New TA here: please don’t send your kids to high poverty schools if you can avoid it

[Anonymous]

I have recently started working as a TA at an 85% low income and ESL school. This is not in the DMV area but I think there are very similar schools in FCPS for example. I can never say this to parents in my district because I am bound by all the privacy stuff but I want to say it here: please please don’t send your child to a school like that, even for K.
I don’t know why the kids from middle class families are there. Many of them seem at least 3rd Gen American so it’s not like their parents have no clue about the school system. Heck, many first Gen parents have a good idea! But apparently not them?
Each class has a group of very disruptive kids who ideally need their own aide, either as a group or even individually. They don’t seem to be getting much education simply because they are so distracted they can’t possibly learn much.
The rest of the kids are very very different from each other in terms of their levels. Ideally each class should have at least 3 level groups (not counting the separate one for distractable kids).
But since they only have one teacher… most of the time most of the kids are left to their own devices. The teacher works with one group at a time, doing an awesome job juggling them. The rest are doing activities mostly on their chromebooks. If your child is highly driven, disciplined, is able to ask for help, and has a good attention span - this kid will be fine. But even in that case… there won’t be much fun or enthusiasm in learning. Most of the energy is spent keeping discipline, and helping those who clearly struggle.
Your child’s presence doesn’t seem to benefit anyone either. I mean, maybe it benefits another child like that who now has a friend who is “good, smart” kid. But it definitely doesn’t have any influence on the overall class dynamic, I mean, yeah, it’s better than the class being 100% disruptive but maybe in the latter case help would arrive a little faster?
At the same time, it’s hurting the kids who are capable of learning and being excited to learn, but who instead spend their days almost forgotten (unless they get in trouble) and on their chromebooks.
Anyway, sorry if I am being too direct, but I really wanted to help the kids who can do so much better than this.

[Anonymous]

I went a school district with approximately 80% FARMs (one of the poorest and lowest-performing school districts in my state) and it took me a long time to grapple with this and come to terms with it.

[Anonymous]

The housing market is becoming incredibly stratified.

[Anonymous]

Too late!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went a school district with approximately 80% FARMs (one of the poorest and lowest-performing school districts in my state) and it took me a long time to grapple with this and come to terms with it.

Why do you think there are kids there who seem out of place? Middle class, on grade level or higher, well behaved? What are their parents thinking?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went a school district with approximately 80% FARMs (one of the poorest and lowest-performing school districts in my state) and it took me a long time to grapple with this and come to terms with it.

Why do you think there are kids there who seem out of place? Middle class, on grade level or higher, well behaved? What are their parents thinking?!

They are thinking that they cannot afford a better school cluster. Have you seen the housing costs?

[Anonymous]

Exactly. I work in an 80%+ poverty school in VA and a SFH in the neighborhood costs 550-600k. Families that make good-but-not-great money can buy a SFH there. But many of my students’ families rent one or two rooms in these houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went a school district with approximately 80% FARMs (one of the poorest and lowest-performing school districts in my state) and it took me a long time to grapple with this and come to terms with it.

Why do you think there are kids there who seem out of place? Middle class, on grade level or higher, well behaved? What are their parents thinking?!

My parents had (have) a belief in urban public schools. My father went to Catholic school and didn't even go to college, and was perturbed by his experiences there. My parents were adamant that we live in the city they grew up in and attend school there rather than flee it and deprive it of its tax base like so many other people did.

I think I turned out more than fine. I had plenty of friends who had zero behavioral issues, I did sports, there was little violence where I lived (not a major city) and I graduated at the top of my class with good SAT scores. Didn't struggle in college and am happy in my profession (accounting). BUT, many, many kids' lives did not turn out that way. And I can't ignore that.

My schools always had much more tracking than DC area high schools have currently. Think 4-5 levels of Math classes from 9th-12th grade, and 3-4 levels of history, science, and english.

[Anonymous]

I used to work in a high poverty, low performing school in Anacostia, in a program that supports parents of elementary students. Those parents were solely focused on getting their kids out of that school, whether it was to a charter school or eventually out of the neighborhood altogether.

They thought that anyone who chose to send their kid to that school, if they had another option, was frankly crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to work in a high poverty, low performing school in Anacostia, in a program that supports parents of elementary students. Those parents were solely focused on getting their kids out of that school, whether it was to a charter school or eventually out of the neighborhood altogether.

They thought that anyone who chose to send their kid to that school, if they had another option, was frankly crazy.

Ask the grandmas in the neighborhood about the school!!! Much more informative than DCUM!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went a school district with approximately 80% FARMs (one of the poorest and lowest-performing school districts in my state) and it took me a long time to grapple with this and come to terms with it.

Why do you think there are kids there who seem out of place? Middle class, on grade level or higher, well behaved? What are their parents thinking?!

My parents had (have) a belief in urban public schools. My father went to Catholic school and didn't even go to college, and was perturbed by his experiences there. My parents were adamant that we live in the city they grew up in and attend school there rather than flee it and deprive it of its tax base like so many other people did.

I think I turned out more than fine. I had plenty of friends who had zero behavioral issues, I did sports, there was little violence where I lived (not a major city) and I graduated at the top of my class with good SAT scores. Didn't struggle in college and am happy in my profession (accounting). BUT, many, many kids' lives did not turn out that way. And I can't ignore that.

My schools always had much more tracking than DC area high schools have currently. Think 4-5 levels of Math classes from 9th-12th grade, and 3-4 levels of history, science, and english.

When was this? I went to a school with quite a bit of FARMS in the 80s-90s. The difference is that kids were not nearly as disruptive as they are today. And teachers/staff cannot discipline them as before. My kids went to my elementary school and I pulled them out because the behavior was so incredibly disruptive and they were not learning. Just like the OP said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work in a high poverty, low performing school in Anacostia, in a program that supports parents of elementary students. Those parents were solely focused on getting their kids out of that school, whether it was to a charter school or eventually out of the neighborhood altogether.

They thought that anyone who chose to send their kid to that school, if they had another option, was frankly crazy.

Ask the grandmas in the neighborhood about the school!!! Much more informative than DCUM!!!

Totally! I should’ve said guardians, since in reality many of the folks we worked with were grandmas who had custody of the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to work in a high poverty, low performing school in Anacostia, in a program that supports parents of elementary students. Those parents were solely focused on getting their kids out of that school, whether it was to a charter school or eventually out of the neighborhood altogether.

They thought that anyone who chose to send their kid to that school, if they had another option, was frankly crazy.

I would love to hear more about why they don't move to VA or MD and solve this problem. Is it the familiarity of the neighborhood? I see tons of hispanic families in Arlington who moved to VA for schools. Tell us your experience.

[Anonymous]

My dcs are in a hs like this. They went to a high performing charter until 8th grade so they have a good academic base. But this is our district and they wanted to play sports. It's been very eye-opening and I think will be good for them in the long run. I don't want my kids to be bubble-dwellers. We have a ton of money and they are already set for life no matter what they do. Oldest has gotten into a great college. I am ok with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dcs are in a hs like this. They went to a high performing charter until 8th grade so they have a good academic base. But this is our district and they wanted to play sports. It's been very eye-opening and I think will be good for them in the long run. I don't want my kids to be bubble-dwellers. We have a ton of money and they are already set for life no matter what they do. Oldest has gotten into a great college. I am ok with it.

Yeah -- it can work over the long run. But most of these kids are being destroyed.