SWS -- Atmosphere and Leadership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 115 elementary schools on myschooldc. SWS is the third whitest. 67% white in a city that is majority people of color.

Lafayette 73
Janney 71
School Within a School 67
Murch 66
Brent 65

One of these things is not like the other...

Exactly. It's worse that a city-wide school is so white.

Until just three years ago, SWS was a neighborhood school consisting of Pre-K and K. It's boundaries were within the Capitol Hill neighborhood (very similar demographics as Brent). Those students are now in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade and they are predominantly white. Many of them have younger siblings who are now attend the school and are white. There were very few non-sibling spots.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking more along the lines of curriculum, culture, non-traditional focus. I don't think it's an unfair question to wonder if the artsy component feels like coddling to some, or leaves a bad taste in the mouth of families that may be looking for a more structured setting. My point is, I don't think it's all one factor leading to the dynamic. Less AA families and teachers may be clamoring to attend or teach at this school?

[Anonymous]

*Fewer AA families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible that AA families/teachers have less of a desire to attend/teach at this school for some reason?

I'm white but my kids are black. I won't send them to SWS because of the lack of both staff and student body diversity. What am I telling my kids if I send them to a school where all the "helper teachers" are black and all the lead teachers are white?

So my kids are at a school that has black and white and hispanic and asian lead teachers, black and white and hispanic students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible that AA families/teachers have less of a desire to attend/teach at this school for some reason?

Well, it's certainly true that white Hill families have been HIGHLY motivated to get into SWS, which is perceived as being better than almost every other Hill school. Witness the extremely unattractive proximity push by white neighbors a couple years back.

SWS is a good school. And many SWS parents love it. I mean L-O-V-E it. But not so much with being perceived as better than almost all Hill schools. Personally I wouldn't send my kid there beyond PK4, or maybe K. But that's actually what annoys me most about your post. It is (supposed to be) a city wide pure lottery school. But the numbers clearly belie that reality. How much the SAHM brigade at SWS really, really, really wants to get in shouldn't matter.

P.S. All lotter lists going to central is going to be a real wake up call for SWS and the Montessori monster that both used to just ignore the actually lottery lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 115 elementary schools on myschooldc. SWS is the third whitest. 67% white in a city that is majority people of color.

Lafayette 73
Janney 71
School Within a School 67
Murch 66
Brent 65

One of these things is not like the other...

Exactly. It's worse that a city-wide school is so white.

Until just three years ago, SWS was a neighborhood school consisting of Pre-K and K. It's boundaries were within the Capitol Hill neighborhood (very similar demographics as Brent). Those students are now in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade and they are predominantly white. Many of them have younger siblings who are now attend the school and are white. There were very few non-sibling spots.

Shouldn't it have the same demo as Peabody/Watkins? It was NOT the Brent boundary, madam apologist.

[Anonymous]

^? What does this even mean?

This is the problem with your post OP. It'll turn into this drivel and get you no where. Bring it up to the admin, see what they say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^? What does this even mean?

This is the problem with your post OP. It'll turn into this drivel and get you no where. Bring it up to the admin, see what they say.

Sorry, meant that for 16:35. But queue the haters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible that AA families/teachers have less of a desire to attend/teach at this school for some reason?

Like they're made to feel unwelcome? Or there is a lack of diversity reflected in teaching materials? Or examples used in the classroom are specific to white culture?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 115 elementary schools on myschooldc. SWS is the third whitest. 67% white in a city that is majority people of color.

Lafayette 73
Janney 71
School Within a School 67
Murch 66
Brent 65

One of these things is not like the other...

Exactly. It's worse that a city-wide school is so white.

Until just three years ago, SWS was a neighborhood school consisting of Pre-K and K. It's boundaries were within the Capitol Hill neighborhood (very similar demographics as Brent). Those students are now in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade and they are predominantly white. Many of them have younger siblings who are now attend the school and are white. There were very few non-sibling spots.

Shouldn't it have the same demo as Peabody/Watkins? It was NOT the Brent boundary, madam apologist.

I think you misunderstood the PP. The demographics of SWS even within the Cluster boundaries skewed more heavily upper middle SES and white. It wasn't a secret for 15 years or so that the difference in the SWS population and downstairs at Peabody traditional were starkly different. We went to SWS when IB families could still stand in line on a designated day and get in for sure. Honestly, I love the Principal but he looked around the room after the line was let in, and essentially wait to all- including OOB that he wa sure we would all get spaces. I think he felt comfortable with the crowd and that was it.

DD is mixed-race and we are IB, upper middle SES, so we didn't feel out of place. I will say that we had all of 3 AA in our class, two of whom were kicked out after investigations proving they lived in Maryland. SWS is the only school on the Hill that I know of that successfully did this. I think it is even more tightly controlled now, and my sense is that the sense of exclusiveness and snobbery are becoming more open.

[Anonymous]

Sense of exclusiveness and snobbery are more open? Huh?

[Anonymous]

Longtime SWS parent here -- Blaming the principal is a bunch of nonsense. When he and the other founding teachers started the school, it was as an effort to bring Reggio to the entire DCPS population, which was not perceived to be high SES white.

Over the years, for whatever reason, the demographics have continued to get whiter and whiter -- not everyone feels that they can trust the Reggio model with it's lack of emphasis on early reading and testing and not all families have he means to do all the over-the-top volunteer work. The location is not particularly commute-friendly, to boot.

If SWS leadership could choose their student body, it would be more diverse -- they would like to prove that this style of education works for all children. However, the lottery makes the population self-selecting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Longtime SWS parent here -- Blaming the principal is a bunch of nonsense. When he and the other founding teachers started the school, it was as an effort to bring Reggio to the entire DCPS population, which was not perceived to be high SES white.

Over the years, for whatever reason, the demographics have continued to get whiter and whiter -- not everyone feels that they can trust the Reggio model with it's lack of emphasis on early reading and testing and not all families have he means to do all the over-the-top volunteer work. The location is not particularly commute-friendly, to boot.

If SWS leadership could choose their student body, it would be more diverse -- they would like to prove that this style of education works for all children. However, the lottery makes the population self-selecting.

But they choose their teachers. There's a new second grade teacher this year. How many interviews were done? How many candidates were non-white?

[Anonymous]

As an outside observer I have notice the following asp possible citrin using factors :

1) aftercare or should I say"extended day enrichment" includes Irish step dancing

2) the principal has historically let in families (even since becoming a city wide school) who aren't even on the wait list but who lobby really hard. Not sure what criteria he is using when allowing these families in, but it isn't diversity, from what I have observed.

3) when SWS was in the Peabody building, and started at pk4, while Peabody started at pk3, only families who could afford daycare an extra year could enroll in SWS, because SWS had a policy of not allowing in transfers from Peabody. This difference contributed to the "upstairs downstairs"' appearance.

[Anonymous]

I'm black and honestly, I just want the best teacher for the job. I don't want the admin to be pressured into hiring a black teacher just to diversify. I can teach my child how to live as a black person on my own.