Banneker SAT averages: 494 Math; 502 Reading

[Anonymous]

For 2011-2012, the school is

0% white
10% Hispanic
85% black

and 4% Asian or mixed race

(DCPS's own stats)

so the paler faces you may be seeing aren't "white," as self-identified by the kids themselves

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For 2011-2012, the school is

0% white
10% Hispanic
85% black

and 4% Asian or mixed race

(DCPS's own stats)

so the paler faces you may be seeing aren't "white," as self-identified by the kids themselves

The last time I checked, this is the 2012-2013 school year. I know there are white kids because my son talks about the funny things they discuss about being white in a black school. Honey, white people might mistake a light skinned black person as white, but black people don't. It's blackdar. They have white students. According to the stats from what I see, I was actually correct.

[Anonymous]

New poster. What a sobering thread.

The city is mired in relativism yet again over both Bannker's average SAT scores and lack of diversity. What we've got is a selective admissions school boasting middling scores that's "good enough" in the eyes of almost everybody involved--administrators, teachers, parents--because the odd kid does get into a great college, and all but two of the other high schools in the city (Wilson, Walls) aren't half as good.

Until Bannker draws a truly diverse student body, and boasts significantly higher scores, it indeed won't impress the great majority of white or Asian parents. But then who really cares if a new high school, or two, does the job instead. We want options, not to denigrate Banneker.

[Anonymous]

6:07, that is crazy as the upcoming weather. Do you honestly think that Banneker will improve only "if" a diverse population crosses the threshold? Why do a predominantly AA populated school have to impressed whites and asians. You might as well have said move Banneker from across the street of Howard University to American University. Again, Banneker was created to lure the other races to the DCPS but they didn't bite. So, the school for the past decades has done swimmingly well and has the graduation rates to prove it. Get-off Banneker's back and create your own snowflake community of school kids. Please do it, for my sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I am a highly educated parent. I feel like Banneker is the best kept secret. Iactually don't care if white parents ever send their kids there. More for us. FYI, there are white, Latino and Asian kids there.

I've given talks about my job to classes of upperclassmen/women at Banneker for several years running. Every face was AA. So where are these white, Latino and Asian kids? How many are there? Surely not more than 1% of the student body each, or maybe even collectively. There's something wrong with the reverse apartheid arrangement, something very wrong indeed.

My son talks about the white kids. He's friends with them. If I guessed, I would say the school is about 10 percent latino, 5 percent asian and 2 percent white. Sorry I haven't counted them. If I had known it was so important to you, I would sat there for 5 hours and did the count. Why is is reverse apartheid? No one excludes anyone and I know my son enjoys seeing other faces. We can't force parents to choose Banneker. My son is in 9th grade. I don't know what the upperclassman looked like in years past.

Why is it a problem that white parents don't choose Banneker and don't want to be a minority. Black and other minorities have to do it all the time, break that "barrier" be a pioneer and see how it feels. You might learn something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6:07, that is crazy as the upcoming weather. Do you honestly think that Banneker will improve only "if" a diverse population crosses the threshold? Why do a predominantly AA populated school have to impressed whites and asians. You might as well have said move Banneker from across the street of Howard University to American University. Again, Banneker was created to lure the other races to the DCPS but they didn't bite. So, the school for the past decades has done swimmingly well and has the graduation rates to prove it. Get-off Banneker's back and create your own snowflake community of school kids. Please do it, for my sake.

Thanks isn't enough pp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster. What a sobering thread.

The city is mired in relativism yet again over both Bannker's average SAT scores and lack of diversity. What we've got is a selective admissions school boasting middling scores that's "good enough" in the eyes of almost everybody involved--administrators, teachers, parents--because the odd kid does get into a great college, and all but two of the other high schools in the city (Wilson, Walls) aren't half as good.

Until Bannker draws a truly diverse student body, and boasts significantly higher scores, it indeed won't impress the great majority of white or Asian parents. But then who really cares if a new high school, or two, does the job instead. We want options, not to denigrate Banneker.

Typical response from a test score obsessed DCUM poster. I have never met a Banneker grad complain about their lack of options or preparedness for college.

[Anonymous]

Before I ever saw Banneker's test scores or heard about how is was the pride of DC schools I saw the Banneker team on Its Academic one Saturday morning. I think that show is running. In any event, I have a very strong memory of thinking the Banneker team was so out of its league I felt sorry for them.

It is all well and good that students and their families do not care that the school does not have a broader appeal across all DC demographics, but You cannot think of yourselves as going to a world class competitive high school until your school becomes desirable to many. It sounds like it is a fine school that serves its student body well. It is not a sch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Before I ever saw Banneker's test scores or heard about how is was the pride of DC schools I saw the Banneker team on Its Academic one Saturday morning. I think that show is running. In any event, I have a very strong memory of thinking the Banneker team was so out of its league I felt sorry for them.

It is all well and good that students and their families do not care that the school does not have a broader appeal across all DC demographics, but You cannot think of yourselves as going to a world class competitive high school until your school becomes desirable to many. It sounds like it is a fine school that serves its student body well. It is not a sch

Having interviewed one or two Banneker students applying to my Ivy almost every year for the past decade, I'm not convinced that the best students don't in fact care that the school lacks broad appeal. What I hear from the kids is that they know Banneker can't compete with the best public HS programs around the country, which are more diverse. They attend because they lack better options, Sidwell, TJ, Blair MoCo magnet programs etc. I've never interviewed a kid who was so much as wait-listed, and not for lack of discipline, or brains for that matter. One student convinced me to give a talk on Ivy League admissions after having been rejected - she wanted her younger sister, and other 10th graders, to learn about the sort of prep the competition would probably be getting, e.g. 8-10 AP classes (from what I've seen, the best Banneker students tend to take half this course load), INTEL and Siemens prize competition work etc.

My impression has been that Banneker works better for the sort of parents, administrators, teachers and college guidance counselors who will be furious if the Supreme Court waters down, or even tosses out, affirmative action college admissions next year than it does for the most able kids.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure what classifies as Ivy league, but Purdue, Brown, RPI, Georgetown, Vassar and John Hopkins are some of the colleges my former classmates graduated with honors. I guess I took the class down a notch, I graduated from UVA. My bad! Some of us had excellent SAT scores, while others had average scores. I dare you to ask your bosses what school they attended or their SAT scores. I wouldn't surprise if they were somewhere in the middle. Drive, determination and perseverance are qualities that makes someone successful. Not a high score you received, on a test you took on a Saturday, while you were a senior in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
For 2011-2012, the school is

0% white
10% Hispanic
85% black

and 4% Asian or mixed race

(DCPS's own stats)

so the paler faces you may be seeing aren't "white," as self-identified by the kids themselves


The last time I checked, this is the 2012-2013 school year. I know there are white kids because my son talks about the funny things they discuss about being white in a black school. Honey, white people might mistake a light skinned black person as white, but black people don't. It's blackdar. They have white students. According to the stats from what I see, I was actually correct.

Fascinating. The school went from having zero white children out of ~400 in May 2012 to having so many in Sept 2012 that you can see them all with your own eyes. That sounds totally plausible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before I ever saw Banneker's test scores or heard about how is was the pride of DC schools I saw the Banneker team on Its Academic one Saturday morning. I think that show is running. In any event, I have a very strong memory of thinking the Banneker team was so out of its league I felt sorry for them.

It is all well and good that students and their families do not care that the school does not have a broader appeal across all DC demographics, but You cannot think of yourselves as going to a world class competitive high school until your school becomes desirable to many. It sounds like it is a fine school that serves its student body well. It is not a sch

Having interviewed one or two Banneker students applying to my Ivy almost every year for the past decade, I'm not convinced that the best students don't in fact care that the school lacks broad appeal. What I hear from the kids is that they know Banneker can't compete with the best public HS programs around the country, which are more diverse. They attend because they lack better options, Sidwell, TJ, Blair MoCo magnet programs etc. I've never interviewed a kid who was so much as wait-listed, and not for lack of discipline, or brains for that matter. One student convinced me to give a talk on Ivy League admissions after having been rejected - she wanted her younger sister, and other 10th graders, to learn about the sort of prep the competition would probably be getting, e.g. 8-10 AP classes (from what I've seen, the best Banneker students tend to take half this course load), INTEL and Siemens prize competition work etc.

My impression has been that Banneker works better for the sort of parents, administrators, teachers and college guidance counselors who will be furious if the Supreme Court waters down, or even tosses out, affirmative action college admissions next year than it does for the most able kids.

This is the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard. You spoke to what 2 students. Students don't even speak that way. In addition, Banneker students have SO MUCH PRIDE in their school, they would never undercut that to say that. Gee, let me see, a senior is really going to say, I know that Banneker sucks, but this is all I have. Have you been drinking this morning. I went to a great affluent high school in MD, I know people who teach in Blair's magnet program. Banneker is able to offer all of those things. Last year, Banneker had a student get a full ride to MIT and she didn't take any AP courses. Even they were shocked.

What the hell does the impending Supreme Court decision have to do with Banneker. I am a Banneker parent and a lawyer, and I would be very disappointed if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Abigail Fischer, but that has NOTHING to do with Banneker.

If you went to an Ivy League school, then I am convinced they watered down the admissions process for you! You must have been a legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Before I ever saw Banneker's test scores or heard about how is was the pride of DC schools I saw the Banneker team on Its Academic one Saturday morning. I think that show is running. In any event, I have a very strong memory of thinking the Banneker team was so out of its league I felt sorry for them.

It is all well and good that students and their families do not care that the school does not have a broader appeal across all DC demographics, but You cannot think of yourselves as going to a world class competitive high school until your school becomes desirable to many. It sounds like it is a fine school that serves its student body well. It is not a sch

Having interviewed one or two Banneker students applying to my Ivy almost every year for the past decade, I'm not convinced that the best students don't in fact care that the school lacks broad appeal. What I hear from the kids is that they know Banneker can't compete with the best public HS programs around the country, which are more diverse. They attend because they lack better options, Sidwell, TJ, Blair MoCo magnet programs etc. I've never interviewed a kid who was so much as wait-listed, and not for lack of discipline, or brains for that matter. One student convinced me to give a talk on Ivy League admissions after having been rejected - she wanted her younger sister, and other 10th graders, to learn about the sort of prep the competition would probably be getting, e.g. 8-10 AP classes (from what I've seen, the best Banneker students tend to take half this course load), INTEL and Siemens prize competition work etc.

My impression has been that Banneker works better for the sort of parents, administrators, teachers and college guidance counselors who will be furious if the Supreme Court waters down, or even tosses out, affirmative action college admissions next year than it does for the most able kids.

This is the biggest crock of shit I've ever heard. You spoke to what 2 students. Students don't even speak that way. In addition, Banneker students have SO MUCH PRIDE in their school, they would never undercut that to say that. Gee, let me see, a senior is really going to say, I know that Banneker sucks, but this is all I have. Have you been drinking this morning. I went to a great affluent high school in MD, I know people who teach in Blair's magnet program. Banneker is able to offer all of those things. Last year, Banneker had a student get a full ride to MIT and she didn't take any AP courses. Even they were shocked.

What the hell does the impending Supreme Court decision have to do with Banneker. I am a Banneker parent and a lawyer, and I would be very disappointed if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Abigail Fischer, but that has NOTHING to do with Banneker.

If you went to an Ivy League school, then I am convinced they watered down the admissions process for you! You must have been a legacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
For 2011-2012, the school is

0% white
10% Hispanic
85% black

and 4% Asian or mixed race

(DCPS's own stats)

so the paler faces you may be seeing aren't "white," as self-identified by the kids themselves


The last time I checked, this is the 2012-2013 school year. I know there are white kids because my son talks about the funny things they discuss about being white in a black school. Honey, white people might mistake a light skinned black person as white, but black people don't. It's blackdar. They have white students. According to the stats from what I see, I was actually correct.

Fascinating. The school went from having zero white children out of ~400 in May 2012 to having so many in Sept 2012 that you can see them all with your own eyes. That sounds totally plausible.

I said I've seen some. It's not difficult to see people when a school only has 400 students. What is your point anyway. I don't care if you won't send your kid there. Neither does anyone at Banneker. My kid will go to a great college. Different strokes for different folks. I don't have to justify my decision to you. I'm well educated. I can make a great decision for my kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure what classifies as Ivy league, but Purdue, Brown, RPI, Georgetown, Vassar and John Hopkins are some of the colleges my former classmates graduated with honors. I guess I took the class down a notch, I graduated from UVA. My bad! Some of us had excellent SAT scores, while others had average scores. I dare you to ask your bosses what school they attended or their SAT scores. I wouldn't surprise if they were somewhere in the middle. Drive, determination and perseverance are qualities that makes someone successful. Not a high score you received, on a test you took on a Saturday, while you were a senior in high school.

+1 Ditto!!!! SAT, ACT, JKLMMXYZ....WTF!!!! I amazed that every DCUM's kid is not a Rhode Scholar, making high 6 figures,.The parents that are uber-critical about anything that they are not familar with, are the first to trash anything positive in this city. Heaven forbid their child turns out to have 2.5 gpa, go to Univ. of Maryland, graduate, have a great career and a loving family. I guessed you failed your child. Get a freaking grip folks.