If DC public charters are created to help the underprivileged is it bad to

[Anonymous]

This is a sincere question

If many of the public charters are created to help the underprivileged do they not want any white kids to attend?
I know they can’t say no but if you get a spot is it Ok especially if your local HS under the poverty line anyway?

[Anonymous]

Of course it’s okay. But, be cognizant of the fact that being an only anything is hard. Being a minority of one at a school is much harder than being one of even a small group. If your child will actually be the only white student, is that a good social environment for him or her?

[Anonymous]

Not sure but the alternative is similar a few more white kids but in a school double the size

[Anonymous]

The underprivileged kids (and school atmosphere) might be better off with a critical mass of UMC peers (of any race) and UMC folks are more likely to attend if there is a critical mass of UMC folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a sincere question

If many of the public charters are created to help the underprivileged do they not want any white kids to attend?
I know they can’t say no but if you get a spot is it Ok especially if your local HS under the poverty line anyway?

So all minority kids are underprivileged? It's probably best for you to avoid any school like you are describing. It won't go well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a sincere question

If many of the public charters are created to help the underprivileged do they not want any white kids to attend?
I know they can’t say no but if you get a spot is it Ok especially if your local HS under the poverty line anyway?

So all minority kids are underprivileged? It's probably best for you to avoid any school like you are describing. It won't go well.

No one said that you strawman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a sincere question

If many of the public charters are created to help the underprivileged do they not want any white kids to attend?
I know they can’t say no but if you get a spot is it Ok especially if your local HS under the poverty line anyway?

So all minority kids are underprivileged? It's probably best for you to avoid any school like you are describing. It won't go well.

This is the way the DCPS PC promote their schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a sincere question

If many of the public charters are created to help the underprivileged do they not want any white kids to attend?
I know they can’t say no but if you get a spot is it Ok especially if your local HS under the poverty line anyway?

So all minority kids are underprivileged? It's probably best for you to avoid any school like you are describing. It won't go well.

This is the way the DCPS PC promote their schools

Latin is a perfect example and now with sibling preference that community is not being served.

[Anonymous]

A basic issue in DC is that we have (1) a charter system that basically has an unconstrained right to grow and (2) a huge achievement gap no one has been able to close. Until the achievement gap closes, there will always be someone who will say, “couldn’t this new charter fix it?” And a system that will approve said charter. Not always, but enough that this is a huge driver in system expansion.

Is that the only reason charters exist? Not by a long shot. But should it make you bring your no-achievement-gap-child to a charter aimed at the gap or stay away? Is that segregation or integration or intentionality or what?

It’s reasons like this not to immediately condemn people or schools in DC associated with charters. There are bad choices and people who make bad choices and schools that should refocus on their reasons to exist. And frankly there are DCPS schools where not enough success is happening and this drives a hunger for alternatives.

But should you keep away from certain schools?

In my opinion I’d do this:
Be open to your neighborhood school as a first choice as it’s likely to be the most integrative of neighbors and DC. Have a reason not to go there that isn’t based on race or class if you don’t want to choose it.
If you want a charter, choose one where you won’t undermine its reason to exist, e.g., closing an achievement gap, by enrolling your kids.
If you want a charter, don’t lie to yourself about choosing it’s program when you are really choosing its demographics.
If your kids are on the low side of the achievement gap, do the best thing you can for them and tell privileged people when they are squeezing you out.

[Anonymous]

Charter schools were created by republicans to F with public schools. Don't overthink it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Charter schools were created by republicans to F with public schools. Don't overthink it.

+1 I'm kind of tickled by the idea that someone thinks they were created to help the underprivileged. They were created to weaken and siphon money out of public schools and into pockets like the DeVos's.

[Anonymous]

While true at one level founders are generally crusading do gooders who hate both Republicans and the achievement gap.

[Anonymous]

I mean you can play this game forever in DC.

We are at a Title 1 DCPS (middle class white family) and we often have to have a discussion about whether we will participate in a program because we know it is designed for the many at risk kids at our school and we don't want to take opportunities away from other kids. On the other hand, it's our school and we want to be part of the community. And we don't want our kid to feel separate and apart.

Example: the school has heavily subsidized after care. It's ridiculously inexpensive. Is it wrong for us to use it even though we can afford to pay more? In the end we do use it because what is the alternative? For our kid to to go to some more expensive aftercare program somewhere else so that we don't feel guilty using a subsidized service? How would that look to the kids? It makes no sense. So we get a benefit we didn't earn and don't technically need, but it's really the most sensible outcome.

And then during the lottery each year we always feel a bit confused. Does it make more sense to stay and invest in our IB school (which we like!), or to acknowledge that this school is designed to serve the needs of a community we don't really belong to and lottery into a charter or OOB DCPS where the family community is more similar to us (whiter, more middle or upper middle class). I honestly don't know the answer. So far we've stayed out of loyalty to the school and because our kid is happy. Maybe we'll last until middle. It's really hard to know what the right thing to do it, especially when of course it's a crapshoot whether we even get into another school anyway.

Public school in DC is not for the faint of heart. Unless you live in a small number of school boundaries, you will at some point have to struggle with the question of whether to make a choice that serves your community or that serves your child, and then also to question what it even means to do right by your kid. There is no "set it and forget it" mode for most DC public school parents. You will have to wrestle with these questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it’s okay. But, be cognizant of the fact that being an only anything is hard. Being a minority of one at a school is much harder than being one of even a small group. If your child will actually be the only white student, is that a good social environment for him or her?

Why is it not a good social environment. African Americans, Latinos and Asians frequently experience being the only one in work environments, academics and social settings. As a person of color this has been my reality quite frequently. I am so confused by this way of thinking. Its ridiculous. This is why so many White families have decided to take their children out of DCPCS schools by Kindergarten they don't want to be the only ones left in the upper grades. You can say it is about test scores but it is deeper than that. If a school has majority at risk students (English as a Second Lang, Special education, homeless, lower SES) in the upper testing grades then research indicates the test scores will be lower. Do not assume that the school is not as good if the test scores are low that is flawed thinking. Teachers in title one schools can out teach many teachers in other schools from what I have experienced in my over 20 years in the education system. Many white parents do not want their children in a school or class with all minority students. They may not admit it but it is true. I wish people would just be honest and begin to address their biases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean you can play this game forever in DC.

We are at a Title 1 DCPS (middle class white family) and we often have to have a discussion about whether we will participate in a program because we know it is designed for the many at risk kids at our school and we don't want to take opportunities away from other kids. On the other hand, it's our school and we want to be part of the community. And we don't want our kid to feel separate and apart.

Example: the school has heavily subsidized after care. It's ridiculously inexpensive. Is it wrong for us to use it even though we can afford to pay more? In the end we do use it because what is the alternative? For our kid to to go to some more expensive aftercare program somewhere else so that we don't feel guilty using a subsidized service? How would that look to the kids? It makes no sense. So we get a benefit we didn't earn and don't technically need, but it's really the most sensible outcome.

And then during the lottery each year we always feel a bit confused. Does it make more sense to stay and invest in our IB school (which we like!), or to acknowledge that this school is designed to serve the needs of a community we don't really belong to and lottery into a charter or OOB DCPS where the family community is more similar to us (whiter, more middle or upper middle class). I honestly don't know the answer. So far we've stayed out of loyalty to the school and because our kid is happy. Maybe we'll last until middle. It's really hard to know what the right thing to do it, especially when of course it's a crapshoot whether we even get into another school anyway.

Public school in DC is not for the faint of heart. Unless you live in a small number of school boundaries, you will at some point have to struggle with the question of whether to make a choice that serves your community or that serves your child, and then also to question what it even means to do right by your kid. There is no "set it and forget it" mode for most DC public school parents. You will have to wrestle with these questions.

Yeah, the above is us. With our first kid, it was clear the kid would do well anywhere. The second clearly needs more out of school. Will our choices be the same for both in a choice-heavy environment? Who knows.