AEM post/discussion re racism and choice schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

[Anonymous]

The option schools are some of the most diverse and balanced in Arlington. If people actually want to solve the issue of structural racism you don't shut down the option schools. You go after the schools that are 2% minority. This means radical boundary adjustments or a countywide ranked choice system. I'm all for it, but are they? Kinda doubt it, they people want their cake and they want to eat it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company.So their solution is to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

As opposed to the people in 22205 and 22207, whose solution is to pay an average of $1.2M and $1.4M to live in boundary for more white kids in the schools? Average sales prices in 22204 and 22206 are half that--$600K and $650K. Its not all because of differences in sq ft and lot size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

I don’t think so. If you look at the repeat commenters, they all live in NA. The white families in the three targeted neighborhoods aren’t touching that AEM thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

The ethics of doing anything you can to buy a house in north Arlington specifically to avoid the south Arlington schools? Those ethics? The ones that aren't so obvious and can be shaded over with claims of "commute, walkability, didn't want a fixer-upper" etc? Those ethics?

[Anonymous]

I think we should stop worrying about people's motivations and ethics and just fix the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

I'm one of those white people who sent their white kids to these schools and never applied for those option programs. It's not being uncomfortable with the make-up of the kids in the schools. It's the disparities between these schools and the rest of the schools in the county: the PTA enrichment offerings; the quality of special events; the field trips; etc. But MOST IMPORTANTLY: the disparities in INSTRUCTION BECAUSE OF the demographics. The quality of instruction/teaching has not been the issue (until APS started lowering expectations in the name of "equity").The pace of instruction, the depth of instruction - these are the most impactful effects of imbalanced demographics. And APS' turning a blind eye and eternally denying that there are such disparities in academic AND SOCIAL experiences. The social experience is a major issue for schools on both ends of the spectrum: your Carlin Springs and Randolphs, AND your Jamestowns and Nottinghams.

Underprivileged students fare better academically in more economically diverse schools. All students are better prepared for this global world when they interact with and get to know others from other races and cultures.

So, if by "uncomfortable" you mean we segregation morally wrong in one of the wealthiest, most highly educated, and smallest counties in the country - sure. I'm "uncomfortable" with the make-up of these schools (the ones my kids attended and the ones in the far extremely wealthy north). However, I don't believe that's what you meant by "uncomfortable" and therefore I am here to assure you that you are absolutely WRONG. None of us want our kid to feel socially isolated any more than a non-English-speaking family wants to feel isolated. While I'm sure you can always find an exception, the majority of us "whites stuck in the majority-minority schools" want every school to offer comparable social and academic experiences for all kids. Many of us are in these schools BY CHOICE.

On the part about us being the ones complaining: You are absolutely CORRECT! Because people only care enough about something when they are negatively impacted and none of you up in your high-performing, majority-white schools feel negatively impacted and don't give a crap. "Oh, diversity would be nice but....it's not possible because of the segregated neighborhoods (that we contributed to creating)." "We really would prefer a more diverse school for our child, but there's nothing we can do about it (the neighborhood and school we chose for our child) and we want the best education for our child so we focused on the highest performing schools and bought into those zones. We didn't realize the disparities in diversity and are shocked!" Or, "we're not one of those because we send our kid to a very diverse option school." "We didn't opt out of our diverse majority-minority or above 30% FRL neighborhood school, we opted in to a higher performing lower FRL% diverse option program that was better suited to our 5 year old's learning style."

Give me a break. So tired of people pointing fingers accusing others of being "uncomfortable" in order to deflect any responsibility from themselves and absolve themselves of the faintest suggestion of being part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company.So their solution is to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

As opposed to the people in 22205 and 22207, whose solution is to pay an average of $1.2M and $1.4M to live in boundary for more white kids in the schools? Average sales prices in 22204 and 22206 are half that--$600K and $650K. Its not all because of differences in sq ft and lot size.

Much of that lower average sales price is because of the much larger stock of multi-family housing. SFHs in SA are still very expensive. They could still get their $1.2M SFH in SA instead of NA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we should stop worrying about people's motivations and ethics and just fix the problem.

I'm all for that. Problem is, peoples' ethics keep obstructing and preventing a fix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

I'm one of those white people who sent their white kids to these schools and never applied for those option programs. It's not being uncomfortable with the make-up of the kids in the schools. It's the disparities between these schools and the rest of the schools in the county: the PTA enrichment offerings; the quality of special events; the field trips; etc. But MOST IMPORTANTLY: the disparities in INSTRUCTION BECAUSE OF the demographics. The quality of instruction/teaching has not been the issue (until APS started lowering expectations in the name of "equity").The pace of instruction, the depth of instruction - these are the most impactful effects of imbalanced demographics. And APS' turning a blind eye and eternally denying that there are such disparities in academic AND SOCIAL experiences. The social experience is a major issue for schools on both ends of the spectrum: your Carlin Springs and Randolphs, AND your Jamestowns and Nottinghams.

Underprivileged students fare better academically in more economically diverse schools. All students are better prepared for this global world when they interact with and get to know others from other races and cultures.

So, if by "uncomfortable" you mean we segregation morally wrong in one of the wealthiest, most highly educated, and smallest counties in the country - sure. I'm "uncomfortable" with the make-up of these schools (the ones my kids attended and the ones in the far extremely wealthy north). However, I don't believe that's what you meant by "uncomfortable" and therefore I am here to assure you that you are absolutely WRONG. None of us want our kid to feel socially isolated any more than a non-English-speaking family wants to feel isolated. While I'm sure you can always find an exception, the majority of us "whites stuck in the majority-minority schools" want every school to offer comparable social and academic experiences for all kids. Many of us are in these schools BY CHOICE.

On the part about us being the ones complaining: You are absolutely CORRECT! Because people only care enough about something when they are negatively impacted and none of you up in your high-performing, majority-white schools feel negatively impacted and don't give a crap. "Oh, diversity would be nice but....it's not possible because of the segregated neighborhoods (that we contributed to creating)." "We really would prefer a more diverse school for our child, but there's nothing we can do about it (the neighborhood and school we chose for our child) and we want the best education for our child so we focused on the highest performing schools and bought into those zones. We didn't realize the disparities in diversity and are shocked!" Or, "we're not one of those because we send our kid to a very diverse option school." "We didn't opt out of our diverse majority-minority or above 30% FRL neighborhood school, we opted in to a higher performing lower FRL% diverse option program that was better suited to our 5 year old's learning style."

Give me a break. So tired of people pointing fingers accusing others of being "uncomfortable" in order to deflect any responsibility from themselves and absolve themselves of the faintest suggestion of being part of the problem.

...or part of the solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

I'm one of those white people who sent their white kids to these schools and never applied for those option programs. It's not being uncomfortable with the make-up of the kids in the schools. It's the disparities between these schools and the rest of the schools in the county: the PTA enrichment offerings; the quality of special events; the field trips; etc. But MOST IMPORTANTLY: the disparities in INSTRUCTION BECAUSE OF the demographics. The quality of instruction/teaching has not been the issue (until APS started lowering expectations in the name of "equity").The pace of instruction, the depth of instruction - these are the most impactful effects of imbalanced demographics. And APS' turning a blind eye and eternally denying that there are such disparities in academic AND SOCIAL experiences. The social experience is a major issue for schools on both ends of the spectrum: your Carlin Springs and Randolphs, AND your Jamestowns and Nottinghams.

Underprivileged students fare better academically in more economically diverse schools. All students are better prepared for this global world when they interact with and get to know others from other races and cultures.

So, if by "uncomfortable" you mean we segregation morally wrong in one of the wealthiest, most highly educated, and smallest counties in the country - sure. I'm "uncomfortable" with the make-up of these schools (the ones my kids attended and the ones in the far extremely wealthy north). However, I don't believe that's what you meant by "uncomfortable" and therefore I am here to assure you that you are absolutely WRONG. None of us want our kid to feel socially isolated any more than a non-English-speaking family wants to feel isolated. While I'm sure you can always find an exception, the majority of us "whites stuck in the majority-minority schools" want every school to offer comparable social and academic experiences for all kids. Many of us are in these schools BY CHOICE.

On the part about us being the ones complaining: You are absolutely CORRECT! Because people only care enough about something when they are negatively impacted and none of you up in your high-performing, majority-white schools feel negatively impacted and don't give a crap. "Oh, diversity would be nice but....it's not possible because of the segregated neighborhoods (that we contributed to creating)." "We really would prefer a more diverse school for our child, but there's nothing we can do about it (the neighborhood and school we chose for our child) and we want the best education for our child so we focused on the highest performing schools and bought into those zones. We didn't realize the disparities in diversity and are shocked!" Or, "we're not one of those because we send our kid to a very diverse option school." "We didn't opt out of our diverse majority-minority or above 30% FRL neighborhood school, we opted in to a higher performing lower FRL% diverse option program that was better suited to our 5 year old's learning style."

Give me a break. So tired of people pointing fingers accusing others of being "uncomfortable" in order to deflect any responsibility from themselves and absolve themselves of the faintest suggestion of being part of the problem.

White family in Nauck/Green Valley who sent their kids to Drew and Gunston. +1000.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

I'm one of those white people who sent their white kids to these schools and never applied for those option programs. It's not being uncomfortable with the make-up of the kids in the schools. It's the disparities between these schools and the rest of the schools in the county: the PTA enrichment offerings; the quality of special events; the field trips; etc. But MOST IMPORTANTLY: the disparities in INSTRUCTION BECAUSE OF the demographics. The quality of instruction/teaching has not been the issue (until APS started lowering expectations in the name of "equity").The pace of instruction, the depth of instruction - these are the most impactful effects of imbalanced demographics. And APS' turning a blind eye and eternally denying that there are such disparities in academic AND SOCIAL experiences. The social experience is a major issue for schools on both ends of the spectrum: your Carlin Springs and Randolphs, AND your Jamestowns and Nottinghams.

Underprivileged students fare better academically in more economically diverse schools. All students are better prepared for this global world when they interact with and get to know others from other races and cultures.

So, if by "uncomfortable" you mean we segregation morally wrong in one of the wealthiest, most highly educated, and smallest counties in the country - sure. I'm "uncomfortable" with the make-up of these schools (the ones my kids attended and the ones in the far extremely wealthy north). However, I don't believe that's what you meant by "uncomfortable" and therefore I am here to assure you that you are absolutely WRONG. None of us want our kid to feel socially isolated any more than a non-English-speaking family wants to feel isolated. While I'm sure you can always find an exception, the majority of us "whites stuck in the majority-minority schools" want every school to offer comparable social and academic experiences for all kids. Many of us are in these schools BY CHOICE.

On the part about us being the ones complaining: You are absolutely CORRECT! Because people only care enough about something when they are negatively impacted and none of you up in your high-performing, majority-white schools feel negatively impacted and don't give a crap. "Oh, diversity would be nice but....it's not possible because of the segregated neighborhoods (that we contributed to creating)." "We really would prefer a more diverse school for our child, but there's nothing we can do about it (the neighborhood and school we chose for our child) and we want the best education for our child so we focused on the highest performing schools and bought into those zones. We didn't realize the disparities in diversity and are shocked!" Or, "we're not one of those because we send our kid to a very diverse option school." "We didn't opt out of our diverse majority-minority or above 30% FRL neighborhood school, we opted in to a higher performing lower FRL% diverse option program that was better suited to our 5 year old's learning style."

Give me a break. So tired of people pointing fingers accusing others of being "uncomfortable" in order to deflect any responsibility from themselves and absolve themselves of the faintest suggestion of being part of the problem.

+Infinity. Especially the bolded part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a minority of middle eastern origin I find it extremely offensive that schools such as Carlin Springs is considered more diverse than ATS, where my kids go. The only way Carlin Springs is more diverse than ATS is if you lump all non-white students together. It is extremely racist to believe that all non-white students are the same and that the only diversity that matters is white vs. non-white. Ethnically speaking, a white person is just as different from a person of Middle Eastern origin than a hispanic person is. Carlin Springs isn't diverse. It is 73% hispanic. This means that three quarters of the school is from one race/ethnicity. How on earth is that diverse? Arlington Traditional School is more equally divided between different races and 9% of the school is from multiple races. The Black population, 20%, is diverse in and of itself. We have Ethiopians, African Americans, Eritrians, and Nigerians, just to name a few. Same with the 27% of Asian students who come from all over the vast continent of Asia. We have students with origins from Azerbeijan, Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhestan. I mean the list goes on. 24 different languages are spoken at ATS. How many different languages are spoken in Carlin Springs? I am really sick and tired of this narrow definition of diversity. It is a racist definition given to us by white people who think that we are all the same. Disgusting.

Everything this person said. Plus 1000.

I also think there are white people in positions of power who claim this is "diversity" so that they can maintain the racist status quo.

This whole convo is racist, the people driving it are white people who couldn't afford N Arlington so their kids are in S Arlington schools with (gasp!) majority black/brown. They would feel a lot more comfortable if there were more white kids to keep their white kids company. So their solutionis to kill the option schools to get more of their white neighbors to stay in the neighborhood schools. That's all it is, they claim to be social justice warriors but it's racist and self interested. What really gets me is they attack others for their ethics.

I think you're wrong. This convo shows how racism hurts everyone. It hurts the kids in the extremely impoverished schools. It hurts the kids who attend majority white schools (there are N Arlington residents upthread who are uncomfortable with the demographics of their school). It hurts the people of color who would move to N Arlington but for the segregation of our schools and county. Take the option schools out of it and see the truth: there are few institutions as racist as the public school system. Don't attack the people calling it out.

I'm not saying structural racism isn't a problem, of course it is. But the option schools are not the problem. And it always seems to be the whites "stuck" in the majority minority schools who are the ones complaining about the unbalanced schools. Because they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the schools their kids are in, not because of some great concern for the black kids.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG.

I'm one of those white people who sent their white kids to these schools and never applied for those option programs. It's not being uncomfortable with the make-up of the kids in the schools. It's the disparities between these schools and the rest of the schools in the county: the PTA enrichment offerings; the quality of special events; the field trips; etc. But MOST IMPORTANTLY: the disparities in INSTRUCTION BECAUSE OF the demographics. The quality of instruction/teaching has not been the issue (until APS started lowering expectations in the name of "equity").The pace of instruction, the depth of instruction - these are the most impactful effects of imbalanced demographics. And APS' turning a blind eye and eternally denying that there are such disparities in academic AND SOCIAL experiences. The social experience is a major issue for schools on both ends of the spectrum: your Carlin Springs and Randolphs, AND your Jamestowns and Nottinghams.

Underprivileged students fare better academically in more economically diverse schools. All students are better prepared for this global world when they interact with and get to know others from other races and cultures.

So, if by "uncomfortable" you mean we segregation morally wrong in one of the wealthiest, most highly educated, and smallest counties in the country - sure. I'm "uncomfortable" with the make-up of these schools (the ones my kids attended and the ones in the far extremely wealthy north). However, I don't believe that's what you meant by "uncomfortable" and therefore I am here to assure you that you are absolutely WRONG. None of us want our kid to feel socially isolated any more than a non-English-speaking family wants to feel isolated. While I'm sure you can always find an exception, the majority of us "whites stuck in the majority-minority schools" want every school to offer comparable social and academic experiences for all kids. Many of us are in these schools BY CHOICE.

On the part about us being the ones complaining: You are absolutely CORRECT! Because people only care enough about something when they are negatively impacted and none of you up in your high-performing, majority-white schools feel negatively impacted and don't give a crap. "Oh, diversity would be nice but....it's not possible because of the segregated neighborhoods (that we contributed to creating)." "We really would prefer a more diverse school for our child, but there's nothing we can do about it (the neighborhood and school we chose for our child) and we want the best education for our child so we focused on the highest performing schools and bought into those zones. We didn't realize the disparities in diversity and are shocked!" Or, "we're not one of those because we send our kid to a very diverse option school." "We didn't opt out of our diverse majority-minority or above 30% FRL neighborhood school, we opted in to a higher performing lower FRL% diverse option program that was better suited to our 5 year old's learning style."

Give me a break. So tired of people pointing fingers accusing others of being "uncomfortable" in order to deflect any responsibility from themselves and absolve themselves of the faintest suggestion of being part of the problem.

White family in Nauck/Green Valley who sent their kids to Drew and Gunston. +1000.

White north Arlington family- PREACH. Public schools are a government service and you shouldn't be able to "buy" them.

[Anonymous]

This has been going on in Arlington for decades. The idea that schools that are majority Hispanic are “diverse” and the housing policies that schools in S Arl with students who have major economic and language instruction needs. People in S Arl aren’t racist. They do not care one whit about the race of students. What they want is for their kids to attend a school where the focus is not the most basic needs for the majority of kids. So they go option. You will never win the fight to diversify S Arl schools. This is the way the county wants it. Help lots of poor people but keep them in certain areas. It’s what the Board wants. It’s what the developers want. If you want public schools that focus on anything other than the bare minimum, you need to go option or look north or move to Fairfax. Many of us tried to fight. But we eventually gave up and moved. My kids now go to a public school in FCPS that is extremely diverse. Kids from every country imaginable. Won’t happen in Arlington other than ATS, maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The option schools are some of the most diverse and balanced in Arlington. If people actually want to solve the issue of structural racism you don't shut down the option schools. You go after the schools that are 2% minority. This means radical boundary adjustments or a countywide ranked choice system. I'm all for it, but are they? Kinda doubt it, they people want their cake and they want to eat it too.

People are also ignoring that having the option programs at Gunston and Wakefield are helpful to disparities at those schools. My 22207 kid wouldn't attend either except for their option program and their stats absolutely benefit the school.