Why doesn't DC have a STEM school like TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's all about critical mass. Are there enough smart kids that can test into such a school year after year to make it worth it? I don't have a definitive answer to that. We could create a smaller, test in high school similar to Dallas' TAG high school (#1 usnews fwiw), but then how would that be different from Tech, or Banneker? Perhaps we should just raise the entry standards for them?

Again, I am going to suggest BASIS.

The comprehensive exams in 6th, 7th and 8th may not be as high as the entry standards for Tech or Banneker, but they will weed out kids unwilling to work. The LEAP program for math starts in 5th (where all kids are placed in math based on testing), and for other subjects like Science and also English, History etc it starts in 8th. You need a rec from your 7th grade teacher, a certain GPA (not only in the class at issue but also overall), and if they see you flailing they will put you back in the regular classes.

It is a pyramid, with far fewer kids graduating than start out. There are now 35 9th graders at BASIS DC. In terms of skewing white, either #2 (Tucson) or #5 (Scottsdale) (TJ was #3) had a Hispanic population of 20% vs 40% state wide, but there are basically no low income kids.

So BASIS DC is the closest DC can get - although they do it by exmissions rather than admissions - it may eventually skew white, but I think it would take more parents pulling their kids out of private schools, and I hope the lack of sports and the fear of true diversity will scare them off... at least for a few more years, so that it still truly serves the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

This is the answer. I will just keep copying and pasting it over and over on each page of this thread I think.

Well, the racial imbalance PLUS the economic reality that the school would be too small to be sustainable. ie, you can't have 30 TJ caliber world class teachers for grade with only 41 students. 41 kids =/= a budget that would cover their compensation and a world-class STEM facility with university caliber laboratories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's all about critical mass. Are there enough smart kids that can test into such a school year after year to make it worth it? I don't have a definitive answer to that. We could create a smaller, test in high school similar to Dallas' TAG high school (#1 usnews fwiw), but then how would that be different from Tech, or Banneker? Perhaps we should just raise the entry standards for them?

Again, I am going to suggest BASIS.

The comprehensive exams in 6th, 7th and 8th may not be as high as the entry standards for Tech or Banneker, but they will weed out kids unwilling to work. The LEAP program for math starts in 5th (where all kids are placed in math based on testing), and for other subjects like Science and also English, History etc it starts in 8th. You need a rec from your 7th grade teacher, a certain GPA (not only in the class at issue but also overall), and if they see you flailing they will put you back in the regular classes.

It is a pyramid, with far fewer kids graduating than start out. There are now 35 9th graders at BASIS DC. In terms of skewing white, either #2 (Tucson) or #5 (Scottsdale) (TJ was #3) had a Hispanic population of 20% vs 40% state wide, but there are basically no low income kids.

So BASIS DC is the closest DC can get - although they do it by exmissions rather than admissions - it may eventually skew white, but I think it would take more parents pulling their kids out of private schools, and I hope the lack of sports and the fear of true diversity will scare them off... at least for a few more years, so that it still truly serves the community.

I think you're giving yourself a little too much credit here. You can't speak triumphantly about a weeding-out process that leaves "far fewer kids graduating than starting out" while chastising some straw man private school parent for being scared of diversity. Apparently you'd prefer a high school with fewer than 100 kids total, which would be suffocatingly small, in pursuit of your "community-serving" ideals. What community are you serving, exactly? The 20 children in DC who will stick with BASIS through graduation?

And why would anyone WANT a ninth grade with just 35 children, destined to be whittled down to what--15? 20?--by 12th grade?

I completely understand parents desperate for options in this city, especially for middle school, but I don't at all understand the papering over of the core BASIS flaws, which are obvious to lots of people. On its current path, it is destined to become an entirely STEM-focused high school for a tiny group of high-performing children. Good for you if that works for your children, but don't kid yourself that it's a less exclusive option than Sidwell, WIS, St Alban's, or GDS. It's just a cheaper one, a smaller one, and one that offers an extremely limited arts and humanities curriculum and almost no broadening extracurricular activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

Because the vast majority of kids who have the best test scores in DC are white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the Google guys went to UMD.

But they both went to Stanford.

For grad school. Brin graduate from UMD with a bachelor's degree. His dad is a prof there.

[Anonymous]

14:23, you are delusional but funny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

There aren't many Asians in DC, 3% of the total population and very few are HS age. Asians are either in private school or move to VA or MD for HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

Are you writing from Denver today? Tucson? If so, your lack of knowledge about the race-SES subtext in the District is forgivable. Otherwise you're being obtuse.

And before anyone says it, yes there is still a middle class AA population in DC. To that I say: study banneker's quantifiable output to date.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

Why is this so--high scoring Asians? Why aren't kids from Eastern Europe coming here and achieving this? Similar to Asia, the climate is harsh, competition is keen and materialism is huge. Seems like they would have the additional advantage of being white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:14:23, you are delusional but funny.

I don't think 14:23 is the delusional one here. Check the SAT scores and national merit breakdown in DC - remembering to include DC residents attending private schools! - and post back again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

Because the vast majority of kids who have the best test scores in DC are white.

AA, high income family here. My kid is advanced in every subject as are his peers. Would prefer not to be lumped in your generalizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been talked about in hundreds of posts. A true test in school of TJ caliber would skew so heavily white and high SES that it would never fly in DC. To make it appear more equitable, the standards would gave to be lowered for entry and well then you have Banneker, Mckninly and any other DC school.

Why would it skew 'so heavily white'? Most of the kids at TJ are Asian, whites are minorities there now.

BTW whites aren't the only ppl around here with high SES.

Because the vast majority of kids who have the best test scores in DC are white.

AA, high income family here. My kid is advanced in every subject as are his peers. Would prefer not to be lumped in your generalizations.

You are the exceotion to the rule, and you know it. Let's be realists.

[Anonymous]

it would be empty because no one could get in and and they would have to bus kids in from Virginia and Maryland

[Anonymous]

At my kid's school nearly all of the AA kids are high SES, as are nearly all of the white kids. But these posts make me wonder if the other parents are making these assumptions too.