do you think it is fair for maryland and virginia people to be taking up spots

[Anonymous]

I don't really think you can call it a neighborhood school. It is a private school located in your neighborhood. On top of that, DC belongs to the nation.

[Anonymous]

But then they'd have to encounter black and Latino kids. Maybe - gasp - poor black and Latino kids.

[Anonymous]

PP here- I was referring the pp post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But then they'd have to encounter black and Latino kids. Maybe - gasp - poor black and Latino kids.

actually there was much more diversity at the private schools we applied to than our local elementary school in dc believe it or not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:wouldn't it be nice if private schools gave some sort of preference to kids/ families that live closest to them, as a transportation/ environmental consideration? I happen to live very near a top independent school in DC and I do get a bit steamed from time to time watching all of the SUV-tanks from MD and VA crowd our neighborhood streets....

This is the best point made so far.
The environmental thing is real. Heck, we should try to mandate that private schools make some attempt at getting buses. In NY state, the public school buses can be used by the private schools at no extra charge.
Safer and cleaner.

[Anonymous]

Get over it. Your kids got rejected. Send them somewhere else.

Why on earth should the private schools have a greater social mission than educating the pool of children they choose to educate?

Why on earth should a person whose public school isn't their best option (for whatever the reason) be second rate at a private school within driving distance. Just because the local public school near my house is pretty good, doesn't mean it is pretty good for my kid.

Why on earth does Sidwell et al have a special obligation to the rich of upper northwest simply because DC can't get their act together on schools.

If you want a private obligation, pay for it. If you want a neighborhood because of a mix of features (schools, house size and style, price, tree canopy, commute...) go for it.

GET OVER YOURSELVES.

[Anonymous]

sorry - education, not obligation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:wouldn't it be nice if private schools gave some sort of preference to kids/ families that live closest to them, as a transportation/ environmental consideration? I happen to live very near a top independent school in DC and I do get a bit steamed from time to time watching all of the SUV-tanks from MD and VA crowd our neighborhood streets....

This is the best point made so far.
The environmental thing is real. Heck, we should try to mandate that private schools make some attempt at getting buses. In NY state, the public school buses can be used by the private schools at no extra charge.
Safer and cleaner.

Yes, though not to get sidelined, I used to work at one of the Smithsonian museums and the busses would idle outside for hours. You couldn't breath. It was considered a real health threat, especially on code orange and code red summer days. I would just hate for tons of busses to sit outside schools in my neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But then they'd have to encounter black and Latino kids. Maybe - gasp - poor black and Latino kids.

actually there was much more diversity at the private schools we applied to than our local elementary school in dc believe it or not!

That would be true for us too - for some private schools, anyhow.

[Anonymous]

As someone who's grown up being white and in the minority for much of her life, real "diversity" is not private school diversity, sorry. It's not a handful or even, yes, 25 percent of the population being of color. Diversity is more than just skin color and it's not a handful of prescreened, well-mannered kids from nice families who care enough to send their kids to a private school. Diversity is being with kids whose parents may be on drugs and may eat cheetos for dinner -- regardless of whether they have white or black parents. I guess I just find this supposed desire for diversity to be a wee bit insincere. You want pasteurized, homogenized diversity. And if that's all your kids encounter, consider them lucky.

You'll find at the private schools, its a bunch of caring, middle-class families who fulfill the diversity requirement. What's diverse about that? They are most likely just like you. I'm just saying diversity goes way beyond the color of someone's skin. Sorry this is just a common refrain on this board -- this supposed desire for diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who's grown up being white and in the minority for much of her life, real "diversity" is not private school diversity, sorry. It's not a handful or even, yes, 25 percent of the population being of color. Diversity is more than just skin color and it's not a handful of prescreened, well-mannered kids from nice families who care enough to send their kids to a private school. Diversity is being with kids whose parents may be on drugs and may eat cheetos for dinner -- regardless of whether they have white or black parents. I guess I just find this supposed desire for diversity to be a wee bit insincere. You want pasteurized, homogenized diversity. And if that's all your kids encounter, consider them lucky.

You'll find at the private schools, its a bunch of caring, middle-class families who fulfill the diversity requirement. What's diverse about that? They are most likely just like you. I'm just saying diversity goes way beyond the color of someone's skin. Sorry this is just a common refrain on this board -- this supposed desire for diversity.

Sorry to point this out but those are usually the families that can afford private school. Or are you suggesting that schools should seek out a few drug addicted, cheerio eating children to fulfil "your" definition of diversity? Within some of our neighborhoods (mine at least) the public schools would even be less diverse that private schools. All white and upper middle class. Or are you suggesting we should put our money where our diversity mouth is and jolly well move to Anacostia and live among the drug addicts? I really do not see your point.

[Anonymous]

Not the PP and I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I think the point is that people shouldn't be too quick to congratulate themselves about wanting and having diversity in their schools when the diversity they're talking about is only skin-deep. Certainly desiring such diversity (racial or ethnic but not really socioeconomic) is better than not desiring it, and asking people to seek more is asking a lot. But I do think it's valuable to ask people who trumpet their commitment to diversity to examine just how deep that commitment is.

[Anonymous]

I agree that private schools do not offer socioeconomic diversity. They also do not reflect a diverse population from the academic, developmental delay or learning problems standpoint. It does not mean though that you shouldn't value racial, religous, or cultural diversity at the private schools. Private schools tend to have affluent, over achieving, ambitious and smart kids. Its not bad for kids to learn early on that these characteristics cut across gender, race, religious, nationality and cultural boundaries. I don't find it insincere when parents sekk out diversity from private schools even though it doesn't cover the full range.

[Anonymous]

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really think you can call it a neighborhood school. It is a private school located in your neighborhood. On top of that, DC belongs to the nation.

Well, then, the nation should do a better job of taking care of its property. Grumble, grumble. (DC resident here)