Duke Ellington

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, the real problem with Duke Ellington is that DCPS fails to organically create a pool of DC residents who possess the skills to compete. That's why I believe the school has to rely on MD and VA residents to fill the gap. There should be elementary and middle feeders into Duke.

[Anonymous]

Ellington does not "rely"on MD or CA. It is allowed a 10% out of state ratio largely because the closest comparable arts school is in Baltimore. Dance, for instance, never takes people from MD because the training in DC is great. In other areas, training in DC is weak and schools need to up their game in arts training at the MS level.
That said, at any arts school - Ellington or otherwise --the number one thing that gets you in is not talent per se, but passion. Arts teachers who give auditions can spot somebody who is not passionate about the art in a second. HUGE difference between liking the arts and loving it. It's a long day of school - 8am -5pm, plus lots of late night rehearsals. Kids routinely drop after first year when they realize it's much more than they thought.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, PP here. I meant VA - not CA.

[Anonymous]

Echoing PP. It's about the love. Plenty of kids pass the performance part of the audition only to go in an interview and get asked "What do you listen to?" or "Who's your influence?" or "What are your reading?" and have no answer. What you do on stage or on paper or for school is one thing, but what you choose to do when you're not required to do it is where the love shows, and the vast majority of kids who are rejected at any arts school fall down on that count.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hilarious that everyone just know white kids attending Duke Ellington, yet it is approx 90% black. I'm sure it's really stiff competition.

Only racism can explain that disparity.

DC population is 50% non-black.

Where are the whites, the Hispanics, the Asians, the foreign-born?

The Asian, the foreign born? DE is a pre-professional school. I defy you to find many Asian and immigrant families who are OK with their kids pursuing the arts as a profession. Maybe in college when the kid can make his/her own decisions, but just too much parental pressure to be a doctor or scientist for this to happen at the HS level at least for a couple generations. And frankly the same for a bunch of white kids as everybody keeps talking about STEM. Arts is one of those areas where there are considerable role models for young Black kids so vastly more kids will pursue it a high level. Until that dynamic changes, expect Duke to be mostly Black for the next 20 years at the very least.

[Anonymous]

At which point in the process the rejection came tells you much.; If they said no at the first audition, rethink the talent thing. If after a callback, rethink attitude/passion/commitment. If after a family interview, something in a transcript or recommendation was a red flag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hilarious that everyone just know white kids attending Duke Ellington, yet it is approx 90% black. I'm sure it's really stiff competition.

Only racism can explain that disparity.

DC population is 50% non-black.

Where are the whites, the Hispanics, the Asians, the foreign-born?

The Asian, the foreign born? DE is a pre-professional school. I defy you to find many Asian and immigrant families who are OK with their kids pursuing the arts as a profession. Maybe in college when the kid can make his/her own decisions, but just too much parental pressure to be a doctor or scientist for this to happen at the HS level at least for a couple generations. And frankly the same for a bunch of white kids as everybody keeps talking about STEM. Arts is one of those areas where there are considerable role models for young Black kids so vastly more kids will pursue it a high level. Until that dynamic changes, expect Duke to be mostly Black for the next 20 years at the very least.

People need to look at the data.

DC's public school population racial and ethnic demographics (charter + DCPS) 2017-18

Asian 2%
Black/African American 67%
Hispanic/Latino 19%
Two or more races 2%
White 10%


Duke Ellington 2017-18

Asian 2%
Black/African American 74%
Hispanic/Latino 11%
Two or more races 4%
White 9%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hilarious that everyone just know white kids attending Duke Ellington, yet it is approx 90% black. I'm sure it's really stiff competition.

Only racism can explain that disparity.

DC population is 50% non-black.

Where are the whites, the Hispanics, the Asians, the foreign-born?

The Asian, the foreign born? DE is a pre-professional school. I defy you to find many Asian and immigrant families who are OK with their kids pursuing the arts as a profession. Maybe in college when the kid can make his/her own decisions, but just too much parental pressure to be a doctor or scientist for this to happen at the HS level at least for a couple generations. And frankly the same for a bunch of white kids as everybody keeps talking about STEM. Arts is one of those areas where there are considerable role models for young Black kids so vastly more kids will pursue it a high level. Until that dynamic changes, expect Duke to be mostly Black for the next 20 years at the very least.

People need to look at the data.

DC's public school population racial and ethnic demographics (charter + DCPS) 2017-18

Asian 2%
Black/African American 67%
Hispanic/Latino 19%
Two or more races 2%
White 10%


Duke Ellington 2017-18

Asian 2%
Black/African American 74%
Hispanic/Latino 11%
Two or more races 4%
White 9%

Why is Duke Ellington less diverse than DCPS as a whole?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hilarious that everyone just know white kids attending Duke Ellington, yet it is approx 90% black. I'm sure it's really stiff competition.

Only racism can explain that disparity.

DC population is 50% non-black.

Where are the whites, the Hispanics, the Asians, the foreign-born?

The Asian, the foreign born? DE is a pre-professional school. I defy you to find many Asian and immigrant families who are OK with their kids pursuing the arts as a profession. Maybe in college when the kid can make his/her own decisions, but just too much parental pressure to be a doctor or scientist for this to happen at the HS level at least for a couple generations. And frankly the same for a bunch of white kids as everybody keeps talking about STEM. Arts is one of those areas where there are considerable role models for young Black kids so vastly more kids will pursue it a high level. Until that dynamic changes, expect Duke to be mostly Black for the next 20 years at the very least.

People need to look at the data.

DC's public school population racial and ethnic demographics (charter + DCPS) 2017-18

Asian 2%
Black/African American 67%
Hispanic/Latino 19%
Two or more races 2%
White 10%


Duke Ellington 2017-18

Asian 2%
Black/African American 74%
Hispanic/Latino 11%
Two or more races 4%
White 9%

Why is Duke Ellington less diverse than DCPS as a whole?

Seriously?

It’s demographics mirror the city’s public school population more than any school in the city, definitely better than any high school.

Latinos are underrepresented - and AA/black students are somewhat overrepresented.

But it isn’t “90% AA” as a PP asserted, and there are more than a handful of white students too.

I do agree that if all public schools had more arts instruction or more people knew about or participated in DCYOP more students would be prepared for An arts high school.

[Anonymous]

Also in the high school age group, DCPS is more heavily AA than in the younger grades, so it makes sense that Duke Ellington‘s population is more heavily black than DCPS as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also in the high school age group, DCPS is more heavily AA than in the younger grades, so it makes sense that Duke Ellington‘s population is more heavily black than DCPS as a whole.

Sure but........

DE is in Ward 3, which is mostly white.

How come DE doesn't do a better job at engaging and recruiting its neighbours?

And Hispanics are clearly underrepresented, while many live in NE, closer to the school than those in SE. Why the disparity?

[Anonymous]

Black kids are over represented by less than 10% and that’s an outrage and ward 3 outreach is needed? My god. You can’t handle white people not dominating every single fancy institution?

[Anonymous]

I will ignore all the issues PPs and OP raised and add that DE is gorgeous. I drive by it campus every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also in the high school age group, DCPS is more heavily AA than in the younger grades, so it makes sense that Duke Ellington‘s population is more heavily black than DCPS as a whole.

Sure but........

DE is in Ward 3, which is mostly white.

How come DE doesn't do a better job at engaging and recruiting its neighbours?

And Hispanics are clearly underrepresented, while many live in NE, closer to the school than those in SE. Why the disparity?

Recruiting?? How many students around that school want to be an artist? You need amazing talent and courage to go to a Performing arts school.

And it’s in Ward 2, not 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also in the high school age group, DCPS is more heavily AA than in the younger grades, so it makes sense that Duke Ellington‘s population is more heavily black than DCPS as a whole.

Sure but........

DE is in Ward 3, which is mostly white.

How come DE doesn't do a better job at engaging and recruiting its neighbours?

And Hispanics are clearly underrepresented, while many live in NE, closer to the school than those in SE. Why the disparity?

You don't recruit to an audition-based school. It's an arts magnet. If people want to go, they prepare and audition, wherever they are from, whatever their background. I've been to those auditions and the percentage mix chosen each year is almost exactly the percentage mix of those who actually showed up to audition.