Classes on topics that were proposed by students have been given the green light by the Montgomery County Board of Education to be taught in schools.
Electives with titles such as “Jewish Peoplehood Throughout History,” “Social Justice Through Public Policy” and “Hip-Hop Poetics and Rhetoric” were proposed for pilot development for the 2025-26 school year.
The Board of Education approved a resolution giving the go-ahead for the classes after a discussion that Superintendent Thomas Taylor kicked off by saying, “Now for the fun stuff.”
Taylor noted that the process of piloting electives suggested by students and teachers can “maximize student engagement,” while also providing rigorous coursework.
Student member of the board Praneel Suvarna, a senior at Clarksburg High School, shared what he called a “secret” from his predecessor, Sammy Saeed: “He said that this was one of the most interesting parts of the Board of Education work, and I have to agree with him here. I think that this is just so cool and so fun.”
Other classes, including “Muslim Global Experiences,” “Principles of Artificial Intelligence” and “Virtual Reality Design,” already completed the pilot process and were given approval at specific schools for the same 2025-26 academic year.
Not all the classes will be made available at all county schools, and several board members asked if there was a way to provide the topics to a broader student audience.
Irina LaGrange, director of the Department of College and Career Readiness and Districtwide Programs, told board members, “I do think we have an opportunity to think about how we’re using online pathway courses.”
Board members also asked if the classes remain popular over time. LaGrange said, since 2018, there have been 33 courses designated as “active.”
Board member Julia Yang responded, “Sounds like we do have a pretty significant survival rate for these courses.”
There was a concern that some courses could be duplicating other electives. Board member Brenda Wolff asked about the difference between a history of hip-hop class already offered and the new elective on the “poetics” of the musical genre.
After learning that one is more like a social studies class, and the newer one is more about looking at hip-hop as a literary form like poetry, Wolff said, “I’m excited for it, I just wanted to understand what the difference is going to be because I know that my grandson is jumping around all the time, and he’ll be looking for this!”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
