Banneker SAT averages: 494 Math; 502 Reading

[Anonymous]

New poster. I graduated from Princeton, a school which has seen but a handful of admits from Banneker in the last decade. I know because, almost every spring, I attend a function for DC admits and ask those organizing the event if any Banneker kids are on the invitation list.

I agree with the pps who think an overwhelmingly AA test-in HS is much less than ideal, and not just for academic reasons. Even the Obamas speak openly about the critical importance of racial diversity in public high schools.

If Banneker had even 4 or 5 white students in the last academic year the stats would surely reflect that with with "1% White" appearing on DCPS documents detailing school demographics.

What's a crock is the view that all is well when the city's elite HS is around 90% AA and that average SAT scores at or below the national average aren't a problem at such an institution. With affirmative action college admissions on its way out soon enough, the scores will need to rise for the school to remain competitive. No argument there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster. I graduated from Princeton, a school which has seen but a handful of admits from Banneker in the last decade. I know because, almost every spring, I attend a function for DC admits and ask those organizing the event if any Banneker kids are on the invitation list.

I agree with the pps who think an overwhelmingly AA test-in HS is much less than ideal, and not just for academic reasons. Even the Obamas speak openly about the critical importance of racial diversity in public high schools.

If Banneker had even 4 or 5 white students in the last academic year the stats would surely reflect that with with "1% White" appearing on DCPS documents detailing school demographics.

What's a crock is the view that all is well when the city's elite HS is around 90% AA and that average SAT scores at or below the national average aren't a problem at such an institution. With affirmative action college admissions on its way out soon enough, the scores will need to rise for the school to remain competitive. No argument there.

I don't know that I would say it's not a problem per se, I would say that it does not prevent me from sending my son there. SATs are one thing, instruction is another. I am pretty sure that given my family's education and income level, our son will be fine. Even if affirmative action does go away, colleges will still have other considerations to make sure that the class is diverse. Diversity includes things other than race. It's like if a white student graduates from Banneker. That student would look great to college admissions committees because he would be considered different.

[Anonymous]

That white Banneker student would appear to have useful and unusual social experience.

Could be that he'll also have considerably higher SATs, despite having the same instruction as his non-white peers. If so, it will bring the Banneker average up a bit and will also support the SES effect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That white Banneker student would appear to have useful and unusual social experience.

Could be that he'll also have considerably higher SATs, despite having the same instruction as his non-white peers. If so, it will bring the Banneker average up a bit and will also support the SES effect.

I know the instruction at Banneker is very good. I've heard about kids from Wilson struggling when they get to college, but not Banneker. Background and exposure has more to do with SATs than classroom instruction. We'll need to work on the tutors they bring in for SAT instruction. Last time I checked, regular teachers don't do test prep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster. I graduated from Princeton, a school which has seen but a handful of admits from Banneker in the last decade. I know because, almost every spring, I attend a function for DC admits and ask those organizing the event if any Banneker kids are on the invitation list.

Just curious, why do you specifically ask about Banneker kids at this function? Are you keeping track for a reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New poster. I graduated from Princeton, a school which has seen but a handful of admits from Banneker in the last decade. I know because, almost every spring, I attend a function for DC admits and ask those organizing the event if any Banneker kids are on the invitation list.

Just curious, why do you specifically ask about Banneker kids at this function? Are you keeping track for a reason?

23:19 again. I keep track of the Princeton-bound Banneker traffic because I grew up poor and care about getting DCPS kids to Ivy League schools, wishing a lot more were submitting competitive applications. I also like to ask how many Wilson and Walls kids get in.

My strong impression is that the instruction at Banneker isn't the problem, it's weak elementary and middle-school prep for the brightest and most disciplined kids. Lack of diversity also hurts the kids: with few upper middle-class peers, students' professional and intellectual horizons remain uneccessarily narrow. If there's a group out there positioned to accrue the greatest benefit from a test-in MS program, it's the Banneker crowd.

My strong impression is that too many Banneker kids who would have been Ivy league material with the right inputs settle for lesser schools as a matter of course. Without GT programs, or a white DCPS HS population anywhere near proportionate to the city's white population, many Banneker kids aren't getting as far as they could have if they were building on a stronger academic foundation from a younger age.

I'm not under the impression that the Banneker guidance counselors care much about Ivy League admissions, which I conider a shame (even if most members of the school community would disagree).

[Anonymous]

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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.

I agree with this. I think some white families just want to be begged to come to Banneker. Your kid can't learn if they're the only person of their race in a classroom full of well-behaved, dedicated students of another race? Something deeply troubling about that. Folks, nobody's asking you to send your kid to a place where there are knife fights in the bathrooms! I've visited Banneker and talked to a Banneker teacher. These are polite and committed students!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Study after study has shown that the best thing the SAT demonstrates is income of the parents.

And that is generally true in the world of standardized testing.

While that maybe true. There is no way in hell higher SES parents would send their kid to a high school with this kind of SAT scores. Thus the exodus of whites, Asians, AA and everyone else who care about education leaving DCPS before high school, Ok, after K or third, or fifth grade.

Oh puh-lease, I wanted my white kid to go to Banneker and we are higher SES. She didn't get in.

[Anonymous]

11:56, you speak of yourself, what was your child's ability? Also, your point is well taken. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Study after study has shown that the best thing the SAT demonstrates is income of the parents.

And that is generally true in the world of standardized testing.

While that maybe true. There is no way in hell higher SES parents would send their kid to a high school with this kind of SAT scores. Thus the exodus of whites, Asians, AA and everyone else who care about education leaving DCPS before high school, Ok, after K or third, or fifth grade.

Oh puh-lease, I wanted my white kid to go to Banneker and we are higher SES. She didn't get in.

She made it to the interview stage, which I think was the final cut. That day she told the committee that she couldn't handle pressure. I suspect that's why they didn't accept her. Those kids work very hard and dd in fact couldn't handle pressure at that time, so it was better that she didn't go there. I wished it had worked out but it wasn't right for her at that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Study after study has shown that the best thing the SAT demonstrates is income of the parents.

And that is generally true in the world of standardized testing.

While that maybe true. There is no way in hell higher SES parents would send their kid to a high school with this kind of SAT scores. Thus the exodus of whites, Asians, AA and everyone else who care about education leaving DCPS before high school, Ok, after K or third, or fifth grade.

Oh puh-lease, I wanted my white kid to go to Banneker and we are higher SES. She didn't get in.

She made it to the interview stage, which I think was the final cut. That day she told the committee that she couldn't handle pressure. I suspect that's why they didn't accept her. Those kids work very hard and dd in fact couldn't handle pressure at that time, so it was better that she didn't go there. I wished it had worked out but it wasn't right for her at that time.

Mom, the pressure is incredible. My son came from a highly regarded charter. The principle told us, and she did not mince her words, that our son was NOT prepared and that the charter did him a great disservice. He's never had this type of pressure on him and I don't know if he can handle it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Study after study has shown that the best thing the SAT demonstrates is income of the parents.

And that is generally true in the world of standardized testing.

While that maybe true. There is no way in hell higher SES parents would send their kid to a high school with this kind of SAT scores. Thus the exodus of whites, Asians, AA and everyone else who care about education leaving DCPS before high school, Ok, after K or third, or fifth grade.

Oh puh-lease, I wanted my white kid to go to Banneker and we are higher SES. She didn't get in.

She made it to the interview stage, which I think was the final cut. That day she told the committee that she couldn't handle pressure. I suspect that's why they didn't accept her. Those kids work very hard and dd in fact couldn't handle pressure at that time, so it was better that she didn't go there. I wished it had worked out but it wasn't right for her at that time.

Mom, the pressure is incredible. My son came from a highly regarded charter. The principle told us, and she did not mince her words, that our son was NOT prepared and that the charter did him a great disservice. He's never had this type of pressure on him and I don't know if he can handle it.

Yes, that was the impression I got at the open house. All the kids talked about how hard they worked and my kid was struggling with depression at the time, so it wasn't going to work for her. But that's why I find the disdain towards Banneker from some white families puzzling. It was a few years ago but the atmosphere seemed closer to a conventional private school than a DCPS high school - except for the usual lack of modern facilities. Hope your son hangs in there!

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. I appreciate that.

[Anonymous]

If the kids are really under a great deal of pressure, and the academics truly are first-rate, as pps claim, why average SAT scores lower than Johns Hopkins summer CTY requires of 7th graders and only a handful of white kids? What's missing from this picture? I've perused the whole thread and still don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the kids are really under a great deal of pressure, and the academics truly are first-rate, as pps claim, why average SAT scores lower than Johns Hopkins summer CTY requires of 7th graders and only a handful of white kids? What's missing from this picture? I've perused the whole thread and still don't understand.

Very few white people choose to be in the minority in any environment. As for the SAT scores, the only thing I can surmise is that the studies are correct and the SAT may be culturally bias.