Jay Mathews Points Readers in Wrong Direction on Top Charters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wish we could see an actual smart news piece on school choice and whether or not there is a racial or socio-economic self selection preference for different kinds of programs? Or is it a social network thing? Are there actual barriers to white families applying to Howard University Math and Science charter or to poor black families applying to YuYing or Inspired Teaching? Or is it a social/cultural preference or exposure thing?

Smart reporting on this is welcome. The crap published in the Post and put forward by Mr. Martel is a waste of precious time and energy

I attended the EduFest on Saturday. I talked to the principal of HUMS, a teacher, and a student. I was there for thirty minutes conversing with them and spent another 20-30 minutes in the vicinity. Many families went to HUMS table for information, but I did not notice one white family/parent. They were all Black or recognizable Hispanic. YY and IT had families of all different races at their table. My observation is anecdotal, but for some schools I think it is family choosing not to pursue all available options based on race.

[Anonymous]

I also think that it is families worrying that they won't be welcome at these schools because of race.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I toured KIPP on M Street SE when my DD was a toddler. The head of KIPP (Susan) told me to my face, "This school isn't for your family. If you want a better choice than your in-bounds DCPS school, move to Palisades."

Susan worked at KIPP KEY, which is off of Benning Road. What KIPP was on M St. SE? There is no KIPP there now. There's Eagle Academy not far off M St. SE near the Navy Yard, and some KIPPs not far off M St. NW (they're on P Street) but I am skeptical of your story. My experience with the more chain-based charter schools like KIPP and Appletree is that they are quite politically savvy.

You must not have been here long. KIPP (the original) was in the blue building across from the Navy Yard while the new Benning Rd campus was being built. I am AA, and when my DD was in 4th grade we had also toured KIPP.

But weren't they middle school only? Why would a parent of a toddler tour?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Blue Castle building (old trolley bar) @ 8th & M Streets.

I think that was Eagle, not KIPP.

There were three charters in the building. KIPP, Eagle and one other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also think that it is families worrying that they won't be welcome at these schools because of race.

Do they think and feel this way because this is how they would treat a minority student in a white majority school? What other reason would they think they would be unwelcome?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I toured KIPP on M Street SE when my DD was a toddler. The head of KIPP (Susan) told me to my face, "This school isn't for your family. If you want a better choice than your in-bounds DCPS school, move to Palisades."

Susan worked at KIPP KEY, which is off of Benning Road. What KIPP was on M St. SE? There is no KIPP there now. There's Eagle Academy not far off M St. SE near the Navy Yard, and some KIPPs not far off M St. NW (they're on P Street) but I am skeptical of your story. My experience with the more chain-based charter schools like KIPP and Appletree is that they are quite politically savvy.

You must not have been here long. KIPP (the original) was in the blue building across from the Navy Yard while the new Benning Rd campus was being built. I am AA, and when my DD was in 4th grade we had also toured KIPP.

But weren't they middle school only? Why would a parent of a toddler tour?

They were middle school only. Moving to Benning Rd expanded them to HS. I think a grade each year. I can't remember and didn't keep tabs since we didn't attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with Matthews and Martel that some of those numbers are way out of wack.

Washington Latin Lower School (41.7 percent)
BASIS Middle School (33.9?percent)
Washington Latin High School (23.9 percent)
Washington Yu Ying elementary school (22.2 percent)

If the pool of students is only 5 - 10% white, it takes some heavy duty self-selection (probable) or something nefarious (unlikely) to get to those percentages. Reminds me of SWS, another school with miraculously high white enrollment (67%).

If nothing else, this could shed some light on comparisons between HRCS and DCPS. If HRCS's have a built in 20-30% boost in high SES enrollment, then those average DC-CAS scores should be that much higher than DCPS, not slightly above par.

I don't think you are looking at the numbers in the right way. Enrollment should match the population of the city not the kids enrolled in public schools. Point being that many families (black and white) have enrolled their children in these schools but would not consider their neighborhood public school. if excluded from these charters yhey would either move or go private. So if you kick these kids out of the charters, the numbers across the city are not going to re-balance.

Actually, it should match the population of the applicants, with some wiggle room for statistical deviation.

And yes, the upper-middle class kids at those charters are not sending to their (often atrocious) neighborhood schools. We're at one of those schools now, and are thisclose to moving to the burbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think that it is families worrying that they won't be welcome at these schools because of race.

Do they think and feel this way because this is how they would treat a minority student in a white majority school? What other reason would they think they would be unwelcome?

this is from KIPP's website:

KIPP is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. . . . More than 86 percent of our students are from low-income families and eligible for the federal free or reduced-price meals program, and 95 percent are African American or Latino.

this is the story they want to tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think that it is families worrying that they won't be welcome at these schools because of race.

Do they think and feel this way because this is how they would treat a minority student in a white majority school? What other reason would they think they would be unwelcome?

For the same reason they don't send their kids to Banneker. Maybe it will change one day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I toured KIPP on M Street SE when my DD was a toddler. The head of KIPP (Susan) told me to my face, "This school isn't for your family. If you want a better choice than your in-bounds DCPS school, move to Palisades."

Susan worked at KIPP KEY, which is off of Benning Road. What KIPP was on M St. SE? There is no KIPP there now. There's Eagle Academy not far off M St. SE near the Navy Yard, and some KIPPs not far off M St. NW (they're on P Street) but I am skeptical of your story. My experience with the more chain-based charter schools like KIPP and Appletree is that they are quite politically savvy.

KIPP KEY was in the Blue Castle on M Street until around SY08/09, so perhaps the poster visited that middle school before then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I toured KIPP on M Street SE when my DD was a toddler. The head of KIPP (Susan) told me to my face, "This school isn't for your family. If you want a better choice than your in-bounds DCPS school, move to Palisades."

Susan worked at KIPP KEY, which is off of Benning Road. What KIPP was on M St. SE? There is no KIPP there now. There's Eagle Academy not far off M St. SE near the Navy Yard, and some KIPPs not far off M St. NW (they're on P Street) but I am skeptical of your story. My experience with the more chain-based charter schools like KIPP and Appletree is that they are quite politically savvy.

You must not have been here long. KIPP (the original) was in the blue building across from the Navy Yard while the new Benning Rd campus was being built. I am AA, and when my DD was in 4th grade we had also toured KIPP.

But weren't they middle school only? Why would a parent of a toddler tour?

They were middle school only. Moving to Benning Rd expanded them to HS. I think a grade each year. I can't remember and didn't keep tabs since we didn't attend.

No, moving to Benning Rd expanded them downward to pre-K and 1-4. The HS was launched in the former Douglas JHS building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The good charters are the only schools that reflect the demographics of the city. The neighborhood schools are violently segregated.

+1,000

[Anonymous]

The followup: The head of the DC Charter board responded to Mathews and Martel, as did the head of Washington Latin. DC Charter Board says they don't control the lottery process and neither do the schools, and it can't be gamed. The head of Washington Latin echoes that, and comments that their demographics are more reflective of citywide demographics - and that diversity should be a good thing.

And - a majority of commenters to both articles seem to agree.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/public-charters-respond-to-column-about-school-diversity/2014/11/24/126ec326-7404-11e4-9c9f-a37e29e80cd5_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also think that it is families worrying that they won't be welcome at these schools because of race.

I am a white mother. Even though I am a mother of a black child I still find myself privy to conversations that white people have with one another when they think there are no non whites listening. I see / hear a lot of deflated looks and comments of parents disappointed when they look into a classroom of black kids while on school tours. They say things like "I don't this school is up and coming enough yet." I hear a lot of fear of people putting their white children in a situation where they will be too much of a minority. It is as if they expose their kid to being a minority they think they will harm their child. It is as if they burst the white privilege bubble they think they will damage their child rather than build character.

It is stomach turning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also think that it is families worrying that they won't be welcome at these schools because of race.

I am a white mother. Even though I am a mother of a black child I still find myself privy to conversations that white people have with one another when they think there are no non whites listening. I see / hear a lot of deflated looks and comments of parents disappointed when they look into a classroom of black kids while on school tours. They say things like "I don't this school is up and coming enough yet." I hear a lot of fear of people putting their white children in a situation where they will be too much of a minority. It is as if they expose their kid to being a minority they think they will harm their child. It is as if they burst the white privilege bubble they think they will damage their child rather than build character.

It is stomach turning.

I hear you. I'm a white parent with a white child that attended a predominantly minority middle school, and was privy to these same conversations. It was an invaluable experience for my child - and like you, I heard over and over again the disheartening and stomach-churning comments.