Diversity v. "Best" schools

[Anonymous]

I am the 17:31 poster. I did not mean to imply that if a child meets no one of a different race, he/she will be a racist. It is however, interesting to understand how that scenario can occur in this area. I have met many White people in places like Scandinavia who are very warm, and seem to be comfortable in my presence. I imagine that whole schools could be totally White there.
A lot is about what goes on in the home.
I would have to say that if a parent (of any race) does not feel comfortable living with, or reaching out to people of different backgrounds, don't force it. But please try to keep an open mind for your child's sake.

[Anonymous]

It's also valuable for typically developing children to be with children who are disabled, another kind of diversity. When I was looking at schools for my daughter, and I asked at private schools about accessibility (thinking of my daughter's disabled younger brother and the fact that her best friend in pre-school had spina bifida and sometimes used a wheelchair), I was met with blank stares. How do kids who use wheelchairs get to the second floor, I asked. Oh, we don't have any of those, I was told. After a few tours like that, we chose public schools.

[Anonymous]

Agree with pp. It takes thought. Those schools could have incorporated those facilities in the original construction or with additions.

[Anonymous]

I don't want my child to be the one Hispanic child in a school, but if forced to choose between diversity and academics, I'd choose academics. My group of friends is diverse enough that outside of school DS will regularly come into contact other children and adults of various races, ethnic groups, religions, countries, etc.

[Anonymous]

just wanted to throw something else into the mix, many of the private schools in the area have an extremely diverse student population. my hubby is an administrator at a private school in the beltway that has 25% students of color..it also has a fair amount of socioeconomic diversity given its major endowment and ability to give financial aid...as much as people love to trash on the elitism of private schools, to see his students in science lab, on the football field, all wearing coats and ties during the day, and marching together with a 100% H.S graduation and college acceptance rate is kinda cool, kinda makes the very simple point that when children are given the best resources available (small class size, over qualified teachers who are paid well, amazing facilities, networking, and caring adults) they will ALL thrive! now if the public schools could just follow suit, the real culprits of why kids are "under achieving" disproportionately in the minority communities will be revealed-its simple economic neglect, horrible school governance, apathetic staff, high class size, violence, etc...
i think being very thorough when analyzing what school setting would be best for our kids is one of the most important chocies we can make as parents...diversity, high achievement, clean safe school, class size, teacher qualifications, etc should all be factored in..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:just wanted to throw something else into the mix, many of the private schools in the area have an extremely diverse student population. my hubby is an administrator at a private school in the beltway that has 25% students of color..it also has a fair amount of socioeconomic diversity given its major endowment and ability to give financial aid...as much as people love to trash on the elitism of private schools, to see his students in science lab, on the football field, all wearing coats and ties during the day, and marching together with a 100% H.S graduation and college acceptance rate is kinda cool, kinda makes the very simple point that when children are given the best resources available (small class size, over qualified teachers who are paid well, amazing facilities, networking, and caring adults) they will ALL thrive! now if the public schools could just follow suit, the real culprits of why kids are "under achieving" disproportionately in the minority communities will be revealed-its simple economic neglect, horrible school governance, apathetic staff, high class size, violence, etc...
i think being very thorough when analyzing what school setting would be best for our kids is one of the most important chocies we can make as parents...diversity, high achievement, clean safe school, class size, teacher qualifications, etc should all be factored in..

25% in the DC area is a small number. Read the thread in the schools forum on minorities at private schools.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous oversimplication from the private school wife. The problem isn't with the public schools -- who in many cases have BETTER teachers and more resources. Many of my friends who couldn't get hired on with a public school system were hired to teach in private schools. Public schools have to educate everyone who comes in the door -- non-native english speakers, the learning disabled, the discipline problems and by and large they do a pretty damn good job all things considered.


Private schools on the other hand cherry pick the best and brightest with parents who care and are committed to their child's education. If the kid doesn't cut in private school? Guess what? He's shown the door and headed down the street to the local public school.

To somehow suggest your husband and his colleagues are somehow performing some sort of magic on their students is a fallacy.

[Anonymous]

I think both sides of the debate have valid points and are also oversimplifying. While 25% students of color may not reflective of DC area as a whole, it is a damn site more diverse than my local 95% white suburban public school option would be. At the same time, yes private schools do get to "cherry pick" students who are more likely to achieve.

[Anonymous]

i dont think he and his colleagues are performing "some sort of magic" at all, i think the privilege that comes in the private school institutions isnt just for the students, it's for the faculty and parents as well, so i'm not disillusioned at all at how fortunate and different private schools are, trust me.. in fact many and most of the faculty have taught at public schools, overseas, and are incredibly modest despite the fact that they almost all have masters degrees, diverse career backgrounds and tremendous freedom in the classroom and curriculum-these things help keep teachers excited about their job, but if you compare resources, teacher backgrounds and class size not to mention facilities to many of the public schools particularly in DC, it's a startling difference..BTW, i'm a huge supporter of public schools, not interested in bashing them at all as i think it's more of a political issue-governments handicap the schools by underfunding them and overcrowding them and it pains me to see how poor the quality of education is in some public schools in the area..i used to work in a DC public school as a social worker and was mortified at the complete lack of resources esp for special ed kids..i know there are several strong public schools in DC, montg and fairfax county, all i'm saying is that people cant claim that some of these private schools have no diversity=it's not true and continues to change rapidly to reflect the population at large. furthermore, because many private schools have such huge endowments, kids from all socioeconomic backgrounds can and are applying..but you are right, the clear difference in public vs private is how fiercely competitive the private schools are and most will only select very high achieving students-so you do get a win win combo of bright family, likely strong parental involvement and highly resourced school....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's also valuable for typically developing children to be with children who are disabled, another kind of diversity. When I was looking at schools for my daughter, and I asked at private schools about accessibility (thinking of my daughter's disabled younger brother and the fact that her best friend in pre-school had spina bifida and sometimes used a wheelchair), I was met with blank stares. How do kids who use wheelchairs get to the second floor, I asked. Oh, we don't have any of those, I was told. After a few tours like that, we chose public schools.

Yikes. I am a mom with a disability, and agree with the above reminder that it's another important aspect of diversity. (The 17:31 post about the diff between people who are clearly uncomfortable with difference versus those who take it in stride resonated with me too. I personally have found that other minorities, or non-minorities with a diverse set of friends, seem to "get" my issues more readily than others. I can quip about an entrance with a bunch of steps being the "whites-only" entrance, and whether my audience appreciates the equation I'm making is very telling. And no, I don't think our experiences are EXACTLY EQUAL, but there are certainly many aspects that can be shared and understood.)

The thing is, like many posters on this board I'd like to explore private school options because I think on balance they are more likely to be generally diverse than our public school, based on our neighborhood. But I won't select a school that would exclude my ability to participate in my son's education, visit his classrooms, etc. Am I going to find myself SOL?

[Anonymous]

Interesting thread. A buch of guilt-ridden people flogging themselves because they want junior to procure an education, but don't want to think of themselves as bigots.

What is this diversity obsession? Diversity is redundant. My neighbors are diverse, the people on the Metro are diverse, my work colleagues are diverse. Even my once WASP family is very diverse. This is the most diverse nation on the planet. Who, besides the odd farmer in Wyoming, has yet to meet a black person or someone from Mexico?

School is for teaching reading, writing and maths. When did it become this social circus of teaching children to ignore specious differences in people while simultaneously celebrating them. Should outstanding but heavily Asian public schools in the Bay Area bring in some whites to dumb the place down?

And I love the class warfare dig at Langley. Its an outstanding school in every respect but-- ooops!--- the students mostly come from <gasp!> wealthy backgrounds. Well if that is such an abomination, put your money (or lack thereof) where your mouth is, move deeper into town and send your kids to Ballou or Roosevelt. Those kids need some diversity too, no?

Schools are a function of the area they are serving.

[Anonymous]

Thanks 13.42 poster for your post. I wish I could express what I have been thinking while reading this thread as well as you do. I totally agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting thread. A buch of guilt-ridden people flogging themselves because they want junior to procure an education, but don't want to think of themselves as bigots.

What is this diversity obsession? Diversity is redundant. My neighbors are diverse, the people on the Metro are diverse, my work colleagues are diverse. Even my once WASP family is very diverse. This is the most diverse nation on the planet. Who, besides the odd farmer in Wyoming, has yet to meet a black person or someone from Mexico?

School is for teaching reading, writing and maths. When did it become this social circus of teaching children to ignore specious differences in people while simultaneously celebrating them. Should outstanding but heavily Asian public schools in the Bay Area bring in some whites to dumb the place down?

And I love the class warfare dig at Langley. Its an outstanding school in every respect but-- ooops!--- the students mostly come from <gasp!> wealthy backgrounds. Well if that is such an abomination, put your money (or lack thereof) where your mouth is, move deeper into town and send your kids to Ballou or Roosevelt. Those kids need some diversity too, no?

Schools are a function of the area they are serving.

you said what I kept trying to say! awesome response - thanks.

[Anonymous]

"Schools are a function of the area they are serving. "

Don't you see a problem with that???

Why should low-income students suffer because of the area in which they live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting thread. A buch of guilt-ridden people flogging themselves because they want junior to procure an education, but don't want to think of themselves as bigots.

Actually a lot of the posters in this thread have been people who are minorities themselves advocating the educational value of various forms of diversity. How are these folks "guilt-ridden people flogging themselves....[because they] don't want to think of themselves as bigots"?