The Executive Director of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Chesapeake speaks out about MCPS' "round table" process for determining the fate of the Edison High School programs.
...As the executive director of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Chesapeake, I know first hand the importance of continuously having a pool of trained and skilled electricians. Maryland’s electricians are aging and with the emergence of new energy sources such as solar and wind, Maryland must have schools like Edison to produce highly skilled electricians...
...I must express my disappointment with the meeting held on January 20, 2011 by the Edison High School of Technology and Wheaton High School Advisory Committee. Three members of IEC Chesapeake attended the meeting. The cumbersome process of writing down questions to be read by staff of Montgomery County Public Schools prevented a vigorous exchange of ideas.
Another concern about this process was I would have been willing to participate throughout the process. It seems as if there was almost no participation from the business community. It is the business community which employs individuals who receive their skills from schools like Edison...
Preventing a vigorous exchange of ideas is what it is all about! That's why we have invitation only Study Circles, hand picked roundtables and piles of 3x5 cards in MCPS!
The Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland seeks to achieve the goals of coherent, content-rich curriculum standards; high expectations combined with timely remediation and acceleration; a wider range of educational options for parents and children; greater transparency and accountability; and meaningful community input.
Contact us at: contact@parentscoalitionmc.com
Former Inspector General Thomas Dagley
"Montgomery County would benefit from a cultural change that encourages residents and employees to ask tough questions on difficult issues — and forces leaders to answer."
"Along the way, you’ve had a challenging relationship with the Parents’ Coalition, the network of citizen activists who use the political process and other means to hold MCPS accountable.
The thing people accuse me of is listening, but not hearing. I hear, but I do not always agree. I am sorry that the world is faster than it was 10 years ago. I did not do that. [But] if we do not keep up, then our kids will be behind. We have to stop whining and get real."
Bethesda Magazine, March-April 2011
What the Washington Post said about the Parents' Coalition
The coalition might be the best-known parent advocacy group in the region. Its members represent several constituencies, including parents of special education and gifted education students and fiscal watchdogs. The group's defining victory came this school year when the school system scaled back the fees charged to families for course materials.
Coalition leaders have drawn attention to the misuse of funds collected from students for activities, the broadcast of a commercial radio service on school buses and, with their "Weast Watch" blog, the travel habits of Weast and his lieutenants.
Tip: Include the word "minutes" in your search keywords to focus your search on BOE minutes. But note that the search function on the MCPS website has been broken by a redesign on the site by the MCPS Public Information Office. It is no longer possible to restrict your search to just Board of Education minutes.
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Helloooo, Ms. Godwin, where are you? Where is the Chamber? Why is the Chamber absent from this conversation?
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Preventing a vigorous exchange of ideas is what it is all about! That's why we have invitation only Study Circles, hand picked roundtables and piles of 3x5 cards in MCPS!
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