Powerful Letter to the Arlington County School Board about Diversity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Good writers don't keep repeating themselves, and they don't misrepresent facts just to score rhetorical points.

Besides the inside/outside the Beltway statement, which facts is he misrepresenting?

I had a problem with some source citations that neglected to mention ideological agendas, i.e. the Commonwealth Institute.

Dp- sounds more like you don't like facts that don't support your ideology. It can be a tough pill to be sure.

No, that's not it. I'm not afraid to read things that differ from my views. And, I happen to be a liberal, which means I give credibility to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is ultimately the group behind the Commonwealth Institute. I just prefer that people be transparent about the perspective of organizations they cite. I'd say the same thing if it were a group tied to the Cato Institute or Heritage Foundation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Good writers don't keep repeating themselves, and they don't misrepresent facts just to score rhetorical points.

Besides the inside/outside the Beltway statement, which facts is he misrepresenting?

I had a problem with some source citations that neglected to mention ideological agendas, i.e. the Commonwealth Institute.

Dp- sounds more like you don't like facts that don't support your ideology. It can be a tough pill to be sure.

No, that's not it. I'm not afraid to read things that differ from my views. And, I happen to be a liberal, which means I give credibility to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which is ultimately the group behind the Commonwealth Institute. I just prefer that people be transparent about the perspective of organizations they cite. I'd say the same thing if it were a group tied to the Cato Institute or Heritage Foundation.

Do you have the same misgivings about Fairfax County's findings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you agree with his op ed, sign Matthew Herrity's petition.

https://www.change.org/p/arlington-county-school-board-arlington-public-schools-integration

Why should anyone sign a petition that has factual errors, such as asserting Madison HS is "inside the Beltway" or that Yorktown is the third least diverse school "inside the Beltway"?

The kid needs to fix all the sloppy errors, resubmit his paper for a better grade, and then see if anyone else wants to sign a petition. Egging him on right now isn't a good idea and just makes the W-L community look ignorant.

you are just a bitter, disgusting human being.

Well, aren't you polite?

The premise of the (sloppy) letter, as I understood it was that a W-L student was chiding the board for not making sure Yorktown and Wakefield were not just like W-L.

I'm tired of people from W-L holding their school out as some type of ideal environment. It's not all that, and quite frankly the people I've met from both Yorktown and Wakefield were far nicer.

As someone who makes her living as an editor, I can assure you that the "sloppy" letter written by this high school student is orders of magnitude better than what I frequently see written by highly educated adults. Why don't you post an analysis you've written so we can compare? Topic of your choice. We'll wait.

Perhaps you can write a kick-ass letter of recommendation (assuming you're not the boy's parent). LOL.

No, not his parent. My own terrific writer writes for his college paper.

Sorry, hit post too soon. Meant to add:

This letter speaks for itself. The author wouldn't need my recommendation.

I'll say it again: Not very many adults can write this well. Either PP didn't actually read it or she doesn't know what good writing looks like.

Good writers don't keep repeating themselves, and they don't misrepresent facts just to score rhetorical points.

Neither you nor the author of the petition is a very good writer.

I'll tell that to my publisher.

[Anonymous]

So all this bs about editing and crap is not the main usse here

Again North Arlington is full of a bunch of limousine liberals. It's embarrassing we have so much inequality in one of the most liberal/blue areas of the country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you agree with his op ed, sign Matthew Herrity's petition.

https://www.change.org/p/arlington-county-school-board-arlington-public-schools-integration

Why should anyone sign a petition that has factual errors, such as asserting Madison HS is "inside the Beltway" or that Yorktown is the third least diverse school "inside the Beltway"?

The kid needs to fix all the sloppy errors, resubmit his paper for a better grade, and then see if anyone else wants to sign a petition. Egging him on right now isn't a good idea and just makes the W-L community look ignorant.

you are just a bitter, disgusting human being.

Well, aren't you polite?

The premise of the (sloppy) letter, as I understood it was that a W-L student was chiding the board for not making sure Yorktown and Wakefield were not just like W-L.

I'm tired of people from W-L holding their school out as some type of ideal environment. It's not all that, and quite frankly the people I've met from both Yorktown and Wakefield were far nicer.

As someone who makes her living as an editor, I can assure you that the "sloppy" letter written by this high school student is orders of magnitude better than what I frequently see written by highly educated adults. Why don't you post an analysis you've written so we can compare? Topic of your choice. We'll wait.

Perhaps you can write a kick-ass letter of recommendation (assuming you're not the boy's parent). LOL.

No, not his parent. My own terrific writer writes for his college paper.

Sorry, hit post too soon. Meant to add:

This letter speaks for itself. The author wouldn't need my recommendation.

I'll say it again: Not very many adults can write this well. Either PP didn't actually read it or she doesn't know what good writing looks like.

Good writers don't keep repeating themselves, and they don't misrepresent facts just to score rhetorical points.

Neither you nor the author of the petition is a very good writer.

I'll tell that to my publisher.

Not impressed in the slightest. I received a foundation grant and was published in my 20s. Big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So all this bs about editing and crap is not the main usse here

Again North Arlington is full of a bunch of limousine liberals. It's embarrassing we have so much inequality in one of the most liberal/blue areas of the country

Why can't kids who don't live in the middle of the county attend schools near their homes? Should everyone be bussed around just to make people at W-L feel better? I don't see anyone at Wakefield champing at the bit to go to Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you agree with his op ed, sign Matthew Herrity's petition.

https://www.change.org/p/arlington-county-school-board-arlington-public-schools-integration

Why should anyone sign a petition that has factual errors, such as asserting Madison HS is "inside the Beltway" or that Yorktown is the third least diverse school "inside the Beltway"?

The kid needs to fix all the sloppy errors, resubmit his paper for a better grade, and then see if anyone else wants to sign a petition. Egging him on right now isn't a good idea and just makes the W-L community look ignorant.

you are just a bitter, disgusting human being.

Well, aren't you polite?

The premise of the (sloppy) letter, as I understood it was that a W-L student was chiding the board for not making sure Yorktown and Wakefield were not just like W-L.

I'm tired of people from W-L holding their school out as some type of ideal environment. It's not all that, and quite frankly the people I've met from both Yorktown and Wakefield were far nicer.

As someone who makes her living as an editor, I can assure you that the "sloppy" letter written by this high school student is orders of magnitude better than what I frequently see written by highly educated adults. Why don't you post an analysis you've written so we can compare? Topic of your choice. We'll wait.

Perhaps you can write a kick-ass letter of recommendation (assuming you're not the boy's parent). LOL.

No, not his parent. My own terrific writer writes for his college paper.

Sorry, hit post too soon. Meant to add:

This letter speaks for itself. The author wouldn't need my recommendation.

I'll say it again: Not very many adults can write this well. Either PP didn't actually read it or she doesn't know what good writing looks like.

Good writers don't keep repeating themselves, and they don't misrepresent facts just to score rhetorical points.

Neither you nor the author of the petition is a very good writer.

I'll tell that to my publisher.

Not impressed in the slightest. I received a foundation grant and was published in my 20s. Big deal.

Np- and you can't comprehend a clearly articulated high school letter? Lord, they'll give anyone a grant won't they!

[Anonymous]

My biggest problem with this letter is that "free and reduced lunch" percentage is constantly used as a shorthand / substitute for racial diversity. Free and reduced lunch and racial diversity aren't the same. Yorktown High school might only have 14% FARL, but the minority population is 35%, just to give one example. Doing this makes these schools look less diverse than they really are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My biggest problem with this letter is that "free and reduced lunch" percentage is constantly used as a shorthand / substitute for racial diversity. Free and reduced lunch and racial diversity aren't the same. Yorktown High school might only have 14% FARL, but the minority population is 35%, just to give one example. Doing this makes these schools look less diverse than they really are.

If we're talking about a diversity of experiences, considering economic diversity makes sense. Not that race is immaterial, but the child of a doctor and a lawyer who were born in the US is going to have a difference perspective on a lot of things than the child of a day laborer and a housekeeper, even if both kids are nonwhite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So all this bs about editing and crap is not the main usse here

Again North Arlington is full of a bunch of limousine liberals. It's embarrassing we have so much inequality in one of the most liberal/blue areas of the country

Yes, the deflection here is fierce. "I don't want to think about the issue being raised or how it might inconvenience me in some way, so let's talk about how a high school student split an infinitive in paragraph 4 or how he used the word "gerrymander" in a way that is not technically correct."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So all this bs about editing and crap is not the main usse here

Again North Arlington is full of a bunch of limousine liberals. It's embarrassing we have so much inequality in one of the most liberal/blue areas of the country

Why can't kids who don't live in the middle of the county attend schools near their homes? Should everyone be bussed around just to make people at W-L feel better? I don't see anyone at Wakefield champing at the bit to go to Yorktown.

Way to miss the point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My biggest problem with this letter is that "free and reduced lunch" percentage is constantly used as a shorthand / substitute for racial diversity. Free and reduced lunch and racial diversity aren't the same. Yorktown High school might only have 14% FARL, but the minority population is 35%, just to give one example. Doing this makes these schools look less diverse than they really are.

If we're talking about a diversity of experiences, considering economic diversity makes sense. Not that race is immaterial, but the child of a doctor and a lawyer who were born in the US is going to have a difference perspective on a lot of things than the child of a day laborer and a housekeeper, even if both kids are nonwhite.

This is exactly correct.

But more to the point, my understanding is that the school board felt that, by law, they could not use race as a factor in their deliberations. (Not that it matters; they clearly didn't use F/RL as a factor either.)

[Anonymous]

Socioeconomic diversity is the real issue and concentrating it is terrible policy. Everyone knows it. Some of you posters truly are deplorables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My biggest problem with this letter is that "free and reduced lunch" percentage is constantly used as a shorthand / substitute for racial diversity. Free and reduced lunch and racial diversity aren't the same. Yorktown High school might only have 14% FARL, but the minority population is 35%, just to give one example. Doing this makes these schools look less diverse than they really are.

The letter-writer uses F/RL as a substitute for race because that's what was done by the school board during the decision-making process. That's not the writer's fault.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My biggest problem with this letter is that "free and reduced lunch" percentage is constantly used as a shorthand / substitute for racial diversity. Free and reduced lunch and racial diversity aren't the same. Yorktown High school might only have 14% FARL, but the minority population is 35%, just to give one example. Doing this makes these schools look less diverse than they really are.

If we're talking about a diversity of experiences, considering economic diversity makes sense. Not that race is immaterial, but the child of a doctor and a lawyer who were born in the US is going to have a difference perspective on a lot of things than the child of a day laborer and a housekeeper, even if both kids are nonwhite.

This is exactly correct.

But more to the point, my understanding is that the school board felt that, by law, they could not use race as a factor in their deliberations. (Not that it matters; they clearly didn't use F/RL as a factor either.)

The SB didn't need to use race as a factor, this is a cop out on their part. There are neighborhoods that are going to be on a bus to any of the three high schools. They could have been more strategic about which high school those neighborhoods could have been rezoned to, and that is not lawsuit worthy. Some neighborhoods should not have been on the table from the beginning, given the historic reasons that they were placed in certain boundaries, again, not lawsuit worthy. Finally, they had an option, even at the end, that took into account all of the criteria and that was not unreasonable or even close to "forced busing" but that would have resulted in a marginally more fair outcome. And they didn't chose that one either. School Board, we heard you loud and clear. Honey Badger don't give a sh**.