Banneker v. Wilson

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

But would you say the same thing about the HBCUs? Do you ask why whites do not regularly apply to them?

Here's the difference - the HBCUs were established and continue to support primarily black students who have been excluded from higher education opportunities and which to this day are still providing black families that lack the higher education generational history with a supportive, welcoming environment -was noted on pages one and two below. Secondly, the reason whites don't regularly apply to HBCUs is probably much the same as what's been professed here as well - that white kids don't need those supports/handholding/don't want to be extreme minority, etc.


-- Trying to reply just to the above. Yes, and maybe just maybe Banneker provides something like this now for black high schoolers who are high achieving. Does it not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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PP here. I'm not dismissing the school - again, my kid is a decade away from even looking at high school. I am dismissing the idea that it is racist to be uncomfortable about being a 1 or 2% minority in a school or anywhere else. Would you call an AA parent racist because they were uncomfortable with the notion of sending their child to a school where they might be the only one of their race? Or what about sending your son to dance camp for a summer where he was the only male? That doesn't mean you think females are bad or dance is bad or white people are bad or whatever. It means you don't want your kid to feel like an outlier, which is particularly challenging in the teenage years. People have a natural, perfectly reasonable desire to find groups that they are familiar with - you know, it kept humans alive for millenia, so kind of hard to fight that whole evolution thing. Also as I stated previously, there could be other attributes at a school that make the trade off of being an extreme minority worth it - like a great curriculum, school culture, cost, etc. I'm not saying the school isn't good or that people shouldn't look at sending their children there. I'm just saying it is totally ridiculous to assume that because a parent is uncomfortable with their child being a 1% minority and actually want diversity in a student body that they think that black youth are dangerous or less than or whatever else.

Again, I went to a high school where I was the minority racially. The school was great and I had plenty of friends in both races, but I do think it would have been a harder transition if I was a 1% minority rather than a 15% minority at a time in my life where "feeling different" can be very isolating and potentially dangerous to mental health.

My point is people need to think about why you think it is uncomfortable being in the 1%? Skin color or income are two variable of many that make up a person. We share more with people than those two variables. Are those the two variables you focus on when you make friends? Or others? Do you only prefer to hang out with people in your race and income? I like people with shared interests. I was also the only woman and one of few Americans in my graduate program. I guess that’s why I didn’t worry about the demographic of my kid’s new DCPS school. Again, one is only an outlier in those two categories...two categories out of many.

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I'm not saying it is the only relevant thing to consider when picking a school or looking at a relationship, but it is still a relevant factor no matter where you rank it on your list of priorities. Being the only one or a handful of the only ones of anything makes everyone uncomfortable to some extent. For example, if I was offered a position at a company where I was the employee who has kids, then I am would know going in that I am an outlier and would be concerned about work culture and the ability to support working moms. Does that mean it is a bad company or that I wouldn't take a job there or even that I would have a negative, unsupportive experience? No. But it would certainly be something I would consider and want to explore when deciding to take a job or not.

To pretend our ethnic, economic, gender, sexual orientation, and other backgrounds don't matter or are irrelevant to everyday experience and ability to connect with others wreaks of -- guess what? White-washed privilege. I don't think you would find a minority on the street who would claim that. It is more than appropriate to consider that fact when evaluating education options to find an environment where your child will thrive. That may be a school where your kid is an extreme minority or it may not, but it isn't an irrelevant factor either way.

I also think it is very different if you have grown up being in the minority most of your life - for example, I grew up in the South where there are two predominant races, so anyone of a different background is almost always going to be the extreme minority. In that instance, you often don't have much of a choice either way (also something I brought up previously) or it is also an aspect of your everyday lived experience. A kid that isn't used to that might have a more difficult time transitioning versus a kid that is. That would also need to be a factor to consider - what has your child's experience been up until that point? My child will likely grow up in a school system where he is the minority, but not an extreme minority. He might handle going to a school where he is in the 1% better than a kid who didn't grow up that way, but it is too early to tell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But would you say the same thing about the HBCUs? Do you ask why whites do not regularly apply to them?

Here's the difference - the HBCUs were established and continue to support primarily black students who have been excluded from higher education opportunities and which to this day are still providing black families that lack the higher education generational history with a supportive, welcoming environment -was noted on pages one and two below. Secondly, the reason whites don't regularly apply to HBCUs is probably much the same as what's been professed here as well - that white kids don't need those supports/handholding/don't want to be extreme minority, etc.


-- Trying to reply just to the above. Yes, and maybe just maybe Banneker provides something like this now for black high schoolers who are high achieving. Does it not?

Yes, and that was also pointed out in the quotes you clipped. That is a relevant factor for weighing whether a school would serve a student - but as a single data point. It's the sweeping assertions (not yours necessarily) that a majority black school can't serve white, predominantly higher SES students, because of it's make up. Again, that is rarely said about historically white schools, who have had a demonstrably difficult time being responsive to AA, and lower SES students, especially ones that are first generation in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

But would you say the same thing about the HBCUs? Do you ask why whites do not regularly apply to them?

Here's the difference - the HBCUs were established and continue to support primarily black students who have been excluded from higher education opportunities and which to this day are still providing black families that lack the higher education generational history with a supportive, welcoming environment -was noted on pages one and two below. Secondly, the reason whites don't regularly apply to HBCUs is probably much the same as what's been professed here as well - that white kids don't need those supports/handholding/don't want to be extreme minority, etc.


-- Trying to reply just to the above. Yes, and maybe just maybe Banneker provides something like this now for black high schoolers who are high achieving. Does it not?

I would also say that for the most part whites don't attend HCBUs for undergrad, but that doesn't necessarily hold true for grad school. I grew up in a city with a large HCBU and actually had a few white friends who attended for undergrad, but I knew a ton of white students who got grad degrees there. Part of it is cultural - HCBUs don't target white students for undergrad and white students often don't even consider them in high school, but I think that often changes as people start looking at things relevant to their careers post-college and colleges recruit people looking to get into certain professions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be interesting to see what happens when it moves, gets new facilities etc. I wonder if that will attract a whiter crowd.

It will, but it won't really happen IMO until getting into Walls becomes almost impossible due to competition.

More white students are, however, attending Ellington post-renovation.

Brookland and Dunbar didn’t attract any white kids. UMC families see right through the shiny new buildings. Banneker is a good achool but compared to other selective si urban schools it’s really quite average.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I appreciate everyone's comments, but I just really want to know how the work at Banneker compares with the work at Wilson and which will provide a great challenge to my high achieving child.

[Anonymous]

OP - is your kid a STEM kid? I read these comments as Wilson is better for STEM. If humanities, maybe Banneker is better. What kind of learning environment does your DC thrive in, Banneker sounds more intense, at least in 9th grade.

Is your kid at Deal now? My high achieving 8th grader would rather poke her eyes out than go to another IB school.

Buried amongst these arguments about race and education is information about the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I appreciate everyone's comments, but I just really want to know how the work at Banneker compares with the work at Wilson and which will provide a great challenge to my high achieving child.

High-achieving from what kind of school? How strong was your child's cohort?

[Anonymous]

Banneker is more intense: you must maintain a certain GPA to stay ay the school. Kids are serious and brag/complain about how much work they do (like SWW and BASIS in this regard).

Cell phones are locked up for the day the minute you step in the building. There are some sports but not that many. Right now the student body is majority female.

There are more APs offered at Wilson although at Banneker you can choose to instead or in addition pursue an IB diploma, which many people think is more rigorous and better prep for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - is your kid a STEM kid? I read these comments as Wilson is better for STEM. If humanities, maybe Banneker is better. What kind of learning environment does your DC thrive in, Banneker sounds more intense, at least in 9th grade.

Is your kid at Deal now? My high achieving 8th grader would rather poke her eyes out than go to another IB school.

Buried amongst these arguments about race and education is information about the schools.

with respect to IB: why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - is your kid a STEM kid? I read these comments as Wilson is better for STEM. If humanities, maybe Banneker is better. What kind of learning environment does your DC thrive in, Banneker sounds more intense, at least in 9th grade.

Is your kid at Deal now? My high achieving 8th grader would rather poke her eyes out than go to another IB school.

Buried amongst these arguments about race and education is information about the schools.

with respect to IB: why?

I'm not sure I buy it, but there is definitely more writing required, capstone projects, and the standards for the diploma are the same in the US and other countries.

Its proponents say that in contrast to AP courses, you must demonstrate more critical thinking. Many students seeking an IB diploma also take AP exams (not the classes) and can pass them without much trouble.

Anyway, there is a lot of information out there comparing the two approaches; you can research and draw your own conclusions.

[Anonymous]

The IB MYP is quite different than the IB high school diploma program. Many say the MYP is the weak link.

And Banneker is not IB for all; you can choose to take AP instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - is your kid a STEM kid? I read these comments as Wilson is better for STEM. If humanities, maybe Banneker is better. What kind of learning environment does your DC thrive in, Banneker sounds more intense, at least in 9th grade.

Is your kid at Deal now? My high achieving 8th grader would rather poke her eyes out than go to another IB school.

Buried amongst these arguments about race and education is information about the schools.

with respect to IB: why?

I'm not sure I buy it, but there is definitely more writing required, capstone projects, and the standards for the diploma are the same in the US and other countries.

Its proponents say that in contrast to AP courses, you must demonstrate more critical thinking. Many students seeking an IB diploma also take AP exams (not the classes) and can pass them without much trouble.

Anyway, there is a lot of information out there comparing the two approaches; you can research and draw your own conclusions.

You do not have to take AP classes to take the AP exams. You must take IB classes to take the IB test.

[Anonymous]

My understanding (based largely on one friend with a kid there, so take it with a grain of salt) is that Banneker is very into piling on the homework and tests. Academic rigor = many many assignments which may or may not be too easy, or too hard--keeping kids occupied much of the day with academic work. THis is the opposite of what would suit us or our kid, but YMMV. Wilson has less of that, more ability for the kid to choose a mix of classes, more extracurriculars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - is your kid a STEM kid? I read these comments as Wilson is better for STEM. If humanities, maybe Banneker is better. What kind of learning environment does your DC thrive in, Banneker sounds more intense, at least in 9th grade.

Is your kid at Deal now? My high achieving 8th grader would rather poke her eyes out than go to another IB school.

Buried amongst these arguments about race and education is information about the schools.

with respect to IB: why?

DP: One of mine hated IB too. It think it was all the group projects that soured him.