Study: "Discussions of D.C. public school options in an online forum" (yes, this one)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best thing about the anonymity of this board is that it allows the rich white prestige-obsessed and guilt-driven parents (who work too hard to be good parents) of the DMV to express their true feelings without fear of being outcast. They talk the talk in public, but this forum shows that in private they don't walk the walk.

Boring. What walk is it that is the correct one? As identified above, there's nothing we can do beyond be comfortable and silent about kids getting subpar education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best thing about the anonymity of this board is that it allows the rich white prestige-obsessed and guilt-driven parents (who work too hard to be good parents) of the DMV to express their true feelings without fear of being outcast. They talk the talk in public, but this forum shows that in private they don't walk the walk.

I think it shows that everybody is just doing the best they can, and that some people vastly overestimate the time, money, energy, and clout that posters here have.

Without a doubt, stereotyping and judging others is rampant here.

[Anonymous]

The post above is ridiculous and immature. Racism is a highly complex, deep-rooted, multi-layered problem in this country and parents' views are ever-evolving where choosing schools is concerned. I'm heartily sick of the toxic racial politics of DCPS and DCPC 8 years in, leaving me in search of a middle school where academics and extra-curricular achievement are the primary focus, vs. equity, racial harmony and closing the achievement gap. We're not "rich" or white, and neither are most of our friends and the professionals whose services we seek (doctors, dentists, realtors, accountants etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m sorry but I just can’t with this thread.

Until someone can give me a solid reason white folks in DC don’t flock to Banneker, I will not just swallow that we all want what is best for our children even if it happens to mean keeping our children segregated in schools that are 5% black.

1.) The most recent narrative that Banneker is just too precious of a school for the black community for white folks to mess up a good thing is bulls$&@. 20 years ago, Walls was 13% white and 73% black. Today it’s 50% white and 25% black. White folk had zero problems gentrifying Walls but won’t touch Banneker with a 10 foot pole.

2.) The other BS excuse that Banneker SAT scores are merely right above average don’t take into account that Banneker is an all black school. So its 1120 SAT scores should be measured against national averages for black students (946). Let’s not even get into income inequality. Did you know the average white student with family below poverty scores 130 points higher than the average black student? Anyone that has even the most basic understanding of statistics knows not to measure the SATs at Banneker to nationwide but they continue to site this as an excuse of not being interested in Banneker.

Banneker is top 100 high schools in the nation and is is tied for first in the nation for Math and Reading Performance Rank (How aggregated scores on state assessments compare to U.S. News' expectations given the proportions of students who are black, Hispanic and from low-income households). Imagine how your brilliant white student can excel there.

3.) Banneker is just too hard of a school - See Basis, TJ

4.) I plan to “look” at Banneker when my 1st grader is old enough - yeah we’ve heard that before.

5.) I don’t want my child to be an only - what did white patents 20 years ago think when they gentrified Walls, Deal, Wilson and are doing now on the Hill and at Shepherd?

6.) My child wants to play X sport - recent Banneker grad played football (and maybe track) at Roosevelt and was a super star gaining admissions to various Ivy League schools

Sure, Banneker is not for everyone. But certainly it’s a good fit for more than the 2 white kids that attend every year.

Supporting arguments: see Creative Minds popularity vs nearby Whittier, Barnard, Truesdell etc.

I would love for my kids to go there. It's a peer group I'd be thrilled to put my kids in. I don't know why this isn't a more popular viewpoint. Maybe people are willing to be an only when they don't have other options, and by the time you make it through middle school and to high school, you have other options.

I will file you under excuse #4. Not sure I buy your second part of having other options for high school being as though there are kids that don’t get into Walls and settle for Wilson (and not because they’re athletes).

Next?!

I don't know anyone who thinks Wilson is settling.

You should get out more. DC is surrounded by some of the top public high schools in the whole country.

We are talking about people who live in DC and see moving to the burbs as settling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing about the anonymity of this board is that it allows the rich white prestige-obsessed and guilt-driven parents (who work too hard to be good parents) of the DMV to express their true feelings without fear of being outcast. They talk the talk in public, but this forum shows that in private they don't walk the walk.

I think it shows that everybody is just doing the best they can, and that some people vastly overestimate the time, money, energy, and clout that posters here have.

Without a doubt, stereotyping and judging others is rampant here.

Especially the kind of stereotyping and judging PP did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All the Banneker poster is pointing out is that in DC's successful process of getting more white students to stay in DC public high schools, Banneker is next on the agenda. Parents who chose Wilson and Walls are not segregating, they were integrating Wilson and Walls, and have done so, and DC will work to sustain that presence. Now, instead of those schools shifting to majority white (SWW has tipped, Wilson is far off yet), the next schools to increase the share of the very small pool of white high school students are Banneker, DE, and McKinley, and to encourage that, Banneker, at least, has made some changes by adding more APs, focusing on their problem keeping boys in the school, allowing kids to play sports at other high schools, etc. It's the next step in the process. DC is moving in the right direction.

Adding #8 (spin off from #4).

Don’t worry, soon enough, as soon as XYZ is done to appease me, us white folks will come and save your Banneker. This one might be neck in neck with #1 (I don’t want to mess up your sacred HBCU feeling school) on the ridiculous meter. Banneker doesn’t have to do XYX to attract you, just like Hardy didn’t have to get rid of uniforms to attract rich white folks. They don’t need saving. You need to prove that you’re not afraid of black 14 year olds. But keep clamoring to Creative Minds and Inspired Teaching because you want “play-based” learning. 🙄

I'm a simple man who doesn't expect much, but I do expect my DC's DCPS to teach the difference between subject and object pronouns. Call me old fashioned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh I love this so much. It’s absolutely brilliant. “Resource hoarding” is a perfect descriptor for DCUMers in general, but it’s a particularly apt description of the DC public school parents on DCUM. They just hate systemic racism and will call YOU racist, but are completely fine with perpetuating segregation and upholding the pillars of systemic racism In their own community. Bravo, Brookings Institution!

Ridiculous on its face.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The best thing about the anonymity of this board is that it allows the rich white prestige-obsessed and guilt-driven parents (who work too hard to be good parents) of the DMV to express their true feelings without fear of being outcast. They talk the talk in public, but this forum shows that in private they don't walk the walk.

I think it shows that everybody is just doing the best they can, and that some people vastly overestimate the time, money, energy, and clout that posters here have.

Without a doubt, stereotyping and judging others is rampant here.

Especially the kind of stereotyping and judging PP did.

Only in DC is a parent called a racist for sending their child to a school that is 39% white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Nice White Parents podcast is helpful on paradigm setting.

Yes, go to your local schools.

No, don’t act like you are a “pioneer” or own or direct them just because you are part of the class with money, ability to donate or fundraise, etc.

Act like you’re joining a group project that needs effort but NOT a new boss! Be helpful not screamy. Don’t show up and then try to create a new magic cohort for your child on day 2. Join, reach out, etc.

Absolutely. Mouths shut, wallets open, misogyny on fleek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Nice White Parents podcast is helpful on paradigm setting.

Yes, go to your local schools.

No, don’t act like you are a “pioneer” or own or direct them just because you are part of the class with money, ability to donate or fundraise, etc.

Act like you’re joining a group project that needs effort but NOT a new boss! Be helpful not screamy. Don’t show up and then try to create a new magic cohort for your child on day 2. Join, reach out, etc.

This!!! This all day with schools, with work, with any place that is new to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Nice White Parents podcast is helpful on paradigm setting.

Yes, go to your local schools.

No, don’t act like you are a “pioneer” or own or direct them just because you are part of the class with money, ability to donate or fundraise, etc.

Act like you’re joining a group project that needs effort but NOT a new boss! Be helpful not screamy. Don’t show up and then try to create a new magic cohort for your child on day 2. Join, reach out, etc.

This!!! This all day with schools, with work, with any place that is new to you.

I don't want my kid at my IB because my IB directs the majority of its resources to at-risk kids. And the majority of kids are at-risk. I've already tried this approach and I'm not going to subject my kid to this again, as there were....issues.

Like, I'm comfortable at this stage being ostracized by my more judgmental friends if they can't grasp the complexity of the situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The most important thing you could do to improve these threads is to require users to login so that their posts can be associated with one another over time and so that it would be clear how many people are participating in any given discussion.

You don't need to require real names (nor would that be practicable)--this alone would help. Most people aren't going to go to the trouble of setting up multiple accounts to troll as someone other than their core persona.

This will turn the forum into yet another boring place where everyone is just saying PC things and afraid to provide any real perspective.
Look what happened to the explicit thread, it’s dead.

And popville is a vapid echo chamber for the same 20 approved posters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Nice White Parents podcast is helpful on paradigm setting.

Yes, go to your local schools.

No, don’t act like you are a “pioneer” or own or direct them just because you are part of the class with money, ability to donate or fundraise, etc.

Act like you’re joining a group project that needs effort but NOT a new boss! Be helpful not screamy. Don’t show up and then try to create a new magic cohort for your child on day 2. Join, reach out, etc.

This!!! This all day with schools, with work, with any place that is new to you.

Yes, because it’s wrong for anyone (except the two pps ) to preach about how things should be done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The best thing about the anonymity of this board is that it allows the rich white prestige-obsessed and guilt-driven parents (who work too hard to be good parents) of the DMV to express their true feelings without fear of being outcast. They talk the talk in public, but this forum shows that in private they don't walk the walk.

What walk? Nobody is talking the talk or walking the walk of choosing to do what PPs suggest. not really sure where you think the discrepancy is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Nice White Parents podcast is helpful on paradigm setting.

Yes, go to your local schools.

No, don’t act like you are a “pioneer” or own or direct them just because you are part of the class with money, ability to donate or fundraise, etc.

Act like you’re joining a group project that needs effort but NOT a new boss! Be helpful not screamy. Don’t show up and then try to create a new magic cohort for your child on day 2. Join, reach out, etc.

This!!! This all day with schools, with work, with any place that is new to you.

Of course, but the issue is most of us just stay away in the first place. Unwelcoming, fine, don't want to hear from us, great, love it. You do you, I'll find another place for my kid. Thanks.