DC White flight - what will it mean for education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is a reason moving to suburban schools doesn't lead to desired college admissions results.

Do you want to compare the Ws or FCPS school outcomes to the outcomes from Eastern High? For families that can afford to be in bounds for Wilson (and who insist that Chevy Chase DC is not the suburbs while Chevy Chase MD is clearly the suburbs) DCPS works fine. For families that would be inbounds to any other high school, it's easier to move than hope for lottery luck

This argument makes no sense to me. If your child does well at their suburban school, they’d also probably do well, and most likely ranked even higher at Eastern.

Just curious, are you planning to send your child to Eastern?

I’m in the Coolidge feeder, but will be sending my kid there.

I’m a DCPS HS teacher and you sound naive. High school is a completely different beast from ES and MS. And teenagers have their own ideas where they want to go for high school by the way.

Yup me too and I trust my kid + my parenting. if they wanna go elsewhere they’re certainly welcome to and I’ll support them. There’s good hs teachers everywhere and my kid will be just fine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WaPo article cites family-age covid white flight as higher than elsewhere.

Will the scenario of overcrowded WoTP schools pushing out "middle class" families come sooner than threatened by JR feeder parents?

Anyone have anecdotal feedback on white flight in areas EoTP or anywhere in DC?

D.C.'s White population has declined for the first time in two decades

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/01/census-dc-white-population-pandemic/

Pandemic and low interest rates. Its going to change. More UMC blacks and whites would stay. Crazy competitiveness of suburban schools is changing minds.

[Anonymous]

Any white families are welcome to leave. Going to an amazing HS definitely does help for college but it's not the end all be all. I went to an average HS and still got into a ivy league school. Yes, maybe I did have to work harder than kids from a better HS but eh nothing an occasional tutor, study group, and a love of what I was learning didn't fix.

I'm amazed at how much parents stress over HS, I wonder if I will lose all reasoning when my kid gets to middle school too.

PS. I am not white but my husband is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any white families are welcome to leave. Going to an amazing HS definitely does help for college but it's not the end all be all. I went to an average HS and still got into a ivy league school. Yes, maybe I did have to work harder than kids from a better HS but eh nothing an occasional tutor, study group, and a love of what I was learning didn't fix.

I'm amazed at how much parents stress over HS, I wonder if I will lose all reasoning when my kid gets to middle school too.

PS. I am not white but my husband is.

Right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Back to the topic of the article, many middle class whites and blacks leaving will be bad news re: taxes which could impact schools. May not, if enrollment drops, spending per pupil may be similar.

DCPS has gone through boom and bust cycles before, when I first came to the city decades ago there were a LOT of vacant public school buildings.

FWIW, I know quite a few people who left DC and often DMV during cv and who do not plan to return. It was driven by crime and other factors, relocating to have open schools or family help during cv, for example. None regret it and many say they wish they had done it sooner. Many friend who left had school aged kids, some have very young kids. The crime, distance from family and COL were drivers for most.

The OP posed the question, how will so much middle class tax money (and I'd add white AND black) leaving DC impact schools? Probably negatively. Past is prologue.

On the upside, fears re: school overcrowding may ease.

I don't doubt your experience, but my experience with families that I know in DC is so very different than yours. I don't know a single family that left the city during Covid. My kids are in late elementary and MS, so maybe that is the difference. I live EOTP and only a few of those families attend WOTP schools, so we aren't all set in comfortable WOTP schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WaPo article cites family-age covid white flight as higher than elsewhere.

Will the scenario of overcrowded WoTP schools pushing out "middle class" families come sooner than threatened by JR feeder parents?

Anyone have anecdotal feedback on white flight in areas EoTP or anywhere in DC?

D.C.'s White population has declined for the first time in two decades

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/01/census-dc-white-population-pandemic/

Pandemic and low interest rates. Its going to change. More UMC blacks and whites would stay. Crazy competitiveness of suburban schools is changing minds.

This is an important point.
I teach at a "desirable" high school in the inner suburbs. We had 250 seniors graduate with over a 4.0 this year. All of them can't get accepted by William & Mary and UVa. It's funny to listen to them complain about how "not fair" it is that other kids get in over them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WaPo article cites family-age covid white flight as higher than elsewhere.

Will the scenario of overcrowded WoTP schools pushing out "middle class" families come sooner than threatened by JR feeder parents?

Anyone have anecdotal feedback on white flight in areas EoTP or anywhere in DC?

D.C.'s White population has declined for the first time in two decades

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/01/census-dc-white-population-pandemic/

Pandemic and low interest rates. Its going to change. More UMC blacks and whites would stay. Crazy competitiveness of suburban schools is changing minds.

This is an important point.
I teach at a "desirable" high school in the inner suburbs. We had 250 seniors graduate with over a 4.0 this year. All of them can't get accepted by William & Mary and UVa. It's funny to listen to them complain about how "not fair" it is that other kids get in over them.

There is clearly selection bias going on, but all the rich white kids I know in DCPS do as well (if not better than) the kids in families that left DCPS to MoCo or NoVa in terms of college admission. Now I know a lot of that is people who struggled in DCPS could struggle elsewhere, so I'm not blaming MoCo/NoVa.

[Anonymous]

I don't get why parents put kids in pressure furnaces schools and then complain about kids not performing well enough to compete and having mental health issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anectodally, most of the people I know who lived on the Hill have moved to NW -- but they didn't leave the city entirely. I know very few who left the entire region, like this article is saying.

This is us. We left for NW to have more outdoor space and a SFH, but never considered leaving the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The people we have known who have left and moved (either to suburbs or another part of the country to be nearer to extended family)... yes, schools played into their decision, as did rising crime. But it was more about space and wanting bigger buffers in case of another Covid-like event, whether that would be nearby family or schools they knew wouldn't close, or simply a bigger home and yard for kids. It was less about not liking DC and more about worrying how their specific family would handle that happening again.

Something that is kind of amazing to me is that on the issue of school closures, DC does not have a single political who has come forward, in a HOTLY contested election cycle, to simply say "I'm super progressive [list progressive bonafides] but I will never support school closures as a longterm solution for anything because in-person school is too important to our city's families to sacrifice -- we will find a way to ensure that families can rely on open public schools, especially in times of crisis." I just think there are a lot of families who struggled over the last two years due to closures/quarantines who would have leapt at the opportunity to vote for someone who was willing to say out loud that schools were closed too long and that we didn't do enough to keep them open. I know so many families who love DC but this issue sizzles under the surface for their commitment to the city. There were many months in DC where many families had no access to in person education, but every private school in the city was offering in person learning and bars and restaurants were welcoming customers every night of the week. It's crazy to me that not a single politician has stepped forward to say "that was messed up and we can NEVER let it happen again."

This! And Boweser will get reelected even though she messed this up SO badly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. As a Black middle class parent, I cringe when I read DCUM posts about race and schools. I have never had any conversations with my white friends about these matters but I imagine they happen, just not when I’m around. It then makes it awkward when I’m in a group and wonder what they are really thinking. Can anyone else relate?

Im not Black. But this forum is toxic about race and education. I’m a Banneker parent and refuse to click on Banneker threads. My kid attends school with many extremely bright students. It’s gross! And it’s all parents who don’t have kids at the school chiming in with racist vitriol. I can’t even imagine how you must feel.

I also have only heard people say in couched comments what I read here. As a non white person tje words i hear used are “schools aren’t focused on academics” or “kids aren’t ready to learn” or they don’t have a “strong language program” or “there might be a gang presence”. I imagine they’re more direct around whites only.

Jfc. Are any of those things untrue in a large number of schools and contexts in DC? Are we supposed to act like they aren’t and say nothing? That is the absolute heart of the problem of education in DC: we all know the school system is struggling in numerous ways BUT CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT with any truth because…racism, elitism, gentirification blah blah. It’s maddening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. As a Black middle class parent, I cringe when I read DCUM posts about race and schools. I have never had any conversations with my white friends about these matters but I imagine they happen, just not when I’m around. It then makes it awkward when I’m in a group and wonder what they are really thinking. Can anyone else relate?

Im not Black. But this forum is toxic about race and education. I’m a Banneker parent and refuse to click on Banneker threads. My kid attends school with many extremely bright students. It’s gross! And it’s all parents who don’t have kids at the school chiming in with racist vitriol. I can’t even imagine how you must feel.

I also have only heard people say in couched comments what I read here. As a non white person tje words i hear used are “schools aren’t focused on academics” or “kids aren’t ready to learn” or they don’t have a “strong language program” or “there might be a gang presence”. I imagine they’re more direct around whites only.

Jfc. Are any of those things untrue in a large number of schools and contexts in DC? Are we supposed to act like they aren’t and say nothing? That is the absolute heart of the problem of education in DC: we all know the school system is struggling in numerous ways BUT CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT with any truth because…racism, elitism, gentirification blah blah. It’s maddening.

That's the "vibrance" of living in a wonderful city like DC. You cain't handle this much vibrance

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. As a Black middle class parent, I cringe when I read DCUM posts about race and schools. I have never had any conversations with my white friends about these matters but I imagine they happen, just not when I’m around. It then makes it awkward when I’m in a group and wonder what they are really thinking. Can anyone else relate?

Im not Black. But this forum is toxic about race and education. I’m a Banneker parent and refuse to click on Banneker threads. My kid attends school with many extremely bright students. It’s gross! And it’s all parents who don’t have kids at the school chiming in with racist vitriol. I can’t even imagine how you must feel.

I also have only heard people say in couched comments what I read here. As a non white person tje words i hear used are “schools aren’t focused on academics” or “kids aren’t ready to learn” or they don’t have a “strong language program” or “there might be a gang presence”. I imagine they’re more direct around whites only.

Jfc. Are any of those things untrue in a large number of schools and contexts in DC? Are we supposed to act like they aren’t and say nothing? That is the absolute heart of the problem of education in DC: we all know the school system is struggling in numerous ways BUT CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT with any truth because…racism, elitism, gentirification blah blah. It’s maddening.

Big mad energy. I’d argue it’s pointless for most of the DCUM discussions bc nobody comes bringing solutions. I imagine it’s because 90% aren’t actually invested in education beyond fifth grade and use this site to justify their choices to themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. As a Black middle class parent, I cringe when I read DCUM posts about race and schools. I have never had any conversations with my white friends about these matters but I imagine they happen, just not when I’m around. It then makes it awkward when I’m in a group and wonder what they are really thinking. Can anyone else relate?

Im not Black. But this forum is toxic about race and education. I’m a Banneker parent and refuse to click on Banneker threads. My kid attends school with many extremely bright students. It’s gross! And it’s all parents who don’t have kids at the school chiming in with racist vitriol. I can’t even imagine how you must feel.

I also have only heard people say in couched comments what I read here. As a non white person tje words i hear used are “schools aren’t focused on academics” or “kids aren’t ready to learn” or they don’t have a “strong language program” or “there might be a gang presence”. I imagine they’re more direct around whites only.

Jfc. Are any of those things untrue in a large number of schools and contexts in DC? Are we supposed to act like they aren’t and say nothing? That is the absolute heart of the problem of education in DC: we all know the school system is struggling in numerous ways BUT CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT with any truth because…racism, elitism, gentirification blah blah. It’s maddening.

That's the "vibrance" of living in a wonderful city like DC. You cain't handle this much vibrance

Oh. I’ve raised three kids through DC Public schools in all its vibrance and wouldn’t have done it any other way. But ffs let’s be real about what’s going on and acknowledge thet my kids with their privileges could weather much of the dysfunction. It’s the kids who most need a consistently excellent educational experience who suffer the most when we can’t name the weaknesses and fix them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Back to the topic of the article, many middle class whites and blacks leaving will be bad news re: taxes which could impact schools. May not, if enrollment drops, spending per pupil may be similar.

DCPS has gone through boom and bust cycles before, when I first came to the city decades ago there were a LOT of vacant public school buildings.

FWIW, I know quite a few people who left DC and often DMV during cv and who do not plan to return. It was driven by crime and other factors, relocating to have open schools or family help during cv, for example. None regret it and many say they wish they had done it sooner. Many friend who left had school aged kids, some have very young kids. The crime, distance from family and COL were drivers for most.

The OP posed the question, how will so much middle class tax money (and I'd add white AND black) leaving DC impact schools? Probably negatively. Past is prologue.

On the upside, fears re: school overcrowding may ease.

I don't doubt your experience, but my experience with families that I know in DC is so very different than yours. I don't know a single family that left the city during Covid. My kids are in late elementary and MS, so maybe that is the difference. I live EOTP and only a few of those families attend WOTP schools, so we aren't all set in comfortable WOTP schools.

We used to live EOTP and left the city in 2020, and know at least other three families who did the same, all looking for better (and open!) schools.