Anonymous wrote:

What are reasons a student would prefer Einstein over Northwood (or vice versa)? The (apparently non-existent) academies or friends or ???

My kid will be at Einstein next year but is starting to talk about switching to Northwood because of friends who'll be there. (I don't think incoming freshmen can switch at this stage, though).
The IB program at Einstein is a big draw. The test scores are decent and the list of colleges that IB graduates attend is, surprisingly, as good as Blair CAP's (in fact, better, in the most recent list).
The music/arts are great and many sports seem to be good enough at Einstein for the teams to have successful seasons but still accessible so that kids who aren't on the way to becoming professional athletes can play.
I just don't know that much about Northwood's academics or what extra-curriculars are good there.

My kid is in eighth grade next year - half of the friend group is zoned for Einstein, the other Northwood. I want to help guide the choice by inspiring school opportunities vs. friends.

What are reasons a student would prefer Einstein over Northwood (or vice versa)? The (apparently non-existent) academies or friends or ???

My kid will be at Einstein next year but is starting to talk about switching to Northwood because of friends who'll be there. (I don't think incoming freshmen can switch at this stage, though).
The IB program at Einstein is a big draw. The test scores are decent and the list of colleges that IB graduates attend is, surprisingly, as good as Blair CAP's (in fact, better, in the most recent list).
The music/arts are great and many sports seem to be good enough at Einstein for the teams to have successful seasons but still accessible so that kids who aren't on the way to becoming professional athletes can play.
I just don't know that much about Northwood's academics or what extra-curriculars are good there.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

No, I knew someone who transferred from Northwood to Einstein and found a better fit socially, but I also know many happy at Northwood. The choice process makes it possible for a family to have kids at two different HSs but in practice I think that only happens when there's a magnet or application program involved for one and the other child goes to their base school. So, there may be almost no one who could answer this question. I know families with Blair/Northwood or Wheaton/Northwood split and haven't heard about stark contrasts. I'm a Blair parent, but MS friends who went to the other schools seem to have similar experiences to ours. Don't know anyone at Kennedy, our MS didn't feed there.

I know someone who is in the Northwood cluster but whose second DC chose Einstein over Northwood in the DCC choice process. Both kids were happy with their schools and both went on to great colleges (and beyond).

What are reasons a student would prefer Einstein over Northwood (or vice versa)? The (apparently non-existent) academies or friends or ???

The academies exist, there's just no requirement to participate. IB at Einstein is a draw. Maybe the MC Squared program at Northwood is starting to attract attention (first graduates would be this year, if I recall). One little discussed reason is going to the HS that isn't your base provides a bus, while anyone within two miles of the home school has to walk. I don't know that this actually sways anyone, but I have heard it cited as a perk by Northwood families who chose something else.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

No, I knew someone who transferred from Northwood to Einstein and found a better fit socially, but I also know many happy at Northwood. The choice process makes it possible for a family to have kids at two different HSs but in practice I think that only happens when there's a magnet or application program involved for one and the other child goes to their base school. So, there may be almost no one who could answer this question. I know families with Blair/Northwood or Wheaton/Northwood split and haven't heard about stark contrasts. I'm a Blair parent, but MS friends who went to the other schools seem to have similar experiences to ours. Don't know anyone at Kennedy, our MS didn't feed there.

I know someone who is in the Northwood cluster but whose second DC chose Einstein over Northwood in the DCC choice process. Both kids were happy with their schools and both went on to great colleges (and beyond).

What are reasons a student would prefer Einstein over Northwood (or vice versa)? The (apparently non-existent) academies or friends or ???

It really makes little difference. MCPS schools are basically the same.

Kennedy HS service area map: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps/KennedyHS.pdf

Anonymous wrote:I mean, the scores of Asian American kids attending Kennedy stink, but they aren't surprising because Asian Americans are not inherently smarter or "more concerned about education" than anyone else, no matter what folks on the middle school magnet thread will tell you.

Because the student population at Kennedy is largely poor, the students have all of the same structural and institutional barriers faced by any other high needs student population.

It isn't surprising that white and Asian American kids in Potomac have high scores, and white and Asian American kids at Kennedy have lower scores - the only thing shared by those communities is a vague racial label. Everything else, including almost certainly parental education level and almost certainly ethnicity is different.

I'm not certain of Kennedy's boundaries but the school is surrounded by beautiful neighborhoods with massive houses on large lots.

I know two kids (one current, one graduated a number of years ago) in Kennedy's leadership program. Both kids and families liked the program and school a lot. The graduate went on to attend a top 50 university, did really well and is gainfully employed and living on his own, self supported.

My kids' middle school uses Kennedy auditorium for concerts. I've been charge of the bake sales at the concerts for the past 4 years and Kennedy ROTC kids always come help me carry stuff, set up tables, etc. with my even asking. Very sweet kids.

The past couple of years, Kennedy has run a free camp week for middle schoolers to check out their programs. It's called Camp Cavalier.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

No, I knew someone who transferred from Northwood to Einstein and found a better fit socially, but I also know many happy at Northwood. The choice process makes it possible for a family to have kids at two different HSs but in practice I think that only happens when there's a magnet or application program involved for one and the other child goes to their base school. So, there may be almost no one who could answer this question. I know families with Blair/Northwood or Wheaton/Northwood split and haven't heard about stark contrasts. I'm a Blair parent, but MS friends who went to the other schools seem to have similar experiences to ours. Don't know anyone at Kennedy, our MS didn't feed there.

I know someone who is in the Northwood cluster but whose second DC chose Einstein over Northwood in the DCC choice process. Both kids were happy with their schools and both went on to great colleges (and beyond).

What are reasons a student would prefer Einstein over Northwood (or vice versa)? The (apparently non-existent) academies or friends or ???

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

No, I knew someone who transferred from Northwood to Einstein and found a better fit socially, but I also know many happy at Northwood. The choice process makes it possible for a family to have kids at two different HSs but in practice I think that only happens when there's a magnet or application program involved for one and the other child goes to their base school. So, there may be almost no one who could answer this question. I know families with Blair/Northwood or Wheaton/Northwood split and haven't heard about stark contrasts. I'm a Blair parent, but MS friends who went to the other schools seem to have similar experiences to ours. Don't know anyone at Kennedy, our MS didn't feed there.

I know someone who is in the Northwood cluster but whose second DC chose Einstein over Northwood in the DCC choice process. Both kids were happy with their schools and both went on to great colleges (and beyond).

I mean, the scores of Asian American kids attending Kennedy stink, but they aren't surprising because Asian Americans are not inherently smarter or "more concerned about education" than anyone else, no matter what folks on the middle school magnet thread will tell you.

Because the student population at Kennedy is largely poor, the students have all of the same structural and institutional barriers faced by any other high needs student population.

It isn't surprising that white and Asian American kids in Potomac have high scores, and white and Asian American kids at Kennedy have lower scores - the only thing shared by those communities is a vague racial label. Everything else, including almost certainly parental education level and almost certainly ethnicity is different.

Anonymous wrote:
With regard to these stats, race is a proxy for SES and people living in Potomac are likely more affluent than their counterparts in outer ganglandia.

Is there an Inner Ganglandia?

-person in the Siberian Hinterlands who is interested in the geography of MCPS

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Anonymous wrote:Kennedy is ONLY one GS rating spot below Einstein, Northwood and Wheaton. Its not that different from the other schools at all.

Kennedy is a 3, the rest are all 4s and Blair is a 6 but it has the magnet and CAP. If the magnet and special programs didn't draw the top kids away, all the DCC schools would be rated the same.

And what about if they remove the rich, white kids from Whitman and Churchill; or if they remove the white and Asian kids from Wootton, would they be different from other schools? What would be their GS ratings?
Oops, I forgot, Whitman is a former GS 4 rating.

Black students at Churchill are performing better than white and Asian students at Kennedy.

I have the data to back this up. In 2017, 83 Black students at Churchill took AP exams. 66.3% of them scored a 3 or higher. The same year, 41 Asian students took AP exams at Kennedy. Only 41.5% scored a 3 or higher. Fewer than 20 White students at Kennedy took AP exams. 50% scored a 3 or higher.

It's all on p. 18
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2018/2017%20AP%20IB%20Course%20Enrollment%20and%20Exam%20Participation%20Performance.pdf

And, what do you find surprising about this?

I think they're trying to say that the reason they chose to live in Potomac is that it serves its infinitesimal population of African Americans better.

With regard to these stats, race is a proxy for SES and people living in Potomac are likely more affluent than their counterparts in outer ganglandia.

A split is more likely to happen for families with non-magnet kids who aren't in high school concurrently, because the sibling link wouldn't apply then.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid go through Einstein and another go through Northwood? Curious about the difference in experiences there.

No, I knew someone who transferred from Northwood to Einstein and found a better fit socially, but I also know many happy at Northwood. The choice process makes it possible for a family to have kids at two different HSs but in practice I think that only happens when there's a magnet or application program involved for one and the other child goes to their base school. So, there may be almost no one who could answer this question. I know families with Blair/Northwood or Wheaton/Northwood split and haven't heard about stark contrasts. I'm a Blair parent, but MS friends who went to the other schools seem to have similar experiences to ours. Don't know anyone at Kennedy, our MS didn't feed there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy is ONLY one GS rating spot below Einstein, Northwood and Wheaton. Its not that different from the other schools at all.

Kennedy is a 3, the rest are all 4s and Blair is a 6 but it has the magnet and CAP. If the magnet and special programs didn't draw the top kids away, all the DCC schools would be rated the same.

And what about if they remove the rich, white kids from Whitman and Churchill; or if they remove the white and Asian kids from Wootton, would they be different from other schools? What would be their GS ratings?
Oops, I forgot, Whitman is a former GS 4 rating.

Black students at Churchill are performing better than white and Asian students at Kennedy.

I have the data to back this up. In 2017, 83 Black students at Churchill took AP exams. 66.3% of them scored a 3 or higher. The same year, 41 Asian students took AP exams at Kennedy. Only 41.5% scored a 3 or higher. Fewer than 20 White students at Kennedy took AP exams. 50% scored a 3 or higher.

It's all on p. 18
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/sharedaccountability/reports/2018/2017%20AP%20IB%20Course%20Enrollment%20and%20Exam%20Participation%20Performance.pdf

And, what do you find surprising about this?

I think they're trying to say that the reason they chose to live in Potomac is that it serves its infinitesimal population of African Americans better.

Anonymous wrote:Whitman is a GS 4?

The W's have slipped a lot in recent years.