Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 10:55     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:Hey, OP. Parent of a kid with ADHD and a 504 plan who attended SSIMS and is now a Junior at Northwood. Could have applied for magnets and chose not to. Our experience with teachers, counselors and administrators at both schools has been very positive. Our kid is doing well and is happy as are his friends and other kids in our neighborhood at Northwood and other DCC schools. Some applied for magnets, some did lottery into other schools, some stuck with home school. All are doing well and finding their path.


Thanks. Glad to hear the admin experience has been good. That is one of my larger concerns, too.

I'm not sure my kid will be in any honors or AP track, and I don't want him to fall through the cracks as these kids often do. He has us to advocate for him when he can't do it himself, of course, but even squeaky wheels don't always get greased.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 10:51     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What seems to be missing from this racist discussion among white people is that excluding CAP (which is mostly white, UMC kids) the magnets are not in any way predominantly white or predominantly upper middle class. This is particularly true of MCPS’s flagship magnet at Blair, where white kids are very much the minority.


Those minority kids (Asians specifically) largely come from the 30-40% Asian wealthy neighborhoods.


+1 This isn't NYC. The Asian American kids in MCPS magnets are not coming from the families of dry cleaners and convenience store owners. They are the children of scientists and other professionals and disproportionately live in wealthy neighborhoods. You don't have to believe my word - check out this racial heat map: https://www.censusdots.com/race/montgomery-county-md-demographics
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 10:27     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:Hey, OP. Parent of a kid with ADHD and a 504 plan who attended SSIMS and is now a Junior at Northwood. Could have applied for magnets and chose not to. Our experience with teachers, counselors and administrators at both schools has been very positive. Our kid is doing well and is happy as are his friends and other kids in our neighborhood at Northwood and other DCC schools. Some applied for magnets, some did lottery into other schools, some stuck with home school. All are doing well and finding their path.


I've had kids at a strong ES, SSIMS, and now Northwood. SSIMS was a disaster for a few years but the new principal is fantastic and very well liked. Some kids receive enrichment through the Historical Inquiry class - not a magnet but based on the humanities magnet at Eastern.

We really love Northwood. It's a great community of people. My student is in some APs and some Honors classes and feels appropriately challenged while also having a great overall experience. I think the new building will attract a larger number of students but hopefully will continue with it's smaller school feeling.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 09:44     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Hey, OP. Parent of a kid with ADHD and a 504 plan who attended SSIMS and is now a Junior at Northwood. Could have applied for magnets and chose not to. Our experience with teachers, counselors and administrators at both schools has been very positive. Our kid is doing well and is happy as are his friends and other kids in our neighborhood at Northwood and other DCC schools. Some applied for magnets, some did lottery into other schools, some stuck with home school. All are doing well and finding their path.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 08:56     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:What seems to be missing from this racist discussion among white people is that excluding CAP (which is mostly white, UMC kids) the magnets are not in any way predominantly white or predominantly upper middle class. This is particularly true of MCPS’s flagship magnet at Blair, where white kids are very much the minority.


Those minority kids (Asians specifically) largely come from the 30-40% Asian wealthy neighborhoods.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 08:54     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What seems to be missing from this racist discussion among white people is that excluding CAP (which is mostly white, UMC kids) the magnets are not in any way predominantly white or predominantly upper middle class. This is particularly true of MCPS’s flagship magnet at Blair, where white kids are very much the minority.


It has been a long time since MCPS released the demographic data for magnets, but RMIB and Poolesville are both at least plurality white.

All of the magnets, including Blair, are predominantly upper middle class if we use a normal metric for upper middle class, not a DCUM metric.

So actually the only true thing here is that the Blair magnet is predominantly Asian. Which is fine and cool but doesn't really mean anything about the rest of the programs.


Blair magnet is mostly composed of kids who are Asian - many are Indian - with some black kids and very few white and Hispanic. Many kids, including the white ones (a significant proportion that are Russian or Eastern European) are children of immigrants. The majority are not upper middle class by any definition.

RMIB is also mostly Asian (less Indian kids maybe?). I’m unfamiliar with Poolesville.


I have no idea why you think Asians and Russians have no money. These Potomac kids at Blair magnet (a huge fraction) have money and big houses..


Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 08:51     Subject: Re:DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:TPMS and Blair both have a ton of kids- not in magnet programs - across all racial and SES groups, that are college bound and motivated in school.


+1
It's just just TPMS but TPMS is probably the richest of the DCC schools although SSI also pulls from some pretty well off areas.


Meant it's not JUST TPMS. All the DCC schools have a group of highly motivated and smart students across racial and SES groups.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 08:51     Subject: Re:DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:TPMS and Blair both have a ton of kids- not in magnet programs - across all racial and SES groups, that are college bound and motivated in school.


+1
It's just just TPMS but TPMS is probably the richest of the DCC schools although SSI also pulls from some pretty well off areas.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2024 08:31     Subject: Re:DCC for non-magnet kid
TPMS and Blair both have a ton of kids- not in magnet programs - across all racial and SES groups, that are college bound and motivated in school.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2024 10:07     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
SSI is full of kids like the ones you describe who are strong involved students. There's a huge high performing cohort there and nearly all go to "regular" programs at high schools in the DCC.

Practically no child in MS is in a magnet because the numbers are so small and in HS it is still a very small percentage of them.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2024 10:01     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the insights.

PPs are correct. The language is so not-so-thinly veiled. I know there is a lot of fear-mongering here about the DCC, but there had to be "regular" kids succeeding and heading to college. DCUM makes it sound like it's magnet/IB or bust.

I'll definitely tune out the noise and continue supporting DC the best we can. We really love our ES and our community.



“Regular kids” meaning white and UMC according to this thread. Not even veiled racism anymore.


I'm the PP who first mentioned I know White UMC kids in non magnet programs. Obviously, "poor cohorts" is veiled racism and it being "veiled" makes it seem ok. So, I'd rather just be explicit about what we are talking about. Because that is what a lot of "regular" White parents who don't think of themselves as racist are quietly wondering - will my kid be the only White kid?

Describing UMC White kids as "regular" kids is obviously preposterous and offensive but it speaks to how many "regular" White people think and why there isn't more outrage about poor performing schools. It's ok if "those" kids do poorly. They are not "regular" kids.


OP here. I agree with you, which is why I put "cohort" in quotes. I can see through what many people on DCUM are trying to say.

Regular to me is simply students in a non-gifted track. I'm trying to understand the "regular" academic track and student experience.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2024 09:55     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the insights.

PPs are correct. The language is so not-so-thinly veiled. I know there is a lot of fear-mongering here about the DCC, but there had to be "regular" kids succeeding and heading to college. DCUM makes it sound like it's magnet/IB or bust.

I'll definitely tune out the noise and continue supporting DC the best we can. We really love our ES and our community.



“Regular kids” meaning white and UMC according to this thread. Not even veiled racism anymore.


I'm the PP who first mentioned I know White UMC kids in non magnet programs. Obviously, "poor cohorts" is veiled racism and it being "veiled" makes it seem ok. So, I'd rather just be explicit about what we are talking about. Because that is what a lot of "regular" White parents who don't think of themselves as racist are quietly wondering - will my kid be the only White kid?

Describing UMC White kids as "regular" kids is obviously preposterous and offensive but it speaks to how many "regular" White people think and why there isn't more outrage about poor performing schools. It's ok if "those" kids do poorly. They are not "regular" kids.


I read “poor cohorts” to mean a not great cohort, not financially poor.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2024 08:57     Subject: Re:DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:Northwood is fine even with the commute to Bethesda. The school is underrated. The twice exceptional program is there (gifted/talented learning disabled). DC likes that the school is smaller than a lot of the other DCC high schools.


Very happy at Northwood and the new building has not been the challenge we were anxious about.

Cannot say this about my other child’s Blair experience.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2024 07:56     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What seems to be missing from this racist discussion among white people is that excluding CAP (which is mostly white, UMC kids) the magnets are not in any way predominantly white or predominantly upper middle class. This is particularly true of MCPS’s flagship magnet at Blair, where white kids are very much the minority.


It has been a long time since MCPS released the demographic data for magnets, but RMIB and Poolesville are both at least plurality white.

All of the magnets, including Blair, are predominantly upper middle class if we use a normal metric for upper middle class, not a DCUM metric.

So actually the only true thing here is that the Blair magnet is predominantly Asian. Which is fine and cool but doesn't really mean anything about the rest of the programs.


Blair magnet is mostly composed of kids who are Asian - many are Indian - with some black kids and very few white and Hispanic. Many kids, including the white ones (a significant proportion that are Russian or Eastern European) are children of immigrants. The majority are not upper middle class by any definition.

RMIB is also mostly Asian (less Indian kids maybe?). I’m unfamiliar with Poolesville.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2024 07:53     Subject: DCC for non-magnet kid
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all the insights.

PPs are correct. The language is so not-so-thinly veiled. I know there is a lot of fear-mongering here about the DCC, but there had to be "regular" kids succeeding and heading to college. DCUM makes it sound like it's magnet/IB or bust.

I'll definitely tune out the noise and continue supporting DC the best we can. We really love our ES and our community.



“Regular kids” meaning white and UMC according to this thread. Not even veiled racism anymore.


I'm the PP who first mentioned I know White UMC kids in non magnet programs. Obviously, "poor cohorts" is veiled racism and it being "veiled" makes it seem ok. So, I'd rather just be explicit about what we are talking about. Because that is what a lot of "regular" White parents who don't think of themselves as racist are quietly wondering - will my kid be the only White kid?

Describing UMC White kids as "regular" kids is obviously preposterous and offensive but it speaks to how many "regular" White people think and why there isn't more outrage about poor performing schools. It's ok if "those" kids do poorly. They are not "regular" kids.