Anonymous wrote:The problem with focusing on the achievement gap is that it paradoxically increases it. I went to a low performing MCPS school in the late 1980's when there was real tracking and I was in accelerated classes with other like minded/ motivated students. If tracking existed like it did when I was in high school, I wouldn't be as concerned about my children attending the "best" school because I would know my children's needs could be met at most if not all MCPS schools. Today however, I know that I need my kids to be in the most affluent school possible so that there are resources to deal with acceleration. Since there are few bottom kids at my kids' school, I know my kids' teachers can focus on teaching my kids rather than giving them worksheets

I graduated Wheaton High School in the late 1980's. Like the PP above, I was tracked since middle school with the same grouping of about 30 kids. We were given free services such as SAT prep as well as college and career mentoring programs. I graduated with 15 AP credits and was the first in my family to graduate college. I have done well in my career and my children now attend schools in the Winston Churchill cluster.

Would I say my children's education is as good as I received in MCPS in the 1980's just because they attend schools in a W Cluster? Not even close. We supplement with educational programs outside of school to combat areas of the curriculum that are falling short in teaching basic math, reading, and writing skills. I also do not assume that the report card is an accurate reflection of my children's skills.

'they blend the classes together. Honors Science is a small section in each Science class. They get extra work, extra test questions but still have to sit in the class with the dumb disruptive kids. Sorry so harsh but in my child's middle school (JW) it does NOT work well."

I also have a kid at JW. In my child's experience almost every one is considered advanced and the teachers are sort of pressure to move kids up who don't start out that way. The degree of differentiation is teacher dependant. Not all middle schools are run this way. I agree it could be better..but your use of dumb and disuptive is inappropriate and offensive.

OP, I feel your pain. We are in an area of Silver Spring with a crappy elementary school (it wasn't too bad when we bought our home 10 years ago but since then the number of FARMS has skyrocketed and, unfortunately, it's seems to have had an inverse relationship to school performance).

Anyway, my husband and I really struggle with what to do. We cannot afford a home in a nicer area of Silver Spring, we certainly cannot afford a private school or to move to Bethesda, Chevy Chase, etc. We're stuck. It certainly feels like MoCo is not only the county of haves and have nots (which I think it's always been, to some extent) but that the school system for those of us in my neck of the woods is broken.

I also agree with the PP that if there was some degree of tracking, I wouldn't worry. But a neighbor tells me that his 3rd grader is in a class with students who don't speak any English and spends his days doing busy work because the teacher is consumed with teaching to the 65% of her class that is still learning the language.

I love Silver Spring and I love this area of Maryland, but I'm looking for a job that will allow me to primarily telework so DH and I can move out of MoCo. We can't afford the nicer neighborhoods that feed into the decent schools. So depressing.

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody explain this to me. The "study" is comparing apples and oranges and wondering why if you bite into the orange it is bitter?

MoCo is responsible for what happens at home? Do you they talk like kids in each school and say if they are achieving differently? Do they look within Churchill to understand the achievement gap within a school? Isn't there a gap between rich and poor kids within a school? This is not an east vs west issue this is a parents that have $$$ for tutoring and help vs. those that don't. Parents that pay for education in the summer vs those that don't.

I don't have money for tutors. I help my child. If you can't speak the language, you can't help.

I have an idea that will cut the achievement gap. Can't speak English? Can't come to school.

I am amazed at how many kids in my school who speak little English. And not just illegal immigrants like another poster mentioned. Korean and Chinese too. Our PTA spent $10,000 to get translator headphones for parents about 5 years ago and they are never used anyway. 90% of foreign families do not want to assimilate. Hispanics live in their own little Spanish speaking world and most other languages are here temporarily and don't feel the need. Just move and send the kid to public.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with focusing on the achievement gap is that it paradoxically increases it. I went to a low performing MCPS school in the late 1980's when there was real tracking and I was in accelerated classes with other like minded/ motivated students. If tracking existed like it did when I was in high school, I wouldn't be as concerned about my children attending the "best" school because I would know my children's needs could be met at most if not all MCPS schools. Today however, I know that I need my kids to be in the most affluent school possible so that there are resources to deal with acceleration. Since there are few bottom kids at my kids' school, I know my kids' teachers can focus on teaching my kids rather than giving them worksheets

No kid close to high school yet, but don't honors classes serve this purpose? Or are you looking for tracking beyond this?

they blend the classes together. Honors Science is a small section in each Science class. They get extra work, extra test questions but still have to sit in the class with the dumb disruptive kids. Sorry so harsh but in my child's middle school (JW) it does NOT work well.

Can somebody explain this to me. The "study" is comparing apples and oranges and wondering why if you bite into the orange it is bitter?

MoCo is responsible for what happens at home? Do you they talk like kids in each school and say if they are achieving differently? Do they look within Churchill to understand the achievement gap within a school? Isn't there a gap between rich and poor kids within a school? This is not an east vs west issue this is a parents that have $$$ for tutoring and help vs. those that don't. Parents that pay for education in the summer vs those that don't.

Anonymous wrote:The problem with focusing on the achievement gap is that it paradoxically increases it. I went to a low performing MCPS school in the late 1980's when there was real tracking and I was in accelerated classes with other like minded/ motivated students. If tracking existed like it did when I was in high school, I wouldn't be as concerned about my children attending the "best" school because I would know my children's needs could be met at most if not all MCPS schools. Today however, I know that I need my kids to be in the most affluent school possible so that there are resources to deal with acceleration. Since there are few bottom kids at my kids' school, I know my kids' teachers can focus on teaching my kids rather than giving them worksheets

No kid close to high school yet, but don't honors classes serve this purpose? Or are you looking for tracking beyond this?

Agree with PP that greater tracking could help entice eastern side middle class families back to the schools. But there will still be the social issues to deal with and having attended a city middle school (not around here) those should not be taken lightly.

and leaving my kids alone because they will do well on standardized tests anyway.

The problem with focusing on the achievement gap is that it paradoxically increases it. I went to a low performing MCPS school in the late 1980's when there was real tracking and I was in accelerated classes with other like minded/ motivated students. If tracking existed like it did when I was in high school, I wouldn't be as concerned about my children attending the "best" school because I would know my children's needs could be met at most if not all MCPS schools. Today however, I know that I need my kids to be in the most affluent school possible so that there are resources to deal with acceleration. Since there are few bottom kids at my kids' school, I know my kids' teachers can focus on teaching my kids rather than giving them worksheets

Anonymous wrote:The Achievement Gap can not be closed. There are too many factors that do not have to do with education and school that come into play that create the Achievement Gap.

Schools in our area waste inordinate resources trying to achieve something that can no be achieved at any dollar amount.

Striving to narrow the gap a marginal amount each year is a much better use of money and time.

In our area one thing that social service organizations and schools could do that would directly impact the ESL students and most likely help narrow the gap for that segment is to regularly urge and stress to parents [b]the need to always speak in English to their children as much as they are capable and to learn English themselves as much as they are capable. Yes, I know about all the benefits of bilingualism and bilingual education but those benefits do not likely extend to those parents who did not attain a higher education in their native language or may not be literate in their native language.

It will help if parents who speak English badly (or not at all) speak in English to their children?

If you learned to speak [language that is not English] from parents who didn't go to college, it doesn't count?

The Achievement Gap can not be closed. There are too many factors that do not have to do with education and school that come into play that create the Achievement Gap.

Schools in our area waste inordinate resources trying to achieve something that can no be achieved at any dollar amount.

Striving to narrow the gap a marginal amount each year is a much better use of money and time.

In our area one thing that social service organizations and schools could do that would directly impact the ESL students and most likely help narrow the gap for that segment is to regularly urge and stress to parents the need to always speak in English to their children as much as they are capable and to learn English themselves as much as they are capable. Yes, I know about all the benefits of bilingualism and bilingual education but those benefits do not likely extend to those parents who did not attain a higher education in their native language or may not be literate in their native language.

Anonymous wrote:What do upper income parents do if they are unhappy with the curriculum or see areas that their child struggles with? Hire a tutor to focus on skills that will make their child ready for college.

What do lower income families do? They have to rely exclusively on the public school system to teach their children.

Let's face it. MCPS is doing a bad job.

Please name one public school district in the US where the academic performance of the low-SES students is as good as the academic performance of the high-SES students.

Anonymous wrote:If mcps is pooling and then redistributing resources, then won't the money eventually just flood Nec and DCC schools to meet the needs of high need population and deprive the private publics out west of something. I mean PTA fundraising can do only so much! I think DCC and NEC may never catch up with the Ws but mcps is more focused on their upliftment right now.

Does MCPS send proportionally more money to schools with lots of poor children? Yes. As it should.

Does this mean that eventually schools with lots of poor children will get all of the money in MCPS? No.