Anonymous wrote:I certainly wouldn't want to send my kids to Damascus High School and isn't that all white kids?

No.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/04701.pdf

Have you seen RM statistics that show IB vs non-IB? The IB program is less than 20% of the school so (while the IB students certainly have good scores) they can not totally mask the other 80% of the students. The magnet was placed at RM almost 30 years ago now. I have know idea what the demographics of the school were a that point. Do you?

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone here said anything about race. I certainly wouldn't want to send my kids to Damascus High School and isn't that all white kids? Race doesn't have anything to do with how RM is but funny how everyone always jumps the gun at that. It is not a top school which is why it was picked to have the IB program in it. This isn't rocket science here. The magnet and IB programs go in the lower performing schools. Lower performing schools = more kids that don't give a crap vs that do and more uninvolved parents than involved. People give RM all these great grades and actually move into the area thinking it is a great school. Take out the IB and many other MCP high schools blow it away.

Not necessarily. Maybe more kids who haven't had the same advantageous, language-rich upbringing and more parents who work two jobs to support their families and don't have a cultural orientation towards involvement in school.

I don't think anyone here said anything about race. I certainly wouldn't want to send my kids to Damascus High School and isn't that all white kids? Race doesn't have anything to do with how RM is but funny how everyone always jumps the gun at that. It is not a top school which is why it was picked to have the IB program in it. This isn't rocket science here. The magnet and IB programs go in the lower performing schools. Lower performing schools = more kids that don't give a crap vs that do and more uninvolved parents than involved. People give RM all these great grades and actually move into the area thinking it is a great school. Take out the IB and many other MCP high schools blow it away.

Is the IB program more humanities based, or does it have a science base also. Maybe an IB program teacher can answer this question better. I would like to my child to take the science courses, like biology, physics, chemistry along with anything else. Anybody know how strong the IB is on the science program. Also, does the IB program of each school differ in the courses, ex. humanities vs. sciences vs. engineering/mathematics etc.

Anonymous wrote:
What?! God, I feel sorry for your kid. Do you really imagine that the kids at Clemente who sign up for after school activities are somehow less desireable as peers because they aren't white and well off? Honestly, what is going to happen to those kids when people with your kind of attitude continue to hold them down? What more do you want from them -- they are engaged in school-run activities, not selling drugs on some street corner, which is what I imagine you think they are doing.

White OR ASIAN and well-off. In my experience as a person of European heritage in Montgomery County, people of European heritage in Montgomery County generally think of people of Asian heritage as honorary whites. Also, if the PP has a kid at the Clemente magnet program, there's a good chance that the PP is of Asian heritage. To my shame, I have only recently started to wonder what people of Asian heritage in Montgomery County generally think of people of European heritage as.

8:32..I am the PP you quoted. I hope our kids know each other and are friends!

Getting into the RM IB magnet program is highly competitive, unless things have changed a lot since 2005. Also, it is more humanities-focused, while the magnet at Blair is more science-focused (for the person who asked about science).

Two of my sons' friends from Westland Middle applied to the RM program -- the one who I would say is super gifted (don't know exacty how to describe it) was accepted, and later went to Yale. The friend who I would describe as gifted (maybe est. IQ in 130 to 145 range), did not get in, and went to B-CC. He is a Johns Hopkins grad.

Anonymous wrote:Well we chose the RM cluster for good schools without having our kids grow up being in a white/upper income bubble. My kids both have great groups of friends and our happy with their schools. But as to the orginal question, I do think the IB program is more humanities focused so I was do research before making a move. I know several top notch kids who did not apply/take a spot for that reason. However, if it were my child and they got in, I would encourage them to take it just for the rigor which I think is higher than even a W school since it is a county wide competition.

Same here.

My eldest is one of those dreaded non-IB kids (she wanted the flexibility of the AP track). And - gasp! - she's biracial. And some of her friends are not white! And some of them even come from immigrant families! And you know what? They're all bright, motivated, well-mannered kids. I have absolutely no qualms about either the educational rigor or the social environment, even outside the IB program.

Not that I think the school is perfect, but some people really should step outside their little bubbles every now and then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DD is in Roberto Clemente MS Magnet. While the general school is not impressive, the magnet program is excellent. Teachers have way more flexibility and funds to create their own curriculum. DD's magnet science teacher went out of her way to obtain extra funds to bring the Science kids to overnight field trip to Chesapeake bay. During 8th grade, the kids will go to New York (Humanity program)/Boston (Science program) field trip.

The Magnet kids typically stick together, go to the Magnet or Advance classes (except PE, or elective likes orchestra/band/chore, Art, language) and don't have much time in between to get into any trouble. I made the decision not to sign her up for any after school activities. That was a good call. The magnet kids do not have enough time to do home work anyway.

Apply first, take the test, and see if you kid can get in. Is today the last day to apply HS magnet?

What?! God, I feel sorry for your kid. Do you really imagine that the kids at Clemente who sign up for after school activities are somehow less desireable as peers because they aren't white and well off? Honestly, what is going to happen to those kids when people with your kind of attitude continue to hold them down? What more do you want from them -- they are engaged in school-run activities, not selling drugs on some street corner, which is what I imagine you think they are doing.

Problem of this forum is that too many unhappy people around to pick meaningless fights.
Did you read the part "the magnet kids do not have enough time to do homework anyway"?? DD wakes up at 6:15am to catch early school bus, long bus ride. if she joins the after school activities, she would be home at 6pm!! plus another average ~3 hour homework daily, don't forget, kids need to eat, pee and poop too. well, you get the picture.

Anonymous wrote:DD is in Roberto Clemente MS Magnet. While the general school is not impressive, the magnet program is excellent. Teachers have way more flexibility and funds to create their own curriculum. DD's magnet science teacher went out of her way to obtain extra funds to bring the Science kids to overnight field trip to Chesapeake bay. During 8th grade, the kids will go to New York (Humanity program)/Boston (Science program) field trip.

The Magnet kids typically stick together, go to the Magnet or Advance classes (except PE, or elective likes orchestra/band/chore, Art, language) and don't have much time in between to get into any trouble. I made the decision not to sign her up for any after school activities. That was a good call. The magnet kids do not have enough time to do home work anyway.

Apply first, take the test, and see if you kid can get in. Is today the last day to apply HS magnet?

What?! God, I feel sorry for your kid. Do you really imagine that the kids at Clemente who sign up for after school activities are somehow less desireable as peers because they aren't white and well off? Honestly, what is going to happen to those kids when people with your kind of attitude continue to hold them down? What more do you want from them -- they are engaged in school-run activities, not selling drugs on some street corner, which is what I imagine you think they are doing.

DD is in Roberto Clemente MS Magnet. While the general school is not impressive, the magnet program is excellent. Teachers have way more flexibility and funds to create their own curriculum. DD's magnet science teacher went out of her way to obtain extra funds to bring the Science kids to overnight field trip to Chesapeake bay. During 8th grade, the kids will go to New York (Humanity program)/Boston (Science program) field trip.

The Magnet kids typically stick together, go to the Magnet or Advance classes (except PE, or elective likes orchestra/band/chore, Art, language) and don't have much time in between to get into any trouble. I made the decision not to sign her up for any after school activities. That was a good call. The magnet kids do not have enough time to do home work anyway.

Apply first, take the test, and see if you kid can get in. Is today the last day to apply HS magnet?

So ridiculous. My kids are in a middle school magnet program in an "iffy social environment" and it's such a great program. I've had the pleasure of volunteering at school programs that are a mix of magnet and nonmagnet kids and the nonmagnet kids are great -- enthusiastic and smart.

Poverty isn't contagious and it will benefit children to be in an environment with all different kinds of people.

Sure, there are more social problems of the kind that relate to income and parent education level. But these schools are overall happy places and I am astounded by the level of caring that the teachers and staff demonstrate. The way they integrate the priorities of both groups of kids and make sure things are equitable is just fantastic.

Your kids should be so lucky to have teachers like that.

Well we chose the RM cluster for good schools without having our kids grow up being in a white/upper income bubble. My kids both have great groups of friends and our happy with their schools. But as to the orginal question, I do think the IB program is more humanities focused so I was do research before making a move. I know several top notch kids who did not apply/take a spot for that reason. However, if it were my child and they got in, I would encourage them to take it just for the rigor which I think is higher than even a W school since it is a county wide competition.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How well does the IB program serve students who are well-rounded but have a strong interest in science. Is the program strong in this area? We are zoned for Walter Johnson but our child is interested in the RM IB program. We are not sure whether she would be better off at RM. Any thoughts? She is an excellent student with a good work ethic so we do think she would do well in the IB program but wonder she should just go to WJ. Thanks.

I would never pull my kid into RM, IB or not and leave WJ. No way. The IB program might be rigorous but the student population overall is not impressive - hence why RM is the IB location (bump the scores up.)

You could say the same about the middle school magnets, from which thousands of students have benefited over the years.

It is a tradeoff - better academics for an often iffy social environment. The families who choose to send their kids to these schools obviously think it is worthwhile but I personally wish the magnet schools were a little more spread out.

This is code for, "if only the magnet programs weren't part of larger schools with non-white, non-rich kids." I.e., PP thinks the magnets should be in Potomac, or maybe they should be all-school magnets like TJ in Virginia.

Like another PP said, my kid who did the TPMS magnet had a great experience. This was coming from private school. There wasn't any "tradeoff" or "iffy social environment" for my kid.