Senior Study Director, Westat. Former evaluation specialist, MCPS.
For this blog, I recently emailed the Montgomery County Public Schools and requested an interview with Superintendent Joshua Starr. My hope was to sit and chat with Dr. Starr about achievement gaps. He seems to talk endlessly about this issue with all sorts of people; so why not me?I got kicked to the curb. My request for an interview was turned down by MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig.
Well, I think I came up with some really great interview questions. The questions appear below, without responses.
I stand ready at any time to sit and chat with Starr.
Question No. 1:
Your children will attend Walt Whitman High School. When Advanced Placement exam results were last reported (for the Class of 2012), Whitman AP exam-takers who took AP Psychology, on average, scored a “4.” Forty-one percent of the Whitman AP Psychology exam-takers scored a “5”—the highest AP score possible.
Across the county, Psychology exam scores for Wheaton High School tell a different story. At Wheaton, on average, AP Psychology exam-takers scored a “1”—the lowest AP score possible. Only 2 percent of the AP exam-takers at Wheaton scored a “5.”
First, how do you interpret these differences? And second, what is your plan to alter these outcomes—increase the AP exam performance for minority high school students?Question No. 2: Let’s stick with the performance gaps between Whitman and Wheaton high schools. In 2011, Wheaton seniors who received FARMS scored 429 points, on average, on the SAT critical reading subtest. Black seniors at Wheaton scored, on average, 421 points on the same subtest. Across the county, white Whitman
seniors scored, on average, 623 points. During the 12-year tenure of MCPS
Superintendent Jerry Weast these SAT performance gaps never closed (although,
Weast is on the public record saying they did close).
First, why do you think they never closed? And second, what is your strategy for closing such performance gaps? Question No. 3: Let’s fast forward to 2020: You're in your third term as MCPS superintendent. The above performance gaps remain—you have not closed this specific performance gap or others.
When you factor such a reality into the mix, how would you then grade your overall MCPS performance as superintendent? And how would explain the grade? Question No. 4: I’m on the record saying that MCPS still experiences huge performance gaps for black students in our high schools because our black students are not taking complete advantage of specific “high-end” challenging academic programs. For
example, the number of black students participating in our International Baccalaureate programs is embarrassingly low (in my opinion).
What are your thoughts on this? Why aren’t our high schools enrolling more black students in their IB programs?Before answering the next question, Dr. Starr should read a book chapter I wrote about the "Talented Tenth." (Note to readers: If you send me an email at hatmbrown@yahoo.com, I will send you a copy of this book chapter.)
Question No. 5:
Now, I believe that one significant factor that drives low black IB participation is
parental apathy. I actually believe that black parents are not pushing their children hard enough academically.
What are your thoughts on this? What can MCPS do to change this?Question No. 6:
If Bill Gates called you tomorrow and said, “Dr. Starr I’m giving $1 billion dollars to MCPS to spend on gap-closing efforts and programs at the high school
level, however, MCPS can only spend the money on three specific things,” what three things would you pick and why?
When Starr first arrived, Peggy Dennis, now past president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation, met Starr at one of his meet-and-greets, introduced herself, and gave him a letter inviting him to come and speak to the Civic Fed. She also sent a few emails. The Civic Fed never heard back. The Civic Fed represents associations and neighbors all across the county, and was founded in 1926.
ReplyDeleteWere they serving wine? He will show up for wine.
DeleteThis is unfair. That event is not sponsored by MCPS, nor is it at a MCPS facility. The Superintendent has non-stop meetings! You cannot judge him on a few that he did not attend. Think of the countless others that he has attended!
DeleteIt's great that the MCPS PR Department is reading this blob, thanks for adding humor to a very serious subject.
DeleteWhat non-stop meetings? He clearly does not have non-stop meetings as he has lots of time to spend on Twitter.
He has lots of time for staged on-camera publicity events, but no time to meet with parents and community members to discuss real educational issues?
Superintendent Joshua Starr has made it very clear that he ONLY meets with people he "likes". If he doesn't personally "like" you, he won't meet with you.
He's paid by the citizens of this County to do a job. He's paid to educate ALL children. But, apparently, he will only talk to the parents of the children that he "likes".
14 year olds showing up at High School get intervention to increase SAT scores?
ReplyDeleteIf you sent the entire billion dollars on one average Wheaton student, you might not raise their score 200 points.
There's just no substitute for sustained, intense intervention by educated parents. Give them money for enrichment purposes and you're really tipping the playing field (Whitman).
Don't expect Starr or anyone to pull of four year miracles that make up for 14 years of less optimal educational opportunity. Investing in Wheaton's feeder middle and elementary schools are likely to produce better results.
Part of it means prioritizing academic achievement at impressionable ages. To do well at the SAT you must WANT to do well. You may not excel just from desire, but it's pretty safe to assume that without initiative, superlative performance is far less likely. Reading intervention at early ages and encouragement (requirement) for leisure reading would be a good start; always being mindful of the potentially murderous effect mandatory reading has on some children's enthusiasm for the activity. Think graphics novels, youth fiction. Perhaps a few free books from library stores with free trade-ins?
A billion could stock every struggling 1st grader's library quite well. It could work if there's limited Xbox time.
When Starr arrived, the achievement gap had been closed, according to then-super Jerry Weast. In a short period of time, with Starr running the school system, that gap is now large. When Starr is up for contract renewal I hope the BOE and the people who pay his salary note that he came to a school system that had closed the achievement gap, and he managed to screw that up.
ReplyDelete