Interesting problem about the combinations of magnets at a school. Do they go with course/faculty synergies and do something like all-out STEM? T=Technology, E=Engineering, so something like:

SMCS (maybe like Blair, but maybe scaled back if they keep the county-wide dual flagships for the highly advanced) and Engineering (like Wheaton) together

Performing Arts and Fine Arts together

Humanities and Leadership (management, entrepreneurship) together

Public Service/Policy, Education & Healthcare together

Any of the latter three could be IB in a 4-school grouping,, though probably Humanities/Leadership makes the most sense. IB could stand on its own in a 5-school grouping.

In that case, would the STEM, which typically draws from the most rigorously-inclined student populations, be placed in the highest-FARMS to tend to even things out? Humanities/Leadership (or IB) in the second, and so on? Would the commitment to local rigor (AP and/or IB classes at every school) be robust enough for the non-magnet academic needs of students pursuing any magnet?

Or do they eschew those particular synergies in search of more complementary programs from a societal or other perspective? Say, Engineering/CS and Leadership together to support innovation/entrepreneurial activity (whether publicly or privately oriented? Is that too unlikely at the HS level? There has been some success with this over decades at the university level, first with graduate programs but then more and more within undergrad.

Or do they divide more by perceived overall academic ability? Say, Math/Science and Humanities (and/or IB) together? If they did that, would this put them most in danger of simply creating a have/have-not paradigm if placed in the highest-performing base school or a school-within-a-school segregation scenario if placed in the lowest?

Anonymous wrote:A combination of perfomring art and STEM will be an awesome foundation for new HS in area. It will hekp new school.

Wheaton already has a strong Eng program. Adding Biomed will make it better. WJ/Churchill don't really need any help. Both are strong.

Wheaton already has Biomed

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish everyone would stop making it about "them" vs "us." It doesn't matter what school you are at, I assume everyone wants the best education possible for their child. Are more government resources given to lower income schools? Yes. Do parents provide more resources at higher income schools? Also yes. Neither of those things is going to stop happening.

The question is, what is the best way to help those who are struggling? And why don't we do more of that

Shift relative funding until students of similar ability have reasonably equivalent educational experiences at any school. Increase overall funding to maintain the high-level experiences at those schools currently providing them instead of bringing them down. Make it clear that cuts will have to happen at those schools without that increased funding.

Stop undermining education funding with tax breaks to developers. Aggressively audit to identify waste/potential savings and require far more public information disclosure to assist, there, but don't let that hold up the above.

They have the money. They just don’t spend it appropriately.

Right. Of course. Why didn't they think of that?

Council: Stop the giveaways.
BOE: Make the educational experience independent of zip code.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish everyone would stop making it about "them" vs "us." It doesn't matter what school you are at, I assume everyone wants the best education possible for their child. Are more government resources given to lower income schools? Yes. Do parents provide more resources at higher income schools? Also yes. Neither of those things is going to stop happening.

The question is, what is the best way to help those who are struggling? And why don't we do more of that

Shift relative funding until students of similar ability have reasonably equivalent educational experiences at any school. Increase overall funding to maintain the high-level experiences at those schools currently providing them instead of bringing them down. Make it clear that cuts will have to happen at those schools without that increased funding.

Stop undermining education funding with tax breaks to developers. Aggressively audit to identify waste/potential savings and require far more public information disclosure to assist, there, but don't let that hold up the above.

They have the money. They just don’t spend it appropriately.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So here’s what is going to happen - one or two regions are going to end up stronger than others and people are still going to complain.

As long as regions have equal oppurtunities, it's fine. We can't assure equal outcomes.

Goal should be provide equal oppurtunities and region with the same focused program provides it.

More I think, I actually like this region idea.

Right now it's meanigless because MCPS can have some program in some random place in county and claim they provide it but it's not really accesible to vast majority of students.

All schools don’t have equal opportunity now. You really think that will change?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible that you are underestimating the popularity of a performing arts magnet? Google Duke Ellington in DC.

Woodward will have some performing arts space when it is complete.

Woodward- performing arts + communication arts?
Wheaton- Biomed + Engineering
WJ- Global Humanities/ World Language + Hospitality Management
Churchill- STEM? + Teaching?

Don't make Woodward purely an Art school. Churchill does not need STEM, they can offer lots of higher level courses in math. STEM is most popular in survey and keeping it in middle WJ/Woodward instead of shifting it to either end works better. We will be zoned for WJ no matter what, but I think STEM should be in new school whtiht any brand name to make it strong. Performing art can be there as well. We need to remember, it's not county wide performing art. It will be just 4 schools.

Woodward- performing arts + STEM
Wheaton- Biomed + Engineering
WJ- Global Humanities/ World Language + Hospitality Management
Churchill- Teaching?

Just an arts school would be an issue for smart kids. Many of the high level preformers are also very smart.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish everyone would stop making it about "them" vs "us." It doesn't matter what school you are at, I assume everyone wants the best education possible for their child. Are more government resources given to lower income schools? Yes. Do parents provide more resources at higher income schools? Also yes. Neither of those things is going to stop happening.

The question is, what is the best way to help those who are struggling? And why don't we do more of that

Shift relative funding until students of similar ability have reasonably equivalent educational experiences at any school. Increase overall funding to maintain the high-level experiences at those schools currently providing them instead of bringing them down. Make it clear that cuts will have to happen at those schools without that increased funding.

Stop undermining education funding with tax breaks to developers. Aggressively audit to identify waste/potential savings and require far more public information disclosure to assist, there, but don't let that hold up the above.

Stop undermining education with
ambiguous regulations and requirements that we don’t also burden private schools with.

Sounds reasonable. Can you provide examples? Maybe some should be dropped and others might be imposed on any private receiving public funding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish everyone would stop making it about "them" vs "us." It doesn't matter what school you are at, I assume everyone wants the best education possible for their child. Are more government resources given to lower income schools? Yes. Do parents provide more resources at higher income schools? Also yes. Neither of those things is going to stop happening.

The question is, what is the best way to help those who are struggling? And why don't we do more of that

Shift relative funding until students of similar ability have reasonably equivalent educational experiences at any school. Increase overall funding to maintain the high-level experiences at those schools currently providing them instead of bringing them down. Make it clear that cuts will have to happen at those schools without that increased funding.

Stop undermining education funding with tax breaks to developers. Aggressively audit to identify waste/potential savings and require far more public information disclosure to assist, there, but don't let that hold up the above.

Stop undermining education with
ambiguous regulations and requirements that we don’t also burden private schools with.

Anonymous wrote:I wish everyone would stop making it about "them" vs "us." It doesn't matter what school you are at, I assume everyone wants the best education possible for their child. Are more government resources given to lower income schools? Yes. Do parents provide more resources at higher income schools? Also yes. Neither of those things is going to stop happening.

The question is, what is the best way to help those who are struggling? And why don't we do more of that

Shift relative funding until students of similar ability have reasonably equivalent educational experiences at any school. Increase overall funding to maintain the high-level experiences at those schools currently providing them instead of bringing them down. Make it clear that cuts will have to happen at those schools without that increased funding.

Stop undermining education funding with tax breaks to developers. Aggressively audit to identify waste/potential savings and require far more public information disclosure to assist, there, but don't let that hold up the above.

I’ll like it if they drop option 3. One fork of busing or the other. Not both.

And they need to keep the flagship magnets.

Anonymous wrote:So here’s what is going to happen - one or two regions are going to end up stronger than others and people are still going to complain.

As long as regions have equal oppurtunities, it's fine. We can't assure equal outcomes.

Goal should be provide equal oppurtunities and region with the same focused program provides it.

More I think, I actually like this region idea.

Right now it's meanigless because MCPS can have some program in some random place in county and claim they provide it but it's not really accesible to vast majority of students.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible that you are underestimating the popularity of a performing arts magnet? Google Duke Ellington in DC.

Performing art and one Stem both can be at Woodward. We have 7 concentrated programs. Churchill anyway is strongest school so put one program there.

Something like this will work,

Science, Math, and Technology - Woodward
Performing Art - Woodward

Information Technology, Engineering, & Robotics - Wheaton
Health and Human Services - Wheaton

Global Humanities and Leadership - WJ
Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing - WJ


Education and Public Service - Churchill

I like this distribution.

So here’s what is going to happen - one or two regions are going to end up stronger than others and people are still going to complain.

A combination of perfomring art and STEM will be an awesome foundation for new HS in area. It will hekp new school.

Wheaton already has a strong Eng program. Adding Biomed will make it better. WJ/Churchill don't really need any help. Both are strong.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible that you are underestimating the popularity of a performing arts magnet? Google Duke Ellington in DC.

Performing art and one Stem both can be at Woodward. We have 7 concentrated programs. Churchill anyway is strongest school so put one program there.

Something like this will work,

Science, Math, and Technology - Woodward
Performing Art - Woodward

Information Technology, Engineering, & Robotics - Wheaton
Health and Human Services - Wheaton

Global Humanities and Leadership - WJ
Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing - WJ


Education and Public Service - Churchill

This could be great. Especially if MCPS allows students to apply in grade 8 and then again in grade 10 to pick up kids who discover a bit later that they have an interest they want to pursue