What is the school system trying to hide?

http://www.gazette.net/stories/04202011/montlet183018_32537.php

Show Me the Data: Chicago, Miami-Dade, and New York City Show Their Data

by Joseph Hawkins

If you go to the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) public website and attempt to find Excel files—real data which can be “played” with—you will find nothing. All you will find are Portable Document Format files, commonly referred to as PDFs or Adobe files.

I have always advocated for access to real data. Why not? If taxpayers are supporting a data-driven school district—and this concept comes out of MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast’s mouth every 10 seconds—then surely we cannot be afraid of sharing data. Shouldn’t a useful document such as Schools at a Glance exists as an Excel file?  Click here to see Schools at a Glance:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/

But instead of focusing on why MCPS always says no to public requests for real data or informs the requester that it will cost a zillion dollars to create data, let’s visit three large public school districts’ public websites and see what real data they offer up to the public.

The Chicago Public Schools provides users with a rich variety of downloadable Excel files. My two favorite files—the Advanced Placement (AP) results file which provides rich details for all city high schools (including race/ethnicity information) and the National Student Clearinghouse results file. Isn’t Superintendent Weast out and about bragging on the MCPS Clearinghouse data? Why not share? Click here to see why Chicago is my kind of data town:

http://research.cps.k12.il.us/cps/accountweb/Reports/allschools.html

For each school in its system, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools provide in downloadable Excel files basic enrollment data, attendance and mobility rates, and graduation and dropout rates. Most of this information is the data found in the MCPS Schools at a Glance document. Miami-Dade also provides an Excel for on performance measures from 2003 through 2010. Click here to see what Miami provides:

http://oada.dadeschools.net/DSProfiles/DSProfiles.asp

The New York City Public Schools are not as data friendly as Chicago or Miami, but they provide access to some Excel files. If nothing else, they underscore the possibilities and the spirit behind being data friendly.  Click here to see what New York City provides:

http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/data/default.htm

When it comes to real data, PDFs are never the starting point but rather an end point. Data people know this!

A document like the MCPS Schools at a Glance clearly resides first as data, either as one huge Excel file or multiple Excel files or in some database that can create and export data formatted as Excel files. Regardless, the data in those files can be manipulated and “played” with—one is not able to play with information in PDFs without a lot of labor devoted to reformatting and reentering information.

It seems to me that MCPS could place on its public website Schools at a Glance—as well as other data files (e.g., AP results, National Student Clearinghouse results)—in file formats that are data-friendly. And when that happens, I promise I’ll stop asking Show me your data!

"Show me the Money" - No I Mean Show me the Data

by Joseph Hawkins

Show Me the Money

Please Give Us More AP (and IB) Data

by Joseph Hawkins

I’m completely sucked in.

I want to see more Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Advanced Placement (AP).  But given the countywide expansion of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program into nearly every county high school, I also want to see IB facts and figures.

Here is some of what MCPS needs to make available for public consumption.

§         AP student enrollment facts and figures: Currently, MCPS shares only facts and figures about AP exam-takers. The problem is not every AP course participant sits for an exam. So, how many students actually enroll in AP course offered by MCPS? How many students never sit for an exam?

§         IB student enrollment facts and figures: The last time MCPS shared information on IB enrollees and IB test performance was January 2006 (MCPS report: An Examination of the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Exam Results for 2004-2005). Clearly, current facts and figures are long overdue. So, for example, how many IB exams are MCPS students taking now?  How black male students earned an IB diploma? How many MCPS students on FARMS and attending a red zone high school earned an IB diploma?

§         Grades earned by AP and IB students:  It would be outstanding for MCPS to reveal details about how AP and IB students perform. Do students who take an exam have better end-of-course grades than students who do not take an exam? What do the end-of-course grades, for example, look like for black males receiving free and reduced meals (FARMS)?

§         IB program participant cross-overs: I have heard from a few MCPS parents that their IB children not only sat for their IB exams but they also crossed over and sat for a fair number of AP exams. Given the popularity of the IB program in our public county high schools, how common is this practice? When it happens what does performance look like for the IB kids?

§         College graduation rates for AP and IB students: In May of 2010, MCPS released a report that looked at AP exam-takers and college competition (MCPS report: Advanced Placement Examination as a Key to Postsecondary Success). The problem with the report is it combined exam-takers into two groups, those with an AP exam score of 3 or higher and those with an AP exam score below 3. The group with a score of 3 or higher had better college completion rates. In 2008, the College Board performed a similar study (College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences—see link below). The College Board study is absolutely full of details while the MCPS study is absent details. In fact, the College Board study underscores the value of showing college competition rates by scores and not combining them into large groups. The graduation rates, for example, are vastly different between high school graduates scoring a 1 and graduates scoring a 2, as well as between graduates scoring a 3 and those scoring a 4 or 5. So, how do MCPS students differ when the details are revealed?

Here is the link to the College Board study: 

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/pdf/08-1574_CollegeOutcomes.pdf

Finally, I would highly recommend that readers go to the College Board website and read the above mentioned study. I’m in awe over the level of detail provided by the researchers. The College Board researchers literally throw the kitchen sink at us (sometimes that is a good thing). In the end, assuming one is patient, one understands that saying that an AP exam score of 3 or higher predicts college success comes with a fair number of qualifiers and caveats. Those qualifiers are possible, however, because the College Board researchers showed us the details. And it is the details that many of us want to see when MCPS issues public reports. 

How to Search for a Superintendent of Schools

This past Tuesday, December 7, 2010, MoCo's Board of Education hired Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to assist in its search for the next Superintendent of Schools.  As stated in the press release:  

 HYA was chosen from among six search firms that responded to the Board’s Request for Proposals (RFP) in September. The Board unanimously approved a contract for $35,000 plus expenses with HYA during its December 7 meeting. 

  “Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates has 20 years of experience and has participated in over 800 superintendent searches, many for large districts like ours,” said Christopher Barclay, president of the Board of Education. “They have the knowledge and experience to help us attract the strongest pool of qualified candidates and to fully engage all facets of the community in the search process.” 

. . . 
  The Board will be meeting with HYA very soon to develop a work plan for the search, including the nature and extent of community involvement and engagement.

 Would you like to participate in the process?  Here is how you can practice, right now, from the comfort of your own home.


HYA is conducting superintendent searches for the following school districts.  Click on the link and you can see the questions used in Mill Valley California.


Practice now, practice frequently, but hurry up, because the Mill Valley web states that the website will close down soon.  


You may ask, is this a good use of your time?  Absolutely, because the survey is likely to be the same one administered right here in MoCo.  How do we know?  Because the same survey was administered in  Marblehead, MA and  Chappaqua, NY - two districts also looking for Superintendents of Schools, but these surveys were closed down within the last 24 hours.  


Looks like the MoCo Board of Education really searched for the most economical and reliable firm, since $35,000 will likely be used for a recycled stakeholder questionnaire that has already gone through the validation process in other school systems.  MoCo also saves money, because the system doesn't require a password to participate.  In fact, anyone can answer any questionnaire, once it is posted, even if the responder doesn't live in the area.


Let's hope the candidates for our Superintendent selection process however, fit the requirements of our school system and not the ones rejected by the other school systems.  


What a deal for Montgomery County taxpayers.

Can a MCPS School Bus give drivers tickets? Check back next year!

WTOP:  External school bus cameras document unsafe motorists

WASHINGTON -- This bus stops bad drivers.

Montgomery County school buses are now equipped with external cameras, keeping an eye on surrounding drivers when the stop sign is out and the red lights are on.

The new safety enforcement tactic aims at documenting drivers who don't adhere to school bus safety procedures.

"It happens way too frequently, and each time it happens it's a potentially dangerous situation for kids," says Todd Watkins, director of transportation for Montgomery County schools.

Roughly 100 buses have had the cameras installed. While the footage they document can't yet lead to tickets for drivers, the school system remains vigilant.

"We will then find those spots on the video, and download those and keep those as part of our data gathering," Watkins says.

Legislation allowing for automated fines is set for consideration next year.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More on this from MCPS here.  The cameras cost $500 each and were installed on 96 buses. That was $48,000 that Superintendent Weast found for this project in this "bare-bones" budget. 

Don't Compare Us! MCPS Stops Releasing Budget Data

For over 10 years MCPS has participated in the Washington Area Boards of Education Guide (WABE). 


The Guide has been used to compare MCPS to other local counties in the D.C. area by this blog, by the County Council's Office of Legislative Oversight and others.


But no more! Data driven? Hardly. MCPS has now stopped participating in this local exchange of information. No more data for you Washington, D.C. public! 


An Arlington County watchdog group - ACTA (Arlington County Taxpayers Association) broke this story on their blog. They even called MCPS and asked why MCPS data was missing from the annual publication. 


Here's the background on the WABE Guide from Fairfax County Public Schools:

The Washington Area Boards of Education (WABE), previously known as the Metropolitan Area Boards of Education, was first established in 1971 as a means for area school divisions to share information, study common problems, and enhance cooperation among educational organizations.  Each year, the group surveys its members to publish the annual WABE Guide. This guide enables local school systems to learn about each other by reporting comparable information in a standardized format.  In addition, the WABE Guide is meant to be used by citizens as a source for consistent, reliable educational data.  

And here is the FY11 WABE Guide minus the MCPS data! 

MCPS ACT Scores Show Slight Decline

DC Examiner:  Local students improve slightly on ACT college exams

...In Montgomery County, the class of 2010 scored an average score of 23.4 out of 36 points, the school system said. The release did not include the 2009 average, but schools data show that the average score was 24 in 2008...

***
Where is the MCPS 2009 ACT exam data? 

Your child's data in a national database

Anyone seen the cutting edge analysis from Superintendent Jerry Weast of your child's testing data? The robust metrics? Of course not. We are just the public and we pay for all this "data" and "robust metrics" based on the tests our children take. But we don't get to actually see it.

Here's one more national press release touting the "data-driven" MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast, and using MCPS to endorse one more product. 

Forbes.com

Press Release

National Student Clearinghouse(R) Partners with American Association of School Administrators...

08.09.10, 10:37 AM EDT 
 

..."One example is Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where Dr. Jerry Weast, the district superintendent, has developed a data-driven approach to measuring K-12 performance anchored by Clearinghouse data," continued Torres. "The district combined its own information with StudentTracker data to determine how likely their Advanced Placement (AP) students were to enroll in, persist in, and complete college. MCPS is just one of the many school systems that have leveraged Clearinghouse data to develop cutting-edge analyses of their curriculum as well as robust K-12 performance metrics."...

Congrats Grads . . . and watch what you share!

Here is a new concern for those college students leaving the confines of MoCo for higher education. 

Just when we thought we'd seen the ultimate silly action by our own MoCo Board of Education when they approved the Pearson Project, into my mailbox pops this totally silly idea from UC Berkeley.   Who knew that parents need to include in their caution to college age students about not share body fluids with others advice about protecting their genetic information.  Click on the link below to find out more:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/06/07/EDGF1DPJKO.DTL
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 7, 2010 (SF Chronicle)
UC Berkeley should drop gene-test program
Jesse Reynolds

U C Berkeley is proposing to launch an unprecedented, risky experiment on
its incoming class. Under the plan, the university will send cotton swabs
to thousands of 17- and 18-year-old freshmen and transfer students, and
ask them to rub the inside of their cheeks. The returned swabs will be
analyzed for three gene variants as part of the university's annual "On
the Same Page" program, in which incoming students engage in a common
conversation, typically by reading and discussing a book.

See the entire article at:

CGS : UC Berkeley, Don't Send Those Swabs
 
At least MCPS isn't the only school system making silly decisions this week

IG Audits MCPS Computer Network

In 2001, the Montgomery County Inspector General engaged the services of the Forensics Explorers Division of CTX Corporation to review and evaluate the information security status of the Montgomery County Public Schools computer network.

What did that 2001 Forensic Audit of the MCPS computer network reveal?

...MCPS is not well positioned to address internal misuse of the network...

More from the report:

...We prefer to conduct the survey in person, since many of the questions are subjective and an in-person interview may provide a more complete response. In the case of MCPS, not all potential survey respondents were available while Forensics Explorers was on site...

Incoming Traffic Monitors
Finding: We found there are no procedures requiring regular review of audit logs of the monitors on each gateway into the MCPS system. It appears monitors are reviewed, but not necessarily on a systematic basis. Any monitoring and evaluation is conducted at the request of technical support personnel.


Finding: We found evidence of improper traffic on the MCPS network. The improper traffic fell into three categories...
Inappropriate Traffic. This type of traffic includes activities that violate customer policy or reasonable standards of behavior. For example, frequent visits to non-work related web sites would be inappropriate traffic. We observed several thousand visits by nearly 100 computers to more than 600 adult web sites and adult chat rooms. The visits constituted 0.12 percent of the web surfing. We also observed downloads of adult materials using peer-to-peer networks; isolated visits to hate- or bias-related web sites; and visits to gambling web sites. Internal users also downloaded and copied songs, movies, and television shows. This inappropriate traffic constitutes a network security risk, an abuse of MCPS property, and a waste of resources.

Finding: We found there is insufficient systematic review of the risks posed by inappropriate use by authorized users of the MCPS network. Systematic reviews are conducted on portions of the MCPS network but not across its entirety.

Finding: We found MCPS had incomplete configuration management controls. MCPS has adequate knowledge of its central and infrastructure configurations; network diagrams were readily available and up-to-date (May 2001). There are some machines not under configuration control and MCPS is working on the remaining machines in accordance with budget constraints. Unauthorized programs present several risks, they use system capacity, and downloaded freeware can contain spyware programs hidden in their code that can allow unauthorized persons access to the MCPS network.


Finding: We found MCPS does not have a consistent, enterprise-wide policy for routinely checking for and removing dormant and inactive accounts from the system and checking for expired passwords. Removing dormant accounts and deleting expired passwords limits the avenues for access by former employees and students.

The full report, as found on the Internet, is reprinted below.
MCPS Network Security Audit Report

Obama’s Call for Greater Government Transparency Falls on Deaf Ears in Montgomery County

With ease, I can line up bunches of Montgomery County friends and neighbors who worked Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Some traveled to far away states to knock on strangers’ doors or to work polls to convince their fellow Americans that Obama was the “one.” It worked and we elected the “one.”

Okay, it has been a rough first year in office; however, I would say that most of my County friends and neighbors still believe—still love them some Obama. Heck, I would say that this feeling of love and support is probably universally across the County—a county that gave Obama slightly more than 7 out of 10 votes in November of 2008.

But while we love Obama, there are things about his policies which seem totally at odds with that love. One such oddity is how we feel about government transparency. I actually believe we live in a county—a liberal and progressive one—that is against transparency, especially the kind that President Obama is putting into place.

Let’s get a little specific here. On December 8, 2009, as part of an executive order, President Obama instructed all federal agencies to place online within 45 days three high-valued datasets which could be downloaded by the public. Readers can visit www.data.gov to read more about this bold initiative and to view the actual datasets that were posted on this website.

More than anything else, what amazes me about this initiative is how fast it happened. But I’m also equally impressed with Obama’s commitment to openness. So, all of this got me thinking about openness, transparency and the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Would MCPS freak if they were required to place online within 45 days three-high valued datasets? Any three? And by the way, many federal agencies have posted way more than three datasets at www.data.gov.

Let’s pretend that our love for President Obama is real and MCPS, including other county agencies, buy into a commitment to more open government. Overnight, we all jump on the transparency bandwagon. So, in this new world order, citizens get to weigh in (vote) on which three high valued datasets MCPS places on its website. What would you vote for? I can think of dozens of datasets; however, three quickly come to mind:

1) Schools at A Glance. Click on the link below to read more about this MCPS publication. Currently, this publication is only available as a pdf. I would like to see it converted into an Excel formatted file and downloadable as such. And I’ll bet that all the data behind this annual publication is already available in Excel formats.

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/

2) Jerry’s Kids. Jerry’s Kids is a reference to MCPS Superintendent Jerry Weast’s primary grade initiatives (e.g., full-day kindergarten). Jerry’s kids are made up of multiple cohorts of students who are snaking their way through MCPS. Some of these kids are now in our middle schools. I want MCPS to put online datafiles for these kids. We can label them the Class of 2013. The files would contain pretty much every single piece of academic information possible—minus personal identifiers. Government datasets like this already exists. Click here to view how the federal government does its Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) Program, which examines child development, school readiness, and early school experiences.

http://nces.ed.gov/ECLS/

3) MCPS Graduate Followup. In recent times, MCPS has been citing statistics on college graduation rates by MCPS graduates. Not sure where the statistics are coming from, but I assume that taxpayers’ dollars paid a vendor to track our graduates. I believe such an investment is a wise one. I would, however, like the data shared with the public Again, such a datafile can be striped of personal identifiers and posted on the MCPS website.

Government datasets like this already exists. Click here to view how the federal government does this research and how it then makes the datafiles available to the public.

http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/hsb/

Over the years, I know that many who post for this Parents Coalition blog, as well as others who have nothing to do with this blog, have asked MCPS for data (some have even filed Freedom of Information requests), and for the most part have been met with silence or nonsense about how creating sharable datasets and files cost a zillion dollars in staff time and effort to create. Honestly, as someone who has been engaged in government and non-government contract research for the past ten years, the claim that creating and sharing public access datasets, even those noted above, costs a lot of money is ridiculous. Most respectable researchers who keep their datasets properly documented and organized can literally crank out clean public use datasets—minus personal identifiers— in a matter of hours. (Note: I’m a researcher at a large social science research organization. I have all kinds of clients—local, state, and federal government agencies, as well as private foundations. Some of these projects require that I created public use datasets, which are then posted on a public website. In reality, a number of these datasets could be created, along with all the proper documentation, in a matter of minutes.)

So, back to my original question: would MCPS freak if I asked that my highlighted three datasets be placed on the district’s public website?

Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes. There would be lots of freaking and hand-ringing. And all of this is so odd given that MCPS publicly claims that it is a data-driven operation and its own accountability department is officially titled, the Office of Shared Accountability. Shared? So, who exactly benefits from the sharing? And it also is odd given how much we claim we love President Obama.

Joseph Hawkins

Gazette: Churchill students hack school computer, change grades

MCPS investigating students who may have uncovered teachers' access codes, passwords
by Erin Donaghue Staff Writer

...Students used a device that records keystrokes to uncover the access codes and passwords of "at least three" teachers.

"The special device they were using was able to circumvent [the system], but it won't be able to do that anymore," Tofig said.

Principal Joan Benz was at an off-site meeting all day Friday and could not be reached for comment...

Is it as bad as it looks?

An e-mail sent to Superintendent Jerry Weast on January 29, 2010:

I was very concerned to read the following paragraph in this morning's Post story about grade hacking at Winston Churchill High School:

"Teachers were told to check grades for anomalies and correct them before first semester report cards are released Feb. 3, according to the sources. But
because teachers at the school no longer keep separate log books of their grades, it might be difficult to go back and find a student's original grade, the sources said."

If teachers' are not keeping a back-up record of their grades, this could happen at any MCPS school. Is this so? I worked as an internal auditor for two different banks for a decade, and this was the first question we asked when a department was considering adopting a new computer system: "How can we audit the integrity of the system?" All systems require an audit trail. We teach our children to back up their work. Are teachers being required to do the same when they record our children's hard-earned grades? And if not, why?

Please assure all parents and tax payers that a security breach such as that at Churchill can be remedied because proper controls are in place. Could what happen at Churchill happen at any Montgomery County high school without correction?

Thank you.

Parent of a MCPS high school student

Reprinted with permission of the author.

Fuzzy Math at its Best

Remember a few years ago when the big uproar in Montgomery County concerned "fuzzy math?"  Remember when our kids were taught that math questions had more than one answer? 

Fuzzy math is back.

In his January 8 2010 memo to the Board of Education, Dr. Weast confirms that MoCo residents now have a fuzzy budget made up of fuzzy math numbers.

Remember that big budget document Dr. Weast issued a few weeks back with his projections for how he will spend our taxpayer money and what will happen if he doesn't get everything?

Fooled you. 

That document was not based on data, numbers or studies.  Just read his January 8 memo, and you will see the following answers to questions:

Answer to Question 4:  There are no studies or other evaluations of the impact of academic intervention teachers.

Answer to Question 5:  There are no studies or other evaluations of the impact of elementary school regular education paraeducators. 

Answer to Question 7:  As with other potential budget reductions, no decisions on possible changes have yet been made.

Am I reading this correctly?  No data?  No decisions? 

What exactly is this school budget all about and why ask for public opinion if you don't know what is possible?

The folks of MoCo are making their decisions right now.  High school students are in the process of selecting courses for next year, students articulating from elementary to middle school and middle school from high school are making decisions about where to enroll.

Families need facts, not smoke and mirrors from behind the curtain. 

You are not in Kansas anymore, Dr. Weast.    Perhaps its time to locate that balloon.

What the Advisory Committee Members say in Public & in Committee

January 15, 2009 AEI Committee Feedback

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Presentations & Spre accountability etics

If we are to believe the public pronouncements of AEI Advisory Committee members, they are doing battle against a hostile MCPS, fighting to be heard but often, if not always, ignored.

The feedback forms submitted by these very same committee members show no such dissension or disagreement.

Asked if the meeting addressed the “charge” of the committee, six-members strongly agreed, while one-agreed. NONE disagreed!! One-had no comment.

When asked if they provided “input of Policy Revision Overview” seven out of eight agreed or strongly agreed (one had no comment).

When asked if they provided “input on Revision of Policy IOA” seven out of eight agreed or strongly agreed (one disagreed).

Take a look at the minutes of AEI Committee Meetings, there are two versions available: one produced by MCPS, and the other by a committee member. Neither version documents the voting that took place within the committee, even though law apparently requires that they do.

How about the meetings between individual groups and MCPS representatives, ostensibly to conduct the public's business? No minutes produced by any party--even though the law apparently requires it.

No wonder that Policy IOA has been turned into a political manifesto instead of a document stating a cogent, coherent policy on gifted education.

It is only through direct parental involvement that we can accomplish change.

It is with this basic principle in mind that we urge you to help make April 16, 2009 [and, perhaps, every April 16, thereafter] *Stand Up for Your Children Day*. Please see:

http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2009/03/make-april-16-day-to-stand-up-for-your.html

*WHEN*: April 16, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

WHERE: At The *Carver Educational Services Center*, 850 Hungerford
Drive, Rockville, MD 20850

*WHAT TO DO*: You can simply show your commitment to your child’s education by joining other parents in the parking lot. Just show up and make a statement by the number of vehicles.

You could voice your opinion personally with posters, etc., and make sure the BOE understands our commitment to our children, by visiting Conference Room 127 where the Advisory Committee will be meeting.

An end to secret “Advisory Committees?” A first look at draft policy-IOA

Draft Policy IOA Feb 11, 09 Version

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Presentations & Spre accountability mcps

Recently, in a tacit acknowledgement to the conclusion that Advisory Committee meetings are “open meetings” under the Open Meetings Act, the April 16, 2009 meeting of the AEI Advisory Committee (with the BOE in attendance) was placed on the BOE calendar.

In what can only be interpreted as a vindication of the assertion that committee members improperly agreed to the secrecy of documents, MCPS released the draft policy IOA and other documents.

Any member of the Advisory Committee with a commitment to transparency, openness, and applicable law, could have requested the release of this document, as well as any other, at any time. It is significant, that despite repeated requests, none chose to do so.

It is now the time for a robust, well-informed, public debate and input. It is only proper that we, as parents, speak for ourselves. Our voices, raised in support of what is morally, ethically, and legally right can accomplish more than any hand-picked committee meeting in secret.


Remember April 15 is for taxes.

April 16 is for standing up for your child. It is when parents answer the call of their conscience that transparency and accountability becomes a reality. Please join in a protest by concerned parents.

WHEN: April 16, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: At Carver ESC in Conference Room 127

Join the fight for data driven, open, transparent change in public education.

A House Divided Cannot Stand

On June 16, 1858, Republican delegates met in the Springfield, Illinois, statehouse for the Republican State Convention to choose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate for the U.S. Senate, running against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. Speaking to his Republican colleagues Lincoln uttered the words "A house divided against itself cannot stand."

Lincoln, was paraphrasing the scriptures ("And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand"—Matthew 12:25) in that now immortal speech, making a point that resonates even today.

We are, in the shadow of the public school system we fund and support, a house divided. No, not into red and green zones, but into those allowed into the inner sanctum and those who must clamor at the walls to be heard. Those that must pay suitable penance, approach on bended knee, and those that need not.

Yet, when it come to accepting our tax dollars they make no such distinction.

For thirty-years, yes, I said thirty-years, we have tolerated GT education that MCPS now admits, is unevenly implemented.

Parents with children needing Special Educational interventions struggle single handedly to get their children what they need. Just last month a parent spoke to me about her struggle. It affected me more than I realized. It affected my family too. We can’t simply dismiss these individual struggles as “not our problem,” and expect to call ourselves a community.

We discuss strategies that work in ensuring that our kids get the educational interventions they need. Surely, we see that it is wrong? Getting your child the appropriate education should never be a matter of luck or your ability to pay appropriate penance.

As I suggested the idea of making April 16, a day to stand up for our children, many asked about preserving anonymity for fear of retaliation. We have become a community in fear of our school system. This is a stark reality that we seem to unhesitatingly accept.

When it comes to MCPS, are we willing to become a community of Stepford Wives? Remember the conversation, “We ought to try at least. Let’s talk to those hausfraus; there must be some of them who resent the situation a little. What do you say? Wouldn’t it be great if we could get a group together-maybe even a NOW chapter eventually—and give that Men’s Association a good shaking-up? … it’s not going to change unless it’s forced to change; fat-cat organizations never do.”

So, on April 16, get some take-out food, get in your preferred from of transportation, and head over to the Men’s Association,oops, I mean MCPS, at the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Directions are found here.

There is free parking and take it as an invitation to fill the huge lot. Make it an opportunity to enjoy the camaraderie of someone new, perhaps someone who looks a little different.

Bring a poster or two, maybe even three, highlighting an issue close to your heart.

If you feel brave enough drop by Room 127 between 6:30PM and 9:30PM and say hello to your duly elected BOE members meeting with the top secret AEI Advisory Committee, please do so.

More importantly, demand transparency, accountability and broader community participation in the decision making that affects your child’s education. Reject divisive politics.

Let us not be a house divided. Remember, MCPS is "… not going to change unless it’s forced to change; fat-cat organizations never do."

Make April 16 a day to stand up for your children

Tired of the great sucking sound of your tax dollars being flushed down the toilet while educational outcomes decline?

Sick of what happened at Eastern Middle School?

Angry at the secretly formed Advisory Committees secretly chipping away your child's educational programs?

Outraged at Advisory Committees routinely flaunting the Open Meetings Act, the Maryland Public Information Act, etc?

Smoldering about the slash and burn of Special Education?

Not one of the one-size fits all proponents?

Unhappy about the taxation without proper representation of your views on education?

Can’t believe the way Carver shovels your money away into private pockets?

Think decision making should be a transparent, accountable process?

Angry that your voice wasn’t heard at the MCCPTA meeting?

Feel that Advisory Committee members don't listen to your voices?

Sick of the duplicity, threats, and intimidation?

Partial to non-violent, civilized protests in support of open, transparent, accountable, data-driven processes for a better educational future for OUR KIDS?

Join a protest of concerned parents.

WHEN: April 16, 2009 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: At Montgomery County Public Schools' Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland in Conference Room 127

Spread the word: cross-post, shout from your roof tops, and bring in the crowds.

Kumar Singam

What came first . . . the chicken or the (Promethean) egg?

For those of you who are still curious about those wonderful tech-savvy white boards populating classrooms throughout Montgomery County Public Schools, and how, in these dire economic times, did our school system come up with the money, consider this.

Back in February 2008, when the Promethean Boards were a mere dream to many classrooms, Dr. Weast received a Tech Savvy Superintendent Award.

Note that at the time of the award, MCPS efforts included the installation of 18 Active Classrooms in 14 schools, with 22 more to be installed over the next two years.

So how did MCPS manage to install 2600+ of these boards in classrooms across the county by September 2008?

Could it be that the Tech Savvy Sup Award was sponsored by Promethean? Or is that just another amazing coincidence from Montgomery County, Maryland. Where is the "data driven decision making" to support this simplified acquisition that escaped the normal procurement bidding process?

Hear Dr. Weast in his own words or read the article (excerpts below)

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From the award write-up Eighth Annual Tech Savvy Superintendent Awards (Feb. 7, 2008)(http://www.eschoolnews.com/2008/02/07/eighth-annual-tech-savvy-superintendent-awards/) :

In our eighth annual Tech-Savvy Superintendent Awards, sponsored by Promethean and eCollege, eSchool News recognizes 10 of the nation's top K-12 executives for their outstanding ed-tech leadership and vision. Chosen by the editors of eSchool News with help from last year's winners, these 10 exemplary leaders will be honored in a private ceremony held at the same time as the American Association of School Administrators' annual conference in Tampa, Fla., Feb. 15.
. . .

Jerry D. Weast, Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland
When Weast became superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS)--a large, culturally diverse school system of 21,000 professionals and 138,000 students--more than eight years ago, he set new priorities aimed at providing a high-quality teacher in every classroom, raising staff expectations of high academic achievement for all students, and giving educators the technology tools and support they needed to improve students' performance. He has rallied the support of stakeholders to provide funding to refresh the district's 40,000 computers, educational software, and network infrastructure every four years through a Technology Modernization program.

One of Weast's key technology initiatives to support teaching and learning focuses on data-driven decision making. By urging the creation of an integrated quality management system, he has simplified access to relevant student achievement data.

As a result, teachers now have immediate access to student performance data, so they can assess students' knowledge and abilities and tailor their instruction accordingly. Under Weast's direction, MCPS has integrated technology into professional development for all staff. Staff members register for professional development opportunities through the Professional Development Online (PDO) web-based program, which has been tailored to meet the specific training needs of each staff member. Professional development is provided in a new, state-of-the-art Center for Technology Innovation containing four computer labs and a video conferencing room.

Weast also has led the effort to develop online formative assessments that provide immediate access to results. Teachers now use handheld computers to streamline the process and improve the accuracy of diagnostic information. The district's most recent initiative is the installation of 18 Promethean ActivClassroom systems in 14 schools, with more than 22 additional schools to be added over the next two years [emphasis added].