Why don't white students go to Banneker?
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Anonymous
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I'm an Ivy interviewer, and the applicants I've seen from Wilson and Banneker look pretty similar: 5's on AP's, strong extracurricular interests, (and middle class homes with parents with graduate degrees). I would consider Banneker for my child (many years from now). A few questions I would ask would be
1) Would the larger setting at Wilson give my child better extracurricular opportuities? 2) What is the distribution of IB diploma scores for Banneker students? Since I know selective colleges will be expecting a kid from a home like mine to be on track for a diploma score of 39+, is the teaching in place that would allow my child to attain that score, if he applied himself? 3) Is the tough grading scale disadvantageous to college applicants? Given the low SATs, this may be a more complicated question than it is for some private that grades hard, but has kids who get a string of 800s. |
Anonymous
Because white students' scores are higher because they go to schools with lots of other people with high scores. Your logic would make more sense if whites were somehow inherently better at the SATs than blacks, such that any other difference away from the mean has to be explained by school performance. But of course that's not true. Their scores are higher because of some combination of cultural biases on the test and because they spend more time in peer groups of other kids who are likely to obtain high scores. Regardless of the precise balance of reasons that white scores are higher, the surest way to perpetuate that high score is to send your kid to a school with high overall test scores and a lot of white kids. |
Anonymous
I doubt any current Banneker parent would send their kids to such a school. Probably not even a hypothetical Native American family, if they have better options. Mystery solved. |
Anonymous
| I would consider banneker. The reasons I might not chose it are the same things that would give me pause about any selective high school: too much pressure, not enough balance. But ultimately it will be my child who chooses where to go to high school, not me. |
Anonymous
Exactly. Remember in the film about the big upcoming fight, Muhammad Ali commented with astonishment that the airline pilots were black? It's quite dated, but you get the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jclLiDjwuE0 It's important that my children see leaders, high achievers, involved parents (especially fathers!), who look like them so that they grow up with an understanding that this is possible. They are constantly fed a narrow stereotype of what AA youth represent, and it's so undermining. I like that they see teachers and families in a positive light and that they are exposed to a broad spectrum of people throughout the black community. African, Caribbean, homegrown DC, affluent, public housing----so much is represented within Cleveland. It's wonderful. I don't think my stance is comparable to white supremacy. I believe it's more akin to single-sex education. I went to an all-girls school and a majority female college. I had a very different experience than those who went co-ed. Girls speak up in class and excel in math. Girls are strong and capable. Female head of school, female teachers. Great experience. I also went to Banneker and relished being surrounded by a bunch of fellow black nerds. It felt great to belong and never be afraid of "acting white" or "talking white" when I just wanted to embrace algebra. I'm glad they had us all take Latin our first year there. I only pray my children get in and have the opportunity to be smart and engaged in a safe environment like Banneker. Other predominantly-black high schools punish their nerds. I don't want that for my children. Understand it or not, it's real. |
Anonymous
Replace the racial terms with "daughter" and "all girls school". Would you still have an issue? |
Anonymous
That's not really the best rhetorical device, since I agree with you yet find same sex schools incredibly archaic. |
Anonymous
If it's real, then it's not a stereotype. You have to seek out exceptions, like Banneker, to break the mold. Which is a wise thing to do when the reality is not going to change itself. |
Anonymous
Well than how do u explain the nerds at TJ that openly state that its a school u go too when you are too nerdy for the general school population and if u didn't go would probably end up being stuffed into a Gym Locker or Hallway Trashcan. So I guess its a "reality" for lots of groups not just blacks |
Anonymous
Testing gaps appear before Kindergarten. The issue is a lot more complex than what you make it appear to be. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/etc/gap.html |
Anonymous
According to http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Compare.aspx?tab=1&school=402,466 you are right in math, but not in reading. In reading, 100% of black kids at Walls and 99% of black kids at Banneker score proficient or better, but 59% at Walls scored advanced and only 51% did at Banneker. There are not huge differences--and I know that they are not the reason families choose one school over another--but we may as well be accurate. I think part of it is that there just are not that many white (non-Hispanic) high schoolers in DCPS. Some moved out of the District; others attend private and charters. Using the school enrollment and demographic data DCPS just published, I see about: 447 at Wilson 218 at SWW 42 at Duke Ellington 23 at Cardozo 14 at CHEC 8 at Ballou 6 at McKinley Tech (it could be interesting to talk with some of these kids...Tech is putting out some great test scores and they certainly could have something to say about being in school with smart kids who are largely of a different race) 5 at Roosevelt 0 at Coolidge, Dunbar, Eastern, and Anacostia So under 800 kids total, most of whom live in the Wilson boundary or have a right to attend Wilson because they went to a feeder school. An out-of-bounds family that sent their kid across town to Deal or Hardy for years (and probably for elementary school too) is clearly invested in that feeder pattern and may want to keep their kids with the same group of friends. Some of the remaining couple hundred live closer to SWW or Ellington, or prefer those curricula. Some might not want to be the "only." Some might not have passed Banneker's entrance exam (that would be an interesting point for the article--who applied and didn't get in? or did they get in and a different school instead?). But overall, the set of kids who are white, attend DCPS, and didn't have Wilson as an option is a really small group. I do think if more white families stay in the District as their kids age (which seems likely) some will apply to Banneker, get in, and choose to attend...especially since there are more white families who are spending so much on housing outside of the Wilson district that they won't be able to afford private school! |
Anonymous
Great analysis. Banneker was 1% white last year, wonder if all 4 white kids graduated or maybe there are 2 left (too small to be a percentage point). |
Anonymous
Cringe. Who refers to black peoples as "blacks" in 2015? |
Anonymous
So true! Most of my high SES AA friends, relatives, and myself included opt out of DCPS period. We all send our children to private schools. |
Anonymous
?? Much better question is who still says "n..." and, based on the thread from a few days ago, the answers is, way too many. |