Do you think Shepherd Elementary will become/is becoming more diverse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park."

How are people supposed to evaluate the merit of this statement when we don't know where you live or work? Maybe you work somewhere difficult to get to from Shepherd Park, or maybe you don't even work in DC; we don't know. Maybe you live in MD or VA. Maybe you work for The Heritage Foundation. Just saying that just because you don't know people considering this area of DC means little without the appropriate context.

I'm PP you are quoting, and I am probably close to exiting this thread, although I have found it interesting.

SP is convenient to many DC-area work locations, including but not limited to downtown DC. Based on geography alone, you would think that it would be considered by a lot of people. Yet, a number of people I know have chosen to live in areas very near Shepherd Park (Takoma, Brightwood, Silver Spring), but non has chosen SP so far. Yes, context matters. I am not married to an African American who grew up in SP like the poster above. But demographic statistics are readily available so this needn't be another battle of the anecdotes. SP has a distinct, historically rooted character that it seems likely to retain. This is in contrast to some other historically black DC neighborhoods that are changing quickly. The PP above provided an explanation for this based on the differences between the black populations (higher income and wealth in SP than in some of the "gentrifying" neighborhoods).

Going back to OP's question, for these reasons and also the point I made about OOB above, my answer is no, I don't expect Shepherd Elementary to become much more diverse in the near future. "More diverse" being defined by OP in this thread as, less black. That's all I was saying. I could be wrong. Not sure why the conversation has to be so difficult. Anyway, Shepherd Elementary and Shepherd Park both seem attractive options, and I'm glad to see they have such strong support.

NP. Your friends that moved to Brightwood or Takoma were certainly looking at SP if it weren't for either A) lack of available housing stock in the popular but limited listings, or B) the $100-$200k premium in SP. The fact that you're implying your friends are actively avoiding SP tells me you really have no clue hoe sought after SP is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park."

How are people supposed to evaluate the merit of this statement when we don't know where you live or work? Maybe you work somewhere difficult to get to from Shepherd Park, or maybe you don't even work in DC; we don't know. Maybe you live in MD or VA. Maybe you work for The Heritage Foundation. Just saying that just because you don't know people considering this area of DC means little without the appropriate context.

I'm PP you are quoting, and I am probably close to exiting this thread, although I have found it interesting.

SP is convenient to many DC-area work locations, including but not limited to downtown DC. Based on geography alone, you would think that it would be considered by a lot of people. Yet, a number of people I know have chosen to live in areas very near Shepherd Park (Takoma, Brightwood, Silver Spring), but non has chosen SP so far. Yes, context matters. I am not married to an African American who grew up in SP like the poster above. But demographic statistics are readily available so this needn't be another battle of the anecdotes. SP has a distinct, historically rooted character that it seems likely to retain. This is in contrast to some other historically black DC neighborhoods that are changing quickly. The PP above provided an explanation for this based on the differences between the black populations (higher income and wealth in SP than in some of the "gentrifying" neighborhoods).

Going back to OP's question, for these reasons and also the point I made about OOB above, my answer is no, I don't expect Shepherd Elementary to become much more diverse in the near future. "More diverse" being defined by OP in this thread as, less black. That's all I was saying. I could be wrong. Not sure why the conversation has to be so difficult. Anyway, Shepherd Elementary and Shepherd Park both seem attractive options, and I'm glad to see they have such strong support.

I'm the PP who challenged the merit of your statement above. Okay, maybe I was a little harsh, but race is always a touchy issue--not that it shouldn't be talked about. When coupled with a comment that seemed to disparage a well-loved DC neighborhood (i.e., "no one white I know has mentioned wanting to move to Shepherd Park") by someone who apparently doesn't live here, you can see how that may've ruffled a few feathers.

I disagree with your prediction about Shepherd Elementary's racial makeup not changing much more in coming years. You're assuming that all relevant variables will remain constant. I'd argue that interest in the neighborhood--and thereby the school--will actually increase at a faster rate than in past years. I think this is due to several factors that've already been mentioned (and yes a bit of boosterism here!), but include:

-Shepherd Elementary's newish IB curriculum (since 2011)

-rising test scores

-Deal/Wilson feeder path: Shepherd is now one of I believe just two EOTP schools w/feeder rights to Deal, and SP is now zoned for Wilson going forward

-the redevelopment of Walter Reed on the (somewhat distant) horizon

-the ripple effects of gentrification: By this I mean the displacement of one population by another of higher SES, irrespective of race (not in Shepherd Park, but in other parts of DC). I know several young families of different racial backgrounds who've bought in gentrifying parts of DC (e.g., Petworth), and who've later traded up and moved further up 16th St. to a bigger home with a yard in Shepherd Park.

Not an exhaustive list, but a few reasons why the interest in Shepherd Park as a neighborhood--and thereby interest in Shepherd Elementary--may increase a little faster in coming years than you predict, which will lead to a more diverse (as defined by OP) in-boundary population.


P.S. I'll admit that until about three years ago, I'd never heard mention of Shepherd Park either. (We moved from another part of the country and concentrated our search on Bethesda and CCDC/CCMD. A coworker mentioned her neighborhood, Shepherd Park--we did our research, liked what we found, kept our eye on the tight market, and bought here a year later.)

P.P.S. Don't get me wrong--I love that my AA child is one of several little brown faces on our block, and I don't want that to change anytime soon. But if she's exposed to people of different backgrounds as well, that's great too. Particularly when those families are of the ilk that is typically drawn to a diverse neighborhood like SP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As more families with young children move into the Shepherd Park neighborhood, and as more IB families are considering attending Shepherd Elementary, do you think that the school will start to become more diverse? Based on its academic trajectory, Shepherd looks like a school that is already good and increasingly getting better, and I would like to seriously consider it as an option for our DC (we moved to the neighborhood not long after school began this past August). My only hesitation is the concern that the demographics of the school show a rather non-diverse environment, although I don't know how that breaks out by grade level. I wasn't originally concerned that DC might be an "only" in class (DC is white/Asian), but a recent conversation has me questioning my stance.

A good college friend was visiting this weekend, and as I was telling her about the school, she looked at the DCPS profile for the school and noticed the not-very-diverse demographics (79% black, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% white, 0% Asian, 8% multiple races). My friend, who is black, grew up in a very white town and was the only black child in her grade all throughout elementary school. She said that while she never experienced outright racism or overt exclusion, she always felt somewhat at a remove from the other kids, and felt increasingly alienated as she moved from K through the 6th grade. Occasional mean or insensitive comments were directed towards her, and she thinks that she was excluded from some social things because of being black. Based on our conversation, she obviously still feels some hurt from this experience and wonders what it would have been like to grow up in a more diverse school, not feeling like such an outsider. Obviously everybody's experiences are their own, but she told me to consider taking her experiences into account while deciding about DC's school.

I have absolutely no problem with DC being a minority in class, but I can definitely see why it would be more comfortable to not be a minority of just one or two. Based on several Shepherd open houses that I attended, it seems like a very diverse group is interested in the early childhood program. Do any current Shepherd parents or potential parents have insight? DC would be entering kindergarten.

The OP's original question is bolded and underlined above. The OP then goes on to cite the racial demographics and discuss skin color, so there can be no doubt that the OP's question is 100% about race. All of you who are whining about "why does every thread have to devolve into a race debate", please recognize that this thread began as one.

Now, to answer OP's question. OP, the other stat that you did not cite, but which has been referenced by many posters, is the in boundary percentage at Shepherd. It is 32% IB, 68% OOB. So the first answer to your question is, no, I don't believe that Shepherd will become more diverse (aka, less overwhelmingly black) anytime soon, because the majority of its students are OOB, and the majority of DCPS families are black, and I would assume that the OOB population at Shepherd would continue to be majority black.

Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park. Maybe it's just who I know and I don't know why that is or what to make of it, but at least among the non-black people I know it is not considered. So that's the second half of the answer to your question, no, I don't think that Shepherd's IB population will become much less black anytime soon.

Now, I also want to comment on another issue that comes up in this thread and in many threads, and that is, the correct percentage by which to measure "diversity" when expressed as percentage of black students. I have always found this fascinating. Here are some candidates:

Blacks as a percentage of DC public school students: 86%?
Blacks as a percentage of DC residents: 48%
Blacks as a percentage of greater DC metro area: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the 10 largest American cities: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the United States of America: 13%
Blacks as a percentage of the whole world: ???

Which of these is correct? I think posters are free to choose whichever they like, but I don't see why you want to criticize each other's choices. It seems to me that any number between 13% and 86% can be supported. For example, there are those who grew up elsewhere who think that the US-wide demographics represent a good diverse mix, and others who insist that this is Chocolate City and anything less than half black is unrepresentative. For those who insist on the Chocolate City standard, that's understandable, but you could at least acknowledge that this was a temporary time in the city's history, spanning roughly 40 years.

Very good points. You made me look up demographic data for Washington metropolitan area. Based on the 2010 census:
54% white
26% black
15% Hispanic
9% Asian

(Obviously some overlap)

I'm PP. Thanks for looking this up! So we have another candidate, 26 percent. Interestingly, these DC metro numbers are somewhat close to Deal MS, a school which is sometimes criticized on DCUM as being too white. Apparently Deal is representative of the DC metro area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park."

How are people supposed to evaluate the merit of this statement when we don't know where you live or work? Maybe you work somewhere difficult to get to from Shepherd Park, or maybe you don't even work in DC; we don't know. Maybe you live in MD or VA. Maybe you work for The Heritage Foundation. Just saying that just because you don't know people considering this area of DC means little without the appropriate context.

I'm PP you are quoting, and I am probably close to exiting this thread, although I have found it interesting.

SP is convenient to many DC-area work locations, including but not limited to downtown DC. Based on geography alone, you would think that it would be considered by a lot of people. Yet, a number of people I know have chosen to live in areas very near Shepherd Park (Takoma, Brightwood, Silver Spring), but non has chosen SP so far. Yes, context matters. I am not married to an African American who grew up in SP like the poster above. But demographic statistics are readily available so this needn't be another battle of the anecdotes. SP has a distinct, historically rooted character that it seems likely to retain. This is in contrast to some other historically black DC neighborhoods that are changing quickly. The PP above provided an explanation for this based on the differences between the black populations (higher income and wealth in SP than in some of the "gentrifying" neighborhoods).

Going back to OP's question, for these reasons and also the point I made about OOB above, my answer is no, I don't expect Shepherd Elementary to become much more diverse in the near future. "More diverse" being defined by OP in this thread as, less black. That's all I was saying. I could be wrong. Not sure why the conversation has to be so difficult. Anyway, Shepherd Elementary and Shepherd Park both seem attractive options, and I'm glad to see they have such strong support.

I'm the PP who challenged the merit of your statement above. Okay, maybe I was a little harsh, but race is always a touchy issue--not that it shouldn't be talked about. When coupled with a comment that seemed to disparage a well-loved DC neighborhood (i.e., "no one white I know has mentioned wanting to move to Shepherd Park") by someone who apparently doesn't live here, you can see how that may've ruffled a few feathers.

I disagree with your prediction about Shepherd Elementary's racial makeup not changing much more in coming years. You're assuming that all relevant variables will remain constant. I'd argue that interest in the neighborhood--and thereby the school--will actually increase at a faster rate than in past years. I think this is due to several factors that've already been mentioned (and yes a bit of boosterism here!), but include:

-Shepherd Elementary's newish IB curriculum (since 2011)

-rising test scores

-Deal/Wilson feeder path: Shepherd is now one of I believe just two EOTP schools w/feeder rights to Deal, and SP is now zoned for Wilson going forward

-the redevelopment of Walter Reed on the (somewhat distant) horizon

-the ripple effects of gentrification: By this I mean the displacement of one population by another of higher SES, irrespective of race (not in Shepherd Park, but in other parts of DC). I know several young families of different racial backgrounds who've bought in gentrifying parts of DC (e.g., Petworth), and who've later traded up and moved further up 16th St. to a bigger home with a yard in Shepherd Park.

Not an exhaustive list, but a few reasons why the interest in Shepherd Park as a neighborhood--and thereby interest in Shepherd Elementary--may increase a little faster in coming years than you predict, which will lead to a more diverse (as defined by OP) in-boundary population.


P.S. I'll admit that until about three years ago, I'd never heard mention of Shepherd Park either. (We moved from another part of the country and concentrated our search on Bethesda and CCDC/CCMD. A coworker mentioned her neighborhood, Shepherd Park--we did our research, liked what we found, kept our eye on the tight market, and bought here a year later.)

P.P.S. Don't get me wrong--I love that my AA child is one of several little brown faces on our block, and I don't want that to change anytime soon. But if she's exposed to people of different backgrounds as well, that's great too. Particularly when those families are of the ilk that is typically drawn to a diverse neighborhood like SP.

I'm PP. These are some very good points, and thank you for this detailed post. You may well be right!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park."

How are people supposed to evaluate the merit of this statement when we don't know where you live or work? Maybe you work somewhere difficult to get to from Shepherd Park, or maybe you don't even work in DC; we don't know. Maybe you live in MD or VA. Maybe you work for The Heritage Foundation. Just saying that just because you don't know people considering this area of DC means little without the appropriate context.

I'm PP you are quoting, and I am probably close to exiting this thread, although I have found it interesting.

SP is convenient to many DC-area work locations, including but not limited to downtown DC. Based on geography alone, you would think that it would be considered by a lot of people. Yet, a number of people I know have chosen to live in areas very near Shepherd Park (Takoma, Brightwood, Silver Spring), but non has chosen SP so far. Yes, context matters. I am not married to an African American who grew up in SP like the poster above. But demographic statistics are readily available so this needn't be another battle of the anecdotes. SP has a distinct, historically rooted character that it seems likely to retain. This is in contrast to some other historically black DC neighborhoods that are changing quickly. The PP above provided an explanation for this based on the differences between the black populations (higher income and wealth in SP than in some of the "gentrifying" neighborhoods).

Going back to OP's question, for these reasons and also the point I made about OOB above, my answer is no, I don't expect Shepherd Elementary to become much more diverse in the near future. "More diverse" being defined by OP in this thread as, less black. That's all I was saying. I could be wrong. Not sure why the conversation has to be so difficult. Anyway, Shepherd Elementary and Shepherd Park both seem attractive options, and I'm glad to see they have such strong support.

NP. Your friends that moved to Brightwood or Takoma were certainly looking at SP if it weren't for either A) lack of available housing stock in the popular but limited listings, or B) the $100-$200k premium in SP. The fact that you're implying your friends are actively avoiding SP tells me you really have no clue hoe sought after SP is.

I'm PP. I also have friends buying fee simple in Bethesda and Chevy Chase. But I left those off the list, because I expected snarky DCUM posters to tell me that those places are not "nearby" SP. Instead I get someone informing me that SP is more expensive than Brightwood. You cannot win on this forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park."

How are people supposed to evaluate the merit of this statement when we don't know where you live or work? Maybe you work somewhere difficult to get to from Shepherd Park, or maybe you don't even work in DC; we don't know. Maybe you live in MD or VA. Maybe you work for The Heritage Foundation. Just saying that just because you don't know people considering this area of DC means little without the appropriate context.

I'm PP you are quoting, and I am probably close to exiting this thread, although I have found it interesting.

SP is convenient to many DC-area work locations, including but not limited to downtown DC. Based on geography alone, you would think that it would be considered by a lot of people. Yet, a number of people I know have chosen to live in areas very near Shepherd Park (Takoma, Brightwood, Silver Spring), but non has chosen SP so far. Yes, context matters. I am not married to an African American who grew up in SP like the poster above. But demographic statistics are readily available so this needn't be another battle of the anecdotes. SP has a distinct, historically rooted character that it seems likely to retain. This is in contrast to some other historically black DC neighborhoods that are changing quickly. The PP above provided an explanation for this based on the differences between the black populations (higher income and wealth in SP than in some of the "gentrifying" neighborhoods).

Going back to OP's question, for these reasons and also the point I made about OOB above, my answer is no, I don't expect Shepherd Elementary to become much more diverse in the near future. "More diverse" being defined by OP in this thread as, less black. That's all I was saying. I could be wrong. Not sure why the conversation has to be so difficult. Anyway, Shepherd Elementary and Shepherd Park both seem attractive options, and I'm glad to see they have such strong support.

NP. Your friends that moved to Brightwood or Takoma were certainly looking at SP if it weren't for either A) lack of available housing stock in the popular but limited listings, or B) the $100-$200k premium in SP. The fact that you're implying your friends are actively avoiding SP tells me you really have no clue hoe sought after SP is.

I'm PP. I also have friends buying fee simple in Bethesda and Chevy Chase. But I left those off the list, because I expected snarky DCUM posters to tell me that those places are not "nearby" SP. Instead I get someone informing me that SP is more expensive than Brightwood. You cannot win on this forum.

No what I'm saying is that yoir friends that bought in Brightwood were certainly open to SP (I'm sure).

[Anonymous]

To the poster who thinks a parking lot and kitchen are more important than music--we can agree to disagree, but honestly, this is one reason I don't feel more connected to the school.

A cafeteria on site will not teach the children nearly as much about nutrition as you think--and assuming that the parents know nothing is kind of offensive. In addition, safety and parking could easily be achieved if people parked their cars and walked their kids a block or so more to school.

On the other hand, having a viable music program would be valuable forever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As more families with young children move into the Shepherd Park neighborhood, and as more IB families are considering attending Shepherd Elementary, do you think that the school will start to become more diverse? Based on its academic trajectory, Shepherd looks like a school that is already good and increasingly getting better, and I would like to seriously consider it as an option for our DC (we moved to the neighborhood not long after school began this past August). My only hesitation is the concern that the demographics of the school show a rather non-diverse environment, although I don't know how that breaks out by grade level. I wasn't originally concerned that DC might be an "only" in class (DC is white/Asian), but a recent conversation has me questioning my stance.

A good college friend was visiting this weekend, and as I was telling her about the school, she looked at the DCPS profile for the school and noticed the not-very-diverse demographics (79% black, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% white, 0% Asian, 8% multiple races). My friend, who is black, grew up in a very white town and was the only black child in her grade all throughout elementary school. She said that while she never experienced outright racism or overt exclusion, she always felt somewhat at a remove from the other kids, and felt increasingly alienated as she moved from K through the 6th grade. Occasional mean or insensitive comments were directed towards her, and she thinks that she was excluded from some social things because of being black. Based on our conversation, she obviously still feels some hurt from this experience and wonders what it would have been like to grow up in a more diverse school, not feeling like such an outsider. Obviously everybody's experiences are their own, but she told me to consider taking her experiences into account while deciding about DC's school.

I have absolutely no problem with DC being a minority in class, but I can definitely see why it would be more comfortable to not be a minority of just one or two. Based on several Shepherd open houses that I attended, it seems like a very diverse group is interested in the early childhood program. Do any current Shepherd parents or potential parents have insight? DC would be entering kindergarten.

The OP's original question is bolded and underlined above. The OP then goes on to cite the racial demographics and discuss skin color, so there can be no doubt that the OP's question is 100% about race. All of you who are whining about "why does every thread have to devolve into a race debate", please recognize that this thread began as one.

Now, to answer OP's question. OP, the other stat that you did not cite, but which has been referenced by many posters, is the in boundary percentage at Shepherd. It is 32% IB, 68% OOB. So the first answer to your question is, no, I don't believe that Shepherd will become more diverse (aka, less overwhelmingly black) anytime soon, because the majority of its students are OOB, and the majority of DCPS families are black, and I would assume that the OOB population at Shepherd would continue to be majority black.

Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park. Maybe it's just who I know and I don't know why that is or what to make of it, but at least among the non-black people I know it is not considered. So that's the second half of the answer to your question, no, I don't think that Shepherd's IB population will become much less black anytime soon.

Now, I also want to comment on another issue that comes up in this thread and in many threads, and that is, the correct percentage by which to measure "diversity" when expressed as percentage of black students. I have always found this fascinating. Here are some candidates:

Blacks as a percentage of DC public school students: 86%?
Blacks as a percentage of DC residents: 48%
Blacks as a percentage of greater DC metro area: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the 10 largest American cities: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the United States of America: 13%
Blacks as a percentage of the whole world: ???

Which of these is correct? I think posters are free to choose whichever they like, but I don't see why you want to criticize each other's choices. It seems to me that any number between 13% and 86% can be supported. For example, there are those who grew up elsewhere who think that the US-wide demographics represent a good diverse mix, and others who insist that this is Chocolate City and anything less than half black is unrepresentative. For those who insist on the Chocolate City standard, that's understandable, but you could at least acknowledge that this was a temporary time in the city's history, spanning roughly 40 years.

Very good points. You made me look up demographic data for Washington metropolitan area. Based on the 2010 census:
54% white
26% black
15% Hispanic
9% Asian

(Obviously some overlap)

I'm PP. Thanks for looking this up! So we have another candidate, 26 percent. Interestingly, these DC metro numbers are somewhat close to Deal MS, a school which is sometimes criticized on DCUM as being too white. Apparently Deal is representative of the DC metro area.

No. Deal demographics should match the neighborhoods that feed to it. In no way should any DC school match DC metro area demographics. Why are you saying any of this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[the ripple effects of gentrification: By this I mean the displacement of one population by another of higher SES, irrespective of race (not in Shepherd Park, but in other parts of DC). I know several young families of different racial backgrounds who've bought in gentrifying parts of DC (e.g., Petworth), and who've later traded up and moved further up 16th St. to a bigger home with a yard in Shepherd Park.

You got us. Guilty as charged. Petworth in 09, SP now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[the ripple effects of gentrification: By this I mean the displacement of one population by another of higher SES, irrespective of race (not in Shepherd Park, but in other parts of DC). I know several young families of different racial backgrounds who've bought in gentrifying parts of DC (e.g., Petworth), and who've later traded up and moved further up 16th St. to a bigger home with a yard in Shepherd Park.

You got us. Guilty as charged. Petworth in 09, SP now.

Columbia Heights - SP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the poster who thinks a parking lot and kitchen are more important than music--we can agree to disagree, but honestly, this is one reason I don't feel more connected to the school.

A cafeteria on site will not teach the children nearly as much about nutrition as you think--and assuming that the parents know nothing is kind of offensive. In addition, safety and parking could easily be achieved if people parked their cars and walked their kids a block or so more to school.

On the other hand, having a viable music program would be valuable forever.

Wait, they don't have a music teacher and a music program at Shepherd? What else don't they have? Do they have extras like Physical Education, Visual Arts, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As more families with young children move into the Shepherd Park neighborhood, and as more IB families are considering attending Shepherd Elementary, do you think that the school will start to become more diverse? Based on its academic trajectory, Shepherd looks like a school that is already good and increasingly getting better, and I would like to seriously consider it as an option for our DC (we moved to the neighborhood not long after school began this past August). My only hesitation is the concern that the demographics of the school show a rather non-diverse environment, although I don't know how that breaks out by grade level. I wasn't originally concerned that DC might be an "only" in class (DC is white/Asian), but a recent conversation has me questioning my stance.

A good college friend was visiting this weekend, and as I was telling her about the school, she looked at the DCPS profile for the school and noticed the not-very-diverse demographics (79% black, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% white, 0% Asian, 8% multiple races). My friend, who is black, grew up in a very white town and was the only black child in her grade all throughout elementary school. She said that while she never experienced outright racism or overt exclusion, she always felt somewhat at a remove from the other kids, and felt increasingly alienated as she moved from K through the 6th grade. Occasional mean or insensitive comments were directed towards her, and she thinks that she was excluded from some social things because of being black. Based on our conversation, she obviously still feels some hurt from this experience and wonders what it would have been like to grow up in a more diverse school, not feeling like such an outsider. Obviously everybody's experiences are their own, but she told me to consider taking her experiences into account while deciding about DC's school.

I have absolutely no problem with DC being a minority in class, but I can definitely see why it would be more comfortable to not be a minority of just one or two. Based on several Shepherd open houses that I attended, it seems like a very diverse group is interested in the early childhood program. Do any current Shepherd parents or potential parents have insight? DC would be entering kindergarten.

The OP's original question is bolded and underlined above. The OP then goes on to cite the racial demographics and discuss skin color, so there can be no doubt that the OP's question is 100% about race. All of you who are whining about "why does every thread have to devolve into a race debate", please recognize that this thread began as one.

Now, to answer OP's question. OP, the other stat that you did not cite, but which has been referenced by many posters, is the in boundary percentage at Shepherd. It is 32% IB, 68% OOB. So the first answer to your question is, no, I don't believe that Shepherd will become more diverse (aka, less overwhelmingly black) anytime soon, because the majority of its students are OOB, and the majority of DCPS families are black, and I would assume that the OOB population at Shepherd would continue to be majority black.

Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park. Maybe it's just who I know and I don't know why that is or what to make of it, but at least among the non-black people I know it is not considered. So that's the second half of the answer to your question, no, I don't think that Shepherd's IB population will become much less black anytime soon.

Now, I also want to comment on another issue that comes up in this thread and in many threads, and that is, the correct percentage by which to measure "diversity" when expressed as percentage of black students. I have always found this fascinating. Here are some candidates:

Blacks as a percentage of DC public school students: 86%?
Blacks as a percentage of DC residents: 48%
Blacks as a percentage of greater DC metro area: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the 10 largest American cities: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the United States of America: 13%
Blacks as a percentage of the whole world: ???

Which of these is correct? I think posters are free to choose whichever they like, but I don't see why you want to criticize each other's choices. It seems to me that any number between 13% and 86% can be supported. For example, there are those who grew up elsewhere who think that the US-wide demographics represent a good diverse mix, and others who insist that this is Chocolate City and anything less than half black is unrepresentative. For those who insist on the Chocolate City standard, that's understandable, but you could at least acknowledge that this was a temporary time in the city's history, spanning roughly 40 years.

Very good points. You made me look up demographic data for Washington metropolitan area. Based on the 2010 census:
54% white
26% black
15% Hispanic
9% Asian

(Obviously some overlap)

I'm PP. Thanks for looking this up! So we have another candidate, 26 percent. Interestingly, these DC metro numbers are somewhat close to Deal MS, a school which is sometimes criticized on DCUM as being too white. Apparently Deal is representative of the DC metro area.

Indeed, surprise surprise, Deal is much more representative of the Washington metropolitan area than any other middle school in the city. And, of course, it is also perfectly representative of our country, and of the boundary area feeding into it.

Now, will everyone recognize the obvious? Probably not

[Anonymous]

They have a fantastic music teacher, a great pe teacher, french and Spanish language teachers who also seem wonderful, and an art teacher that I assume is good although my child rarely mentions her. They also have a librarian. But specifically their music teacher would love to start a band and they have no instruments. Their previous music teacher was all about strings and orchestra and they have no band resources.

I'm sorry, I put ausic program above a parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As more families with young children move into the Shepherd Park neighborhood, and as more IB families are considering attending Shepherd Elementary, do you think that the school will start to become more diverse? Based on its academic trajectory, Shepherd looks like a school that is already good and increasingly getting better, and I would like to seriously consider it as an option for our DC (we moved to the neighborhood not long after school began this past August). My only hesitation is the concern that the demographics of the school show a rather non-diverse environment, although I don't know how that breaks out by grade level. I wasn't originally concerned that DC might be an "only" in class (DC is white/Asian), but a recent conversation has me questioning my stance.

A good college friend was visiting this weekend, and as I was telling her about the school, she looked at the DCPS profile for the school and noticed the not-very-diverse demographics (79% black, 9% Hispanic/Latino, 4% white, 0% Asian, 8% multiple races). My friend, who is black, grew up in a very white town and was the only black child in her grade all throughout elementary school. She said that while she never experienced outright racism or overt exclusion, she always felt somewhat at a remove from the other kids, and felt increasingly alienated as she moved from K through the 6th grade. Occasional mean or insensitive comments were directed towards her, and she thinks that she was excluded from some social things because of being black. Based on our conversation, she obviously still feels some hurt from this experience and wonders what it would have been like to grow up in a more diverse school, not feeling like such an outsider. Obviously everybody's experiences are their own, but she told me to consider taking her experiences into account while deciding about DC's school.

I have absolutely no problem with DC being a minority in class, but I can definitely see why it would be more comfortable to not be a minority of just one or two. Based on several Shepherd open houses that I attended, it seems like a very diverse group is interested in the early childhood program. Do any current Shepherd parents or potential parents have insight? DC would be entering kindergarten.

The OP's original question is bolded and underlined above. The OP then goes on to cite the racial demographics and discuss skin color, so there can be no doubt that the OP's question is 100% about race. All of you who are whining about "why does every thread have to devolve into a race debate", please recognize that this thread began as one.

Now, to answer OP's question. OP, the other stat that you did not cite, but which has been referenced by many posters, is the in boundary percentage at Shepherd. It is 32% IB, 68% OOB. So the first answer to your question is, no, I don't believe that Shepherd will become more diverse (aka, less overwhelmingly black) anytime soon, because the majority of its students are OOB, and the majority of DCPS families are black, and I would assume that the OOB population at Shepherd would continue to be majority black.

Regarding the IB population, it is becoming more diverse, but more slowly than some other EOTP neighborhoods. Honestly I have never had a single (white) friend or colleague mention to me that they are considering a move to Shepherd Park. Maybe it's just who I know and I don't know why that is or what to make of it, but at least among the non-black people I know it is not considered. So that's the second half of the answer to your question, no, I don't think that Shepherd's IB population will become much less black anytime soon.

Now, I also want to comment on another issue that comes up in this thread and in many threads, and that is, the correct percentage by which to measure "diversity" when expressed as percentage of black students. I have always found this fascinating. Here are some candidates:

Blacks as a percentage of DC public school students: 86%?
Blacks as a percentage of DC residents: 48%
Blacks as a percentage of greater DC metro area: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the 10 largest American cities: ???
Blacks as a percentage of the United States of America: 13%
Blacks as a percentage of the whole world: ???

Which of these is correct? I think posters are free to choose whichever they like, but I don't see why you want to criticize each other's choices. It seems to me that any number between 13% and 86% can be supported. For example, there are those who grew up elsewhere who think that the US-wide demographics represent a good diverse mix, and others who insist that this is Chocolate City and anything less than half black is unrepresentative. For those who insist on the Chocolate City standard, that's understandable, but you could at least acknowledge that this was a temporary time in the city's history, spanning roughly 40 years.

Very good points. You made me look up demographic data for Washington metropolitan area. Based on the 2010 census:
54% white
26% black
15% Hispanic
9% Asian

(Obviously some overlap)

I'm PP. Thanks for looking this up! So we have another candidate, 26 percent. Interestingly, these DC metro numbers are somewhat close to Deal MS, a school which is sometimes criticized on DCUM as being too white. Apparently Deal is representative of the DC metro area.

No. Deal demographics should match the neighborhoods that feed to it. In no way should any DC school match DC metro area demographics. Why are you saying any of this?

????

Lady, what are you talking about? Care to find and share demographic data from DC metro area, ward 3 and Deal?

[Anonymous]

FWIW, we live in SP and among the five households around and including us only one is African American and none of the kids in any of the houses go to Shepherd elementary either, charters or private.