“We need to preserve diversity and mitigate the projected whitening of the feeder pattern”

[Anonymous]

Maybe the issue is the word whitening. I’ve never heard that and it does sound hostile or just offensive even if trie. You’d never be caught dead saying blackening that’s for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with that statement OP. We have a problem with resource hogging in this city.

Most of the education funds don’t go WOTP; they go to schools in areas where at-risk kids live. I’m 100% fine with this and I pay for it with my taxes.

But the slides get at the crux of the problem - there is not a lot that can be done based on the demographic projections. The schools are getting whiter because that’s how birth rate changes are trending. And, even then, they will likely be at capacity once the new schools are built and open. And, even then, the OOB seats are filled with well-to-do children of color, not the truly at-risk.

Perhaps this is portending even bigger changes that go beyond the options in the slides. Because of the “whitening” DCPS will be forced to end the concept of local schools.

It’s just a huge mess, imho. Had DCPS started addressing this issue 10 years ago, there’d be a lot more capacity for OOB and at-risk right now. Instead, they are scrambling because the demographic changes are coming at them so fast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: the PowerPoint — agree the language is clumsy.

You don’t “mitigate” “whitening”. You “promote diversity by encouraging students of all races and SES levels.” The latter framing focuses on the positive goals: bringing lots of kids together.

But worse than that— there are 5 scenarios and none of them achieves diversity goals and also reduces Wilson crowding. Are none of these real options? Is the mayor just going to yell “gentrification” and pit two populations against each other again like she did with Shaw Middle and Banneker?

*ding*ding*ding*

I don’t think any of these are real options for addressing Wilson. But I think the Mayor/DME/OSSE will use this as cover to end by-right high schools - “Oh you can’t meet equity and diversity goals, therefore we need to end by-right secondary education.”

I think the options are legit for changing the feeders for Foxhall Elementary and figuring out what to do with Hardy MS.

FYI - DCPS puts these slides together, based on feedback from the parents and previous discussion. He who holds the pen controls the framing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the issue is the word whitening. I’ve never heard that and it does sound hostile or just offensive even if trie. You’d never be caught dead saying blackening that’s for sure.

Right — concentration of white students would have been less awkward

[Anonymous]

I think that quibbling over the word choice feels a bit like dodging the issue, though. A clumsy word choice is a small issue -- the educational inequities across the city are a big issue, and I'd encourage folks to keep that perspective.

I for one am glad to be parenting a (white) child in a school system that values equity and recognizes that there's work to do on that front.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the language and appreciate the working group telling it like it is. WOTP schools are too white, period.[/quote

Too white? Why? Because EOTR is not white at all?

NW is less white than national averages, and it’s less white than many neighborhoods a mile or two away (ie, in other states but closer than EOTR).

So the problem is the DCPS student population from NW is “too white” compared to the student population EOTR.

So the issues include arbitrary borders, historical housing discrimination, self-selected housing preferences, capitalism-based income disparities, discrimination-based income disparities, etc etc.

But sure. Why should DCPS focus energetically on using providing the best educational experience to each of its 40,000 students, when, instead, it can focus on “mitigating whiteness”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the language and appreciate the working group telling it like it is. WOTP schools are too white, period.[/quote

Too white? Why? Because EOTR is not white at all?

NW is less white than national averages, and it’s less white than many neighborhoods a mile or two away (ie, in other states but closer than EOTR).

So the problem is the DCPS student population from NW is “too white” compared to the student population EOTR.

So the issues include arbitrary borders, historical housing discrimination, self-selected housing preferences, capitalism-based income disparities, discrimination-based income disparities, etc etc.

But sure. Why should DCPS focus energetically on using providing the best educational experience to each of its 40,000 students, when, instead, it can focus on “mitigating whiteness”?

Because segregation is bad. We have, as a country, shown we are not capable of providing equal educational opportunities for schools with white kids versus schools with black kids. It’s easy in the abstract to oppose segregation, but the reaction here shows how hard it is to deal with in the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the language and appreciate the working group telling it like it is. WOTP schools are too white, period.

Too white? Why? Because EOTR is not white at all?

NW is less white than national averages, and it’s less white than many neighborhoods a mile or two away (ie, in other states but closer than EOTR).

So the problem is the DCPS student population from NW is “too white” compared to the student population EOTR.

So the issues include arbitrary borders, historical housing discrimination, self-selected housing preferences, capitalism-based income disparities, discrimination-based income disparities, etc etc.

But sure. Why should DCPS focus energetically on using providing the best educational experience to each of its 40,000 students, when, instead, it can focus on “mitigating whiteness”?

Because segregation is bad. We have, as a country, shown we are not capable of providing equal educational opportunities for schools with white kids versus schools with black kids. It’s easy in the abstract to oppose segregation, but the reaction here shows how hard it is to deal with in the real world.

But my point is that DCPS can’t solve problems for the country, and, more importantly, that it sees the issue from an idiosyncratic angle.

Saying “The schools in NW are too white” is a bizarre thing to say and only makes sense when considering that DC has spent a bunch of recent decades as a majority Black city.”

Or just let me second what a PP said above: White students are not a “problem” in need of managing. The zeal to correct large historical wrongs has thrown perspective off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the language and appreciate the working group telling it like it is. WOTP schools are too white, period.

Too white? Why? Because EOTR is not white at all?

NW is less white than national averages, and it’s less white than many neighborhoods a mile or two away (ie, in other states but closer than EOTR).

So the problem is the DCPS student population from NW is “too white” compared to the student population EOTR.

So the issues include arbitrary borders, historical housing discrimination, self-selected housing preferences, capitalism-based income disparities, discrimination-based income disparities, etc etc.

But sure. Why should DCPS focus energetically on using providing the best educational experience to each of its 40,000 students, when, instead, it can focus on “mitigating whiteness”?

Because segregation is bad. We have, as a country, shown we are not capable of providing equal educational opportunities for schools with white kids versus schools with black kids. It’s easy in the abstract to oppose segregation, but the reaction here shows how hard it is to deal with in the real world.

But my point is that DCPS can’t solve problems for the country, and, more importantly, that it sees the issue from an idiosyncratic angle.

Saying “The schools in NW are too white” is a bizarre thing to say and only makes sense when considering that DC has spent a bunch of recent decades as a majority Black city.”

Or just let me second what a PP said above: White students are not a “problem” in need of managing. The zeal to correct large historical wrongs has thrown perspective off.

Wilson is white because UNW is white.

The only real solution here is to really bus in kids from all over the city: a magnet.

Then build another high school. Then more problems will arise. Or, make the magnet Eastern....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of you are commenting and have not even read the slides. It is about promoting diversity by creating seats for low income students to decrease the segregation in the feeder school. If you have an issue with your child going to a school with more children of color then move! I am sick and tired of parents on these posts using coded language and sometimes just inflammatory language to describe low income children of color. The system is created for the results it receives. If we want true equity and diversity in our schools then DCPS will have to put an aggressive plan in place. If you think it’s “hostile” then you are viewing in through a lens of white privilege and if you don’t think this is about race then I don’t know what country you are living in because you are truly delusional.

I don’t have a problem with diversity as a goal. I do have a problem with racially discriminatory phrases like “mitigate whitening.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the issue is the word whitening. I’ve never heard that and it does sound hostile or just offensive even if trie. You’d never be caught dead saying blackening that’s for sure.

Right — concentration of white students would have been less awkward

But the problem isn’t the white students (who are IB and just following the rules and attending thei IB schools.) The problem is that black kids’ IB schools are failing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that quibbling over the word choice feels a bit like dodging the issue, though. A clumsy word choice is a small issue -- the educational inequities across the city are a big issue, and I'd encourage folks to keep that perspective.

I for one am glad to be parenting a (white) child in a school system that values equity and recognizes that there's work to do on that front.

If they valued equity they’d try to figure out what’s wrong with Ward 7 and 8 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the language and appreciate the working group telling it like it is. WOTP schools are too white, period.

Too white? Why? Because EOTR is not white at all?

NW is less white than national averages, and it’s less white than many neighborhoods a mile or two away (ie, in other states but closer than EOTR).

So the problem is the DCPS student population from NW is “too white” compared to the student population EOTR.

So the issues include arbitrary borders, historical housing discrimination, self-selected housing preferences, capitalism-based income disparities, discrimination-based income disparities, etc etc.

But sure. Why should DCPS focus energetically on using providing the best educational experience to each of its 40,000 students, when, instead, it can focus on “mitigating whiteness”?

Because segregation is bad. We have, as a country, shown we are not capable of providing equal educational opportunities for schools with white kids versus schools with black kids. It’s easy in the abstract to oppose segregation, but the reaction here shows how hard it is to deal with in the real world.

But my point is that DCPS can’t solve problems for the country, and, more importantly, that it sees the issue from an idiosyncratic angle.

Saying “The schools in NW are too white” is a bizarre thing to say and only makes sense when considering that DC has spent a bunch of recent decades as a majority Black city.”

Or just let me second what a PP said above: White students are not a “problem” in need of managing. The zeal to correct large historical wrongs has thrown perspective off.

White students aren’t a problem, but increasing concentration of white students (“whitening”) is a problem. It’s good that the city is trying to figure out what to do about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that quibbling over the word choice feels a bit like dodging the issue, though. A clumsy word choice is a small issue -- the educational inequities across the city are a big issue, and I'd encourage folks to keep that perspective.

I for one am glad to be parenting a (white) child in a school system that values equity and recognizes that there's work to do on that front.

If they valued equity they’d try to figure out what’s wrong with Ward 7 and 8 schools.

Exactly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that quibbling over the word choice feels a bit like dodging the issue, though. A clumsy word choice is a small issue -- the educational inequities across the city are a big issue, and I'd encourage folks to keep that perspective.

I for one am glad to be parenting a (white) child in a school system that values equity and recognizes that there's work to do on that front.

If they valued equity they’d try to figure out what’s wrong with Ward 7 and 8 schools.

This.