elementary school that would welcome my biracial child?

[Anonymous]

Silver Spring and Takoma Park!

[Anonymous]

17:03, you illustrate exactly what I think of when diversity is mentioned WRT many western MCPS schools. See, there are many parents, most of them white, who will look at those numbers and think, "well, yeah that is diverse. There are 27 black kids in the school". They think that because it is more black kids than they expected, and it makes them feel open-minded. But for the black families, it may feel a bit different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County schools are extremely diverse. I wouldn't think you would have an issue at any school, public or private.

Not really so in western MoCo. Carderock ES, for example, and Burning Tree as well as Somerset - all lily-white. To the extent there is diversity, it's because of the diplomats' kids.

And economic diversity? Fuhgetaboutit.

True. The IMF and World Bank types want nothing to do with the countries they represent. That is not diversity. All the PTAs in Bethesda schools like Somerset, Carderock, Westbrook, chevy Chase like talking about diversity, but try to advocate on behalf of your child with slightly different priorities and you will encounter bigotry like you have never seen before.

[Anonymous]

If your husband is working in Rockville, you may want to also consider the Potomac schools. I only have experience with Wayside but high achieving kids do very well there. No foreign language aftercare but Spanish or French are offered early in the morning through the FLES program (I believe this program is at most Montgomery County schools). Although the demographic may seem similar to Bethesda or Chevy Chase, you can get more house for your money in Potomac. Wayside has a fair amount of diversity, although admittedly, African Americans are still in the minority. Asian principal and a very large number of Asian students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County schools are extremely diverse. I wouldn't think you would have an issue at any school, public or private.

I agree with this. I think MoCo actually skews some of its elementary school districts to make sure the schools are diverse. I am not sure about upcounty, but this is certainly true where we are in N. Bethesda.

I agree with this to an extent - but I have heard some bizarre stuff going down in PTAs around Kentlands that indicate that, at least the PTA, is not so happy with the diversity...

[Anonymous]

Either Rosemary Hills or Rock Creek Forest Elementary in Silver Spring would likely be good picks. Check out the stats at schools at a glance on the MCPS website and see what they show for Rockville and Richard Montgomery and their feeder schools. I think you'll see a pretty good cross section. Takoma Park to Rockville is a reverse commute but coming back in the evening gets ugly.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for a true racial/ethnic mix and lots of liberal parents, "alternative" types of families, etc., close-in Silver Spring and Takoma Park are your best bet.

Schools in these areas are generally really good for ES (particularly Forest Knolls). MS and HS tend to have more of the issues that larger urban schools have -- a bigger variety of economic status, etc. However they have the exact same curriculum as those vaunted West county schools and lots of opportunities for high achievers to be challenged.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Rosemary Hills then North Chevy Chase elementary. The school has a great mix (http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/glance/currentyear/schools/02794.pdf).
To me, the demographics look representative of what's accurate in real life, or pretty darn close. The kids will then zone to Berhesda-Chevy-Chase high school, which is great school by reputation and any rating system I've seen.

[Anonymous]

Not sure where you will be working, but if you could go outside of Montgomery County, then try Columbia MD. It is known for it's diversity and neighborhood integration. Back in the 60s and 70s it is where interracial couples moved to live and raise there kids. So there are families here that are second or third generations of interracial families. I can honestly say I have never seen so many mixed kids anywhere. You get all kinds of interracial marriages and kids not just black-white.

It is not only diverse but one of the more integrated communities that I have seen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rosemary Hills has been great for my kids who are biracial. Takoma Park would also be great. Check out the Great Schools website for info on demographics because some Montgomery County schools have very little diversity. We did not move to Bethesda for that very reason.

That's the problem. Until people stop running from racism, people will continue to self-segregate by race and by socio-economics. If you like Bethesda, can afford, it and know that the schools will offer solid instruction, why would you choose another area? b/c of racial make up?

I don't understand this.

I will say that as an educator, I'm a minority in my own school. The white students who stick with us (b/c we do have quite a bit of "white flight") have gained benefits from being in a such a rich, diverse environment. Oftentimes, we hear from our white graduates that their colleges are so lily white it's not the "real world."

So it works both ways.

But until we manage to meet halfway, the gap will always be there.

[Anonymous]

We are also from SF and also multi-ethnic family (White/Latino). DH lived in Arlington when we first got here last year and was a little shocked by the number of confederate flags waving in the neighborhood. It made DH very uncomfortable. I looked up VA on the Southern Poverty Law Center website and that state has twice the number of hate groups as Maryland and a quarter of those in DC. (Or at least, that was the case when I looked. May have changed.)

FWIW - We settled on Adams Morgan b/c of its Hispanic community (more Salvadorean than Mexican but it has a kind of Mission vibe that DH liked - just don't eat the food tho, no chilis). Our DCs will go to Oyster Bilingual (Spanish/English). So far what we've heard about Oyster - which may also be true about MoCo from what I've heard from friends there - is that class, as much as (and in some cases more than) ethnicity, is a big social divider in this region. I'd watch out for that too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rosemary Hills has been great for my kids who are biracial. Takoma Park would also be great. Check out the Great Schools website for info on demographics because some Montgomery County schools have very little diversity. We did not move to Bethesda for that very reason.

That's the problem. Until people stop running from racism, people will continue to self-segregate by race and by socio-economics. If you like Bethesda, can afford, it and know that the schools will offer solid instruction, why would you choose another area? b/c of racial make up?

I don't understand this.

I will say that as an educator, I'm a minority in my own school. The white students who stick with us (b/c we do have quite a bit of "white flight") have gained benefits from being in a such a rich, diverse environment. Oftentimes, we hear from our white graduates that their colleges are so lily white it's not the "real world."

So it works both ways.

But until we manage to meet halfway, the gap will always be there.

NP here.It is one thing for adults to choose to integrate a neighborhood. It is another matter entirely to put the burden on our children's shoulders to integrate a school, especially when there are more integrated options easily available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are also from SF and also multi-ethnic family (White/Latino). DH lived in Arlington when we first got here last year and was a little shocked by the number of confederate flags waving in the neighborhood. It made DH very uncomfortable. I looked up VA on the Southern Poverty Law Center website and that state has twice the number of hate groups as Maryland and a quarter of those in DC. (Or at least, that was the case when I looked. May have changed.)

FWIW - We settled on Adams Morgan b/c of its Hispanic community (more Salvadorean than Mexican but it has a kind of Mission vibe that DH liked - just don't eat the food tho, no chilis). Our DCs will go to Oyster Bilingual (Spanish/English). So far what we've heard about Oyster - which may also be true about MoCo from what I've heard from friends there - is that class, as much as (and in some cases more than) ethnicity, is a big social divider in this region. I'd watch out for that too.

This doesn't have to be true.

My kids go to Silver Spring schools and really do have friends from multiple ethnic backgrounds and SES groups. And no matter what they tell you, the curriculum is the same everywhere in the county so people that stress Western MoCo are really emphasizing "freedom from poor people and other ethnic groups."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rosemary Hills has been great for my kids who are biracial. Takoma Park would also be great. Check out the Great Schools website for info on demographics because some Montgomery County schools have very little diversity. We did not move to Bethesda for that very reason.

That's the problem. Until people stop running from racism, people will continue to self-segregate by race and by socio-economics. If you like Bethesda, can afford, it and know that the schools will offer solid instruction, why would you choose another area? b/c of racial make up?

I don't understand this.

I will say that as an educator, I'm a minority in my own school. The white students who stick with us (b/c we do have quite a bit of "white flight") have gained benefits from being in a such a rich, diverse environment. Oftentimes, we hear from our white graduates that their colleges are so lily white it's not the "real world."

So it works both ways.

But until we manage to meet halfway, the gap will always be there.

NP here.It is one thing for adults to choose to integrate a neighborhood. It is another matter entirely to put the burden on our children's shoulders to integrate a school, especially when there are more integrated options easily available.

I am the PP and I totally agree with this. We were thinking a lot about moving to the Bethesda or Cabin John areas but when we took a close look at the school demographics, we realized that there would have been only a small handful of black or biracial kids in the entire school. That would be a difficult situation to put our six year-old in. We are white parents with biracial kids and we would have been choosing to raise our kids in an almost entirely white world. IMO that would not have been a fair choice for our kids.

[Anonymous]

I am still confused over this. I have a neighbor - a single white female (not like the movie!) - who adopted two AA girls. At the time they were living in Bethesda. Now they're in SS. The girls still attend middle and high school in Bethesda, and while they are the minority, I don't see it affecting them in a negative way. I do think that parenting has a lot to do with it. So again, running does no one any good. And sadly, what I'm hearing is that white CHILDREN in these predominately white schools will harass your child or make him/her feel inferior. As a white person, that's what I'm reading into it.

Someones got to "give in" and perhaps sacrifice some beliefs in order to make things change. I've seen plenty of family friends opt for downtown Silver Spring schools where clearly their children were the minority. Are you saying their situation isn't comparable?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rosemary Hills has been great for my kids who are biracial. Takoma Park would also be great. Check out the Great Schools website for info on demographics because some Montgomery County schools have very little diversity. We did not move to Bethesda for that very reason.

That's the problem. Until people stop running from racism, people will continue to self-segregate by race and by socio-economics. If you like Bethesda, can afford, it and know that the schools will offer solid instruction, why would you choose another area? b/c of racial make up?

I don't understand this.

I will say that as an educator, I'm a minority in my own school. The white students who stick with us (b/c we do have quite a bit of "white flight") have gained benefits from being in a such a rich, diverse environment. Oftentimes, we hear from our white graduates that their colleges are so lily white it's not the "real world."

So it works both ways.

But until we manage to meet halfway, the gap will always be there.

NP here.It is one thing for adults to choose to integrate a neighborhood. It is another matter entirely to put the burden on our children's shoulders to integrate a school, especially when there are more integrated options easily available.

I am the PP and I totally agree with this. We were thinking a lot about moving to the Bethesda or Cabin John areas but when we took a close look at the school demographics, we realized that there would have been only a small handful of black or biracial kids in the entire school. That would be a difficult situation to put our six year-old in. We are white parents with biracial kids and we would have been choosing to raise our kids in an almost entirely white world. IMO that would not have been a fair choice for our kids.