Talking the Talk?

There are signs that the Board of Education and MCPS are responding to the statements and demands of progressive groups such as MCEF and the Equity in Education Coalition. At the 13 September, 2005 Board of Education meeting, there were a number of interesting comments by, and dialogue between, the Superintendent and Members of the Board. QuickTime Movie out-takes of three parts of the video record of that meeting are accessible via clicks below. While the Board and the Superintendent may be "talkin' the talk", they are still viewing what they have accomplished at the elementary school level through "rose-tinted" glasses; there is still a lot of "spin" being applied to the facts. It is up to all of us to help them see the reality more clearly. We must keep up the pressure so that they also "walk the walk", by modifying MCPS policies and practices so that all our kids have equitable access to the best educational programs that Montgomery County can muster!

Superintendent Weast responded to comments by Mr. Romero and Ms. Ervin, regarding the need to enable disadvantaged students to close the gap, by discussing the pressures the system is under to sort students into arbitrary "tracks". To download this segment, including his observations on the need for courageous action by the Board, click here. (19.2 MB QuickTime Movie)

As part of the discussion regarding ways to improve middle school programs, Dr. Weast talked at length about issues of access to educational programs and challenging curricula. Once again there was reference to race and socio-economic factors. And there was the usual tendency to excess self-congratulation; and overemphasis on shallow "trends" in test scores. But he also acknowledged the ways in which MCPS persists in "tracking" our children and the disadvantage this policy imposes on students placed in the lower (less-challenging) tracks. To download this segment, including his observations on "options and opportunities" and the need for courageous leadership by the Board, click here. (38.3 MB QuickTime Movie)

It is of some interest to listen to the dialogue, amongst Board members, about the points raised by the Superintendent. While this segment is rather long (and thus slow to download), it is quite revealing as to the attitudes and the code-words being used in BoE dialogue. There is recurrent reference to the importance of the courses students take (i.e. the "tracks" into which they have, unwisely, been placed). To download this final segment, click here. (70.6 MB QuickTime Movie)

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Last modified: Sunday, October 2, 2005