The MCPS students who just finished 8th grade in the 2008-09 school year are "Jerry's kids." Those are the kids that started with Superintendent Jerry Weast's "reforms" that are now being lauded in a book, "Leading for Equity." The book was recently reviewed by Washington Post education writer Jay Mathews.In the review, Mathews said, "Weast is the Indiana Jones of this wild suburban adventure."
Let's take a look at the "equity" that "Indiana Jones Weast" has achieved.
Pictures speak louder than words and this week the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) test results were released.
So let's check in with "Jerry's kids". Here are graphs showing 8th grade MSA reading scores broken out by race for the MCPS middle schools that are part of the middle school consortium or middle school magnet programs. That is, these are the middle schools that have been the recipients of additional funding to close the gap. Take a look and see how "Jerry's kids" have done.
This entire blog is quite interesting. Here's my question and I hope you can and will choose to answer it: I am the parent of high performing early elementary students who are enrolled in Private Schools within the District of Columbia. Both my wife and I are knowledge professionals who obtained graduate and professional degrees from top universities. We grew up in an environment that supports (and we now encourage for our children) a focus on educational excellence and achievement.
ReplyDeleteWith that background, what does this organization believe is wrong with Montgomery County Public Schools? Is Jerry Weast so problematic that I should NOT take advantage of the real estate market and move to Montgomery County to avoid paying the cost (on various levels) of living within the District of Columbia? Is is this group's opinion that he is antithetical to the positive development of the school system?
My close investigation of this blog and associated sites appears to communicate that there are dire problems with MoCo schools. Am I wrong in concluding that African-American children do well in Montgomery County? Or, is this group's point that catering to that subgroup is what is bringing down Montgomery County schools? Is it this group's opinion that the MoCo system's focus on that group and other minorities' advancement, ultimately, depriving students of a quality educational experience? Is that why I should move to Howard or Frederick counties? I'd really like to know because my and my wife consider our children's education of paramount importance.
Any insight you can provide is appreciated.
My personal opinion is that it is certainly possible to get a high-quality education in MCPS. But if you have a child who is "not your average bear", whether gifted, or special needs, then MCPS is much less willing to be flexible about that child's needs than they were even 5 years ago. Now, the focus is on the "test scores" at the school level...leading to the press conferences, the Harvard case studies, and the book, interview, keynote speeches at conferences, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe mission of MCPS should be to educate the kids they get in the door, not to make it look to a hungry media like you have pulled off a miracle. And there is no Montgomery Miracle. No matter what the 10 million dollar PR department of MCPS tells you.