A Turnaround for Baltimore Schools

Revolutionizing Education

I think Baltimore is headed in the right direction with giving parents so many option. Yes it is early but someone has to lead the way is changing the educational system of America. I attended the High School fair last weekend and was surprised at the number of choices parents had.

At a time in America where the recent college grad has to be amazing to even become a receptionist, Baltimore is breaking down the brick wall of old school education and really leading the way with unique schools and options for our future generation.

The Crown Jewels

The Baltimore City Public High Schools have 4 crown jewels to offer. They are the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore City College, Western High School and the Baltimore School for the Arts. These schools, the first three in particular, have a long history of preparing students successfully for college.

For example, the first school, Poly, has a program known as the Ingenuity Project. Those students who successfully complete the program typically are admitted to the top universities and colleges in the country (M.I.T., Harvard, Bates, Bowdoin, UVA, UNC, Northwestern, Duke, Georgia Tech to name a few). Poly also has the "A Course" program which carries an engineering or science option, that almost parallels the Ingenuity Project. Its students experience similar placement success.

Finally, Dr. Brney Wilson, deserves great credit for Poly's resurgence. He is an alum of the school, graduated with an undergraduate and graduate degrees from a prestigous university, and worked for some of the great entities of corporate America. Here is a man who has experienced success and is now giving back to Baltimore and providing a highly competitive alternative to the pricey private schools.

Cautiously optimistic

I abandoned Baltimore's (as I remember back in the early 90's) horrific school system with its lack of safety and unqualified teachers for Montgomery County's top rated schools. But I've been hearing a lot of positive news that gives me hope. After years of ineffective leaders, corruption and other bureaucratic failings that harm our children, I'm hoping that Baltimore can retool itself and become a bustling metropolis that maybe someday, I'll feel comfortable going back.

Honesty

Let's be honest, there a lot of factors at play here. Baltimore in general has reversed its decades long trend of depopulation and the city is actually growing. Also, many parents have opted out of paying for private school due to the financial crisis. Alonso is doing some good things, but we have to wait more than one year on the job to judge how the character of BCPS has truly improved. It certainly seems as if it has taken a leap toward administrative competence, but there are still many many schools in Baltimore that are anarchy day in and out.

Applauding Baltimore!!!

The improvements in Baltimore City Public Schools are the result of a tremendous effort and collaboration among educators, parents, administrators, students, and the community. Thank you for highlighting these positive achievements!