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I agree that SES trumps race in this county. There are very few schools in MOCO that do not have a lot of diversity. People state that W schools do not, but that’s not actually true. They do have diversity, just not to the level of other schools.
I would target schools with around 35% FARMS rates or lower. Once the school gets closer to 50%, things get a little dicier. |
| Whatever you do, don’t send your kids to a high farms school. My kid went to 65%, 6%, and 35% farms schools and I think 35% or so is the breaking point. |
I agree with this. The Title I school my kids have gone to is lovely. |
It's interesting how, on this forum, when people are talking about poverty, they don't actually use the words poverty or poor, they say "SES." County-wide, in 2022-23, 43.8% of students received FARMS. For elementary school students, it's 47.2%. So just mathematically, for every school where 35% or fewer students receive FARMS, there must be a school where more than half of students receive FARMS. |
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Takoma Park and Silver Spring schools are the most diverse
and then DC |
What’s so interesting about that? |
Why do people do that? |
Serious question, what good is my child's presence in a failing school? Yes, I contribute to PTSA and volunteer, but one person doesn't make a difference. 25 people don't make difference. And that's about the size of the active PTSA members, who are all white and Asian/South Asian. In a predominately Latino and Black school. The causes of the problems are much bigger than the school community. They are things the schools cannot fix. |
| Elementary schools have very different vibes when comparing FARMS rates with ones with 5% and ones with 75%. The best diversity with high expectations/test scores can often be found in that mid-range area. I agree that 30% is a good mix. |
This sounds similar to the school I work at. It is “only” about 60% FARMS but the PTA is only 5 members strong- and 4/5 white (even though the school is less than 10% white). They tried to support the community and were amazing considering the lack of support, but for things to truly change, whole neighborhoods would need to be added to the school. Based on my experience teaching at this school, I agree that a school with under 50% FARMS is more desirable. *Also, I’ve worked at this school for 10+ years and I used to love it and encourage friends to send kids to focus schools (schools just under Title 1), but no longer. The behaviors are out of control and there’s not enough staff to meet the high needs of our students. |
I personally like using SES vs poverty/poor. It sounds less offensive to me but maybe it's just me. |
They're not synonymous. |
| Rock Creek Forest, on the edge of Chevy Chase and Silver Spring. 35% Hispanic/Latino, 31% White, 22% Black and 6% Asian. It’s also socioeconomically diverse, with some Chevy Chase parents with disposable time and income to give to the school and lower income families who live in the apartments on Grubb. It’s a wonderful community. |
32.5% FARMS- right in that sweet spot. |
That makes no sense. "SES" means "socio-economic status." It could be high, low, in-between. Poor means poor. |