Wash Post feature on Washington Latin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

There is no objective response here - just a bunch of rhetoric.

Not the PP and no dog in this fight. But you don't understand what rhetoric is. You can disagree with what she said or her conclusion, but it wasn't rhetoric. Ironically, your response is actually a good example of rhetoric. But nice try.

Me again. P.S. See the response of 17:26. She disagreed with the conclusion and explained why the facts set forth in the post actually lead one to a different conclusion.

[Anonymous]

Of course all DCPS students can take a Metrobus or Metrorail for free now. So not sure a Ward 8 bus adds all that much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the article was about Latin, but isn't BASIS more diverse than Ross?

Latin has a school library, which Basis lacks.

Was reading the other day that there's a movement afoot to try and deemphasize libraries and number of volumes from college rankings since they are an antiquated measure...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course all DCPS students can take a Metrobus or Metrorail for free now. So not sure a Ward 8 bus adds all that much.

Then you've never taken a Metrobus that goes to Ward 8. Stay cold, snowflake. Stay cold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

I think you made PP point. If it was a strain for a Ward 3 parent with resources, it would be close to impossible for a Ward 8 parent with little to know resources. I bet you have a car and four to six times the financial resources as that Ward 8 parent. In addition, your Ward 3 home is in the same quandrant, nw, as Latin opposed to that far spot heart Ward 8 home.

I dont have a car and I work full time. Wow, people really do expect schools to do it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does Latin pay for the buses?

I also agree with the PP who said that Latin doesn't do much outreach to lower income areas. I have a 5th grader and last year I tried to be really aware of notices about open houses or information sessions. I don't remember seeing a single public notice at a library, community center, church or in a local paper for a schedule of such events. Again, having friends with kids there, I was a bit more clued in, but that was the only reason.

No they do not! They cost $1,500 a year - another pretty significant barrier for low-income families.

(Latin in theory offers free bus rides for low-income families, but who knows how that works)

Wait - they offer free bus rides (a good thing) but I'm too lazy to figure out how that works so I'll just be mad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

I think you made PP point. If it was a strain for a Ward 3 parent with resources, it would be close to impossible for a Ward 8 parent with little to know resources. I bet you have a car and four to six times the financial resources as that Ward 8 parent. In addition, your Ward 3 home is in the same quandrant, nw, as Latin opposed to that far spot heart Ward 8 home.

Far southeast?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

I think you made PP point. If it was a strain for a Ward 3 parent with resources, it would be close to impossible for a Ward 8 parent with little to know resources. I bet you have a car and four to six times the financial resources as that Ward 8 parent. In addition, your Ward 3 home is in the same quandrant, nw, as Latin opposed to that far spot heart Ward 8 home.

I dont have a car and I work full time. Wow, people really do expect schools to do it all.

But you do live in northwest within two or three miles of the Latin School. Your belly aching about the strain on you to get your child there compared to someone on the other side of town , separated by a river was cringe worthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

I think you made PP point. If it was a strain for a Ward 3 parent with resources, it would be close to impossible for a Ward 8 parent with little to know resources. I bet you have a car and four to six times the financial resources as that Ward 8 parent. In addition, your Ward 3 home is in the same quandrant, nw, as Latin opposed to that far spot heart Ward 8 home.

I dont have a car and I work full time. Wow, people really do expect schools to do it all.

But you do live in northwest within two or three miles of the Latin School. Your belly aching about the strain on you to get your child there compared to someone on the other side of town , separated by a river was cringe worthy.

Exactly. PP, I appreciate you helping to paint the church basement. But your post mainly shows how, if it was hard for you, it would be nearly impossible for someone who lives all the way across town, with limited financial and other resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

I think you made PP point. If it was a strain for a Ward 3 parent with resources, it would be close to impossible for a Ward 8 parent with little to know resources. I bet you have a car and four to six times the financial resources as that Ward 8 parent. In addition, your Ward 3 home is in the same quandrant, nw, as Latin opposed to that far spot heart Ward 8 home.

Latin is in NE. And sometimes people just have to step up and do what they have to do. What do you expect? Taxpayer-funded cabs to take kids from Ward 8 to Latin??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Latin parent, and I think Martha's comments are a joke - a sad one. She's either trying to fool us or she is fooling herself.

Latin set the bar for how to subtly tilt the playing field and cherry pick students from higher-income areas. Remember - they started in Ward 3 in a part of town that was utterly inaccessible by mass transit. They remain difficult to get to by mass transit and car. They recruit heavily (via PTA meetings, shadow days, etc.) at schools like Stoddert, Hyde, Mann, etc., while all but ignoring low-income schools in Wards 7 and 8. They run buses from Glover Park, the Hill, and Tenleytown, and just now got around to running a bus from Anacostia. There are a bunch of small things - but they add up to a Latin student body that is not representative of the DCPS student body, and that does not do enough to welcome kids that are poor, non-English speaking, and from low income neighborhoods.

Have an honest conversation with most Latin parents - if you can get the truth out of them, they will tell you that the whole reason they sent their kids to Latin was to get away from poor kids.

They started in Ward 3 because (1) they needed to find available space quickly and (2) many parents, especially from wards other than 3, were adamant that Latin be located in a "safe" location. The long term plan was always to move to a more central location in Washington and that's exactly what they've done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Latin parent, and I think Martha's comments are a joke - a sad one. She's either trying to fool us or she is fooling herself.

Latin set the bar for how to subtly tilt the playing field and cherry pick students from higher-income areas. Remember - they started in Ward 3 in a part of town that was utterly inaccessible by mass transit. They remain difficult to get to by mass transit and car. They recruit heavily (via PTA meetings, shadow days, etc.) at schools like Stoddert, Hyde, Mann, etc., while all but ignoring low-income schools in Wards 7 and 8. They run buses from Glover Park, the Hill, and Tenleytown, and just now got around to running a bus from Anacostia. There are a bunch of small things - but they add up to a Latin student body that is not representative of the DCPS student body, and that does not do enough to welcome kids that are poor, non-English speaking, and from low income neighborhoods.

Have an honest conversation with most Latin parents - if you can get the truth out of them, they will tell you that the whole reason they sent their kids to Latin was to get away from poor kids.

Give the yapper a rest. Frankly, I wish that Latin were application-based or test in. Not all of the students or their parents are completely on board with the program and the work and focus that they need to put in to succeed there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP you make it sound like Latin started in a Ward 3 palace. It started in a church basement (which I helped paint). The neighborhoods it has subsequently moved to are not by any stretch of the imagination swanky or high income. It was a strain on me to attend school events in the new locations from my home in Ward 3, but I did it. Our child had a long commute when riding public (often, with after school sports and activities). Latin has bent over backwards to recruit students from all wards and incomes. What it does is enough. It does not need to weight low income applicants.

I think you made PP point. If it was a strain for a Ward 3 parent with resources, it would be close to impossible for a Ward 8 parent with little to know resources. I bet you have a car and four to six times the financial resources as that Ward 8 parent. In addition, your Ward 3 home is in the same quandrant, nw, as Latin opposed to that far spot heart Ward 8 home.

Latin is in NE. And sometimes people just have to step up and do what they have to do. What do you expect? Taxpayer-funded cabs to take kids from Ward 8 to Latin??

What do I want? If Martha Cutts is serious about improving diversity at her school, I'd like to see the school honestly think through the reason it may be lacking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a Latin parent, and I think Martha's comments are a joke - a sad one. She's either trying to fool us or she is fooling herself.

Latin set the bar for how to subtly tilt the playing field and cherry pick students from higher-income areas. Remember - they started in Ward 3 in a part of town that was utterly inaccessible by mass transit. They remain difficult to get to by mass transit and car. They recruit heavily (via PTA meetings, shadow days, etc.) at schools like Stoddert, Hyde, Mann, etc., while all but ignoring low-income schools in Wards 7 and 8. They run buses from Glover Park, the Hill, and Tenleytown, and just now got around to running a bus from Anacostia. There are a bunch of small things - but they add up to a Latin student body that is not representative of the DCPS student body, and that does not do enough to welcome kids that are poor, non-English speaking, and from low income neighborhoods.

Have an honest conversation with most Latin parents - if you can get the truth out of them, they will tell you that the whole reason they sent their kids to Latin was to get away from poor kids.

Give the yapper a rest. Frankly, I wish that Latin were application-based or test in. Not all of the students or their parents are completely on board with the program and the work and focus that they need to put in to succeed there.

Thanks for proving the point.

[Anonymous]

I'm a Latin parent. I love Martha Cutts, but don't agree that the school needs a preference weighting for low-income kids; actually, if there was going to be "weighting" of any kind, then I think the lottery should weight instead based upon income categories so that any given class is no more than 30% low income, since according to research that's the tipping point where middle class parents will start to bail on a school.

After living (and paying taxes) in this city for over 20 years, I don't think that everything has to be geared completely towards DC's low income population. The success of Latin (and Basis) has been the creation of non-WOTP schools which can attract and retain middle class DC taxpayers. There are plenty of motivated parents (both white and AA) who cannot afford to live IB for Deal/Wilson and cannot afford $37K per year for private. Just ten years ago, those parents would have bailed for the 'burbs because of schools. Instead, those families, including my own, have stayed in DC, which is a positive for a city that used to be economically segregated to a far greater degree than it is now.