Anonymous wrote:The Intel Science winners are from the Magnet yes, but any kid who is high in math/science can take those classes. It's the same at RM- kids can take the IB classes and don't have to 'test' in.

Just to make sure I didn't misunderstand; any student at Blair can take magnet courses?

Could you please tell me when this was implemented?

How is it determined if a kid is "high in math/science?"

Who makes the determination?

It's a MUCH different place, 20:28... And I doubt you would send your kid there today.

Anonymous wrote:To 20:28 and others - Ever walked through Kennedy while school is in session? Especially at lunchtime? Not all school environments are equal. And the fact that no one with a kid at Kennedy or paint branch posts here is telling.

I'm 20:28, and the last time I walked through Kennedy when school was in session was 30 years ago, when I was a student there. I do concede it's a much different place now. Go Cavaliers!

Ever watched one of those Blair fights? Remember the one that brought out police presence at the bus stops for days after?

To 20:28 and others - Ever walked through Kennedy while school is in session? Especially at lunchtime? Not all school environments are equal. And the fact that no one with a kid at Kennedy or paint branch posts here is telling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to high schools in SS, Blair is head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.). Instead of comparing everything to the W schools, why not compare the schools that are actually in SS (since the thread is about schools in SS)?

Here we go again. Ask for a comparison and if it doesn't suit your POV start screeching about Blair being attacked. Blair is not head and shoulders above those schools; especially controlling for the magnet and CAP.

Prove your point about Blair being "head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.)." Data please.

I'm a Blair parent and even I agree with this. The only thing that separates Blair (and increasingly Einstein) from other DCC schools is it has a higher concentration of middle-to-high SES kids. Of course, that the only thing that separates the W schools from the other schools in the county too.

Thank you. What you don't realize is that higher concentrations of middle/high SES students allows for schools to pitch teaching at a higher level. That is why you get a higher level of teaching at "W" schools.

Well, I know a retired MoCo cop who led security teams at mcps schools, and I got the lowdown on all schools in terms of safety. So, there's that. You can't truly compare data unless they break it down by race and SES. Ie: imagine comparing upper class white males at any W school, Blair, Sherwood, Paint Branch, etc. Chances are their scores would be comparable. The big difference that lots of folks on here seem hesitant to admit is that some schools in MoCo have extremely high rates of farms, behavior issues, etc. While most kids won't be fazed by this, some might. And since you can't pick your kid's friends, the best you can do is put them in an environment where a lot of students are college bound and likely to take school seriously. That's all. And I don't think there's anything racist about that since it really isn't a race issue at all. Rather, it's SES, behavior, and a general attitude towards education. And the proof is in the pudding: low income kids often thrive academically in schools where they are in the minority and are surrounded by middle to upper class students. There was actually a MoCo study that randomly placed low income families on housing assistance in two parts of the county...and shocker, the kids in the more affluent area at the better schools fared much better.

Again, lots of this doesn't apply to YOUR solidly upper class kid who will likely do well at any school in the county. But studies show that poor kids do better when they are in schools where the majority of kids are not poor. This is common sense to most of us, but numerous studies across the country demonstrate this as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to high schools in SS, Blair is head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.). Instead of comparing everything to the W schools, why not compare the schools that are actually in SS (since the thread is about schools in SS)?

Here we go again. Ask for a comparison and if it doesn't suit your POV start screeching about Blair being attacked. Blair is not head and shoulders above those schools; especially controlling for the magnet and CAP.

Prove your point about Blair being "head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.)." Data please.

I'm a Blair parent and even I agree with this. The only thing that separates Blair (and increasingly Einstein) from other DCC schools is it has a higher concentration of middle-to-high SES kids. Of course, that the only thing that separates the W schools from the other schools in the county too.

Anonymous wrote:When it comes to high schools in SS, Blair is head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.). Instead of comparing everything to the W schools, why not compare the schools that are actually in SS (since the thread is about schools in SS)?

Here we go again. Ask for a comparison and if it doesn't suit your POV start screeching about Blair being attacked. Blair is not head and shoulders above those schools; especially controlling for the magnet and CAP.

Prove your point about Blair being "head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.)." Data please.

Didn't the kid who just made Ricin in his dorm at Georgetown come from Whitman? Yes, he's an upstanding citizen!!

The Intel Science winners are from the Magnet yes, but any kid who is high in math/science can take those classes. It's the same at RM- kids can take the IB classes and don't have to 'test' in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

the posters were simply pointing out that Blair performance and DCC school performance is lower than "W" schools by some measures. what's wrong with that? the list that seem to confuse u is the WaPo rankings that were just published. Blair has been falling on that list and getting worse since 2011.

so stop your offensive attitude and live with reality.

Is that what you think they were doing? That's not what I think they were doing.

The fact is that there are frequent posts on DCUM -- possibly from one person, possibly from more -- about how awful Blair is. Always Blair. Sometimes, for a little variety, Blair and the other DCC schools. But always, always Blair. Why this obsession? I can't figure it out.

Anxiety and racial disdain.

When it comes to high schools in SS, Blair is head and shoulders above the other HSs that serve kids in SS (Einstein, Paint Branch, Kennedy, etc.). Instead of comparing everything to the W schools, why not compare the schools that are actually in SS (since the thread is about schools in SS)?

Anonymous wrote:http://m.washingtonpost.com/local/education/montgomery-blair-high-school-leads-the-nation-in-intel-science-finalists/2014/03/09/b09b5b72-a7a4-11e3-b61e-8051b8b52d06_story.html

Blair leads the Nation in Intel Science winners !

Blair magnet, no?

I'd like to thank the above poster. And I'd like to add, their mention of the 'real' world holds true. I'm scared when my kid- who's in neither Blair nor a 'W' school meets some of these 'W' kids in college. They must be living in some weird fairy tale land. The friends I have in Bethesda/Potomac are nothing like these posters-(and thankfully their kids aren't either) thank goodness,