City Paper - Neighborhood Schooled by Jonetta Rose Barras

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41381/dc-neighborhood-schooled/

Neighborhood Schooled by Jonetta Rose Barras - Aug. 26, 2011

[Anonymous]

Wow. Interesting. From my perspective, it's unfortunate it decided to use the prism of race. We need neighbors of all kinds focused on neighborhood schools. I've ben involved with efforts to improve a neighborhood school in Ward 1 - half black, half hispanic, handful of white. It's been tough going, and what it needs is an interjection of some (more) activists. You need a critical number, and you need them to be well connected and be able to pull things off like proposal writing nad foundation seeking in order to really impact changes. It's tough.

[Anonymous]

This is an interesting article, but Jonetta Rose Barras gets a lot of things wrong about Ward 5 schools. Race is the wrong thing to focus on. In Ward 5, it's middle class families of all races-- black, white, biracial, etc.-- that has opted out of public schools. Race isn't the driver, class is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41381/dc-neighborhood-schooled/

Neighborhood Schooled by Jonetta Rose Barras - Aug. 26, 2011

Ugh. More race-baiting by Barras. Instead of chastising African-american parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 for not enrolling in their neighborhood schools, we should chastize the city for not doing more to ensure economic diversity through the wards. (This builds on what Daniel holt says in the article-- the key to improving schools is economic integration.) Regardless, parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 that do not decide to send their kids to their neighborhood school are likely making the right decision for their families and who is Ms. Barras to sneer at them? Easy for her-- I don't think she even has kids! Ward 6 parents want to send their kids to the neighborhood school-- awesome! Of course, the fact that ward 6 has a much higher median HHI than ward 7 and 8 and a bit higher than 5 (which has awesome private and charter school serving it, so what is the problem if parents dis the neighborhood school as long as the kids are getting a great education?) so it much easier and faster to make turn arounds at ward 6.

I don't mean to take away from Suzanne Wells, but if she were a ward 7 and 8 parent, she would have had a much more difficult time getting the neighborhood schools to improve than in ward 6, and not because the "black folks in ward 7 and 8 are too worshipful of their teachers to try to rock the status quo." It would have been because parents in wards 7 and 8 are much poorer than in ward 6 so getting that benefical economic integration in the school that Mr. holt referred to just is not going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41381/dc-neighborhood-schooled/

Neighborhood Schooled by Jonetta Rose Barras - Aug. 26, 2011

Ugh. More race-baiting by Barras. Instead of chastising African-american parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 for not enrolling in their neighborhood schools, we should chastize the city for not doing more to ensure economic diversity through the wards. (This builds on what Daniel holt says in the article-- the key to improving schools is economic integration.) Regardless, parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 that do not decide to send their kids to their neighborhood school are likely making the right decision for their families and who is Ms. Barras to sneer at them? Easy for her-- I don't think she even has kids! Ward 6 parents want to send their kids to the neighborhood school-- awesome! Of course, the fact that ward 6 has a much higher median HHI than ward 7 and 8 and a bit higher than 5 (which has awesome private and charter school serving it, so what is the problem if parents dis the neighborhood school as long as the kids are getting a great education?) so it much easier and faster to make turn arounds at ward 6.

I don't mean to take away from Suzanne Wells, but if she were a ward 7 and 8 parent, she would have had a much more difficult time getting the neighborhood schools to improve than in ward 6, and not because the "black folks in ward 7 and 8 are too worshipful of their teachers to try to rock the status quo." It would have been because parents in wards 7 and 8 are much poorer than in ward 6 so getting that benefical economic integration in the school that Mr. holt referred to just is not going to happen.

Stop expecting the government to do everything for you. Jesus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41381/dc-neighborhood-schooled/

Neighborhood Schooled by Jonetta Rose Barras - Aug. 26, 2011

Ugh. More race-baiting by Barras. Instead of chastising African-american parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 for not enrolling in their neighborhood schools, we should chastize the city for not doing more to ensure economic diversity through the wards. (This builds on what Daniel holt says in the article-- the key to improving schools is economic integration.) Regardless, parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 that do not decide to send their kids to their neighborhood school are likely making the right decision for their families and who is Ms. Barras to sneer at them? Easy for her-- I don't think she even has kids! Ward 6 parents want to send their kids to the neighborhood school-- awesome! Of course, the fact that ward 6 has a much higher median HHI than ward 7 and 8 and a bit higher than 5 (which has awesome private and charter school serving it, so what is the problem if parents dis the neighborhood school as long as the kids are getting a great education?) so it much easier and faster to make turn arounds at ward 6.

I don't mean to take away from Suzanne Wells, but if she were a ward 7 and 8 parent, she would have had a much more difficult time getting the neighborhood schools to improve than in ward 6, and not because the "black folks in ward 7 and 8 are too worshipful of their teachers to try to rock the status quo." It would have been because parents in wards 7 and 8 are much poorer than in ward 6 so getting that benefical economic integration in the school that Mr. holt referred to just is not going to happen.

Stop expecting the government to do everything for you. Jesus.

HA! As if! I'm one of those lauded ward 6 parents that has been volunteering and donating money like crazy to improve my neighborhood school since before my eldest was 2. anyway, my point is that it is a lot easier to create an economically diverse school in an economically diverse neighborhood. How the hell are parents supposed to make their neighborhood economically diverse? that has to be done by city planning office.

[Anonymous]

Diversity is only valued when it comes naturally, when it is manufactured through means of affluency it is not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Diversity is only valued when it comes naturally, when it is manufactured through means of affluency it is not worth it.

Talk with the residents of SW and the "manufactured affluency" that will come in with the new waterfront redevopment. I bet they value it!

[Anonymous]

Southwest is back, baby. And don't you forget it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41381/dc-neighborhood-schooled/

Neighborhood Schooled by Jonetta Rose Barras - Aug. 26, 2011

Ugh. More race-baiting by Barras. Instead of chastising African-american parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 for not enrolling in their neighborhood schools, we should chastize the city for not doing more to ensure economic diversity through the wards. (This builds on what Daniel holt says in the article-- the key to improving schools is economic integration.) Regardless, parents in wards 5, 7 and 8 that do not decide to send their kids to their neighborhood school are likely making the right decision for their families and who is Ms. Barras to sneer at them? Easy for her-- I don't think she even has kids! Ward 6 parents want to send their kids to the neighborhood school-- awesome! Of course, the fact that ward 6 has a much higher median HHI than ward 7 and 8 and a bit higher than 5 (which has awesome private and charter school serving it, so what is the problem if parents dis the neighborhood school as long as the kids are getting a great education?) so it much easier and faster to make turn arounds at ward 6. I don't mean to take away from Suzanne Wells, but if she were a ward 7 and 8 parent, she would have had a much more difficult time getting the neighborhood schools to improve than in ward 6, and not because the "black folks in ward 7 and 8 are too worshipful of their teachers to try to rock the status quo." It would have been because parents in wards 7 and 8 are much poorer than in ward 6 so getting that benefical economic integration in the school that Mr. holt referred to just is not going to happen.

Stop expecting the government to do everything for you. Jesus.

I think the poster is agreeing that government cannot do everything, that every community needs smart honorable citizens to stand up and organize things - even if they also need additional resources to make it happen.

[Anonymous]

Man, do you know what might make a great grant? Writing a white paper/analysis of what worked and what didn't in building this cluster, and providing a road map for how others can do it.

I've been watching the schools in the Adams Morgan COlumbia Heights area - this spring there was lots of talk about trying out schools like Cooke (that started a couple of years ago), Marie Reed, Tubman, and maybe Bancroft (also started a while ago, but has really stalled). I know friends who moan about critical critical mass of involved parents - instead it's a handful of people - some with real organizational and grant writing skills - who are trying to do everything and therefore don't have the time to do big things. Maybe the secret is you can't get the numbers right in any one school to make the leap to real success. (though:Ross - how did they do it?) Maybe you need this sort of large neighborhood cluster model. Wow, lots to think about here - thanks for posting. (though you do have to overlook the race-baiting in the piece - so not helpful!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Man, do you know what might make a great grant? Writing a white paper/analysis of what worked and what didn't in building this cluster, and providing a road map for how others can do it.

I've been watching the schools in the Adams Morgan COlumbia Heights area - this spring there was lots of talk about trying out schools like Cooke (that started a couple of years ago), Marie Reed, Tubman, and maybe Bancroft (also started a while ago, but has really stalled). I know friends who moan about critical critical mass of involved parents - instead it's a handful of people - some with real organizational and grant writing skills - who are trying to do everything and therefore don't have the time to do big things. Maybe the secret is you can't get the numbers right in any one school to make the leap to real success. (though:Ross - how did they do it?) Maybe you need this sort of large neighborhood cluster model. Wow, lots to think about here - thanks for posting. (though you do have to overlook the race-baiting in the piece - so not helpful!).

I think Ross, Brent and Maury are good examples of schools that did not need a neighborhood cluster to make improvements. The so called "Capitol Hill Cluster" actually harmed schools like Brent, Tyler and Maury that were in the neighborhood, but not in the "Cluster" because resources were focused on the exclusion at the exclusion of those on the outside. Maybe that was the best option for folks a few decades back when the cluster started up, but, yeah there are definitely "lessons learned" that we should take from the Cluster Model.

The "secret" to the seeming success of Ross, Brent, Maury, Tyler at drawing in middle class folk from the neighborhood? Fairly small schools (small helps folks feel they will be able to make a difference quickly) located in a neighborhood with middle class earners.

And, yeah, race has really nothing to do with it.

[Anonymous]

sorry-- I meant to say "focused on the Cluster at the exclusion of those on the outside".

[Anonymous]

As a Brookland resident and with children in one of the schools named in the article I think she is dead on. The challenge is that this trend has been the case for a very long time. There is a reason parents were so worried that Hardy might allow fewer OOB kids and they were coming from this ward. At the Rhee closed 5 Ward 5 schools over half the kids in the ward did not attend DCPS. There are a lot issues in Ward 5 that make its middle class residents just want to opt out such as corruption, very challenging kids from public housing, a poisonous culture by some old-timers towards anyone that is white and frankly just not the same money as capital hill. You have to take care of your own kids at some point.

[Anonymous]

Kids in elementary are less divisive about ethnicity compared to MS students.