Banneker SAT averages: 494 Math; 502 Reading

[Anonymous]

There are only 100 students a grade correct? If there are a good number of students doing amazing, how low must a good number of other scores be to pull down the average?

These are not supposed to be average kids so focusing on SES impact on averages should not really matter here.

[Anonymous]

Shouldn't all schools be focused on academics. Therefore to point out that Banneker doesn't have the extra-curricular activities of sports is so misleading. Because you have Friendship PC High School boasting and being recognized for having over 100 student-athletes. They are not cowering behind the academic prowess of the students but they showcasing the entire student-athelete.

You know to be honest, Wilson can be of a non factor when it comes to the comparising with Banneker. DCPS keeps Wilson separate from Banneker with their own indentifiers. Wilson is a comprehensive high-school and Banneker is a specialty school. It's hard for the whites to accept that fact.

They lobbying to make Wilson a specialty school are in motions, just by this thread alone.

To the poster who give the outlook about the difference from both of the HU's. It was my point exactly that for every child that gets accepted to Howard, there are those who feel that for every child that gets accepted to Harvard chumps the Howard acceptance. NOT!!!

College acceptance and college choice are two separate criterias. Banneker's college acceptance has to be at a higher perecentage rate than Wilson.

[Anonymous]

That's "trumps" not chumps. Like in a card game.

[Anonymous]

I graduated from Banneker and the SAT averages don't surprise me. Looking back, I think the true success of Banneker is that it provides an environment for those who want to learn. The entrance exam and interviews do a good job of populating the school with kids who actually want to be there. A lot of us came from low income families and were forced to go to our neighborhood schools that were either falling apart, run by uninterested faculty or filled with a lot of problem children who seriously detracted from the learning process. It took a while to get used to being in class and not being laughed at or made fun of simply because I raised my hand to answer a question. The pressure is actually placed on you to study so that you don't feel left out in the classroom discussions.

With all of this said, the school does fall short in a lot of places. The SAT prep is not as good as it could be. A lot of focus is placed on being able to function above and beyond once you get to college, but not so much attention is placed on actually getting a high score. I think a lot of times they rest on their reputation saying, "these colleges know who we are and they know that a 'B' from Banneker is an 'A' from somewhere else." In the four years that I was there, I learned to write a 15 page paper in my sleep. I have a love of classical literature that I surely wouldn't have had if I'd gone somewhere else. Still, my SAT score wasn't high enough for any of my top choices. That part is a flat out lie. A lot of us are encouraged to apply to lower schools just to have a backup and trust me when I say that most of us go to the back-up schools.

The school gets a lot of praise for the scholarships amounts, but most of it goes to only a few students. A lot of us went to college solely through loans. We did well once we got there, but a higher SAT/GPA would've helped pay for it.

[Anonymous]

I think the PP poster brings of up important issues that affect most students in most jurisdictions. If you took the elite top 20 schools how many slots are there really , especially for out of state kids. We are talking may be thousands and they want geographic variety so maybe hundreds available in the DC area. DCUM moms are a competitive bunch that want kids that are excellent at everything and at top whatevers but the reality is that the majority of us are middle whatevers. We are not the top partner, ceo, manager etc. We need to raise our kids to be informed citizens, able to learn and maybe good enough. That is what most high schools and certainly public education is designed to do. Maybe you do have a child that is going to be the next nobel or company ceo but most of us don't. We need a place that will help our kids be good without drowning them in perfection. This is what Banneker accomplishes. Is this why education is a mess nationally maybe, but I also wonder if we on DCUM lack a perspective of what is really needed.

[Anonymous]

- We need a place that will help our kids be good without drowning them in perfection.-

Perfect. Thank you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Umm - OK. A Howard education doesn't compare to a Harvard education. That's a pretty non-controversial statement. Are you saying that Howard is a better education than Harvard? That's against all conventional wisdom - care to explain why?

I should ignore this, but I won't....conventional wisdom may be more of a lemming mentality
I went to Howard, and despite all the issues there, I never received a single lecture from a grad student...all the lectures were direct from faculty...
I could walk up to the Dean's office and be seen that day, for a problem...Renowned physicists such as Dr W Henry would sit at my table in the cafeteria, and converse with myself and other students...I'm not looking to send my DC's to Howard, it's too close to home , but I'm not looking for Harvard either...that's too much $$$$ to not even be taught by a 'real' lecturer

By this rationale, my small liberal arts college in VA is also "better" than Harvard. And so is just about every community college in the country.

Glad to see Howard is teaching its graduates the finer points of logic, though. Must be quite a rigorous program.

your small liberal arts college may very well have been 'better', depending on the criteria and viewpoint of different individuals....just not as prestigious (the collective view/groupthink)...
Is juillard better than harvard? yes, for some it is...
Is brigham young better than yale? again, yes, for some it would be...
Is embry-riddle better than princeton?....depends on the student...
your assertion that harvard is 'better' than.... is nothing more than an opinion, which, while it may be widely shared, is still just opinion...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I graduated from Banneker and the SAT averages don't surprise me. Looking back, I think the true success of Banneker is that it provides an environment for those who want to learn. The entrance exam and interviews do a good job of populating the school with kids who actually want to be there. A lot of us came from low income families and were forced to go to our neighborhood schools that were either falling apart, run by uninterested faculty or filled with a lot of problem children who seriously detracted from the learning process. It took a while to get used to being in class and not being laughed at or made fun of simply because I raised my hand to answer a question. The pressure is actually placed on you to study so that you don't feel left out in the classroom discussions.

With all of this said, the school does fall short in a lot of places. The SAT prep is not as good as it could be. A lot of focus is placed on being able to function above and beyond once you get to college, but not so much attention is placed on actually getting a high score. I think a lot of times they rest on their reputation saying, "these colleges know who we are and they know that a 'B' from Banneker is an 'A' from somewhere else." In the four years that I was there, I learned to write a 15 page paper in my sleep. I have a love of classical literature that I surely wouldn't have had if I'd gone somewhere else. Still, my SAT score wasn't high enough for any of my top choices. That part is a flat out lie. A lot of us are encouraged to apply to lower schools just to have a backup and trust me when I say that most of us go to the back-up schools.

The school gets a lot of praise for the scholarships amounts, but most of it goes to only a few students. A lot of us went to college solely through loans. We did well once we got there, but a higher SAT/GPA would've helped pay for it.

The issue with people from prestigious schools ending up at less prestigious colleges is not unique to banneker...there are graduates of private schools who are enrolling in montgomery college, bowie state....they're not all at mit/duke/usc....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WHO SCORES HIGHEST?

Here are average SAT scores in various categories for the high school class of 2010.
By score and group:

1721: Students reporting family incomes
of more than $200,000 a year

1714: Students who had taken AP
or honors courses in natural sciences

1636: Asians

1580: Whites

1558: Students who took core curriculum

1546: Students who previously took PSAT/NMSQT (a pre-SAT)

1523: Boys

1510: Students reporting family incomes
of $60,000 to $80,000 a year

1509: National average

1496: Girls

1444: American Indian
or Alaskan natives

1407: Students who did not take
core curriculum

1400: Students who did not take
PSAT/NMSQT

1369: Mexican and Mexican Americans

1363: Latinos (excluding Mexicans,
Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans)

1349: Puerto Ricans

1329: Students reporting family incomes
of less than $20,000 a year

1277: African Americans

Source: SAT 2010

I bet those families of $200,000 were paying for tutors for their children. They probably had an advantage. Not saying its a bad thing but do you really believe more money makes you smarter? No, it just opens more doors. I don't even make $100,000 but I'm hiring my own tutors for my children!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the PP poster brings of up important issues that affect most students in most jurisdictions. If you took the elite top 20 schools how many slots are there really , especially for out of state kids. We are talking may be thousands and they want geographic variety so maybe hundreds available in the DC area. DCUM moms are a competitive bunch that want kids that are excellent at everything and at top whatevers but the reality is that the majority of us are middle whatevers. We are not the top partner, ceo, manager etc. We need to raise our kids to be informed citizens, able to learn and maybe good enough. That is what most high schools and certainly public education is designed to do. Maybe you do have a child that is going to be the next nobel or company ceo but most of us don't. We need a place that will help our kids be good without drowning them in perfection. This is what Banneker accomplishes. Is this why education is a mess nationally maybe, but I also wonder if we on DCUM lack a perspective of what is really needed.

You nailed it. Some DCUM's have that "Toddler and Tiara" syndrome. They maybe middle management or just a very hard working employee like most of us. They want their children to invent a rounder wheel or speak Mandarin at a family cookout. I'm sure some DCUM's kids are super geniuses, but a majority are average to very good students. There isn't anything wrong with that. What Banneker offers may not be for everyone, but trust me the kids that graduate and finish college are as well prepared for the real world as some of the DC's that attend a " boutique" charter school and have Kumon at their disposal. My DW attended Banneker in the 80's. She tells me she was an average student with a 1100 SAT. Attended a small HBCU in Virginia. She is currently a partner at a prestigious marketing firm. The "low" SAT score( I would love to see some of your scores. Mine was a 980...Currently I am lieutenant in a federal law enforcement capacity) is not indicative on the young adult your child becomes.

[Anonymous]

Banneker graduation rate speaks for itself. Their acceptance rate to colleges/universities is reputable. Don't try to bash-it. Banneker was an experiment to lure whites back to this city. It hasn't and believe me blacks are not feeling the need to have the diversity. Go to SWW and Wilson and feel comfortable in your own little sanctuary. Someone asked what is your point? So far your info is pointless.

[Anonymous]

Oh come on, kids don't score low on the SAT because they can't afford expensive prep coures in this day and age. Not when the Internet and Amazon.com are brimming with free or dirt cheap test prep. They do so because their parents don't value education like kids who score high, and/or don't have the time and energy to help them get into reading and math as much as is necessary to score high.

If Banneker's admissions process was indeed "rigorous", as has been claimed on this and other threads, their average SAT scores would be in the 600s. Period. It's simply not a tough test. My 7th grader just scored in the high 500s on all three sections to participate in a Johns Hopkins CTY camp this summer and he's no genius. He did the test prep himself on-line for $0, mostly at our local public library.

[Anonymous]

17:42, you're the typical parent who is a broke-ass with a bad cas if bragging disease. Quarrantine.

[Anonymous]

I can't speak for 17:42, but 21:23 is basically sitting here defending parental apathy and mediocre SAT scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Go to SWW and Wilson and feel comfortable in your own little sanctuary. .

Banneker is 99% AA.

Are SWW and Wilson 99% white?


Now what were you saying about being comfortable in "your own little sanctuary"?