Thinking of sending my white child to Banneker

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the history of Banneker?

When so many schools, in DCPS or Baltimore or Memphis or ATL, are failing... Why is this one competitive? Is the neighborhood more wealthy? More rigorous academics?

Why is it historically an AA space? Leftover from segregation or?

More rigorous academics and an application is required for entry. It's a city-wide DCPS school, not a neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the history of Banneker?

When so many schools, in DCPS or Baltimore or Memphis or ATL, are failing... Why is this one competitive? Is the neighborhood more wealthy? More rigorous academics?

Why is it historically an AA space? Leftover from segregation or?

why are you even posting here? you clearly have no knowledge of Banneker or DCPS.

I hate how these Banneker threads go. So much paranoia, of all types. Why are people so threatened by Banneker? It's weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what has been discussed on DCUM, including with Banneker grads that have previously provided their perspective, Banneker and Walls are both strong schools and two very different places and have historically served different groups well. Both are rigorous, This may be changing, but Banneker has been serving the needs of really smart hard working kids that have often not been particularly well prepared by DCPS lower grades. These kids come in bright but with educational gaps and they are hard driven by the school to get them ready to compete academically anywhere.

That is not my child. My child has been very well served by the best elementary and middle schools in DCPS and has the benefit of two parents with college and professional degrees. My child is academically strong but does not respond well to or need the kind of pressure I understand that Banneker puts on its students. My child has friends of all races, and I do not think would be intimidated by a majority minority school. My child was, however, strongly opposed to going to an IB program high school after 3 years at Deal. My child will be going to Walls.

Thank you for a balanced post after so much bile thrown at Banneker, which is a wonderful school (as is Walls).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well there’s a difference between being stigmatized for an individual trait — fat, lazy, stupid, etc — and being stigmatized because you’re part of a racial or ethnic group, which is something you can’t escape no matter what you do.

Yes, there's a difference and I wouldn't say it's okay for a white kid to be mocked for being white. But the reality for many white children is that they belong to a powerful racial group that is widely accepted in society generally. It's not always easy to be in the numerical minority in a school but the fact is that white people work and live and shop in many places where they are seen as fitting in and "safe." A few insults will be uncomfortable even painful to a white kid in a majority minority school but it doesn't have the same kind of impact over all. ~mom of white kid who went to DCPS schools and survived. Also, I was called a "white bitch" two times in my majority black neighborhood. Not pleasant but not an issue given all the other white privilege I have.

In Chocolate City, for the last 50 years, it's the precise opposite. Substitute black for white and white for black and you will come closer to the truth.

Nope, I've lived here for 30 years. White privilege still reigns supreme overall.

Because you say so.

I prefer to look at facts.

Yeah, I've lived those facts. You can just look at them if you like. Won't change them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:From what has been discussed on DCUM, including with Banneker grads that have previously provided their perspective, Banneker and Walls are both strong schools and two very different places and have historically served different groups well. Both are rigorous, This may be changing, but Banneker has been serving the needs of really smart hard working kids that have often not been particularly well prepared by DCPS lower grades. These kids come in bright but with educational gaps and they are hard driven by the school to get them ready to compete academically anywhere.

That is not my child. My child has been very well served by the best elementary and middle schools in DCPS and has the benefit of two parents with college and professional degrees. My child is academically strong but does not respond well to or need the kind of pressure I understand that Banneker puts on its students. My child has friends of all races, and I do not think would be intimidated by a majority minority school. My child was, however, strongly opposed to going to an IB program high school after 3 years at Deal. My child will be going to Walls.

Which is fine. You've reviewed the pros and cons of the schools and figured out which one suits your child. What bothers me is the people who won't even look at Banneker to see if it suits their kid. That is closed minded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Banneker is definitely on my list for my geeky (white) DS who does not like sports and loves doing homework! Maybe it will be easier for him to find a girlfriend there too

+1 It's the best high school in DC. Basic proficiency scores are much higher than for Wilson.

"Best" means different things for different people. Highest test scores, yes. Best social environment? Best well rounded students? Eh.

Banneker does not have the highest scores in DC, not even close.

Right, and wrong.
https://dcps.dc.gov/publication/dcps-data-set-sat

Second highest average SAT after Walls.

Right and right.

Walls is a universe ahead.

Banneker is a faaar second, much closer to Wilson (which doesn't kick out boys like Banneker does) and to McKinley than to Walls.

SAT average of 1272 at Walls vs 1109 at Banneker is not that great of a difference when you take the student body's SES into account. SAT scores are a reflection of parent education and wealth. A child of parents who attended college who are middle to upper middle class is going to score well on the SAT regardless of whether they go to SWW or Banneker.

People throw out the SAT thing as a fig leaf to hide their racism.

If you're going to make a statement like that, you really should identify the differences in SES. It appears that you are stating that the SES of kids at Walls is higher than at Banneker. On what do you base that conclusion? Or is it just an assumption? Or is it just something you pulled out of your ass, in attempt to support Banneker?

Socio-Economic Status (SES).

Banneker is a Title 1 school (determined by number who qualify for FARMS, which isn't reported publicly in DC anymore but is still submitted to the federal government for purposes of qualifying for Title 1 assistance, or not). Additionally 20% of the study body (97/486) is considered at-risk (receiving TANF, nutrition assistance and/or homeless or students in foster care). 97

Walls is not a Title 1 school. 12% of the student is at risk (73 of 61).

So you attribute a 163 point difference in average SATs to the fact that 20% of students at Banneker are at risk, while 12% of the students at SWW are at risk?

OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the history of Banneker?

When so many schools, in DCPS or Baltimore or Memphis or ATL, are failing... Why is this one competitive? Is the neighborhood more wealthy? More rigorous academics?

Why is it historically an AA space? Leftover from segregation or?

why are you even posting here? you clearly have no knowledge of Banneker or DCPS.

I hate how these Banneker threads go. So much paranoia, of all types. Why are people so threatened by Banneker? It's weird.

Exactly. I suspect lots of DCUMers have just made up their minds about Banneker without having really investigated it and they feel defensive about that. But they won't even go to the school open house! I'm a researcher by trade with a PhD and in my family we always do the research before making decisions.

[Anonymous]

To 11:05. Banneker is also Title 1. That means far more of the student population, beyond the at-risk students, are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. That’s simply not the case at Walls.

All the research over many years shows that on the whole, poor students do not perform as well on the SAT as their middle- and upper-class peers.

I notice you don’t mention PARCC scores. Banneker students do as well or better on that yardstick. They are strong and talented students. Colleges recognize that if even DCUM does not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the history of Banneker?

When so many schools, in DCPS or Baltimore or Memphis or ATL, are failing... Why is this one competitive? Is the neighborhood more wealthy? More rigorous academics?

Why is it historically an AA space? Leftover from segregation or?

why are you even posting here? you clearly have no knowledge of Banneker or DCPS.

I hate how these Banneker threads go. So much paranoia, of all types. Why are people so threatened by Banneker? It's weird.

Exactly. I suspect lots of DCUMers have just made up their minds about Banneker without having really investigated it and they feel defensive about that. But they won't even go to the school open house! I'm a researcher by trade with a PhD and in my family we always do the research before making decisions.

I'm PP, and I am posting because I live in MD and am moving to DC, and am considering which schools for my children. I am not familiar with Banneker, so I asked. The subject of the post is inflammatory and meant to grab attention. If I did not ask, I would never know. Nobody answered most of my questions, regardless. I was not being defensive, I love the idea of a minority majority school. (I'm a POC, wife is not).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the history of Banneker?

When so many schools, in DCPS or Baltimore or Memphis or ATL, are failing... Why is this one competitive? Is the neighborhood more wealthy? More rigorous academics?

Why is it historically an AA space? Leftover from segregation or?

why are you even posting here? you clearly have no knowledge of Banneker or DCPS.

I hate how these Banneker threads go. So much paranoia, of all types. Why are people so threatened by Banneker? It's weird.

Exactly. I suspect lots of DCUMers have just made up their minds about Banneker without having really investigated it and they feel defensive about that. But they won't even go to the school open house! I'm a researcher by trade with a PhD and in my family we always do the research before making decisions.

I'm PP, and I am posting because I live in MD and am moving to DC, and am considering which schools for my children. I am not familiar with Banneker, so I asked. The subject of the post is inflammatory and meant to grab attention. If I did not ask, I would never know. Nobody answered most of my questions, regardless. I was not being defensive, I love the idea of a minority majority school. (I'm a POC, wife is not).

PP, most of the answers to your questions are in the thread, or a short google search away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the history of Banneker?

When so many schools, in DCPS or Baltimore or Memphis or ATL, are failing... Why is this one competitive? Is the neighborhood more wealthy? More rigorous academics?

Why is it historically an AA space? Leftover from segregation or?

why are you even posting here? you clearly have no knowledge of Banneker or DCPS.

I hate how these Banneker threads go. So much paranoia, of all types. Why are people so threatened by Banneker? It's weird.

Exactly. I suspect lots of DCUMers have just made up their minds about Banneker without having really investigated it and they feel defensive about that. But they won't even go to the school open house! I'm a researcher by trade with a PhD and in my family we always do the research before making decisions.

I'm PP, and I am posting because I live in MD and am moving to DC, and am considering which schools for my children. I am not familiar with Banneker, so I asked. The subject of the post is inflammatory and meant to grab attention. If I did not ask, I would never know. Nobody answered most of my questions, regardless. I was not being defensive, I love the idea of a minority majority school. (I'm a POC, wife is not).

Pp here. Sorry, I wasn't responding to your question. I was responding to the point that DCUM people are threatened by Banneker - which I see generally in threads about Banneker on DCUM. I wasn't casting aspersions on you, pp. Sorry!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not quite: Banneker is 1% white, so around 5 students. Also a small number of students who identify as Asian and multiple races, plus 20 percent Hispanic/Latino.

http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Benjamin+Banneker+High+School

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
(2017-18)
Enrollment: 482

Black: 74%
Hispanic/Latino: 20%
White: 1%
Asian: 3%
Pacific/Hawaiian: 0%
Native/Alaskan: 0%
Multiple races: 2%

Being an "only" in any environment can be a slog, regardless of what kind of only you are. By the numbers, OP's kid would be the "only" in a class of about 120 per grade. That kid has to be very comfortable in this position - or such a nerd that they have no notice/care of this anyway

This. I don’t know why everyone’s acting like it’s no big deal. Also +1 to poster above who said white parents may feel they’re intruding on black space (or if you must, POC space). In a city where everyone hates the gentrifiers wouldn’t they fear being seen as gentrifying Banneker? I know I think about this, unfortunately, in a lot of spaces in DC. Will I be welcome or seen as there goes the neighborhood? Don’t tell me you’ve never had that thought.

That's the experience of every person of color in America in 99% of the spaces they occupy each day. Not fun is it? Only black friend. Only Asian employee. Only LatinX whatever. But yet we deal with it.

Absolutely. And it’s a huge source of stress and a psychic burden. One that POC can’t opt out of. Which is why opting out is a very attractive option for one’s non POC pre-teen.

PP here. Exactly. But, there's the added thing about bringing your white privilege into a Black space when you DO have options. Is that what is wanted by the Banneker community? Do they want more diversity? They have not said, perhaps they don't. Perhaps they're quite happy to be a safe space. OTOH that white child is most certainly going to learn more at Banneker than Walls about the world. America, and life in general, academics aside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not quite: Banneker is 1% white, so around 5 students. Also a small number of students who identify as Asian and multiple races, plus 20 percent Hispanic/Latino.

http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Benjamin+Banneker+High+School

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
(2017-18)
Enrollment: 482

Black: 74%
Hispanic/Latino: 20%
White: 1%
Asian: 3%
Pacific/Hawaiian: 0%
Native/Alaskan: 0%
Multiple races: 2%

Being an "only" in any environment can be a slog, regardless of what kind of only you are. By the numbers, OP's kid would be the "only" in a class of about 120 per grade. That kid has to be very comfortable in this position - or such a nerd that they have no notice/care of this anyway

This. I don’t know why everyone’s acting like it’s no big deal. Also +1 to poster above who said white parents may feel they’re intruding on black space (or if you must, POC space). In a city where everyone hates the gentrifiers wouldn’t they fear being seen as gentrifying Banneker? I know I think about this, unfortunately, in a lot of spaces in DC. Will I be welcome or seen as there goes the neighborhood? Don’t tell me you’ve never had that thought.

That's the experience of every person of color in America in 99% of the spaces they occupy each day. Not fun is it? Only black friend. Only Asian employee. Only LatinX whatever. But yet we deal with it.

Absolutely. And it’s a huge source of stress and a psychic burden. One that POC can’t opt out of. Which is why opting out is a very attractive option for one’s non POC pre-teen.

PP here. Exactly. But, there's the added thing about bringing your white privilege into a Black space when you DO have options. Is that what is wanted by the Banneker community? Do they want more diversity? They have not said, perhaps they don't. Perhaps they're quite happy to be a safe space. OTOH that white child is most certainly going to learn more at Banneker than Walls about the world. America, and life in general, academics aside.

You must be joking, right?

Any student would learn more about the world, America and life in general in Walls than in Banneker.

Banneker does give you a deep dive into just one small group of people living in the US.

[Anonymous]

For the white parents perplexed by Banneker . . . ¯\_(?)_/¯

The biggest knock on Banneker this white parent has heard has nothing to do with demographics, culture, or academic rigor -- it's mostly about the facility limitations -- small size for HS, dated, in poor condition. and long overdue for major improvement. The move to Shaw will create more high quality seats and address Euclid site limitations. it will also be more Metro accessible for a city wide school.

With seats at SWW at a premium and few OOB opportunities for Wilson, Banneker's expansion and new facility is a welcomed development. I'm appalled at how the Mayor has unnecessarily pitted Banneker against the Shaw community, but the Banneker development is a welcomed development to many DC families looking at a range of quality magnet options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the white parents perplexed by Banneker . . . ¯\_(?)_/¯

The biggest knock on Banneker this white parent has heard has nothing to do with demographics, culture, or academic rigor -- it's mostly about the facility limitations -- small size for HS, dated, in poor condition. and long overdue for major improvement. The move to Shaw will create more high quality seats and address Euclid site limitations. it will also be more Metro accessible for a city wide school.

With seats at SWW at a premium and few OOB opportunities for Wilson, Banneker's expansion and new facility is a welcomed development. I'm appalled at how the Mayor has unnecessarily pitted Banneker against the Shaw community, but the Banneker development is a welcomed development to many DC families looking at a range of quality magnet options.

Thanks for adding this perspective.