is "forcing" middle class families into DCPS basically the recovery strategy?

[Anonymous]

16:17, thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The true reference is "west of the park and east of the river."

Well, you can also say "east of the park" to refer to DC's middle and upper middle class African-American neighborhoods - although these days, there are a lot more white folks living over there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to figure out why people keep discussing DC in terms of black and white as opposed to socio economics.

To all my white sisters, black folk are not a monolithic group. I know some of you may have never come across a real, live highly educated, highly paid african-american who's kids test in the 99th percentile and therefore (in your minds) we don't exist; but we do, and may I add, there are more of us than you might imagine (particularly in the DC area). We are simply invisible to some of you who don't venture much beyond your comfort zone and whose knowledge of black folk is based on what you see on the 6 o'clock news, reality tv and music videos (oh and yeah...the black chick on the register at Safeway with the bad attitude).

Of course DC has many blacks that are on the very low end of the socio economic scale. There may be some cultural differences in how they present themselves to the outside world, but their problems and issues are really no different than their white or latino or (GASP) asian counterparts of a similar socio economic group.

I'd bet that some of you reading this post would have far more in common with me than a 300 pound, white single mom from Louisiana who shops at Walmart with food stamps.


+1000


The reality is, we are moving beyond a race based society to a class based society. It's not any better, but at least try to keep up with the times.

[Anonymous]

17:06 again - and I should add, if it wasn't apparent, that I was mostly making fun of white people who think that that DCPS should be sucking up to them and creating the perfect educational experience before they are willing to try DCPS.

As far as I can tell, that's why Michelle Rhee removed Patrick Pope from Hardy - because white Palisades parents were upset that he wasn't more solicitous towards them. So Rhee got rid of Pope - and did white kids flock to Hardy, no! But Hardy struggled under a new inexperienced principal and what had been a pretty good school (dd went there so I know) got worse for the kids who were there.

There's no plot to force white people into DCPS. Obviously DCPS has a lot of problems but not everything is about you. Get over yourself!

[Anonymous]

Oops. Posted +1000 in wrong area.

Sometimes, I really do hate my IPAD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to figure out why people keep discussing DC in terms of black and white as opposed to socio economics.

To all my white sisters, black folk are not a monolithic group. I know some of you may have never come across a real, live highly educated, highly paid african-american who's kids test in the 99th percentile and therefore (in your minds) we don't exist; but we do, and may I add, there are more of us than you might imagine (particularly in the DC area). We are simply invisible to some of you who don't venture much beyond your comfort zone and whose knowledge of black folk is based on what you see on the 6 o'clock news, reality tv and music videos (oh and yeah...the black chick on the register at Safeway with the bad attitude).

Of course DC has many blacks that are on the very low end of the socio economic scale. There may be some cultural differences in how they present themselves to the outside world, but their problems and issues are really no different than their white or latino or (GASP) asian counterparts of a similar socio economic group.

I'd bet that some of you reading this post would have far more in common with me than a 300 pound, white single mom from Louisiana who shops at Walmart with food stamps.
+1000

The reality is, we are moving beyond a race based society to a class based society. It's not any better, but at least try to keep up with the times.

I don't think you realize how scared white people still are of black people. It's easy to forget in a city where whites have long been in the minority but in most of the country (and among some people in this city) this is still true. Racism against blacks is exacerbated by class divisions but it goes beyond class in a persistent way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:16:20, my point exactly that the campuses alone serve a majority population and therefore if they did close [hypothetically] they would return back to their neighborhood schools.

The choice was given and taken by a population that is primarily AA. It's nothing wrong with that by no means but let the record show that with the sheer numbers alone the majority of AA's who are in the charter-school movement ever selected to return to the traditional DCPS it would be a culture shock for too many too handle.

So? With the exception of JKLM, the system is already majority AA. Stuart Hobson for example, 82% AA and only 15% white. How exactly would more AA students be "a culture shock for too many to handle"?

I think the larger issue would be the fact that the charter students are outperforming their peers in DCPS. So why would they ever close? Who would leave a well-regarded charter for a shabby DCPS with a bad reputation? They currently educate 42% of public students and will probably be in the majority by 2015 or 2016.

Don't worry, the charters are here to stay all right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to figure out why people keep discussing DC in terms of black and white as opposed to socio economics.

To all my white sisters, black folk are not a monolithic group. I know some of you may have never come across a real, live highly educated, highly paid african-american who's kids test in the 99th percentile and therefore (in your minds) we don't exist; but we do, and may I add, there are more of us than you might imagine (particularly in the DC area). We are simply invisible to some of you who don't venture much beyond your comfort zone and whose knowledge of black folk is based on what you see on the 6 o'clock news, reality tv and music videos (oh and yeah...the black chick on the register at Safeway with the bad attitude).

Of course DC has many blacks that are on the very low end of the socio economic scale. There may be some cultural differences in how they present themselves to the outside world, but their problems and issues are really no different than their white or latino or (GASP) asian counterparts of a similar socio economic group.

I'd bet that some of you reading this post would have far more in common with me than a 300 pound, white single mom from Louisiana who shops at Walmart with food stamps.
+1000

The reality is, we are moving beyond a race based society to a class based society. It's not any better, but at least try to keep up with the times.

I don't think you realize how scared white people still are of black people. It's easy to forget in a city where whites have long been in the minority but in most of the country (and among some people in this city) this is still true. Racism against blacks is exacerbated by class divisions but it goes beyond class in a persistent way.

I just can't read any more postings like this about what "whites" and "blacks" think and feel. It's lazy, out dated thinking and not useful at all for moving forward. Yes, racism still exists. But quit trying to assign it to entire groups of people.

[Anonymous]

It's easy to forget in a city where whites have long been in the minority but in most of the country (and among some people in this city) this is still true. Racism against blacks is exacerbated by class divisions but it goes beyond class in a persistent way.

Hi. Nancy Nudge here. I feel obligated to correct this error whenever I see it on DCUM (and I see it a -lot- on vibrant threads in the DC schools forum). Whites haven't "long been in the minority" in DC. They were in the minority for about 30 of the city's 200 years. Right now, blacks are not a majority.

Sure, those years from 1960 to 2000 were powerful and interesting and historic. But that was, in the end, an entry on a much longer timeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm still trying to figure out why people keep discussing DC in terms of black and white as opposed to socio economics.

To all my white sisters, black folk are not a monolithic group. I know some of you may have never come across a real, live highly educated, highly paid african-american who's kids test in the 99th percentile and therefore (in your minds) we don't exist; but we do, and may I add, there are more of us than you might imagine (particularly in the DC area). We are simply invisible to some of you who don't venture much beyond your comfort zone and whose knowledge of black folk is based on what you see on the 6 o'clock news, reality tv and music videos (oh and yeah...the black chick on the register at Safeway with the bad attitude).

Of course DC has many blacks that are on the very low end of the socio economic scale. There may be some cultural differences in how they present themselves to the outside world, but their problems and issues are really no different than their white or latino or (GASP) asian counterparts of a similar socio economic group.

I'd bet that some of you reading this post would have far more in common with me than a 300 pound, white single mom from Louisiana who shops at Walmart with food stamps.
+1000

The reality is, we are moving beyond a race based society to a class based society. It's not any better, but at least try to keep up with the times.

I don't think you realize how scared white people still are of black people. It's easy to forget in a city where whites have long been in the minority but in most of the country (and among some people in this city) this is still true. Racism against blacks is exacerbated by class divisions but it goes beyond class in a persistent way.

Oh my lord, you must be a troll.

"I don't think you realize how scared white people still are of black people" - you can't be serious. Are these the same white people who moved into DC knowing it's a majority black city? Because if that's the case, those are some really stupid white people you hang with. I might believe it out in the far-flung suburbs, but anyone who moves into DC and starts admonishing a well-spoken, clearly educated AA woman that she needs to realize (and what next? accommodate? have sympathy for?) "how scared white people still are" is just a jackass. There's really no better word, with the exception of mouth-breathing moron (oops, that's two words).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is "east of the park" and "west of the park"?

New in town?
The park is Rock creek park. West of it is mainly White and east of it is mainly not.

Yes, just moved here from Amsterdam. Sorry that I don't know your very special local terms. I guess this is how you welcome people?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's easy to forget in a city where whites have long been in the minority but in most of the country (and among some people in this city) this is still true. Racism against blacks is exacerbated by class divisions but it goes beyond class in a persistent way.

Hi. Nancy Nudge here. I feel obligated to correct this error whenever I see it on DCUM (and I see it a -lot- on vibrant threads in the DC schools forum). Whites haven't "long been in the minority" in DC. They were in the minority for about 30 of the city's 200 years. Right now, blacks are not a majority.
Sure, those years from 1960 to 2000 were powerful and interesting and historic. But that was, in the end, an entry on a much longer timeline.

Source?

[Anonymous]

I rarely go "west of the park" because I might as well go into Maryland or VA. If you live in DC....you do so because you want to live in the City. West of the park might as well be Alexandria or Bethesda.

I call it Whiteville.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The reality is, we are moving beyond a race based society to a class based society. It's not any better, but at least try to keep up with the times.

You keep up with the times too -- a lot of us white folks already know that and don't need a lesson on it. In fact, your lecture suggests you're still a bit hung up on race and feel you need to help us whiteys out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is "east of the park" and "west of the park"?

New in town?
The park is Rock creek park. West of it is mainly White and east of it is mainly not.

Yes, just moved here from Amsterdam. Sorry that I don't know your very special local terms. I guess this is how you welcome people?

Actually, you asked a question and I answered it. I sincerely don't understand how you would feel unwelcomed by this.