Interesting article about school quality when demographics factored out

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

No... but the behavioral problem quotient demonstratively diminishes when the caucasian/asian increases.

As a percentage of the whole.

As in - the school is better with more of them; and worse when there are fewer of them.

Math is brutal.

[Anonymous]

The faux concern of avoiding DCPS is a documented joke. It is a sty.

Here's another GGW author explaining why she's afraid of DCPS.

https://ggwash.org/view/32731/why-we-opted-out-of-public-school-for-now

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the owner/founder of the site move to VA when his child didn't get into any of the schools they liked via lottery?

Um. So?

Um, it's really cute to advocate for parents to enroll their children into schools that you personally think your family is too good for?

Duh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

I went to a nice mostly AA parochial school in DC for a few years PP. It was a pretty bad experience . I was not invited on playmates or to parties. My mom was pretty clueless and probably could have done more, but this was in the days before parents were their kids social personal assistants. I also found the constant talk of jumping classmates (not followed through on or aimed at me,, but a constant subject of juicy speculation-who would get jumped next) frankly terrifying. These were kids from nice middle/upper lower AA families. Jumping was just a huge part of their lexicon and unfamiliar/terrifying to me. At ten constant talk of beat downs was scary. Also a lot of siccin and jonin and the rest, however you spell it. And what they used to call close dancing at dances where you were all over the opposite sex without touching. Pretty ick for this fifth grader. I'm sure there are behavioral problems at schools with white kids, but there is a cross cultural layer that parents and their children will need to navigate on top of it. Maybe if you start early you can be that white kid who shows up at the historically black college in the kid and play movies, and I think many white kids and black kids in DC who go to the more diverse schools do end up comfortable and culturally competent. But it can be hard to be the first and only. Many AA families also balk at their children being an 'only' in predominantly white schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thomson has a lot of OOB siblings from before it was "cool" to live downtown. So it's impossible to get in even with proximity (which we had).

Don't forget the MD kids still going there. Since DCPS doesn't care about residency issues (check the MD plates in the am...) no one is getting into Thomson for years to come.

I go by there all the time. I haven't seen any MD plates.

This is inaccurate. There aren't MD plates in the drop off lane. The Principal is outside everyday, so the school would be aware.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

I went to a nice mostly AA parochial school in DC for a few years PP. It was a pretty bad experience . I was not invited on playmates or to parties. My mom was pretty clueless and probably could have done more, but this was in the days before parents were their kids social personal assistants. I also found the constant talk of jumping classmates (not followed through on or aimed at me,, but a constant subject of juicy speculation-who would get jumped next) frankly terrifying. These were kids from nice middle/upper lower AA families. Jumping was just a huge part of their lexicon and unfamiliar/terrifying to me. At ten constant talk of beat downs was scary. Also a lot of siccin and jonin and the rest, however you spell it. And what they used to call close dancing at dances where you were all over the opposite sex without touching. Pretty ick for this fifth grader. I'm sure there are behavioral problems at schools with white kids, but there is a cross cultural layer that parents and their children will need to navigate on top of it. Maybe if you start early you can be that white kid who shows up at the historically black college in the kid and play movies, and I think many white kids and black kids in DC who go to the more diverse schools do end up comfortable and culturally competent. But it can be hard to be the first and only. Many AA families also balk at their children being an 'only' in predominantly white schools.

"close dancing"? was this in 1942?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the owner/founder of the site move to VA when his child didn't get into any of the schools they liked via lottery?

Um. So?

Um, it's really cute to advocate for parents to enroll their children into schools that you personally think your family is too good for?

Duh?

One of the founders moved to California when he couldn't get a 1:1 aide for his child with epilepsy in DCPS.

And yes, I think it's fine and good to discuss schools issues openly even at the risk of being called a hypocrit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

No... but the behavioral problem quotient demonstratively diminishes when the caucasian/asian increases.

As a percentage of the whole.

As in - the school is better with more of them; and worse when there are fewer of them.

Math is brutal.

and THIS is why we can't have gifted or magnet schools in DCPS folks. Actual overt racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

No... but the behavioral problem quotient demonstratively diminishes when the caucasian/asian increases.

As a percentage of the whole.

As in - the school is better with more of them; and worse when there are fewer of them.

Math is brutal.

and THIS is why we can't have gifted or magnet schools in DCPS folks. Actual overt racism.

Are you saying that it's racist to tell the truth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

No... but the behavioral problem quotient demonstratively diminishes when the caucasian/asian increases.

As a percentage of the whole.

As in - the school is better with more of them; and worse when there are fewer of them.

Math is brutal.

and THIS is why we can't have gifted or magnet schools in DCPS folks. Actual overt racism.

Are you saying that it's racist to tell the truth?

Has little to do with race and everything to do with poverty.

From today's Post:

“I would see kids headed to school with orange fingers and orange tongues,” she recalled. “Those were indicators of Cheetos and Fanta soda for breakfast.”

She recalled that some federal food-subsidy programs lasted only two weeks and that teachers could often tell when it ended. “Around the third and fourth week of the month, you’d have students starting to act up in class. In some schools, those students might be referred to a special-education program. But the problem was that they were hungry.”

What I've always found odd is that advocates for the poor spend so much time writing about how poverty is a bad thing. How hunger makes poor kids act up in school. How unstable home lives end up causing instability in the classroom. How high-poverty schools are dysfunctional, wracked with violence. All just blocks from the White House.

Then turn on a dime and accuse middle-class parents of being racist because that's the only possible reason they wouldn't send their kid to a school with a large at-risk population. I thought poverty was bad? If not, why on Earth are we spending billions of dollars to fight it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the owner/founder of the site move to VA when his child didn't get into any of the schools they liked via lottery?

Um. So?

Um, it's really cute to advocate for parents to enroll their children into schools that you personally think your family is too good for?

Duh?

One of the founders moved to California when he couldn't get a 1:1 aide for his child with epilepsy in DCPS.

And yes, I think it's fine and good to discuss schools issues openly even at the risk of being called a hypocrit.

Uh yes, DCPS doesn't really do special needs well. My kids went private until we got some issues under control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the owner/founder of the site move to VA when his child didn't get into any of the schools they liked via lottery?

Um. So?

Um, it's really cute to advocate for parents to enroll their children into schools that you personally think your family is too good for?

Duh?

GGW: "Hey, parents who live in DC! If you're trying to navigate public schools in DC, here's some information!"
You: "How dare you! You don't even send your kids to DC public schools!!!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

No... but the behavioral problem quotient demonstratively diminishes when the caucasian/asian increases.

As a percentage of the whole.

As in - the school is better with more of them; and worse when there are fewer of them.

Math is brutal.

and THIS is why we can't have gifted or magnet schools in DCPS folks. Actual overt racism.

Are you saying that it's racist to tell the truth?

Has little to do with race and everything to do with poverty.

From today's Post:

“I would see kids headed to school with orange fingers and orange tongues,” she recalled. “Those were indicators of Cheetos and Fanta soda for breakfast.”

She recalled that some federal food-subsidy programs lasted only two weeks and that teachers could often tell when it ended. “Around the third and fourth week of the month, you’d have students starting to act up in class. In some schools, those students might be referred to a special-education program. But the problem was that they were hungry.”

What I've always found odd is that advocates for the poor spend so much time writing about how poverty is a bad thing. How hunger makes poor kids act up in school. How unstable home lives end up causing instability in the classroom. How high-poverty schools are dysfunctional, wracked with violence. All just blocks from the White House.

Then turn on a dime and accuse middle-class parents of being racist because that's the only possible reason they wouldn't send their kid to a school with a large at-risk population. I thought poverty was bad? If not, why on Earth are we spending billions of dollars to fight it?

This would also explain the reluctance of parents to consider schools with high numbers of Latino students. They don't have many of the home life issues but tend to be poorer due to the adult language barrier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:@Anonymous at 11:09am

I hear you on test prep but I just googled Thomson and it is apparently an IB primary years school. (The only one in DC...?) Can't just be drill/kill all day I imagine?

Exactly, and they have Chinese and Spanish. So many of the downtown parents are driving their kids to white charters all over the city - with a great school right there. So...what does that say about these liberated downtown parents?

From what I have heard from "liberated families" is they don't want to put up with the behavioral problems (foul language, unpleasant home life that gets discussed, etc). There is also a fear that their child will get picked on or become a target of anger. I am reporting this but do not agree with these statements, just so we are clear. They don't want anything to interfere with their child's learning.

So there are no behavioral problems in schools with lots of white kids?

No... but the behavioral problem quotient demonstratively diminishes when the caucasian/asian increases.

As a percentage of the whole.

As in - the school is better with more of them; and worse when there are fewer of them.

Math is brutal.

and THIS is why we can't have gifted or magnet schools in DCPS folks. Actual overt racism.

Are you saying that it's racist to tell the truth?

Has little to do with race and everything to do with poverty.

From today's Post:

“I would see kids headed to school with orange fingers and orange tongues,” she recalled. “Those were indicators of Cheetos and Fanta soda for breakfast.”

She recalled that some federal food-subsidy programs lasted only two weeks and that teachers could often tell when it ended. “Around the third and fourth week of the month, you’d have students starting to act up in class. In some schools, those students might be referred to a special-education program. But the problem was that they were hungry.”

What I've always found odd is that advocates for the poor spend so much time writing about how poverty is a bad thing. How hunger makes poor kids act up in school. How unstable home lives end up causing instability in the classroom. How high-poverty schools are dysfunctional, wracked with violence. All just blocks from the White House.

Then turn on a dime and accuse middle-class parents of being racist because that's the only possible reason they wouldn't send their kid to a school with a large at-risk population. I thought poverty was bad? If not, why on Earth are we spending billions of dollars to fight it?

Poverty is bad. Poverty doesn't mean you need to be scared of poor people. Poverty does not mean a school doesn't have good teachers and students. DCPS is a PUBLIC system, so what thinking "poverty is bad" entails is that those with means invest in improving the system. That means in part not buying into stereotypes that poor students = bad students. And that's what this GGW article is able. It also means not being phobic of poor black schools and, say, considering investing in your local middle school without hyperventilating. It also means not speaking in coded terms like "the school was a poor fit." And it certainly means not coming on DCUM and saying overtly racist things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't the owner/founder of the site move to VA when his child didn't get into any of the schools they liked via lottery?

Um. So?

Um, it's really cute to advocate for parents to enroll their children into schools that you personally think your family is too good for?

Duh?

GGW: "Hey, parents who live in DC! If you're trying to navigate public schools in DC, here's some information!"
You: "How dare you! You don't even send your kids to DC public schools!!!"

No, it's more:

GGW: Stop following the herd and send your kids to a school you can't even get into that actually has lower test scores than the school your children attend, but does better with low income students.
Parent: No.