Anybody Here Ever Have a Kid Above Grade Level Go Through DCPS Middle Schools besides Deal or Hardy?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I can think of a dozen kids I have come in contact with (babysitters, neighbors, older siblings, etc.) who have graduated from SH in last 10 years. They've gone to Banneker, Walls, Ellington and Wilson. And a range of decent colleges, including Ivy League and top notch state schools.

Some kids will do well anywhere. Most won't. I've lived across the street from SH since the 90s. Unless their demographics shift pretty radically in the next 5 years, we're not interested for our little kids. I don't see this happening. More charters will just open to draw in the CH middle-class families who don't like their neighborhod middle school options, like Washington Latin's planned 2nd campus.

What’s wrong with the demographics?

Nothing, if you're fine with 80% AA and OOB and half low SES at SH in a neighborhood that's become overwhelmingly UMC and largely white. If you're race baiting, knock if off already.

You are scum.

PS- Hardy had similar demographics only a few years ago. The white kids didn’t die once a few started going there. My kid does to a 80% AA school and she doesn’t die at school. In fact, she’s safer at her 80% AA school than a suburban school and threat of guns.

I don't want my Asian kid as the proverbial point man in a battle as a student at a DCPS middle school, going in first so that 4 guys behind him won't be hurt or killed. The Stuart Hobson catchment area looks to be at least 5% Asian. To my knowledge, there is just one Asian student at the school, a 6th grader whose mom tells me that they won't be back next year. No way. You guys don't get it. Every family in DC isn't white, AA or Latino. When Asian parents totally avoid a school, something is very wrong with the program.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't have enough numbers for anyone to care

^^and you need to look at the residents in the catchment with kids. Throwing out a reasonable guess of 5% doesn't make that accurate for families with school aged children

Come on. 5% is a good estimate for the families in the catchment area with school-age children. Just look at the composition of ECE and lower grades classes in our neighborhood schools, and the look of kids in local playgrounds. If you're an Asian family, you notice the composition and you see that there are far more Asian kids of all ages around than there were just five years ago. They just aren't at SH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can think of a dozen kids I have come in contact with (babysitters, neighbors, older siblings, etc.) who have graduated from SH in last 10 years. They've gone to Banneker, Walls, Ellington and Wilson. And a range of decent colleges, including Ivy League and top notch state schools.

Some kids will do well anywhere. Most won't. I've lived across the street from SH since the 90s. Unless their demographics shift pretty radically in the next 5 years, we're not interested for our little kids. I don't see this happening. More charters will just open to draw in the CH middle-class families who don't like their neighborhod middle school options, like Washington Latin's planned 2nd campus.

What’s wrong with the demographics?

Nothing, if you're fine with 80% AA and OOB and half low SES at SH in a neighborhood that's become overwhelmingly UMC and largely white. If you're race baiting, knock if off already.

You are scum.

PS- Hardy had similar demographics only a few years ago. The white kids didn’t die once a few started going there. My kid does to a 80% AA school and she doesn’t die at school. In fact, she’s safer at her 80% AA school than a suburban school and threat of guns.

I don't want my Asian kid as the proverbial point man in a battle as a student at a DCPS middle school, going in first so that 4 guys behind him won't be hurt or killed. The Stuart Hobson catchment area looks to be at least 5% Asian. To my knowledge, there is just one Asian student at the school, a 6th grader whose mom tells me that they won't be back next year. No way. You guys don't get it. Every family in DC isn't white, AA or Latino. When Asian parents totally avoid a school, something is very wrong with the program.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't have enough numbers for anyone to care

^^and you need to look at the residents in the catchment with kids. Throwing out a reasonable guess of 5% doesn't make that accurate for families with school aged children

Come on. 5% is a good estimate for the families in the catchment area with school-age children. Just look at the composition of ECE and lower grades classes in our neighborhood schools, and the look of kids in local playgrounds. If you're an Asian family, you notice the composition and you see that there are far more Asian kids of all ages around than there were just five years ago. They just aren't at SH.

There are not many older Asian kids in DC, middle and high school age, and if their family stays in DC, they go private. SH, Basis, Latin, Deal....? No thanks.

[Anonymous]

^^According to publisher statistics Basis is 7 % Asian. From what I’ve observed personally, the 5th grade may be closer to 10%, though I may be mistaken and don’t have data (other than a school directory of names) to back it up.

Clearly Basis is attracting some Asians. What that means, I’ll allow others to opine on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^According to publisher statistics Basis is 7 % Asian. From what I’ve observed personally, the 5th grade may be closer to 10%, though I may be mistaken and don’t have data (other than a school directory of names) to back it up.

Clearly Basis is attracting some Asians. What that means, I’ll allow others to opine on.

Yu Ying is nearly 30% Asian including mixed kids but that is elementary school. It’ll be interesting to see how many Asian 5th graders at Basis stay on.

All the Asian parents I know (I’m Asian too) move out of DC for TJ if they want public or go private if staying in DC once their kids hit middle school age.

Not all Asian kids in DC have Asian parents as the Yu Ying bashers love to point out...

[Anonymous]

I don't see the Asian YY crowd as particularly representative of Asians in this Metro area. A good number of the kids are Chinese girls adopted by whites. Most of the parents are American Asians so assimilated that they don't speak their family's language, or speak it poorly, and don't identify as American-Born Chinese, Koreans, South Asians etc.

What I find to be true about most Asian immigrants, and Asian parents who grew up in domestic Asian enclaves, is that they don't see racial or socioeconomic diversity as a selling point in choosing a school. They simply want a high-performing school. Few Asian immigrant families were here during the CRM. One result is that their members tend not to be particularly sympathetic to the victims of institutionalized racism or their descendants. Asian immigrant families had their own grave 20th century problems in ancestral homelands - catastrophic wars, famine, expropriation of private property by Communist governments etc. By liberal DC standards, they're a racist bunch.

As more Asian parents embrace urban living, their DC presence grows. When we started at our DCPS five years ago, the Asian population of the school was around 1%. Now it's close to 5%. Some of the kids with Asian immigrant parents will stay in the public system, mainly at Deal and BASIS. But I don't see any of these kids landing in 2nd tier DCPS middle school programs (SH, Jefferson, Eliot-Hine, Brookland, McFarland etc.) for years to come.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see the Asian YY crowd as particularly representative of Asians in this Metro area. A good number of the kids are Chinese girls adopted by whites. Most of the parents are American Asians so assimilated that they don't speak their family's language, or speak it poorly, and don't identify as American-Born Chinese, Koreans, South Asians etc.

What I find to be true about most Asian immigrants, and Asian parents who grew up in domestic Asian enclaves, is that they don't see racial or socioeconomic diversity as a selling point in choosing a school. They simply want a high-performing school. Few Asian immigrant families were here during the CRM. One result is that their members tend not to be particularly sympathetic to the victims of institutionalized racism or their descendants. Asian immigrant families had their own grave 20th century problems in ancestral homelands - catastrophic wars, famine, expropriation of private property by Communist governments etc. By liberal DC standards, they're a racist bunch.

As more Asian parents embrace urban living, their DC presence grows. When we started at our DCPS five years ago, the Asian population of the school was around 1%. Now it's close to 5%. Some of the kids with Asian immigrant parents will stay in the public system, mainly at Deal and BASIS. But I don't see any of these kids landing in 2nd tier DCPS middle school programs (SH, Jefferson, Eliot-Hine, Brookland, McFarland etc.) for years to come.

The Asians at YY represent Asians in DC itself very well. Most Asians don’t move to DC if they have school aged kids, period. They move to areas that are zoned for TJ or MOCo magnets. The Asians at YY are much more liberal and assimilated which is why they live in DC and send them to school here. The fact that they would even consider DC public schools, including Deal and Wilson, sets them apart from most Asians.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't see the Asian YY crowd as particularly representative of Asians in this Metro area. A good number of the kids are Chinese girls adopted by whites. Most of the parents are American Asians so assimilated that they don't speak their family's language, or speak it poorly, and don't identify as American-Born Chinese, Koreans, South Asians etc.

What I find to be true about most Asian immigrants, and Asian parents who grew up in domestic Asian enclaves, is that they don't see racial or socioeconomic diversity as a selling point in choosing a school. They simply want a high-performing school. Few Asian immigrant families were here during the CRM. One result is that their members tend not to be particularly sympathetic to the victims of institutionalized racism or their descendants. Asian immigrant families had their own grave 20th century problems in ancestral homelands - catastrophic wars, famine, expropriation of private property by Communist governments etc. By liberal DC standards, they're a racist bunch.

As more Asian parents embrace urban living, their DC presence grows. When we started at our DCPS five years ago, the Asian population of the school was around 1%. Now it's close to 5%. Some of the kids with Asian immigrant parents will stay in the public system, mainly at Deal and BASIS. But I don't see any of these kids landing in 2nd tier DCPS middle school programs (SH, Jefferson, Eliot-Hine, Brookland, McFarland etc.) for years to come.

The Asians at YY represent Asians in DC itself very well. Most Asians don’t move to DC if they have school aged kids, period. They move to areas that are zoned for TJ or MOCo magnets. The Asians at YY are much more liberal and assimilated which is why they live in DC and send them to school here. The fact that they would even consider DC public schools, including Deal and Wilson, sets them apart from most Asians.

It's no longer that simple. Things are changing. There are now scores of less assimilated/not as liberal Asians, both high and low SES, in a variety of DC public school programs. They amalgamate in Upper NW, at Thomson ES in Chinatown (low SES Chinese and Vietnamese families) at Jefferson Academy (former Thomson families) and on CH. These families often use MoCo (Chinese) or Annandale (Koreans) heritage language programs on weekends. Those outside the Deal-Hardy-Wilson pyramid generally send their children to privates, BASIS or WL after ES. It's true that you won't find high SES/less assimilated Asian immigrant families in DCPS middle school programs outside Deal or Hardy.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid at Deal and there are quite a few Asians there. I have another kid at a Big3 private and can't think of any DC Asians (none at all in my child's grade, I'm not as familiar with other grades). Asians generally don't want to pay close to $50k for school (smart people!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Deal and there are quite a few Asians there. I have another kid at a Big3 private and can't think of any DC Asians (none at all in my child's grade, I'm not as familiar with other grades). Asians generally don't want to pay close to $50k for school (smart people!).

5%. The PP who cares about that doesn’t think that’s enough. It is also irrelevant as they live IB for SH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Deal and there are quite a few Asians there. I have another kid at a Big3 private and can't think of any DC Asians (none at all in my child's grade, I'm not as familiar with other grades). Asians generally don't want to pay close to $50k for school (smart people!).

I f the Big 3 is Sidwell, there are quite a few South Asians. STA/NCS has a fair number of Asians as well. That said, most Asian immigrants are at high-performing publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at Deal and there are quite a few Asians there. I have another kid at a Big3 private and can't think of any DC Asians (none at all in my child's grade, I'm not as familiar with other grades). Asians generally don't want to pay close to $50k for school (smart people!).

I f the Big 3 is Sidwell, there are quite a few South Asians. STA/NCS has a fair number of Asians as well. That said, most Asian immigrants are at high-performing publics.

Yes, but the Asians at our Big3 are all from suburbia. Not DC residents.

[Anonymous]

A bit of history: Jefferson MS was a de facto math/science magnet school during the years your friend would have attended. The legendary principal there ran a parallel unofficial magnet program there that allowed talented and motivated students from all over the city. They had advanced classes separate from the regular student body. They were then funneled directly to Wilson HS. They were nearly 100% African American students and received a great education. But it was all very quiet and under the table.

That program ended under political pressure and the student performance and population at Jefferson plummeted to less than 200 students.

DC native, the above that the previous poster wrote is true, my cousin went to Jefferson under that principal and he excelled. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t send my own kid through DCPS or Jefferson today. I graduated from a “well regarded application based DCPS high school in 2008, got my B.A. and Master’s, did TFA for two years and left DCPS in 2016. DCPS is still the same political shit show, restorative justice, out of control kids, and crappy ness back when I went to school. Charters are no better, I’ve worked in two supposedly good ones. My parents *heavily* supplemented and I am where I am because of the grace of God and good parenting. My younger siblings went to Parochial schools after me. OP, I say this as gently as possible, go private or suburbs. Every now and then I check this forum to see if DCPS is progressing, maybe it is but probably not fast enough.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, PP, other than maybe Deal, Hardy and BASIS. Even for those programs, a parent needs to supplement quite a bit. No DC public program does a good job teaching English lit or writing, and BASIS parents tend to supplement quite a bit for extra curriculars. The DCPS middle school boosters on this thread are putting politics/liberal ideology before education for their children. I think it's called white guilt.

[Anonymous]

I had thought DCUM was mellowing, but this thread remains DCUM ON FIRE.

[Anonymous]

Good, DCUM should be on fire right now mainly because Bowser isn't serious about raising standards in our schools, particularly middle schools.

DCPS needs to come under far more pressure to track academically across the board, and to improve school discipline. They need to do this to start serving in-boundary populations in gentrifying neighborhoods well.

The leadership resists like mad, as though local voters are not important stakeholders. If rising DCPS middle school programs routinely offered bona fide advanced classes in English, math, social studies and science, they'd take off. Instead, we get Honors for All at Wilson, Grosso trying to shift parent-provided PTO funds from functional schools to dysfunctional ones with weak oversight, DCPS pouring tens of millions of dollars into half empty middle school buildings in Ward 6 (Eliot-Hine, Jefferson Academy) with no prospect of these buildings filling up on their current sad development trajectories etc.