African Americans in Top Montgomery County Elementary Schools

[Anonymous]

I posted a few schools - 00:23 on the person looking for diverse schools etc. in Rockville (I posted a variety of schools, not just Rockville)

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/15/250643.page

Basically I came up with the list by looking at the MCPS elementary schools at a glance where there was enough of a Afr-American population to post results, the Farms % for the group was less than half of the Afr-American population, the scores for Afr-American on the TN2 had atleast roughly 70% or more above the 50 percentile in reading and math, the disparity among Afr-American and the other sub groups did not appear that great, and when you looked at the overall diversity it was maybe 40% non-white. I looked at schools in Potomac, Rockvile, Kensington, Silver Spring, Bethesda, and maybe Gaithersburg. Why I was up at midnight doing this, I don't know, curiosity I guess and maybe wishing I had looked at the data like that before I purchased. Also, I just eyeballed the data, no spreadsheets.

Also, don't forget that you can be part of the solution too, not just as part of working with your child but working with other parents. There was an article in the Washington Post about parents in Ashburn, VA (Club 2012) that pulled together in middle school and high school that made sure their kids did well in school and had a peer group to help keep them on track.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/club-2012-black-parents-who-made-sure-their-sons-succeeded-in-school/2012/06/13/gJQAnEdZcV_story.html

I will add that my kids are multi-racial and I'm African-American.

[Anonymous]

I wonder what would be happening if the races were reversed and it was an a white kid trying to get out of a majority black school. The thread would probably be deleted.

Actually, a similar thing is happening right now in Alabama and it's against federal law. From HuffPo, below:

Rayville Elementary, Failing Louisiana School, Will Not Transfer White Students Out Because Of 1960s Court Ruling (LETTER)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/rayville-elementary-faili_n_1726912.html

[Anonymous]

absolutely disgusting

So b/c this CHILD is white (and in the majority) he has to suffer through this.

How many on this thread have sympathy for a white child in a failing school?

Again, it's not about race; it's about a quality education for ALL children.

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what would be happening if the races were reversed and it was an a white kid trying to get out of a majority black school. The thread would probably be deleted.

Actually, a similar thing is happening right now in Alabama and it's against federal law. From HuffPo, below:

Rayville Elementary, Failing Louisiana School, Will Not Transfer White Students Out Because Of 1960s Court Ruling (LETTER)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/rayville-elementary-faili_n_1726912.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am the person you quoted. I guess it depends on how you define harmed. I was one of those "onlies" as a child, and I am sure my parents would have said I wasn't harmed. I did very well academically, and I am very successful now. But I really struggled socially and emotionally, and felt painfully different at times. And it impacted my racial identity. Having a black family did not make up for the isolation I felt during the school day. To this day, I struggle and have to make an effort to connect and form deep friendships with other black women. I still feel different, like there is some set of social rules that I did not learn growing up. And I know white adoptive parents who are raising their children in otherwise exclusively white environments. Those kids don't even have the benefit of seeing themselves reflected at home.

If being the only black child were the only way for my children to get a good education, then I would feel better about it. But in this area, it simply isn't necessary to put my children in that position.

Thanks for your response and sharing your experience which I believe is different than that experienced by my child (who thrived academically but also socially/emotionally and seems to have escaped the racial identity and isolation/exclusion challenges that you faced/are still trying to overcome) but which is probably more common. To be clear, I'm saying that my child's experience is probably the exception not yours (and so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that years for now my child isn't jumping off a bridge somewhere while screaming "why did you send me to that white school?").

This is truly offensive to me.

What do you think of me - a white female - who is always the minority in the classroom? Should I hope that one day I'm not jumping off a bridge questioning why I spent many years at that diverse school?

It goes both ways. I have had classes with only one white child who obviously felt out of the loop. However, as an educated adult, I work on developing a safe atmosphere where learning is the main goal.

When I hear such ignorant statements I often question why more minorities don't go into teaching. While our staff is growing more and more diverse, white females are still the majority. But how many GOOD teachers who just happen to be white will want to try to fight such ignorant beliefs held by parents? It's hard enough to keep young teachers in the profession, as many leave w/in the first 5 years. But imagine how much harder it will be unless BOTH sides come to an agreement to stop perpetuating damaging stereotypes.

I am blown away by the ignorance on this board.

I wasn't talking to you. I was solely speaking to one person: the poster who made a comment that I found curious (and who kindly and thoughtful responded). I frankly don't care about your experience. Again -- my posting was a conversation between A (a poster making a specific comment) and B (a poster asking for elaboration) -- so please take your rantings someplace else . . . or maybe, go jump off a bridge!

Go jump off a bridge? really smart answer, PP

Oh no - that's for your child to do, remember? b/c he's so damaged from being surrounded by white children

I will not take my "rantings" elsewhere. These are children we're talking about. And in this day of blended families, where kids are multi-ethnic, it's sad you can't see beyond skin color. Obviously, you connect white to bad.

Don't feel bad for MY minority students. They are doing just fine. However, should you be alarmed that a white person is teaching minority children, then encourage YOUR children to become educators instead of placing blame on whites who want nothing better than to level the playing field.

It goes both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what would be happening if the races were reversed and it was an a white kid trying to get out of a majority black school. The thread would probably be deleted.

Actually, a similar thing is happening right now in Alabama and it's against federal law. From HuffPo, below:

Rayville Elementary, Failing Louisiana School, Will Not Transfer White Students Out Because Of 1960s Court Ruling (LETTER)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/01/rayville-elementary-faili_n_1726912.html

Before the the thread was deleted you would be shouted down and called a racist.

[Anonymous]

Back on the main topic.....

My AA kids attend both predominately minority and caucasian middle schools in MoCo. I found unique problems with both.

Minority school - DC was bullied by peers because DC is very academic and nerdish. Teachers 'mostly' loved my DCs intellect.

Caucasian school - Kids much more accepting and friendly. Teachers were skeptics and confused because DC did not fit thier stereotype. Substitute teachers assume the only AA in the class is the troublemaker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seven Locks ES is over 8% AA, unlike Bannockburn and some of the other Bethesda schools.

Is this because the Scotland community feeds into Seven Locks? (I honestly don't know if it does, it is also near Bells Mill, so maybe feeds there?) If so, OP might want to consider how it would be for AA students from outside this community but still at the school.

WOW, good catch - crucial point! (i.e., what if 7.9999% of the AA kids are from the section 8 or project Scotland neighborhood, so then your AA child is different than ALL of the other kids? That would suck). How about something in Rockville or in the Olney/Sherwood district?

[Anonymous]

One more thing....

Two teachers at this top middle school refused to advance my DC to honors level for the next school year. DC had straight A's in their classes. I made sure the classes were changed to honors through the guidance counselors office.

[Anonymous]

Because I think people of color have enough opportunities to "deal with" racism without having to choose schools where their kids will be without many peers like themselves and viewed as "the minority." Why does not wanting this make you less of an "adult"? Seems perfectly understandable to me.

If the goal in the educational life of your children is to choose schools whereyour kids will be with peers like themselves(based on color, race, ethnicity, religion, SES or weight ... for example) then your job as a parent is to find those schools and enroll your kids in them.