Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure. Go for it. Even more resources will go to legal defense than to teacher and support staff pay. Seems like a great idea!

If this will result in quality education for students, I think its worth ever penny

Neat. I can live in fantasy worlds too. I don’t, though, because I’m an adult.

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Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

There is nothing wrong with getting the idea in these kids' heads that they will go to college -- especially if their parents didn't go. What's wrong with you? These kids deserve a chance and they have potential just like kids in better public elementary schools. FYI many parents choose the college that offers the most financial aid to their kid. In addition to teaching them the expectation that they will go to college, they also need counseling to get all the financial aid they need and DESERVE. MC and UMC kids get loads of financial aid in college.

I *never* said there was anything wrong with it—quite the opposite, actually. I thought it was pretty amazing that they started these kids off on the right foot early. College isn’t for every kid, of course, but they should all feel like it’s an achievable goal for them, no matter where they’re starting from. It was honestly one of the coolest things about our little school. And these kids were all in for it, too.

The point was that it’s not something MCPS is jamming into high schools—they’re really trying to make sure all kids feel like college can be part of their future.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to give a serious answer to an unserious question - there are school districts that have failed so badly that they require state receivership. I don't know if Baltimore City PS is one of those systems, but MCPS certainly is not.

We're talking about a system that routinely produces National Merit Scholars, C-SPAN documentary winners, and Rogeneron winners.

Moreover, to build a case you need to show not just individual schools with issues, but an entire system. OP might not like the fact that kids get until the end of the quarter to submit assignments but it's not a secret corrupt rule - it's just the grading policy.

As for attendance, if OP's school is bad at taking attendance, that's a problem with OP's school, not the system. My kids' schools are fine.

I completely agree with this assessment. It may not look like it from your vantage point, OP, but MCPS is one of the best large school systems in the nation.
I certainly do not agree with everything they do, indeed I'm quite upset with a few of their directions, notably their discrimination against Asian students in magnet selection. But to be fair and objective, their overall instructional record is a very good one.

(Also, MCPS employs an army of highly-paid lawyers. Good luck going after them, as parents of special needs children have found out to their dismay... one of the things I don't like about MCPS!)

Oh, I know! Asian students only make up 60% of the magnet while making up 15% of the county population. It's so unfair!

It sounds like you would deny a child a magnet seat because of their skin color versus their qualifications?

Asians are more of a minority in Montgomery County and Maryland than Whites, Blacks, or Latino / Hispanics. Ever think that asians work hard to get into these programs because they know this? They're outnumbered in the workforce and won't get the job based on 'who you know' but only on sheer over-qualification? And you would deny a child that opportunity to learn?

Racist b.

If you work for MCPS, you need to be gone.

Then make it a IQ test.

CogAT was a race-neutral, language-neutral, resource-neutral (e.g. money didn't provide an advantage), Nation-wide cognitive ability test.

MCPS dropped it in favor of the MAP (which favors kids with resources who get tutoring / instruction on the side and the reading portion favors native English speakers).

Why did they do that? Dunno, but if their goal was to give FARMS kids a chance, it backfired. Now FARMS kids are more screwed than ever imho.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

There is nothing wrong with getting the idea in these kids' heads that they will go to college -- especially if their parents didn't go. What's wrong with you? These kids deserve a chance and they have potential just like kids in better public elementary schools. FYI many parents choose the college that offers the most financial aid to their kid. In addition to teaching them the expectation that they will go to college, they also need counseling to get all the financial aid they need and DESERVE. MC and UMC kids get loads of financial aid in college.

No one *deserves* anything. In any case, presenting multiple options can remove the stigma for everyone. College is expensive and not required to have a great life.

I know! How else can we keep our social status if we let just anyone up?

No. Some European and Asian countries use the Trade School model because it's not realistic to fund college for kids entering into the blue-collar workforce. It's just not financially practical to fund all children to University.

Some models train or provide placement as mechanics, government workers, small business accounting, cooks, and similar career fields that require specialized skills to earn a decent living. Additionally, it's less of a burden financially, since the families would normally have to pay for that training anyway or (rarely) find an apprenticeship (very difficult to do in this country since its not the custom).

If you think every child should go to college, I recommend you talk to the academic counselors at U of M or similar. Ask them how their <INSERT MAJOR HERE> Majors are doing after college on job hunts. It's not pretty.

But, if you want the kids who's families can't afford college to fail, by all means. Keep it up because your road goes nowhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to give a serious answer to an unserious question - there are school districts that have failed so badly that they require state receivership. I don't know if Baltimore City PS is one of those systems, but MCPS certainly is not.

We're talking about a system that routinely produces National Merit Scholars, C-SPAN documentary winners, and Rogeneron winners.

Moreover, to build a case you need to show not just individual schools with issues, but an entire system. OP might not like the fact that kids get until the end of the quarter to submit assignments but it's not a secret corrupt rule - it's just the grading policy.

As for attendance, if OP's school is bad at taking attendance, that's a problem with OP's school, not the system. My kids' schools are fine.

I completely agree with this assessment. It may not look like it from your vantage point, OP, but MCPS is one of the best large school systems in the nation.
I certainly do not agree with everything they do, indeed I'm quite upset with a few of their directions, notably their discrimination against Asian students in magnet selection. But to be fair and objective, their overall instructional record is a very good one.

(Also, MCPS employs an army of highly-paid lawyers. Good luck going after them, as parents of special needs children have found out to their dismay... one of the things I don't like about MCPS!)

Oh, I know! Asian students only make up 60% of the magnet while making up 15% of the county population. It's so unfair!

It sounds like you would deny a child a magnet seat because of their skin color versus their qualifications?

Asians are more of a minority in Montgomery County and Maryland than Whites, Blacks, or Latino / Hispanics. Ever think that asians work hard to get into these programs because they know this? They're outnumbered in the workforce and won't get the job based on 'who you know' but only on sheer over-qualification? And you would deny a child that opportunity to learn?

Racist b.

If you work for MCPS, you need to be gone.

Then make it a IQ test.

My brother never went to college. Not interested. He graduated in the top 1% of his HS class at a white/Asian smarty-pants high school.

At 19 he got his real estate license. Until he made it big in RE in his mid-20s he did landscaping and earned a very nice living designing yards and gardens. He just retired at 50.

No, college is definitely not necessary.

Parent is a verb.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

There is nothing wrong with getting the idea in these kids' heads that they will go to college -- especially if their parents didn't go. What's wrong with you? These kids deserve a chance and they have potential just like kids in better public elementary schools. FYI many parents choose the college that offers the most financial aid to their kid. In addition to teaching them the expectation that they will go to college, they also need counseling to get all the financial aid they need and DESERVE. MC and UMC kids get loads of financial aid in college.

No one *deserves* anything. In any case, presenting multiple options can remove the stigma for everyone. College is expensive and not required to have a great life.

I know! How else can we keep our social status if we let just anyone up?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

There is nothing wrong with getting the idea in these kids' heads that they will go to college -- especially if their parents didn't go. What's wrong with you? These kids deserve a chance and they have potential just like kids in better public elementary schools. FYI many parents choose the college that offers the most financial aid to their kid. In addition to teaching them the expectation that they will go to college, they also need counseling to get all the financial aid they need and DESERVE. MC and UMC kids get loads of financial aid in college.

No one *deserves* anything. In any case, presenting multiple options can remove the stigma for everyone. College is expensive and not required to have a great life.

My HVAC guy who owns his own business makes a great living. He never went to college. Nevertheless, I think anyone who is interested in academics should go. I don't think it should be required or expected especially to work in sales or something similar.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

There is nothing wrong with getting the idea in these kids' heads that they will go to college -- especially if their parents didn't go. What's wrong with you? These kids deserve a chance and they have potential just like kids in better public elementary schools. FYI many parents choose the college that offers the most financial aid to their kid. In addition to teaching them the expectation that they will go to college, they also need counseling to get all the financial aid they need and DESERVE. MC and UMC kids get loads of financial aid in college.

No one *deserves* anything. In any case, presenting multiple options can remove the stigma for everyone. College is expensive and not required to have a great life.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

There is nothing wrong with getting the idea in these kids' heads that they will go to college -- especially if their parents didn't go. What's wrong with you? These kids deserve a chance and they have potential just like kids in better public elementary schools. FYI many parents choose the college that offers the most financial aid to their kid. In addition to teaching them the expectation that they will go to college, they also need counseling to get all the financial aid they need and DESERVE. MC and UMC kids get loads of financial aid in college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

But I think it's changing, in a positive direction. "College and career readiness" is the phrase being used in high schools all the time these days.

Heck, our Focus elementary school had a college day every year. They really pumped up kids to expect that they could and would go to college one day. They kind of tied it into the colleges their teachers had graduated from, presumably because many of them didn’t have a parent or other family member who had gone to college (at least not in the US).

Anonymous wrote:I agree. Stop pushing college on everyone. Unless it becomes free, only the top students from low income families are going to go and complete a 4 year degree.

Or, those of us who choose o save and forgo a big nice house, vacations, etc. low income should get help with college but otherwise you save and kids go to state schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

+1. We need to accept that equal outcomes are not possible or practical. And striving for them does not lead to better overall outcomes. We need a return to sanity. We need to lift up those who want to be lifted at all levels.

“Return to sanity” is the tagline of the FAKE posters going out by dawn, fryar, and Esther wells. Everyone sees right through you. You were not endorsed by MCCPTA and none of you are remotely sane. Stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When someone digs a little deeper, the MCPS skeletons will be uncovered. The achievement gap between special populations have plagued MCPS for decades.

Skeletons? Every school system has problems with the achievement gap between "special" populations. You make it sound like this is some hidden deep dark secret when the data is out there for everyone to see. The issue is the only people who care about that are parents of the "special" population. This isn't something MCPS is doing intentionally. No one knows what to do to fix this. If the special ed population is who you are referring to, none of the school systems does a very good job and most try to pretend like the kids don't exist. It's going to get worse because of teacher shortages which mean not only fewer teachers but out of desperation they hire people they never should hire.

If it's minority students you're referring to, programs have been tried and numerous studies have been done. I know good educators who are so frustrated by this themselves not knowing what to do to remedy this.

I often think of the saying you can lead a horse to water. Education is about providing opportunities. The demographics of the county have changed radically over the past few decades. This impacts test score averages. It doesn't mean that there is less opportunity to obtain a first-rate education; however, many students just aren't interested. I don't have the answers but I often wonder if maybe we should meet kids where they are instead of insisting that everyone go to college or take advanced math.

We don't insist that everyone go to college or take advanced math. MCPS has been increasing the number of programs for career preparation in high school, and there are lots of interesting options. Kids should be encouraged to explore these and not feel stigmatized about them.

So much of HS seems geared toward this though and we even rank HS based on college readiness. This seems kind of silly in low-income areas where there is lower college participation. Now don't get me wrong I feel we should help everyone pursue that if that's their goal. I just don't think we should make it the default.

+1. We need to accept that equal outcomes are not possible or practical. And striving for them does not lead to better overall outcomes. We need a return to sanity. We need to lift up those who want to be lifted at all levels.

Yep. Gotta keep those cracks open to keep the riff-raff falling through.