Achievement Gap

[Anonymous]

I understand that whites accuses other whites for acting black. So, the other shoe has dropped. I am reading these posts and they are the most over exaggerated posts I have ever read. These soap opera antics well not solve a darn thing.

[Anonymous]

Ok PP what are your suggestions? Especially within the current economic and political climate.

[Anonymous]

"Reformers" as mentioned above are employees of DCPS who came in with Henderson and Rhee to reform the schools after advent of mayoral control.

They would include Henderson and Rhee, the central office staff they hired, some of the principals they hired from New Leaders for new schools and some of the TFA teachers.

Reformers are also consultants hired by DCPS to develop new programs and private funders who have financially supported some of the reforms.

It has nothing to do with parents, unless they also belong to one of the above groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think we are talking apples and oranges. With regard to latinos, I think it will be the same as with other immigrants, who have historically always closed the achievement gap within a generation to become integrated and successful. With the AA community, however, it's been multi-generational. Yes, a fundamental paradigm shift in AA culture is needed.

Also true of Native Americans (the achievement gap problem); however, you don't hear much about NAs as a group become they are not statistically significant as a group/population in most states. Yes, there are cultural issues just like AAs but there is also structural problems and hurdles that have existed for generations for both populations that were not faced by immigrants.

Native American achievement is not an issue in the Washington DC area.

[Anonymous]

I've heard it too - and way too often.

For example, some will say an AA professional who is walking briskly down the street on his way to an appointment instead of randomly ambling along like he doesn't care where he's going or if he ever gets there is "walking like a white person".

No, he's just walking like somebody who does care about keeping his appointments.

What a bunch of nonsense, this "acting like a white person" business.

It's not "acting white" to study or read. It's not "acting white" to try and get ahead in life. It's not "acting white" to be an academic, a scientist, an engineer, an attorney, a physician or anything you want in life.

Anyone who says otherwise is poisoning young minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm white and I taught in a DCPS high school for 5 years. One of the most troubling things to witness is hearing students say to one another, "Why are you acting so white?" when that person is trying to study or even when they were carrying books around. I know the circumstances these kids were coming form and very few (if any) of them had the support to tell them to persevere. The ONLY kids I saw who were able to make marginal gains were ones who were willing to lose all of their friends and go it alone. How many kids who are struggling with food and housing and possibly abusive and/or absent parents have the wherewithal to lose their last sense of security- their friends. This type of rhetoric also implies that they will lose their cultural identity, too, if they become "too smart".

The only antidote to that is to take each promising child and back-fill a safety net so they have the space and support in which to grow. It is a piece-by-piece, laborious and time consuming process that does not lend itself to easy metrics.

It is truly sad that for some kids studying is frowned upon This also happens to varying extents across races and cultures in our country IMO. This article recently wrote about encouraging students to be their best and I wholeheartedly agree. All students regardless of race or ethnicity should be encouraged to succeed because they can be capable of great things.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/thomas-jefferson-hs-fairfax-schools-shut-out-blacks-and-latinos-complaint-alleges/2012/07/24/gJQAvpsQ7W_blog.html

[Anonymous]

Acting white...when doing positive things. Is there an acting white scenario that can attributed to blacks in the negative way. Just want balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Acting white...when doing positive things. Is there an acting white scenario that can attributed to blacks in the negative way. Just want balance.

I am not sure what you mean as to balance here. IMO it is sad that some black students feel compelled to say this to one another in reference to wanting to get an education and to study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it requires a paradigm shift in the black community, as many prominent blacks have noted. The legacy of slavery was poverty and then a dependency on government handouts, which bred a sense of entitlement. But, that's not going to get people anywhere in this life.

Right, and white people don't have a sense of entitlement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that whites accuses other whites for acting black. So, the other shoe has dropped.

This is udder nonsense. When white kids say someone is "acting black" the reference is derogatory and means they are acting in ignorance or behaving stupidly. The other shoe dropped, but they are from the same pair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that whites accuses other whites for acting black. So, the other shoe has dropped.

This is udder nonsense. When white kids say someone is "acting black" the reference is derogatory and means they are acting in ignorance or behaving stupidly. The other shoe dropped, but they are from the same pair.

What do cows have to do with it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it requires a paradigm shift in the black community, as many prominent blacks have noted. The legacy of slavery was poverty and then a dependency on government handouts, which bred a sense of entitlement. But, that's not going to get people anywhere in this life.

Right, and white people don't have a sense of entitlement?

That's speaking in broad generalities. Sure, there is "white trash" out there on welfare, nobody denies that. But let's quit deflecting back to broad generalities, and throwing around apples and oranges comparisons and talk specifics instead - how much do white trash on welfare contribute to poor performance in DC schools? Not much, I'd wager. And do white trash refer to academics and doing the work or not doing the work in terms of "acting white" or "acting black"? No.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that whites accuses other whites for acting black. So, the other shoe has dropped.

This is udder nonsense. When white kids say someone is "acting black" the reference is derogatory and means they are acting in ignorance or behaving stupidly. The other shoe dropped, but they are from the same pair.

What do cows have to do with it?

Ha! Sorry... Pre-coffee = I shouldn't be typing

UTTER. Leave the cows out of this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it requires a paradigm shift in the black community, as many prominent blacks have noted. The legacy of slavery was poverty and then a dependency on government handouts, which bred a sense of entitlement. But, that's not going to get people anywhere in this life.

Right, and white people don't have a sense of entitlement?

That's speaking in broad generalities. Sure, there is "white trash" out there on welfare, nobody denies that. But let's quit deflecting back to broad generalities, and throwing around apples and oranges comparisons and talk specifics instead - how much do white trash on welfare contribute to poor performance in DC schools? Not much, I'd wager. And do white trash refer to academics and doing the work or not doing the work in terms of "acting white" or "acting black"? No.

No as my very white trash uncle, non on welfare, but a high school drop out used to say to me "you think just because you can read books and are all educated you know it all." Certainly there is a class norm where advanced education is not generally sought that denigrates education. But frankly in the District this group usually drives in from wherever to do construction or whatever. We pay a much higher price also. But I digress... class matters a lot to how education is valued, but I think a lot of smart kids in schools in DC have been undeserved by both the white and black communities expectations of them.

[Anonymous]

When somebody talks about white kids "acting black" it's about superficial things like rich white suburban kids emulating urban hip-hop culture, really no different than putting on the black eyeliner, the phony drama and going emo. Kids trying something on because they are bored, spoiled, and they have too much time on their hands.

It is NOT the deep-seated, hostile, anti-intellectualism that one sees with this "acting white" business - where AA kids will beat their AA classmate up after school for no reason other than that he raised his hand in class to ask a question. This kind of thing is pervasive and is poisoning AA students from within.