Middle school after Brent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No flaming from me, fellow Brent parent.

I taught at Bowen Elementary (Amidon's predecessor) for a school year in the late 80s, when it was a nightmare school, during the height of the DC crack epidemic.

Some of my former students would be parents of current and future JA students. Whenever I think about JA's development trajectory, I remember what tough lives my students had (and that's putting it mildly). All that seemed to be keeping many from foster care, or worse, was a stable, caring 30-something grandmother or two in their corner. Their own parents were mostly in jail, drugged up, dead from crack overdoses, or teens involved in gangs answering to powerful local drug kingpins. The kids lived in grim public housing projects near the school.

Your concerns about JA strike me as logical.

But how do you know? I mean only 29% of JA students are IB.

[Anonymous]

+100.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No flaming from me, fellow Brent parent.

I taught at Bowen Elementary (Amidon's predecessor) for a school year in the late 80s, when it was a nightmare school, during the height of the DC crack epidemic.

Some of my former students would be parents of current and future JA students. Whenever I think about JA's development trajectory, I remember what tough lives my students had (and that's putting it mildly). All that seemed to be keeping many from foster care, or worse, was a stable, caring 30-something grandmother or two in their corner. Their own parents were mostly in jail, drugged up, dead from crack overdoses, or teens involved in gangs answering to powerful local drug kingpins. The kids lived in grim public housing projects near the school.

Your concerns about JA strike me as logical.

But how do you know? I mean only 29% of JA students are IB.

The area around Jefferson certainly wasn't the only area devastated by the DC crack epidemic. The epidemic was even more intense in Wards 7 and 8, where scores of current JA students hail from.

The area around Jefferson certainly wasn't the only swathe of DC devastated by the crack epidemic. The epidemic was even more intense in Wards 7 and 8, where scores of current JA students hail from.

Live in DC during the crack epidemic? Let me guess, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No flaming from me, fellow Brent parent.

I taught at Bowen Elementary (Amidon's predecessor) for a school year in the late 80s, when it was a nightmare school, during the height of the DC crack epidemic.

Some of my former students would be parents of current and future JA students. Whenever I think about JA's development trajectory, I remember what tough lives my students had (and that's putting it mildly). All that seemed to be keeping many from foster care, or worse, was a stable, caring 30-something grandmother or two in their corner. Their own parents were mostly in jail, drugged up, dead from crack overdoses, or teens involved in gangs answering to powerful local drug kingpins. The kids lived in grim public housing projects near the school.

Your concerns about JA strike me as logical.

But how do you know? I mean only 29% of JA students are IB.

The area around Jefferson certainly wasn't the only area devastated by the DC crack epidemic. The epidemic was even more intense in Wards 7 and 8, where scores of current JA students hail from.

The area around Jefferson certainly wasn't the only swathe of DC devastated by the crack epidemic. The epidemic was even more intense in Wards 7 and 8, where scores of current JA students hail from.

Live in DC during the crack epidemic? Let me guess, no.

Crack epidemic + lead in water in early 2000s = children all over city struggling in 2018

This isn't just a Jefferson issue. It's a city-wide issue.

[Anonymous]

You're worried about violence and you would prefer Stuart Hobson to Jefferson? Heh, heh, heh...

[Anonymous]

I wish people would quit taking the bait. Unfounded racist bs without a shred of first hand knowledge or experience.

You should come out and say it -- you don't want your kids exposed to poor children of color. Actually, you can't get past their color to see what other REAL issues may be going on at any given school. Why do so many racist trolls feel obliged to dump on DC public schools? Go find a Reddit forum ffs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the parent of a Brent (middle) elementary school kid, I have three main concerns with Jefferson. In no particular order:

1. Location - it ticks me off that the school is not within walking distance (especially given the gerrymandering of school boundaries for social engineering purposes to ensure that the walkable school for us - Stuart Hobson - is not our in-boundary school).
2. The very, very low test scores. I don't want my child to be the best student in the class (by a long shot). I want my child to be surrounded by high-achieving/high scoring peers so that s/he has to work hard to (maybe) be in the top of the class.
3. Safety concerns. I don't want my child to worry about getting beat up in the bathroom. I also don't particularly want him/her exposed the drugs/violence/early sex/promiscuity that is rampant in the nearby big housing project that I imagine a big chunk of the Jefferson kids come from (and that they are exposed to through no fault of their own because it surrounds them at home).

flame away!

You sound like a morally upstanding individual. You must be failing your kids horribly if you think they're such easy prey to whatever prejudices you cling to.

[Anonymous]

1. Location - it's just where it is, that it's far for you is more telling about where you live than where the school, it's really quite easy to get to (certainly easier than Latin or DCI from where you live)
2. Test scores - it's just not everything, and if it is, then look at the test scores of those students who may be similar to your kids (scores get broken down in this way), barring struggles that we don't know about, that's how your kids would do, so usually proficient or advanced (ours do anyway)
3. Safety concerns - you're really plain making that up out of pure prejudice, all of what you enumerate has not just been a concern in our time at JA (go look at the stats and also look at the school procedures, and, hey, why not visit, to get a reality check)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish people would quit taking the bait. Unfounded racist bs without a shred of first hand knowledge or experience.

You should come out and say it -- you don't want your kids exposed to poor children of color. Actually, you can't get past their color to see what other REAL issues may be going on at any given school. Why do so many racist trolls feel obliged to dump on DC public schools? Go find a Reddit forum ffs

I wish people would come out and say it - we're only looking at JA through rose-colored glasses on this thread. Those who don't cooperate are against us.

Poor children of color come in all shapes and sizes of course. This truth goes a long way toward explaining why the suburban jurisdictions in this Metro area support bona fide GT middle school programs, unlike DC.

If a poster expresses concerns about JA for their child, even concerns based on first-hand experiences gained in the actual neighborhood, why they're no more than a racist troll.

You're not helping your cause by painting with much too broad a brush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish people would quit taking the bait. Unfounded racist bs without a shred of first hand knowledge or experience.

You should come out and say it -- you don't want your kids exposed to poor children of color. Actually, you can't get past their color to see what other REAL issues may be going on at any given school. Why do so many racist trolls feel obliged to dump on DC public schools? Go find a Reddit forum ffs

I wish people would come out and say it - we're only looking at JA through rose-colored glasses on this thread. Those who don't cooperate are against us.

Poor children of color come in all shapes and sizes of course. This truth goes a long way toward explaining why the suburban jurisdictions in this Metro area support bona fide GT middle school programs, unlike DC.

If a poster expresses concerns about JA for their child, even concerns based on first-hand experiences gained in the actual neighborhood, why they're no more than a racist troll.

You're not helping your cause by painting with much too broad a brush.

No, it's not ok if that concern if based on racist and classist stereotypes without firsthand knowledge. Everyone is concerned about their kids -- even the JA parents others are quick to bash for no damned reason except their own prejudice. Complaining that their kids will be preyed up in so-called lawless school is just factually wrong and deeply ignorant.

fwiw -- you and PP are lost causes -- I wouldn't dream of selling you on progressive urban education. You have an exurban mindset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish people would quit taking the bait. Unfounded racist bs without a shred of first hand knowledge or experience.

You should come out and say it -- you don't want your kids exposed to poor children of color. Actually, you can't get past their color to see what other REAL issues may be going on at any given school. Why do so many racist trolls feel obliged to dump on DC public schools? Go find a Reddit forum ffs

I wish people would come out and say it - we're only looking at JA through rose-colored glasses on this thread. Those who don't cooperate are against us.

Poor children of color come in all shapes and sizes of course. This truth goes a long way toward explaining why the suburban jurisdictions in this Metro area support bona fide GT middle school programs, unlike DC.

If a poster expresses concerns about JA for their child, even concerns based on first-hand experiences gained in the actual neighborhood, why they're no more than a racist troll.

You're not helping your cause by painting with much too broad a brush.

No, it's not ok if that concern if based on racist and classist stereotypes without firsthand knowledge. Everyone is concerned about their kids -- even the JA parents others are quick to bash for no damned reason except their own prejudice. Complaining that their kids will be preyed up in so-called lawless school is just factually wrong and deeply ignorant.

fwiw -- you and PP are lost causes -- I wouldn't dream of selling you on progressive urban education. You have an exurban mindset.

and if you don't like being called a racist DON'T SAY RACIST THINGS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish people would quit taking the bait. Unfounded racist bs without a shred of first hand knowledge or experience.

You should come out and say it -- you don't want your kids exposed to poor children of color. Actually, you can't get past their color to see what other REAL issues may be going on at any given school. Why do so many racist trolls feel obliged to dump on DC public schools? Go find a Reddit forum ffs

I wish people would come out and say it - we're only looking at JA through rose-colored glasses on this thread. Those who don't cooperate are against us.

Poor children of color come in all shapes and sizes of course. This truth goes a long way toward explaining why the suburban jurisdictions in this Metro area support bona fide GT middle school programs, unlike DC.

If a poster expresses concerns about JA for their child, even concerns based on first-hand experiences gained in the actual neighborhood, why they're no more than a racist troll.

You're not helping your cause by painting with much too broad a brush.

No, it's not ok if that concern if based on racist and classist stereotypes without firsthand knowledge. Everyone is concerned about their kids -- even the JA parents others are quick to bash for no damned reason except their own prejudice. Complaining that their kids will be preyed up in so-called lawless school is just factually wrong and deeply ignorant.

fwiw -- you and PP are lost causes -- I wouldn't dream of selling you on progressive urban education. You have an exurban mindset.

I'd like to hear more from the teacher who worked in a SW DCPS school, progressive mindset or not. If s/he's a lost cause, most of us at Brent must be lost causes.

Signed.
Stuyvesant HS grad who grew up poor in NYC (where I was frequently preyed upon in all manner of lawless environments)

[Anonymous]

i'd like to hear more from nobody

it's becoming clear that it will be worth avoid jefferson academy to escape sermonizing brent parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish people would quit taking the bait. Unfounded racist bs without a shred of first hand knowledge or experience.

You should come out and say it -- you don't want your kids exposed to poor children of color. Actually, you can't get past their color to see what other REAL issues may be going on at any given school. Why do so many racist trolls feel obliged to dump on DC public schools? Go find a Reddit forum ffs

I wish people would come out and say it - we're only looking at JA through rose-colored glasses on this thread. Those who don't cooperate are against us.

Poor children of color come in all shapes and sizes of course. This truth goes a long way toward explaining why the suburban jurisdictions in this Metro area support bona fide GT middle school programs, unlike DC.

If a poster expresses concerns about JA for their child, even concerns based on first-hand experiences gained in the actual neighborhood, why they're no more than a racist troll.

You're not helping your cause by painting with much too broad a brush.

No, it's not ok if that concern if based on racist and classist stereotypes without firsthand knowledge. Everyone is concerned about their kids -- even the JA parents others are quick to bash for no damned reason except their own prejudice. Complaining that their kids will be preyed up in so-called lawless school is just factually wrong and deeply ignorant.

fwiw -- you and PP are lost causes -- I wouldn't dream of selling you on progressive urban education. You have an exurban mindset.

Who are you to judge PPs on their "mindsets." Neighborhood public schools are supposed to serve neighbors well, regardless of mindset or "progressive" bona fides.

Go away PC troll.

[Anonymous]

NP here - as a prosecutor here in DC, the amount of murders, violent assaults, and drug deals I saw coming out of the James Creek and (to a lesser extent) Greenleaf housing projects in SW was pretty mind blowing. You can't tell me the kids growing up in those projects aren't affected by what they see.