her, writing letters, complaining to teachers and while some are getting fatigued with no response, this desire to sweep everything under the rug brought them all back out.

Worth a shot. Some people on here aren't motivated to do anything themselves so criticism just comes naturally.

Anonymous wrote:

out of curiousity (and this is a new poster) - what does happen with a change.org petition? does someone delivery it to MCPS or alert them to it?

The organizer presents it to MCPS. Its also more public so you can be sure that MCPS is aware of this before it gets presented.

I have to ask whether the poster who thinks parents should only communicate via behind the scenes private channels works for MCPS. Its fine if you like 2.0 but I've never heard a parent voice that someone should only raise concerns through channels. The reality is that no organization wants their customers or constituencies to publicly voice concerns. This is why PR firms exist to keep anything that doesn't reflect positively on an organization out of visibility. This is exactly why petitions through change.org are very valuable to everyday parents and citizens.

A public petition is more likely to force some type of public response. It will not necessarily yield immediate change but the concerns can't be as easily ignored as ones raised in traditional channels.

But MCPS is not Chick-fil-A. They are not Bank of America. Parents are not customers. MCPS is a not a business to satisfy customers and make money. This petiton just says that 1,500 parents are unhappy with 2.0, and really, does that matter? What are you going to do, take your business elsewhere? If anything (and huge if there) would ever come of it, I'm guessing MCPS front people would step up parent communication and efforts to educate the community about the curriculum. Just reading the comments shows that many people who did sign are ignorant of the process, and why the curriculum needed to be updated.

People complain about everything. If 2.0 was drastically changed to meet these demands, another peition would pop up from another group demanding something else. But seriously, a change.org petition is never going to garner the support nor the attention needed to make such a change, if it were even possible. Starr has his little coffeehouses and parent chats or whatever. Those are places to air grievances. Change.org can put pressure on a company to change a policy because the company will suffer over the bad press. MCPS is not going to change a curriculum to make parents happy when the office believes it is the best method for educating students.

This is why this particular petition will not get you anywhere:

MCPS is aware of it. However, the petition doesn't hold any weight because it is signed by a bunch of random people. Parents of kids in high school. People who do not have children in the system. People from other states.

Those with no direct experience, who are just responding to a bunch of misinformation on the internet, are not very persuasive petition-signers. That would be like a petition going around the internet suggesting that we impeach Obama because he is a socialist. Angry internet dwellers would say, "Oh! I don't like socialism! I'm signing!" and leave an inflammatory comment, and then it gets pushed through to DC and...nothing.

out of curiousity (and this is a new poster) - what does happen with a change.org petition? does someone delivery it to MCPS or alert them to it?

The organizer presents it to MCPS. Its also more public so you can be sure that MCPS is aware of this before it gets presented.

I have to ask whether the poster who thinks parents should only communicate via behind the scenes private channels works for MCPS. Its fine if you like 2.0 but I've never heard a parent voice that someone should only raise concerns through channels. The reality is that no organization wants their customers or constituencies to publicly voice concerns. This is why PR firms exist to keep anything that doesn't reflect positively on an organization out of visibility. This is exactly why petitions through change.org are very valuable to everyday parents and citizens.

A public petition is more likely to force some type of public response. It will not necessarily yield immediate change but the concerns can't be as easily ignored as ones raised in traditional channels.

out of curiousity (and this is a new poster) - what does happen with a change.org petition? does someone delivery it to MCPS or alert them to it?

Anonymous wrote:Want to improve on curriculum 2.0? Sign the pettition at Chang.org. Let the school board hear your voice!
.

You might as well pass gas in the wind. An online petition means zero. A real petition where someone collects signatures does make a difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Want to waste your time? Sign this petition that will go nowhere and do nothing. Let only others who agree with you hear your voice!

What a defeatist attitude you have! Charming. Is this your approach to everything in life? If so, then you are right - YOU are going nowhere and doing nothing. I applaud the people who are active and engaged with the issues they are passionate about. The passive complainers and naysayers like yourself are unimpressive at best.

Not really defeatist. I like 2.0. Therefore not a passive complainer or naysayer. If you don't, there are channels to go through, and change.org isn't one of him. Maybe you could just post a picture and get 1K likes on Facebook?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Want to waste your time? Sign this petition that will go nowhere and do nothing. Let only others who agree with you hear your voice!

What a defeatist attitude you have! Charming. Is this your approach to everything in life? If so, then you are right - YOU are going nowhere and doing nothing. I applaud the people who are active and engaged with the issues they are passionate about. The passive complainers and naysayers like yourself are unimpressive at best.

+1

Anonymous wrote:Want to waste your time? Sign this petition that will go nowhere and do nothing. Let only others who agree with you hear your voice!

What a defeatist attitude you have! Charming. Is this your approach to everything in life? If so, then you are right - YOU are going nowhere and doing nothing. I applaud the people who are active and engaged with the issues they are passionate about. The passive complainers and naysayers like yourself are unimpressive at best.

Want to waste your time? Sign this petition that will go nowhere and do nothing. Let only others who agree with you hear your voice!

Want to improve on curriculum 2.0? Sign the pettition at Chang.org. Let the school board hear your voice!
.