"Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Maryland is requesting federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) funds to transform two of its lowest performing, highest poverty high schools-Wheaton and Watkins Mill-into whole school magnets. Wheaton High School and the collocated half-day Thomas Edison High School of Technology career and technology education program will be transformed into the comprehensive Montgomery County High Tech High School (MCHTHS). Watkins Mill High School will become the International Baccalaureate School of Engineering, Digital Design, and Performing Arts (IBEDPA) at Watkins Mill."
(...)
"The proposed program of study at each school have a proven ability to attract a diverse population of students. The high tech high school to be established at Wheaton High School will be based on the nationally known model from San Diego that features hands-on, inquiry- and project-based instruction that meets the needs of students with a variety of learning styles. (....)"
(...)
"Student will be admitted to both schools by a race-neutral lottery system."
(...)
The complete grant application is several hundred pages, and includes letters of business community support by Lockheed Martin and Siemens, and signatures of some of the faculty and teaching staff of both Watkins Mill HS and Wheaton HS.
Just a couple questions. Perhaps they could be answered by the Board of Education, instead of by the MCPS Public Relations office:
1. When did the Board of Education direct the superintendent to apply for this grant?
2. When did the Board of Education vote to transform Wheaton High School and Watkins Mill HS?
3. When did MCPS propose telling the parent community about the proposed changes?
4. What's going to happen to the cosmetology, plumbing, and masonry programs at Edison?
5. Why is admission to the programs going to be based on a lottery system?
6. What is the plan for ensuring that students with disabilities have access to both programs?
7. Do all the organizations that sent letters of support know that the parent community has not been informed of the proposed changes?
8. Is this a "fait accompli" and will the Board of Education rubber stamp the proposal if the grant is awarded?
9. Does the grant money have to be appropriated by the County Council before it is spent? Has the Education Committee been informed about these fundamental program changes?
10. Will a community event be scheduled to discuss these proposed fundamental program alterations?
The "progressive" elected officials in Montgomery co don't want any vocational programs. This will make sure less students have access to these programs
ReplyDeleteThese 'progressive' elected officials were just re-elected -- by you! -- by the almost 20% of the registered voterse in 'progressive' Montgomery County, Maryland. We might believe these residents are 'progressive' but for one glaring fact: they live in a county that doesn't have a breathing democracy.
ReplyDeletewait...
ReplyDeleteMCPS wants to use a lottery system to admit students? what happens if my child doesnt "win the lottery", despite wanting to pursue a high-technology curriculum? Is she simply put in dry dock because she wasnt LUCKY enough to get what she earned?
And why do we need an entire high school to promote the performing arts, when every high school in the county already has drama programs? There is more to living than bing on a stage. Not every child should be succumbed to excessive exposure to a Bohemian philosophy. That time has come and gone, fifty years ago. The world is a tech-heavy, knowledge-requiring beehive of problem solving needs, from how to extract better energy resourcing to finding means of improving the living conditions of human beings both here and abroad, to developing weather warning services to low lying and information starved regions of the world.
We dont need rubber stamped high schools whose only purpose is to define who "poor Yorick" was.
MCPS is NEVER "race neutral". just by the fact they had to quantify it in that manner displays an attempt to deviate from it.
ReplyDeleteI would like to point out that there have been several studies done to highlight the link between art and aptitude in education and cognitive ability. (For your reading pleasure: http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=23206) Perhaps conservative parents would like to read this article before trashing the whole of the artistic fields as "Bohemian philosophy."
ReplyDeleteAs to the previous point, I am very proud of our county's democracy. Perhaps the larger issue is that our dear anonymous commentors are bitter that their "anti-progressive" candidates were not elected, or relected. Some seem to think that democracy is their interest triumphant. It's not. When students vote, or a parent listens, or when a politician acts, THAT is democracy.
So, maybe your right, maybe we don't have a "breathing democracry," but perhaps this is because some do not realize that they have mouths that close and ears that don't.
As the anonymouse commenter writing of my concern that ~20% of registered voters choose to participate in what is laughingly called a democracy, no, I am not bitter about 'anti-progressive' candidates not being elected. That is not my focus in that comment. I am focusing on the larger issue: the death rattle of democracy in this county. That is separate from which candidate won. Democracy is not 'when a parent listens' or, 'when a politician acts.' Democracy is when there is a robust discussion from a fully engaged citizenry. Your comment basically suggesting that I 'shut up' indicates that you aren't interested in a discussion regarding how to revive the democracy of our county. I can tell you that many of our politicians (including the ones that were just chosen to run in the general election) agree with me. Don't tell active citizens to shut up.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response (FYI, anonymouse is spelled anonymous and not like a rodent).
ReplyDeleteYou are correct: democracy should be a discussion. I am only concerned that some of our active citizens, instead of listening, drown their opposition in volume. One who has reason on his side has no need to shout loudly; your diction ('progressive,' by you!, etc.) seems to indicate that it is you who are not interested in a discussion…
A democracy is only as strong as its citizenry, but only as resilient as its citizens are willing to listen. I am; are you?
By the way, thank you Mr./Ms. Administrator for approving my comments; it shows a lot of class and character!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions Ms. Astrove! Staff at Edison have the same questions and we have NO answers.. the grant is all about "saving" Wheaton HS and if you read the whole thing, Edison is almost an afterthought. They want to annex Edison (a county-wide unique educational opportunity for all MCPS HS students) for the purpose of ameliorating Wheaton HS's problems.
ReplyDeleteThis plan is not only wrong, it WON'T WORK!
And by the way the assertion in the grant proposal that Edison has an issue with segregation is FALSE! We have had a very diverse, representative student body for YEARS!
30/30/30/10 and a mix of FARMS, IEP, ESOL, and non - whatever. Soooooo many lies, no details, no consultation with Edison parents, students, or the community -- typical of Weastdom