The Real Problem With D.C. Public Schools

[Anonymous]

The real problem is that there is a sense of distrust. Meaning whites feel thay blacks don't have their best interests. Blacks feel that this is finally the conspiracy coming to reality. You know it is true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We try to bring all of the smart students to their own schools, BASIS, School Without Walls (for rich white kids), Banneker (For Black Kids), etc... If these kids were in normal public schools maybe they would do some good.

Nobody attends Basis, however there are lots of smart kids at Deal and Latin.

Basis is going to have to learn how to educate children from all levels, even those in Special Ed. Oh, and fast.

A.) Where on the BASIS / School Without Walls application form does it specify race and income level? Do you have a list of names of people who were specifically kept from School Without Walls or BASIS for no reason other than race or income? If you don't, then that charge is completely without merit.

BOOOGUS.

B.)

Anonymous wrote:Basis is going to have to learn how to educate children from all levels, even those in Special Ed. Oh, and fast

- Heh, seems to me that the regular DC Public Schools are the ones who have totally dropped the ball "on all levels, even those in Special Ed", and that's why anyone with a clue is fleeing the DC public schools - I'd suggest you direct your complaints there FIRST before turning those complaints at the charters. Meanwhile, schools like BASIS aren't about social promotion. Go ahead and send your underperforming kid to BASIS if you want, but only if you don't mind them repeating 5th grade over and over again if they still can't master the material even with all the extra tutoring that BASIS offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:8:56, you actually think DC is segregated? Who is afraid of integrating with whom? Be honest?

'

It is a fact that DC is racially segregated. I highly recommend that you look at these maps by race, if you don't believe me:

http://www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?chicagodots

Please don't confuse "is" with "ought." Should DC be as racially segregated as it currently is? No, but it is fact.

Segregation is incorrect. Segregation was historically something imposed by mandate, one had little choice in the matter.

DC's "segregation" on the other hand is a function of choice. Nobody is "forcing" anyone to live in one neighborhood vs. another. I would like to live beachfront in Maui, but I can't afford to, so I don't. That isn't segregation - and thus, neither is DC segregated. I chose to live in a DC neighborhood that I could afford, period. Same as anyone else can do. DC is expensive, everywhere - even in the lower income areas. There are plenty of communities around with a lower cost of living than DC - I know so, because I moved here from one.

[Anonymous]

whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Have you taught in a 4th tier school in DC? The poor schools in Ward 7/8 will NEVER outperform Janney for a few simple reasons.

1) Janney parents start having children at 30-35. Ward 7/8 parents start having children at half that age. And parents that delay having children tend to be better off financially and better able to parent, rather than cohabitate with, their children.

2) Middle/Upper class children enter school YEARS ahead of students at poor schools. At my 4th tier Ward 7 school, 5th graders read books like Junie B. Jones. Those books are kindergarten books at Janney.

3) most Ward 7/8 parents care NOTHING about improving their schools. Sorry if this is not politically correct, but it is true. Some, maybe 40%, give a shit about whether their one child is learning, but truly less than 5% care anything about volunteering at the school, joining a PTA, advocating for positive school change, etc. (This is most disgusting because the vast majority of parents at the school I worked at did not have jobs, so they had plenty of time to help their children/school. They chose not to.)

Thank you for your service, pp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

Yep, it's called "de facto" (happens despite lack of legally enforced segregation) and "de jure" (segregation by law). Totally not a new concept and de facto segregation still exists in DC, whatever you want to call it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

It is not segregation since it is not legally mandated. The divisions that exist in DC are socio-economic divisions. Honestly, I think calling the race card is ridiculous. A black man is president and millions of white people love him and voted for him, including me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

Yep, it's called "de facto" (happens despite lack of legally enforced segregation) and "de jure" (segregation by law). Totally not a new concept and de facto segregation still exists in DC, whatever you want to call it.

I disagree. These divisions are economic and have nothing to do with race. Poor people come in all races. Where I came from, the poor were white and lived in the "projects" section of town. There are amny sections of twon that I would love to live in but cannot afford. The fact is that DC residents have much more social supports and resources to take advantage of than most places in the country.

Instead of complaining about being "victims", how about taking some responsibility and take advantage of all of the resources that are available in DC to help lift one's self out of poverty???

As for justice for all students, I do believe in radical school choice that includes public schools, charter schools, and vouchers. I also believe that schools should be funded equitably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The real problem is that there is a sense of distrust. Meaning whites feel thay blacks don't have their best interests. Blacks feel that this is finally the conspiracy coming to reality. You know it is true.

The biggest conspiracy keeping blacks down is the one they keep perpetrating on themselves. It's not the whites keeping them down, it's the blacks keeping themselves down.

There are no easy successes in life, people have to work hard at success, whether black or white - yet popular culture runs rampant with misportrayals of what the vast majority of real people do, that being busting their butts at work every day to put food on the table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

Yep, it's called "de facto" (happens despite lack of legally enforced segregation) and "de jure" (segregation by law). Totally not a new concept and de facto segregation still exists in DC, whatever you want to call it.

You can call it whatever YOU like, but what it is is CHOICE, not segregation. Whether you are black in low income housing in the 7th ward or otherwise, you have a choice. You can work hard, study, learn, and get ahead, and have the freedom to do anything you like, or you can sit back, invest minimal effort in your own life and hope the DC safety nets of low income housing and other amenities continue to catch you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

Yep, it's called "de facto" (happens despite lack of legally enforced segregation) and "de jure" (segregation by law). Totally not a new concept and de facto segregation still exists in DC, whatever you want to call it.

You can call it whatever YOU like, but what it is is CHOICE, not segregation. Whether you are black in low income housing in the 7th ward or otherwise, you have a choice. You can work hard, study, learn, and get ahead, and have the freedom to do anything you like, or you can sit back, invest minimal effort in your own life and hope the DC safety nets of low income housing and other amenities continue to catch you.

Oh please, could you not get into a hissy fit about a technical term? Yes, de facto segregation is a technical term and there is plenty of choice involved. Just because there is a choice doesn't mean it's not segregation but if you're going to freak out over that word you're not going to get the distinction between de facto and de jure.

As well the history of housing and development policy shows that this country has been involved in shaping the housing market for decades in a way that encourages de facto segregation, so there are aspects of this where one's "choice" gets shaped for one. Take a look at Massey and Denton's book, American Apartheid, which outlines how this happened.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0674018214/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1337470635&sr=8-1

It is certainly possible to recognize all this without lapsing into lectures or fits of pique about victimhood. I don't even get why you're going on about poor black people in Ward 7. There's plenty of de facto segregation by the black and white middle classes in Wards 3 and 4. Besides there are lots of people in Ward 7 who are employed and work hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:whether forced or voluntary, it's still segregation.

Yep, it's called "de facto" (happens despite lack of legally enforced segregation) and "de jure" (segregation by law). Totally not a new concept and de facto segregation still exists in DC, whatever you want to call it.

I disagree. These divisions are economic and have nothing to do with race. Poor people come in all races. Where I came from, the poor were white and lived in the "projects" section of town. There are amny sections of twon that I would love to live in but cannot afford. The fact is that DC residents have much more social supports and resources to take advantage of than most places in the country.

Instead of complaining about being "victims", how about taking some responsibility and take advantage of all of the resources that are available in DC to help lift one's self out of poverty???

As for justice for all students, I do believe in radical school choice that includes public schools, charter schools, and vouchers. I also believe that schools should be funded equitably.

Of course, Economics plays a role but race is much more a factor than you want to admit. White middle class people are less scared of poor white people than they are of poor black people.

[Anonymous]

Why is it that a mentioning of low income housing is referenced that only Ward 7&8 is the quote. I think all races can be their own worst enemies not just blacks. I don't need anyone ask the question of what is the "real problem" we need those in charge provide "real substantial solutions." We need educational decisions instead of ego driven discussions.

[Anonymous]

Let's look at some of these questions...

1.) Segregation by choice is a very different thing than segregation without choice. Very different.

2.) Would a middle class white person be more afraid of a black punk in a black ghetto than he would be of a white punk in redneckia? Not really valid to make that distinction. A white meth-head could mug him, jack him up, too. It's more a matter of where you are at the time than race, most homicides are intraracial and committed within the community - per statistics collected by the Department of Justice, blacks are most likely to kill fellow blacks in their community, and whites are most likely to kill fellow whites in their community. But in terms of the big picture, it does remain that overall, homicides committed by blacks far outweigh homicides by whites, by a factor of 7 to 1 - and accordingly, blacks are far more likely to end up the victims.

[Anonymous]

"Oh please..." "...hissy fit..." "...freak out..." "I don't get why you are going on about..." <- clearly, 19:53 is the one having a freak-out hissy fit here.