Are DC schools really getting better or are they just getting whiter?

[Anonymous]

Interesting program on WPFW this morning that basically accused the DC gov of trumpeting metrics that merely showcase the performance gains caused by the reintroduction of high achievers (white kids) while pushing the legacy kids under the rug with extremely high percentages of functional illiteracy. They mentioned that out of the very few kids that actually transition to college (from at risk demographics) to UDC, near 100% require remedial education. So what do they do they only include the metric “qualified or admitted for college” which simply means they got a rubber stamp from a broken high school.

The handful of schools that have turned around have been exclusively nestled inside neighborhoods that have lost their soul and almost completely gentrified all while the high and middle school levels where the neighborhoods come together hasn’t changed much at all. I consider that last part telling.

We all talk about the improvements but what has actually improved? Is giving poor kids a piece of paper and focusing on the new middle class kids progress?

[Anonymous]

Come step inside some EOTP schools. The testing grades are largely non-white but have shown improvement (beyond just reflecting higher SES populations).

[Anonymous]

Every year when PARCC scores have come out this is discussed.

All subgroups have made achievement gains in the last 3 years, but white students (of all races) have made the biggest gains/bigger jumps.

Go to results.osse.dc.gov and play around with the data for the last 3 years.

The DC report cards OSSE publishes will show you what the percentages of students city-wide are.

[Anonymous]

Looking just at DCPS, here is how the demographics have changed from 2011-2012 to 2016-17. https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-glance-enrollment

Black 71% --> 62%
Latino/Hispanic 15% --> 20%
White students 10% --> 14%

[Anonymous]

Oh Lord...this post is about to be a train wreck smh...

[Anonymous]

I would say they're getting higher SES. Yes, most high SES/educated families are white in DC, but not all.

For example, our IB is slightly less AA over the years, but still majority minority by far. Test scores are rising, but they don't completely track with race. The school's at-risk % is dropping, and at the same time the number of white students has inched up, but no dramatic increase. I think higher SES IB and OOB families are attending the school, which translates to higher test scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would say they're getting higher SES. Yes, most high SES/educated families are white in DC, but not all.

For example, our IB is slightly less AA over the years, but still majority minority by far. Test scores are rising, but they don't completely track with race. The school's at-risk % is dropping, and at the same time the number of white students has inched up, but no dramatic increase. I think higher SES IB and OOB families of any race (mostly black and white) are attending the school, which translates to higher test scores.

Whoops, meant to add the bolded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Interesting program on WPFW this morning that basically accused the DC gov of trumpeting metrics that merely showcase the performance gains caused by the reintroduction of high achievers (white kids) while pushing the legacy kids under the rug with extremely high percentages of functional illiteracy. They mentioned that out of the very few kids that actually transition to college (from at risk demographics) to UDC, near 100% require remedial education. So what do they do they only include the metric “qualified or admitted for college” which simply means they got a rubber stamp from a broken high school.

The handful of schools that have turned around have been exclusively nestled inside neighborhoods that have lost their soul and almost completely gentrified all while the high and middle school levels where the neighborhoods come together hasn’t changed much at all. I consider that last part telling.

We all talk about the improvements but what has actually improved? Is giving poor kids a piece of paper and focusing on the new middle class kids progress?

Lost their soul because white people moved in? Really.

[Anonymous]

A lot of kids really are improving. If somebody wants to say it's just a couple of high performers who aren't part of the longtime community, they'd have to pull that out of data they don't have. The truth is that many of DC's African-American families have kids that aren't doing a lot better than they were. But some definitely are.

In terms of remedial education, I can understand at least some of this. Remember the Banneker grad thread - the young (man?) who never ever had to work hard until he got to Banneker? Some of that happens at college entrance as well, especially if you are part of a small on-grade cohort, I think.

[Anonymous]

We attend Powell and our PARCC shoes are horrible in the testing grades.

With gentrification heavily present in the school and neighborhood, I'm sure the scores will get better; it's a fact.

Compare gentrifying school with those w/o much or any gentrification as a comparison and we shall see.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to disaggregate the data and look at it a few different ways.

The percentage of economically disadvantaged kids in the schools is steady, and appears to have ticked up a percentage this year.

The percentage of Black students in DCPS has decreased, while white and Latino students have increased. But the percentage of Black and Latino students in charters has increased over the same time period, which whites staying below 10%.

So you need to look at both sectors, and probably look at PARCC scores of 3 and above, not just 4/5 to see movement.

[Anonymous]

+100.

[Anonymous]

Wealthy parent advocates are making the schools more accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy parent advocates are making the schools more accountable.

What?

We're in the middle of a scandal that has unearthed all sorts of problems -- which came to light because teachers of poor children wouldn't be quiet. None of this is coming because of demands from wealthy parents but often in spite of them.

[Anonymous]

THIS.