In DC: "White Parents Horrified by George Floyd Video Still Go to Great Lengths..."

[Anonymous]

Wow. For all the educated folks here there seems to be a completely blind eye to each of our roles in perpetuating systemic racism. No, you’re probably not racist, but the choices you make about “what’s best” for your kids impacts other kids who are far from opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. For all the educated folks here there seems to be a completely blind eye to each of our roles in perpetuating systemic racism. No, you’re probably not racist, but the choices you make about “what’s best” for your kids impacts other kids who are far from opportunity.

Yes, man, yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. For all the educated folks here there seems to be a completely blind eye to each of our roles in perpetuating systemic racism. No, you’re probably not racist, but the choices you make about “what’s best” for your kids impacts other kids who are far from opportunity.

Yes, man, yes.

And the solution you propose is what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. For all the educated folks here there seems to be a completely blind eye to each of our roles in perpetuating systemic racism. No, you’re probably not racist, but the choices you make about “what’s best” for your kids impacts other kids who are far from opportunity.

Yo! That was deep af! Your totally astute societal observation, full of hard hitting insight, has now convinced me that having AP classes pulled out from under my kid, putting her with students who can’t read or do math at grade, and to cram her classroom with an extra 10 kids is a great policy to combat racism. That dope azz and totally thought out comment has made me see the light. You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs, so let’s see if we can break education with kewl policies like the ones being bandied about and see where America ends up in 20 years. We all fail together! I can’t wait to see what genius racial equity policies are drummed up next. Maybe we’ll ban math in the name of fairness. Who knows?! The policies being instituted are all so good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a great article, it address some things many white people will not admit.
Just in that other forum I saw many comments saying to essentially leave Ward 3 out of it and fix ward 7 & 8.

No, it's not just ward 7 & 8, it's every school in wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 that is full of low SES children. Ward 3 is just the only ward with the absence of that.

While I agree ward 7 & 8 needs to be better the issue is not just that. White people do send their kids to schools beyond W3 BUT only at schools with a higher percentage of White families and areas that are becoming or are already gentrified.

But in DC in particular I will say another great issue is the leadership. When will we actually focus on low SES students so they do not become a reflection of their parents. I am not saying low SES families are incapable but the reality is they do not have access or awareness of everything a higher SES families does.

I am saying this as a Black teacher and years upon years of seeing interactions with all kinds of families. DCPS is not innovative, they do not give title 1 schools enough support. You will not find a freaking rooftop garden for 'horticultural therapy' at a title 1 school. And I am not saying that is what those kids need, I am saying there are less opportunities for them.

Money does create opportunity and DCPS invests it in the wrong places and doesn't give back to the school; academically, emotionally, or structurally.

No disagreement with any of the points you've made. I am at a Title I school with an urban garden and horticultural program. The kids and teachers love it and I'm glad the opportunity is being provided. But realistically, this special program of the principal and many other special programs, can't make up for the gaps that the kids have and DC won't give Title 1 schools and low SES kids the resources and support needed to fix the gaps. it's heartbreaking to see counselors and social workers and interventionists with caseloads that are two to three times (or more) higher than they should be. And teachers struggling in classrooms filled with high proportions of kids who are academically behind. How are these kids supposed to catch up when the staff is stretched so thin? If Ward 3 families want to stay in their Ward 3 bubble, so be it. But please if people care about all schools and kids, advocate for the schools in other areas to get the resources that they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow. For all the educated folks here there seems to be a completely blind eye to each of our roles in perpetuating systemic racism. No, you’re probably not racist, but the choices you make about “what’s best” for your kids impacts other kids who are far from opportunity.

Yes, man, yes.

And the solution you propose is what?

There is no solution. Anyone moving their kid to a school that isn’t failing, and that will get them into college, is a racist. The answer is for the country to learn to accept mediocrity, which is the result of holding back advanced learners. If you complain, or question too much, you are a racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. For all the educated folks here there seems to be a completely blind eye to each of our roles in perpetuating systemic racism. No, you’re probably not racist, but the choices you make about “what’s best” for your kids impacts other kids who are far from opportunity.

And sending my kid to the failing IB HS won’t help the kids far from opportunity either - unless you think white skin is literally magic? I think it’s a complete folly to focus on the individual choices of parents (choices that they will keep on making no matter what rules you put in place) to find the best education available. The problems are systemic and individual choice won’t change that.

[Anonymous]

The irony of writing this but then sending your kids to one of the highest demand charters in the city should be lost on no one. It's convenient social justice self-congratulatory behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The irony of writing this but then sending your kids to one of the highest demand charters in the city should be lost on no one. It's convenient social justice self-congratulatory behavior.

Which school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a great article, it address some things many white people will not admit.
Just in that other forum I saw many comments saying to essentially leave Ward 3 out of it and fix ward 7 & 8.

No, it's not just ward 7 & 8, it's every school in wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 that is full of low SES children. Ward 3 is just the only ward with the absence of that.

While I agree ward 7 & 8 needs to be better the issue is not just that. White people do send their kids to schools beyond W3 BUT only at schools with a higher percentage of White families and areas that are becoming or are already gentrified.

But in DC in particular I will say another great issue is the leadership. When will we actually focus on low SES students so they do not become a reflection of their parents. I am not saying low SES families are incapable but the reality is they do not have access or awareness of everything a higher SES families does.

I am saying this as a Black teacher and years upon years of seeing interactions with all kinds of families. DCPS is not innovative, they do not give title 1 schools enough support. You will not find a freaking rooftop garden for 'horticultural therapy' at a title 1 school. And I am not saying that is what those kids need, I am saying there are less opportunities for them.

Money does create opportunity and DCPS invests it in the wrong places and doesn't give back to the school; academically, emotionally, or structurally.

No disagreement with any of the points you've made. I am at a Title I school with an urban garden and horticultural program. The kids and teachers love it and I'm glad the opportunity is being provided. But realistically, this special program of the principal and many other special programs, can't make up for the gaps that the kids have and DC won't give Title 1 schools and low SES kids the resources and support needed to fix the gaps. it's heartbreaking to see counselors and social workers and interventionists with caseloads that are two to three times (or more) higher than they should be. And teachers struggling in classrooms filled with high proportions of kids who are academically behind. How are these kids supposed to catch up when the staff is stretched so thin? If Ward 3 families want to stay in their Ward 3 bubble, so be it. But please if people care about all schools and kids, advocate for the schools in other areas to get the resources that they need.

Who os making these decisions on how much schools are allocated and how they use the money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go ahead and try to create a “PTO tax” and see how that works out. DC Council flirted with the idea of taking PTO funds from NW schools and giving them to poor schools. Parents made it clear their funding of the PTO would stop immediately and contributions a would be in-kind instead. Parents who are already paying their fair share in taxes expect the money they spend to benefit their own children to do just that. Not to be used for a Robinhood effort.

The problem with this argument is that many, many school districts prohibit this kind of fundraising by individual PTOs. Having one school raise 100k while another does not even have a PTO is clearly an issue. A redistribution of a portion of funds would make good sense. Or a program with a partner school to build long-term bonds.

Having one PTO raise $100K and another does not is clearly not an issue, because $100,000 is a drop in the bucket of a school budget. DC spends $23,000 on *each* student in a school. We have the second highest school funding in the country. The money PTO's raise is a nice gesture but it ultimately doesn't a lick of difference to anything.

https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2020/comm/school-system-spending.html

Is that the lie you like to tell yourself?

No, I just don't know if a number is big or small unless I compare it to something else. And PTO money is peanuts compared to school's overall budgets. But sure, if it makes you feel like some kind of freedom fighter -- and it clearly does -- then let's blow up PTO collections into some big scary monster. I personally have no idea how much the PTO raises at my school. I've never even heard anyone discuss it. No one seems to really care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep. There are a whole lot of hypocrites on this website that's for sure.

+1. I find it so funny that they are so defensive about their hypocrisy. Yes, dear, you purchased a 1.2 million dollar, 1,000 sq ft home in upper NW “for the schools”. We all know what you mean. But, hey, you went to a BLM protest and have a little sign in your yard.

Fair enough. But can't you support police reform, BLM, etc and still not want to put your kids in failing schools? Do you think AA parents who put their kids in charter schools are racist too?

I think this is a fair point. It seems like what is being argued for is some sort of anti-racist purity test. I can be an ally and advocate for public policy changes and stand up for BLM and against police misconduct if I am wiling embrace in whole someone else's definition of right and wrong, including, apparently, a requirement to put my kids' education at risk to prove my devotion to your world view. I can agree with 80% of a progressive slate of ideas (thereby disagreeing with 20%) and still support that progressive organization. And I can try and improve others' lots in life without living those experiences firsthand.

If you extend this argument to its logical conclusion then no one should donate to or work on homelessness if they themselves are not willing to give up their homes and be homeless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep. There are a whole lot of hypocrites on this website that's for sure.

+1. I find it so funny that they are so defensive about their hypocrisy. Yes, dear, you purchased a 1.2 million dollar, 1,000 sq ft home in upper NW “for the schools”. We all know what you mean. But, hey, you went to a BLM protest and have a little sign in your yard.

Not np. So if I move into a black neighborhood and I’m white, it’s gentrification. I’m tearing the black community apart. If I choose a nw neighborhood I’m a racist. Got it, white people bad.

Setting aside the overly defensive last sentence, OP's post actually articulates a fair criticism of overly simplistic indictments of white privileged behavior. And while there have been several snarky responses to this (likely due to tone and the final sentence) I haven't yet seen a substantive retort as to how or why the bolded isn't a fair observation of the fault in the all-or-none argument.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The irony of writing this but then sending your kids to one of the highest demand charters in the city should be lost on no one. It's convenient social justice self-congratulatory behavior.

Exactly. I wonder what the decision would have been if he'd not had his kids lottery in. That would be the more honest story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The irony of writing this but then sending your kids to one of the highest demand charters in the city should be lost on no one. It's convenient social justice self-congratulatory behavior.

Exactly. I wonder what the decision would have been if he'd not had his kids lottery in. That would be the more honest story.

Which school?