No matter how many times people say it, the phrase “good schools” will never not be racist/classist

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
I went to an international school that was highly diverse in terms of nationalities and skin color, so to me the term good school is not racist at all. Now my kids go to publics in Bethesda, and none of the people we know are racist. We're white/Asian, and we know people from many different countries.

But I agree the term can be classist! And in a lot of areas of the US, the wealthy are paler-skinned than the poor, so I understand why so many people on here conflate the two. We'll just have to agree to disagree on the racism part.

they may not be racist but I guarantee they have racial bias.
Anonymous
We need to acknowledge stereotype threat and that standardized tests are culturally biased. Additionally, public school needs are seen as “products” that need to “deliver results.”
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this a troll post?

Seriously, OP, are you lazily trying to bait the centrists into turning further away from the Dems?


No, it needs to be discussed. It’s unfortunately a US-centric issue.


Yes, other countries don’t want good schools.
Anonymous
I think it's better to say that "good schools" can have racist/classist connotations depending on the context, but there is no need to essentially ban the phrase outright.

We really need to be less categorical and more descriptive.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Is this a troll post?

Seriously, OP, are you lazily trying to bait the centrists into turning further away from the Dems?


Why are you bringing up Dems? Shut up partisan loser.
Anonymous
Of course, most of what makes a school "good" (or "bad") has little to do with the school itself, and much more to do with what happens outside of the school, or even before kids enter the school.

Of course, many of us realize that you cannot rely on the school alone to educate your kids. The more they come in with the more they'll absorb.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this a troll post?

Seriously, OP, are you lazily trying to bait the centrists into turning further away from the Dems?


Why are you bringing up Dems? Shut up partisan loser.


Oh please, the OP's lazy post is just pinging on partisan talking points. We don't live in a cultural vacuum. You already have someone asking whether they can't use the word "good" anymore because "good" is racist/classist now.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this a troll post?

Seriously, OP, are you lazily trying to bait the centrists into turning further away from the Dems?


No, it needs to be discussed. It’s unfortunately a US-centric issue.


It's a lazy, lazy way to discuss whatever the OP is actually trying to discuss. I get it, everyone loves to just repeat entrenched narratives and wad their underpants into their buttholes. Somehow that makes us all much more content with life.
Anonymous
If there are no good schools there are also no bad schools. OP, I invite you to enroll your child at Ballou High School to be the change.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Is this a troll post?

Seriously, OP, are you lazily trying to bait the centrists into turning further away from the Dems?


No, it needs to be discussed. It’s unfortunately a US-centric issue.


Yes, other countries don’t want good schools.


In Canada, for example, there is much, much less of this hand-wringing.
Anonymous
I’m a teacher and longtime public school parent and I absolutely agree “good schools” is a loaded term. We have a racial test score gap everywhere in this country. So while it would be taboo to say “I want a school without black and Hispanic students,” it is perfectly acceptable in polite society to say “I only want a school with the top scores,” which gets you the same segregated outcome. Parents are literally afraid of black and Hispanic children and of low-income children of all colors because they perceive that they lower their own children’s prospects and also lower their home values when they’re in the same district. Frankly I find it morally wrong. I think we will look back in horror someday at how we chose housing prices based on how white a school was.

My own kids have gone to public schools rated 4-6 or so, and have had great experiences. Their education and their experiences have not had anything to do with those “rankings.”
Anonymous
Classist, sure. Racist, nah. There are plenty of terrible schools that are all white. But class and valuing education are closely intertwined and it's not surprising that you'd see a correlation in schools.

I went to school with a bunch of low class white kids who sneered at "book learning."
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Classist, sure. Racist, nah. There are plenty of terrible schools that are all white. But class and valuing education are closely intertwined and it's not surprising that you'd see a correlation in schools.

I went to school with a bunch of low class white kids who sneered at "book learning."


Agree. Good school/bad school is in other words saying high income/low income student majority. It isn’t about race but about socioeconomic status. Poor white school districts are terrible too.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I’m a teacher and longtime public school parent and I absolutely agree “good schools” is a loaded term. We have a racial test score gap everywhere in this country. So while it would be taboo to say “I want a school without black and Hispanic students,” it is perfectly acceptable in polite society to say “I only want a school with the top scores,” which gets you the same segregated outcome. Parents are literally afraid of black and Hispanic children and of low-income children of all colors because they perceive that they lower their own children’s prospects and also lower their home values when they’re in the same district. Frankly I find it morally wrong. I think we will look back in horror someday at how we chose housing prices based on how white a school was.

My own kids have gone to public schools rated 4-6 or so, and have had great experiences. Their education and their experiences have not had anything to do with those “rankings.”


Then you and the OP can enroll your children in the “schools without the top scores.” Put your money where your mouth is.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Classist, sure. Racist, nah. There are plenty of terrible schools that are all white. But class and valuing education are closely intertwined and it's not surprising that you'd see a correlation in schools.

I went to school with a bunch of low class white kids who sneered at "book learning."


Agree. Good school/bad school is in other words saying high income/low income student majority. It isn’t about race but about socioeconomic status. Poor white school districts are terrible too.


Poor isn't a protected class, so people use race as a proxy when fighting for certain policies.
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