s/o: Wilson H.S. -- otherwise known as "Yale or Jail"

[Anonymous]

I completely agree with you PP. Many kids who arrive in DC high schools have been failed by low expectation schools ( and sometimes families) and sometimes unidentified learning issues in prior years. Asking Wilson to pull advanced offerings is a weird way to go about remedying this. I would hope they offer some tutoring and academic counseling for kids who have the motivation but not the skills to make the grade. If you think about it - these kids would not even get into a walls or banneker with their selective entry criteria. Wilson academies are open to ALL in and out of boundary students who maintain a B- average. This looks like more of an opportunity for all children than racism to me. Why don't we support the school in supporting kids? Instead of complaining how about getting your workplace to form tutoring partnerships, asking about role models and speakers to the school, sponsoring SAT prep AA, and other concerned parents? Let the school know that we expect all children in the the school building to be reasonably supported , but not at the cost of lowering expectations. DC has far too few superior HS programs as it is. Shore up- don't tear down!

[Anonymous]

Don't just look at the photos and class lists of certain teachers - ask the kids and the teachers about how the classes are formed. Are kids who know the amount of work needed and are willing to do it and have the grade average and prerequisites kept out because of race?

I strongly doubt it.

Kids have choices in high school that they don't have in middle school and they make them in part based on how much work they're willing to do.

Why aren't there any White kids in Banneker? I don't know, but I'm fairly certain that they could apply and get in if they wanted to. It's a great school. Maybe some white parents upset at Wilson's supposed tier system and Yale or Jail characterization should get their kids into Banneker. Think about it

[Anonymous]

Totally - and some Banneker parents could consider sending their kids to Wilson. Our interracial child will most likely attend Wilson as it's convenient, free and has some great choices. I will expect the school to welcome and encourage all children ( i not convinced that they necessarily have a great intake or support system - and I'm disturbed myself by some of the rough behavior I see around the school/ doesn't speak to much of a school wide code of conduct to me). Pushing those issues would be my goal as a parent, but not dismantling or shunning academies that sound like they prepare motivated kids well for college. We need far MORE of that option in this town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you send your kid to private school to avoid the "segregation" at wilson, seems like just another way of putting your kid in the top tier - at a place where there's no bottom tier to make you feel racist.

Thank you! I might add that at least the AP kids at Wilson are having some interaction, even if it's only at lunch, with kids who can't afford $30K annual tuition. Perhaps, being in such a situation, might influence a couple of them later in their careers to address the complex ills of urban public schools.

[Anonymous]

Seems to me that AP, in order to be AP, must be pitched at the first year college level, plain and simple. Anything less and the kids won't pass the AP exam and be able to exempt freshman Enlgish, or whatever the the subject.

There's no such thing as remedial advanced placement, or shouldn't be, in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

There's no such thing as remedial advanced placement, or shouldn't be, in my opinion.

Well, Reiner and Martell would agree with you, as do I.

Jay Matthews perhaps not as much.

I abhor overt and defacto racism, and I also cannot stomach the "everyone is a winner!!!!" mentality that leads to trophies for all soccer players and remedial AP. I don't know how to reconcile these two beliefs.

[Anonymous]

I agree. It would be nice if freshman year the school offered intensive remediation for kids hoping to make the AP cut, but how they could open such classes to everyone regardless of academic standing I'm not sure.

[Anonymous]

And, nobody ever really talks about AP pass rates. Truth? Schools should go back to teaching and forget about AP.
Jay Mathews has never spent one single day in his life as a teacher.