Walls admissions article in the Post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

Huh? First it’s a high school. Second, they screen out kids with IEPs (which is illegal). They screen out kids in wards 7 and 8. What else is there to know?

What evidence do you have that kids in these Wards are screened out?

I don’t think it’s the group being discriminated against that needs to present more evidence.

You need to verify that discrimination occurred. How do you know that kids from Ward 7 and 8 applied? Maybe the “ward unknown” kids are largely from Ward 7 and 8 and previously sought better schooling at charters?

Without more information, it’s bs to insist that students from Ward 7 and 8 are discriminated against.

What is surely true is:

— Walls admissions is super subjective.

— Wards 7 and 8 need better schools and, especially, more social services from early childhood on, so more of the students are prepared for competitive schools.

Oh my god. Again, from the Post article: “According to the school system, 50 students attending the five neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8 applied to be part of the incoming freshmen at Walls. Overall, 138 students living in the two wards applied.” But “Just three eighth graders at middle schools in Wards 7 and 8 — Hart, Johnson, Kelly Miller, Kramer and Sousa middle schools — made the cut of 500 students and accepted interviews, according to city data.” And “Preliminary data shows the new freshman class includes four students from Wards 7 and 8.”

You’re right — I was responding to PP and didn’t read the article. It still holds that it's not clear that discrimination is the problem as opposed to an the kids being underserved in earlier life.

Again - discrimination suggests that an admissions officer looked at the addresses of those 138 kids and tossed their application in the trash based on that. And solely on that. If the qualifications were reviewed and were rejected on that basis - then no, that isn not discrimination. Sorry.

+1

I could see you raising discrimination concerns if 138 students in those wards made the gpa cutoff but didn’t get in through the interview. But only a handful made the gpa cutoff. That is a quantitative measure- take the students with the top 500 gpas and interview them. How is that discrimination? It is race and gender blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's POPULATION:
45.4% Black or African American
4.1% Asian
5.2% Hispanic White
0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native
42.5% White
4.4% Some Other Race, 0.1% Pacific Islander and 3.3% from two or more races

WALLS BREAKDOWN:
25% Black/African-American
7% Asian
13% Hispanic / Latino
<1% Native American / Alaska Native
50% White non-Hispanic
5% Multiracial

So Walls is actually quite diverse, people always use this word incorrectly. A 95% black school isn't diverse. The problem is we need to get more Black students into Walls. The problem is DC's Black population skews poor. That's what needs to be fixed. Those kids aren't going to elementary and middle schools that prepare them for success. They are lacking resources at home, at school, and in their communities. My guess is most poor Black kids are never told they can take the test and get into a good HS. Walls should start a program, but the problem is far too entrenched for it to be on the shoulders of one magnet public school in the city.

City population isn’t relevant. DCPS population is. According to the Post article, 15% of DCPS students are white; 60% are black.

PP here. Yes this is excellent and necessary information to determine how to fix the problem. That is what we need.

Walls and Banneker are widely known as the two best test-in DCPS high schools and they are roughly the same size. Banneker by reputation is akin to an HBCU and has nearly zero white students. So in effect all of the top white students only apply to Walls while top black students apply to both Walls and Banneker. As a result, Banneker has a higher than average share of black students (73%) while Walls has a higher than average white students (51%). That's largely an artifact of where students apply.

There are three other factors in play. First, Banneker just opened its amazing new state-of-the-art $130 million campus which is now larger and located in much more convenient location. This very likely increased the number of top black students applying to and attending Banneker over Walls this past year. Second, Walls pulls top white students from private middle schools as well. So looking just at the percentage of white students in DCPS understates the base of white students who apply to Walls. Third, the entire Walls leadership team including the principal is black, as is the mayor and school chancellor. It would seem very odd to me that they would have an interest in disadvantaging black students. More likely they are basing entry on which students they think can handle the rigor at Walls. I have a very smart student at Walls who has to work very hard to do well; the academics are no joke.

Would love your perspective then on why they don't just use grades or more heavily weight grades? How on earth can they use a three minute interview to determine who can do the work? I know several very high performing kids that did not get in this year over lower performing (white) kids from the same school with worse grades. What could Walls interviewers have gleaned from these interviews to determine that the kids with worse grades in middle school would do better at this selective school than kids from their same middle school who performed better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

This is very likely what happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

Huh? First it’s a high school. Second, they screen out kids with IEPs (which is illegal). They screen out kids in wards 7 and 8. What else is there to know?

What evidence do you have that kids in these Wards are screened out?

I don’t think it’s the group being discriminated against that needs to present more evidence.

You need to verify that discrimination occurred. How do you know that kids from Ward 7 and 8 applied? Maybe the “ward unknown” kids are largely from Ward 7 and 8 and previously sought better schooling at charters?

Without more information, it’s bs to insist that students from Ward 7 and 8 are discriminated against.

What is surely true is:

— Walls admissions is super subjective.

— Wards 7 and 8 need better schools and, especially, more social services from early childhood on, so more of the students are prepared for competitive schools.

Oh my god. Again, from the Post article: “According to the school system, 50 students attending the five neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8 applied to be part of the incoming freshmen at Walls. Overall, 138 students living in the two wards applied.” But “Just three eighth graders at middle schools in Wards 7 and 8 — Hart, Johnson, Kelly Miller, Kramer and Sousa middle schools — made the cut of 500 students and accepted interviews, according to city data.” And “Preliminary data shows the new freshman class includes four students from Wards 7 and 8.”

You’re right — I was responding to PP and didn’t read the article. It still holds that it's not clear that discrimination is the problem as opposed to an the kids being underserved in earlier life.

“The systemic racism at walls isn’t as bad bc also they had systemic racism earlier” we’re really doing this

So
- 138 kids in Wards 7 & 8 applied, of which
- only 3 BOTH met the GPA threshold AND accepted an interview

How many met the GPA threshold but *declined* an interview because, for example, Walls...
- is hard to commute to? Sort of like a poll tax?
- doesn't have good sports programs? Can't even with the assumptions here
- is relatively unstructured? Wut?
- is stronger in arts / humanities than STEM? I'm actually baffled at why this would be a bigger consideration for Ward 7 and 8 than Ward 3

And if applicants couldn't meet the modest GPA threshold (in a year of massive grade inflation), why should they be accepted at a putatively challenging HS?

You are just embarrassing yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

Huh? First it’s a high school. Second, they screen out kids with IEPs (which is illegal). They screen out kids in wards 7 and 8. What else is there to know?

What evidence do you have that kids in these Wards are screened out?

I don’t think it’s the group being discriminated against that needs to present more evidence.

You need to verify that discrimination occurred. How do you know that kids from Ward 7 and 8 applied? Maybe the “ward unknown” kids are largely from Ward 7 and 8 and previously sought better schooling at charters?

Without more information, it’s bs to insist that students from Ward 7 and 8 are discriminated against.

What is surely true is:

— Walls admissions is super subjective.

— Wards 7 and 8 need better schools and, especially, more social services from early childhood on, so more of the students are prepared for competitive schools.

Oh my god. Again, from the Post article: “According to the school system, 50 students attending the five neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8 applied to be part of the incoming freshmen at Walls. Overall, 138 students living in the two wards applied.” But “Just three eighth graders at middle schools in Wards 7 and 8 — Hart, Johnson, Kelly Miller, Kramer and Sousa middle schools — made the cut of 500 students and accepted interviews, according to city data.” And “Preliminary data shows the new freshman class includes four students from Wards 7 and 8.”

You’re right — I was responding to PP and didn’t read the article. It still holds that it's not clear that discrimination is the problem as opposed to an the kids being underserved in earlier life.

Again - discrimination suggests that an admissions officer looked at the addresses of those 138 kids and tossed their application in the trash based on that. And solely on that. If the qualifications were reviewed and were rejected on that basis - then no, that isn not discrimination. Sorry.

+1

I could see you raising discrimination concerns if 138 students in those wards made the gpa cutoff but didn’t get in through the interview. But only a handful made the gpa cutoff. That is a quantitative measure- take the students with the top 500 gpas and interview them. How is that discrimination? It is race and gender blind.

Don’t know if any of your gpa hypotheticals are true but boy oh boy if you think gpa’s aren’t blind to race. This is a SYSTEMIC issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

Huh? First it’s a high school. Second, they screen out kids with IEPs (which is illegal). They screen out kids in wards 7 and 8. What else is there to know?

What evidence do you have that kids in these Wards are screened out?

I don’t think it’s the group being discriminated against that needs to present more evidence.

You need to verify that discrimination occurred. How do you know that kids from Ward 7 and 8 applied? Maybe the “ward unknown” kids are largely from Ward 7 and 8 and previously sought better schooling at charters?

Without more information, it’s bs to insist that students from Ward 7 and 8 are discriminated against.

What is surely true is:

— Walls admissions is super subjective.

— Wards 7 and 8 need better schools and, especially, more social services from early childhood on, so more of the students are prepared for competitive schools.

Oh my god. Again, from the Post article: “According to the school system, 50 students attending the five neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8 applied to be part of the incoming freshmen at Walls. Overall, 138 students living in the two wards applied.” But “Just three eighth graders at middle schools in Wards 7 and 8 — Hart, Johnson, Kelly Miller, Kramer and Sousa middle schools — made the cut of 500 students and accepted interviews, according to city data.” And “Preliminary data shows the new freshman class includes four students from Wards 7 and 8.”

You’re right — I was responding to PP and didn’t read the article. It still holds that it's not clear that discrimination is the problem as opposed to an the kids being underserved in earlier life.

Again - discrimination suggests that an admissions officer looked at the addresses of those 138 kids and tossed their application in the trash based on that. And solely on that. If the qualifications were reviewed and were rejected on that basis - then no, that isn not discrimination. Sorry.

+1

I could see you raising discrimination concerns if 138 students in those wards made the gpa cutoff but didn’t get in through the interview. But only a handful made the gpa cutoff. That is a quantitative measure- take the students with the top 500 gpas and interview them. How is that discrimination? It is race and gender blind.

Don’t know if any of your gpa hypotheticals are true but boy oh boy if you think gpa’s aren’t blind to race. This is a SYSTEMIC issue.

So I know for a fact that Walls took student GPAs, recalculated so that there were no honors or AP bumps and then asked the top 500 GPAs to interview. In regards to GPA being a race issue perhaps as a system but I can’t imagine schools in Wards 7 and 8 with the vast majority of students being black aren’t giving out As for race reasons. And getting an A in this system because increasingly easier in the past two school years. I look forward to hearing more about how GPAs are not race blind at vast majority black schools in wards 7 and 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

Huh? First it’s a high school. Second, they screen out kids with IEPs (which is illegal). They screen out kids in wards 7 and 8. What else is there to know?

What evidence do you have that kids in these Wards are screened out?

I don’t think it’s the group being discriminated against that needs to present more evidence.

You need to verify that discrimination occurred. How do you know that kids from Ward 7 and 8 applied? Maybe the “ward unknown” kids are largely from Ward 7 and 8 and previously sought better schooling at charters?

Without more information, it’s bs to insist that students from Ward 7 and 8 are discriminated against.

What is surely true is:

— Walls admissions is super subjective.

— Wards 7 and 8 need better schools and, especially, more social services from early childhood on, so more of the students are prepared for competitive schools.

Oh my god. Again, from the Post article: “According to the school system, 50 students attending the five neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8 applied to be part of the incoming freshmen at Walls. Overall, 138 students living in the two wards applied.” But “Just three eighth graders at middle schools in Wards 7 and 8 — Hart, Johnson, Kelly Miller, Kramer and Sousa middle schools — made the cut of 500 students and accepted interviews, according to city data.” And “Preliminary data shows the new freshman class includes four students from Wards 7 and 8.”

You’re right — I was responding to PP and didn’t read the article. It still holds that it's not clear that discrimination is the problem as opposed to an the kids being underserved in earlier life.

Again - discrimination suggests that an admissions officer looked at the addresses of those 138 kids and tossed their application in the trash based on that. And solely on that. If the qualifications were reviewed and were rejected on that basis - then no, that isn not discrimination. Sorry.

+1

I could see you raising discrimination concerns if 138 students in those wards made the gpa cutoff but didn’t get in through the interview. But only a handful made the gpa cutoff. That is a quantitative measure- take the students with the top 500 gpas and interview them. How is that discrimination? It is race and gender blind.

Don’t know if any of your gpa hypotheticals are true but boy oh boy if you think gpa’s aren’t blind to race. This is a SYSTEMIC issue.

So I know for a fact that Walls took student GPAs, recalculated so that there were no honors or AP bumps and then asked the top 500 GPAs to interview. In regards to GPA being a race issue perhaps as a system but I can’t imagine schools in Wards 7 and 8 with the vast majority of students being black aren’t giving out As for race reasons. And getting an A in this system because increasingly easier in the past two school years. I look forward to hearing more about how GPAs are not race blind at vast majority black schools in wards 7 and 8.

Common core is the DCPS curriculum and is normed across the district.

[Anonymous]

walls should admit at least a couple of kids from each of the 12 or so DCPS middle schools. the fact that this did not happen (even in a year with no admissions test as a possible explanation for why) warrants scrutiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's POPULATION:
45.4% Black or African American
4.1% Asian
5.2% Hispanic White
0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native
42.5% White
4.4% Some Other Race, 0.1% Pacific Islander and 3.3% from two or more races

WALLS BREAKDOWN:
25% Black/African-American
7% Asian
13% Hispanic / Latino
<1% Native American / Alaska Native
50% White non-Hispanic
5% Multiracial

So Walls is actually quite diverse, people always use this word incorrectly. A 95% black school isn't diverse. The problem is we need to get more Black students into Walls. The problem is DC's Black population skews poor. That's what needs to be fixed. Those kids aren't going to elementary and middle schools that prepare them for success. They are lacking resources at home, at school, and in their communities. My guess is most poor Black kids are never told they can take the test and get into a good HS. Walls should start a program, but the problem is far too entrenched for it to be on the shoulders of one magnet public school in the city.

City population isn’t relevant. DCPS population is. According to the Post article, 15% of DCPS students are white; 60% are black.

PP here. Yes this is excellent and necessary information to determine how to fix the problem. That is what we need.

Walls and Banneker are widely known as the two best test-in DCPS high schools and they are roughly the same size. Banneker by reputation is akin to an HBCU and has nearly zero white students. So in effect all of the top white students only apply to Walls while top black students apply to both Walls and Banneker. As a result, Banneker has a higher than average share of black students (73%) while Walls has a higher than average white students (51%). That's largely an artifact of where students apply.

There are three other factors in play. First, Banneker just opened its amazing new state-of-the-art $130 million campus which is now larger and located in much more convenient location. This very likely increased the number of top black students applying to and attending Banneker over Walls this past year. Second, Walls pulls top white students from private middle schools as well. So looking just at the percentage of white students in DCPS understates the base of white students who apply to Walls. Third, the entire Walls leadership team including the principal is black, as is the mayor and school chancellor. It would seem very odd to me that they would have an interest in disadvantaging black students. More likely they are basing entry on which students they think can handle the rigor at Walls. I have a very smart student at Walls who has to work very hard to do well; the academics are no joke.

This post makes a lot of sense compared with the knee jerk reflexive posters who shout racism without any factual information

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's POPULATION:
45.4% Black or African American
4.1% Asian
5.2% Hispanic White
0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native
42.5% White
4.4% Some Other Race, 0.1% Pacific Islander and 3.3% from two or more races

WALLS BREAKDOWN:
25% Black/African-American
7% Asian
13% Hispanic / Latino
<1% Native American / Alaska Native
50% White non-Hispanic
5% Multiracial

So Walls is actually quite diverse, people always use this word incorrectly. A 95% black school isn't diverse. The problem is we need to get more Black students into Walls. The problem is DC's Black population skews poor. That's what needs to be fixed. Those kids aren't going to elementary and middle schools that prepare them for success. They are lacking resources at home, at school, and in their communities. My guess is most poor Black kids are never told they can take the test and get into a good HS. Walls should start a program, but the problem is far too entrenched for it to be on the shoulders of one magnet public school in the city.

City population isn’t relevant. DCPS population is. According to the Post article, 15% of DCPS students are white; 60% are black.

PP here. Yes this is excellent and necessary information to determine how to fix the problem. That is what we need.

Walls and Banneker are widely known as the two best test-in DCPS high schools and they are roughly the same size. Banneker by reputation is akin to an HBCU and has nearly zero white students. So in effect all of the top white students only apply to Walls while top black students apply to both Walls and Banneker. As a result, Banneker has a higher than average share of black students (73%) while Walls has a higher than average white students (51%). That's largely an artifact of where students apply.

There are three other factors in play. First, Banneker just opened its amazing new state-of-the-art $130 million campus which is now larger and located in much more convenient location. This very likely increased the number of top black students applying to and attending Banneker over Walls this past year. Second, Walls pulls top white students from private middle schools as well. So looking just at the percentage of white students in DCPS understates the base of white students who apply to Walls. Third, the entire Walls leadership team including the principal is black, as is the mayor and school chancellor. It would seem very odd to me that they would have an interest in disadvantaging black students. More likely they are basing entry on which students they think can handle the rigor at Walls. I have a very smart student at Walls who has to work very hard to do well; the academics are no joke.

This post makes a lot of sense compared with the knee jerk reflexive posters who shout racism without any factual information

This post claimed:

Walls (and dcps/dc) can’t have racist tendencies bc they have black leadership: false
Walls is too hard for black kids: what?

PP, you thinking this made sense is actually more racist than the post you responded too. My goodness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's POPULATION:
45.4% Black or African American
4.1% Asian
5.2% Hispanic White
0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native
42.5% White
4.4% Some Other Race, 0.1% Pacific Islander and 3.3% from two or more races

WALLS BREAKDOWN:
25% Black/African-American
7% Asian
13% Hispanic / Latino
<1% Native American / Alaska Native
50% White non-Hispanic
5% Multiracial

So Walls is actually quite diverse, people always use this word incorrectly. A 95% black school isn't diverse. The problem is we need to get more Black students into Walls. The problem is DC's Black population skews poor. That's what needs to be fixed. Those kids aren't going to elementary and middle schools that prepare them for success. They are lacking resources at home, at school, and in their communities. My guess is most poor Black kids are never told they can take the test and get into a good HS. Walls should start a program, but the problem is far too entrenched for it to be on the shoulders of one magnet public school in the city.

City population isn’t relevant. DCPS population is. According to the Post article, 15% of DCPS students are white; 60% are black.

PP here. Yes this is excellent and necessary information to determine how to fix the problem. That is what we need.

Walls and Banneker are widely known as the two best test-in DCPS high schools and they are roughly the same size. Banneker by reputation is akin to an HBCU and has nearly zero white students. So in effect all of the top white students only apply to Walls while top black students apply to both Walls and Banneker. As a result, Banneker has a higher than average share of black students (73%) while Walls has a higher than average white students (51%). That's largely an artifact of where students apply.

There are three other factors in play. First, Banneker just opened its amazing new state-of-the-art $130 million campus which is now larger and located in much more convenient location. This very likely increased the number of top black students applying to and attending Banneker over Walls this past year. Second, Walls pulls top white students from private middle schools as well. So looking just at the percentage of white students in DCPS understates the base of white students who apply to Walls. Third, the entire Walls leadership team including the principal is black, as is the mayor and school chancellor. It would seem very odd to me that they would have an interest in disadvantaging black students. More likely they are basing entry on which students they think can handle the rigor at Walls. I have a very smart student at Walls who has to work very hard to do well; the academics are no joke.

This post makes a lot of sense compared with the knee jerk reflexive posters who shout racism without any factual information

This post claimed:

Walls (and dcps/dc) can’t have racist tendencies bc they have black leadership: false
Walls is too hard for black kids: what?

PP, you thinking this made sense is actually more racist than the post you responded too. My goodness

Another DCUM post about DCPS descends into madness. Just close this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's POPULATION:
45.4% Black or African American
4.1% Asian
5.2% Hispanic White
0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native
42.5% White
4.4% Some Other Race, 0.1% Pacific Islander and 3.3% from two or more races

WALLS BREAKDOWN:
25% Black/African-American
7% Asian
13% Hispanic / Latino
<1% Native American / Alaska Native
50% White non-Hispanic
5% Multiracial

So Walls is actually quite diverse, people always use this word incorrectly. A 95% black school isn't diverse. The problem is we need to get more Black students into Walls. The problem is DC's Black population skews poor. That's what needs to be fixed. Those kids aren't going to elementary and middle schools that prepare them for success. They are lacking resources at home, at school, and in their communities. My guess is most poor Black kids are never told they can take the test and get into a good HS. Walls should start a program, but the problem is far too entrenched for it to be on the shoulders of one magnet public school in the city.

City population isn’t relevant. DCPS population is. According to the Post article, 15% of DCPS students are white; 60% are black.

PP here. Yes this is excellent and necessary information to determine how to fix the problem. That is what we need.

Walls and Banneker are widely known as the two best test-in DCPS high schools and they are roughly the same size. Banneker by reputation is akin to an HBCU and has nearly zero white students. So in effect all of the top white students only apply to Walls while top black students apply to both Walls and Banneker. As a result, Banneker has a higher than average share of black students (73%) while Walls has a higher than average white students (51%). That's largely an artifact of where students apply.

There are three other factors in play. First, Banneker just opened its amazing new state-of-the-art $130 million campus which is now larger and located in much more convenient location. This very likely increased the number of top black students applying to and attending Banneker over Walls this past year. Second, Walls pulls top white students from private middle schools as well. So looking just at the percentage of white students in DCPS understates the base of white students who apply to Walls. Third, the entire Walls leadership team including the principal is black, as is the mayor and school chancellor. It would seem very odd to me that they would have an interest in disadvantaging black students. More likely they are basing entry on which students they think can handle the rigor at Walls. I have a very smart student at Walls who has to work very hard to do well; the academics are no joke.

This post makes a lot of sense compared with the knee jerk reflexive posters who shout racism without any factual information

This post claimed:

Walls (and dcps/dc) can’t have racist tendencies bc they have black leadership: false
Walls is too hard for black kids: what?

PP, you thinking this made sense is actually more racist than the post you responded too. My goodness

Another DCUM post about DCPS descends into madness. Just close this thread.

I would add that the article indicated two of the students that interviewed rated another application school higher in the lottery process and are going there and one is on the waitlist.

I also think it is a stretch that saying the administration is focused on admitting kids that can do the work is akin to saying that it is too hard for black kids. 25% of the kids at walls are black kids. What this is about is that in addition to race, there are other socio economic factors in play and these are kids that are going to not strong middle schools that many of their neighborhood peers opt out from. Perhaps Banneker is known to have better supports for smart kids coming out of lower performing middle schools. Perhaps the kids that apply and choose another school find other schools appeal to them more. Maybe we should dig into these issues some more but ignoring the preference for Banneker among many students does not further the discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC's POPULATION:
45.4% Black or African American
4.1% Asian
5.2% Hispanic White
0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native
42.5% White
4.4% Some Other Race, 0.1% Pacific Islander and 3.3% from two or more races

WALLS BREAKDOWN:
25% Black/African-American
7% Asian
13% Hispanic / Latino
<1% Native American / Alaska Native
50% White non-Hispanic
5% Multiracial

So Walls is actually quite diverse, people always use this word incorrectly. A 95% black school isn't diverse. The problem is we need to get more Black students into Walls. The problem is DC's Black population skews poor. That's what needs to be fixed. Those kids aren't going to elementary and middle schools that prepare them for success. They are lacking resources at home, at school, and in their communities. My guess is most poor Black kids are never told they can take the test and get into a good HS. Walls should start a program, but the problem is far too entrenched for it to be on the shoulders of one magnet public school in the city.

City population isn’t relevant. DCPS population is. According to the Post article, 15% of DCPS students are white; 60% are black.

PP here. Yes this is excellent and necessary information to determine how to fix the problem. That is what we need.

Walls and Banneker are widely known as the two best test-in DCPS high schools and they are roughly the same size. Banneker by reputation is akin to an HBCU and has nearly zero white students. So in effect all of the top white students only apply to Walls while top black students apply to both Walls and Banneker. As a result, Banneker has a higher than average share of black students (73%) while Walls has a higher than average white students (51%). That's largely an artifact of where students apply.

There are three other factors in play. First, Banneker just opened its amazing new state-of-the-art $130 million campus which is now larger and located in much more convenient location. This very likely increased the number of top black students applying to and attending Banneker over Walls this past year. Second, Walls pulls top white students from private middle schools as well. So looking just at the percentage of white students in DCPS understates the base of white students who apply to Walls. Third, the entire Walls leadership team including the principal is black, as is the mayor and school chancellor. It would seem very odd to me that they would have an interest in disadvantaging black students. More likely they are basing entry on which students they think can handle the rigor at Walls. I have a very smart student at Walls who has to work very hard to do well; the academics are no joke.

This post makes a lot of sense compared with the knee jerk reflexive posters who shout racism without any factual information

This post claimed:

Walls (and dcps/dc) can’t have racist tendencies bc they have black leadership: false
Walls is too hard for black kids: what?

PP, you thinking this made sense is actually more racist than the post you responded too. My goodness

I read the point about the rigor to be race neutral.

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Anonymous wrote:I am curious how many students were accepted that live in ward 7 or 8 but didn't go to middle school there. Maybe part of the issue is that students from wards 7 or 8 who are academically inclined are looking for middle schools elsewhere. Is that really Walls' fault?

Huh? First it’s a high school. Second, they screen out kids with IEPs (which is illegal). They screen out kids in wards 7 and 8. What else is there to know?

What evidence do you have that kids in these Wards are screened out?

I don’t think it’s the group being discriminated against that needs to present more evidence.

You need to verify that discrimination occurred. How do you know that kids from Ward 7 and 8 applied? Maybe the “ward unknown” kids are largely from Ward 7 and 8 and previously sought better schooling at charters?

Without more information, it’s bs to insist that students from Ward 7 and 8 are discriminated against.

What is surely true is:

— Walls admissions is super subjective.

— Wards 7 and 8 need better schools and, especially, more social services from early childhood on, so more of the students are prepared for competitive schools.

Oh my god. Again, from the Post article: “According to the school system, 50 students attending the five neighborhood schools in Wards 7 and 8 applied to be part of the incoming freshmen at Walls. Overall, 138 students living in the two wards applied.” But “Just three eighth graders at middle schools in Wards 7 and 8 — Hart, Johnson, Kelly Miller, Kramer and Sousa middle schools — made the cut of 500 students and accepted interviews, according to city data.” And “Preliminary data shows the new freshman class includes four students from Wards 7 and 8.”

You’re right — I was responding to PP and didn’t read the article. It still holds that it's not clear that discrimination is the problem as opposed to an the kids being underserved in earlier life.

Again - discrimination suggests that an admissions officer looked at the addresses of those 138 kids and tossed their application in the trash based on that. And solely on that. If the qualifications were reviewed and were rejected on that basis - then no, that isn not discrimination. Sorry.

+1

I could see you raising discrimination concerns if 138 students in those wards made the gpa cutoff but didn’t get in through the interview. But only a handful made the gpa cutoff. That is a quantitative measure- take the students with the top 500 gpas and interview them. How is that discrimination? It is race and gender blind.

Don’t know if any of your gpa hypotheticals are true but boy oh boy if you think gpa’s aren’t blind to race. This is a SYSTEMIC issue.

So I know for a fact that Walls took student GPAs, recalculated so that there were no honors or AP bumps and then asked the top 500 GPAs to interview. In regards to GPA being a race issue perhaps as a system but I can’t imagine schools in Wards 7 and 8 with the vast majority of students being black aren’t giving out As for race reasons. And getting an A in this system because increasingly easier in the past two school years. I look forward to hearing more about how GPAs are not race blind at vast majority black schools in wards 7 and 8.

Common core is the DCPS curriculum and is normed across the district.

What does that have to do with my previous comment? That has nothing to do with actual grading and grades.

[Anonymous]

I would love to hear suggestions about what could be done to address equity in access to the school and still be a school that is focused on serving high achievers that includes high achievers from across the city..