Hope for DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a white parent at a predominantly black school and have never and would never ask for a specific teacher or for special treatment for my kid

But I see an issue in the assumption that if a white parent asks for something from administration it's "entitlement" but when a black parent asks for it it's "advocacy"

One thing I struggle with as a white parent is that there are times when I do feel I need to advocate for my child and I have to be wary of being perceived as entitled -- it can be hard to navigate that line including around SNs

I don't know what the solution to this is and there probably isn't a solution that both ensures the kids get the right accommodations but also never rubs anyone the wrong way or comes off as entitled

I am one of the PPs and I don’t think there is anything wrong with advocating for your child when that advocacy is to get your child resources they need (IEP accommodations, bullying incidents, etc.). Emailing or speaking with the principal every year so that your child has the teacher you want them to have each year is not advocacy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to accept the reality that most black families want to attend schools with other black families. Most white families want to attend schools with other white families. This is why there is so much animosity at the diverse DCPS schools. A diverse school setting notoriously creates multiple challenges for black children.

-A Black Parent

This probably seems naive, but why? Is it a shared culture thing? A resource allocation thing? Something else?

This seems weird to me too. I mean black folks are roughly 12 percent of the US population. Why fixate on this and be so exclusionary to the rest of the community?

Black people actually make a little more than 14% of the US population. It’s probably higher if you include the number of blacks that identify as Hispanic.

Reasons why black parents want their kids to be around other black kids

1. Shared culture
2. Safety in numbers
3. A general distrust of people that are not black, but especially the majority race
4. Not wanting their kid to feel “othered” all day every day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to accept the reality that most black families want to attend schools with other black families. Most white families want to attend schools with other white families. This is why there is so much animosity at the diverse DCPS schools. A diverse school setting notoriously creates multiple challenges for black children.

-A Black Parent

This probably seems naive, but why? Is it a shared culture thing? A resource allocation thing? Something else?

This seems weird to me too. I mean black folks are roughly 12 percent of the US population. Why fixate on this and be so exclusionary to the rest of the community?

Black people actually make a little more than 14% of the US population. It’s probably higher if you include the number of blacks that identify as Hispanic.

Reasons why black parents want their kids to be around other black kids

1. Shared culture
2. Safety in numbers
3. A general distrust of people that are not black, but especially the majority race
4. Not wanting their kid to feel “othered” all day every day

This explains why there's a preference for majority black schools. It doesn't really explain animosity toward white families at all the "diverse" schools that are still majority black.

Maybe a fear that the presence of a few white families will lead more white families to opt into their by-right school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to accept the reality that most black families want to attend schools with other black families. Most white families want to attend schools with other white families. This is why there is so much animosity at the diverse DCPS schools. A diverse school setting notoriously creates multiple challenges for black children.

-A Black Parent

This probably seems naive, but why? Is it a shared culture thing? A resource allocation thing? Something else?

This seems weird to me too. I mean black folks are roughly 12 percent of the US population. Why fixate on this and be so exclusionary to the rest of the community?

Black people actually make a little more than 14% of the US population. It’s probably higher if you include the number of blacks that identify as Hispanic.

Reasons why black parents want their kids to be around other black kids

1. Shared culture
2. Safety in numbers
3. A general distrust of people that are not black, but especially the majority race
4. Not wanting their kid to feel “othered” all day every day

I get all of this. But then what is the solution for white families who live in DC and would like to send their kids to neighborhood public schools but also want #1 and #4 for their kids.

I think some parents like the "live my values" poster above (not a pejorative just distinguishing) would say that white families can simply assimilate into the existing culture and view the experience of being othered every day as a growth experience. And I can actually see the benefit of that. But not all families are going to be able to do that and not all kids are goign to get through that in a healthy headspace.

What do you do with the shy white kid who doesn't feel like they belong at their school where the culture is closely aligned with the home life of their peers but not them and where the fact of their whiteness and their different cultural background feels ever present. Even if the kids are kind and welcoming (and they usually are!) there are kids for whom this is a really hard experience. And I think some parents (me included -- one of my kids falls in this category) look at this and think "this is really not in my kid's best interest and they would do a lot better in a more diverse environment where they were not in such a small minority with such a dominant culture (like a school where the culture is literally just multiculturalism and not about celebrating one culture to the exclusion of others)."

[Anonymous]

There are situations where a handful of “nice” mostly white parents individually requesting the rumored best teacher and/or to not be with certain classmates can in the aggregate lead to an inequitable class distribution. Why are most of the UMC students and room parent types in grade x all clustered with the fabulous Mr. So and So? Schools should say no to most requests.

[Anonymous]

I mean, you are on to something. I mean this with no disrespect (I’m a white man) white families expect to be part of the majority and treated like their norms and expectations are majority (ie democratically rewarded) norms. In DC you can feel othered and exasperated that what you consider normal isn’t what’s happening.

This creates some bad outcomes. Self segregation. Concentrated radicalized poverty. But why do we have to just give up on integration because of the feeling of white people that we expect to be the majority culture? I feel like there’s some maturing that needs to happen to white people culturally. I mean Asian people in this country are othered every damn day. Black people are concentrated together because other people want them fully excluded from “their” spaces. We have to do better than this. And some of how we got to a bad place came from putting “our kids” (ourselves?) first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are situations where a handful of “nice” mostly white parents individually requesting the rumored best teacher and/or to not be with certain classmates can in the aggregate lead to an inequitable class distribution. Why are most of the UMC students and room parent types in grade x all clustered with the fabulous Mr. So and So? Schools should say no to most requests.

Most principals do say no to such requests. It's really not a big thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When the demographics of the city are 40% black and 40% white, then the public schools should reflect that. And they often don't.

Yes, see this is my issue as a white parent. I don't think that the city sees my children as entitled to a good education. They see the DCPS job as primarily trying to decrease the achievement gap between black and white students and also meeting the educational needs of poor students in Wards 7 and 8.

Their obligation to my children is just as significant as the obligation to properly educate any other children in the city.

That said, they've been failing in their obligation to properly maintain school buildings for decades, and likely failing in many other ways.

And this is why I say many non Black families or shall I be blunt White families don’t care about EQUITY on fake equality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When the demographics of the city are 40% black and 40% white, then the public schools should reflect that. And they often don't.

Yes, see this is my issue as a white parent. I don't think that the city sees my children as entitled to a good education. They see the DCPS job as primarily trying to decrease the achievement gap between black and white students and also meeting the educational needs of poor students in Wards 7 and 8.

Their obligation to my children is just as significant as the obligation to properly educate any other children in the city.

That said, they've been failing in their obligation to properly maintain school buildings for decades, and likely failing in many other ways.

And this is why I say many non Black families or shall I be blunt White families don’t care about EQUITY on fake equality.

What the person said was 100% correct. In the Maury/Miner discussions, student outcome and education quality was clearly stated as NOT a goal. "Equity" was fashionable 4 years ago, people have wisened up, thankfully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You have to accept the reality that most black families want to attend schools with other black families. Most white families want to attend schools with other white families. This is why there is so much animosity at the diverse DCPS schools. A diverse school setting notoriously creates multiple challenges for black children.

-A Black Parent

This probably seems naive, but why? Is it a shared culture thing? A resource allocation thing? Something else?

This seems weird to me too. I mean black folks are roughly 12 percent of the US population. Why fixate on this and be so exclusionary to the rest of the community?

Black people actually make a little more than 14% of the US population. It’s probably higher if you include the number of blacks that identify as Hispanic.

Reasons why black parents want their kids to be around other black kids

1. Shared culture
2. Safety in numbers
3. A general distrust of people that are not black, but especially the majority race
4. Not wanting their kid to feel “othered” all day every day

This sounds like why all people choose schools.

[Anonymous]

This has actually been an interesting discussion with some thoughtful comments.

But the problem remains the same - most people with options leave DCPS. They'll give it a try in early elementary, but then they're done. One can say whatever about race, but no one gives a damn about larger cultural issues when it comes to the wellbeing of their own child. It's disheartening to read that there are parents who are extremely exclusionary when it comes to race. And that drives the exodus, which of course is exactly what such families want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has actually been an interesting discussion with some thoughtful comments.

But the problem remains the same - most people with options leave DCPS. They'll give it a try in early elementary, but then they're done. One can say whatever about race, but no one gives a damn about larger cultural issues when it comes to the wellbeing of their own child. It's disheartening to read that there are parents who are extremely exclusionary when it comes to race. And that drives the exodus, which of course is exactly what such families want.

I don't think this is true. I think most parents stay in DCPS, statistically speaking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has actually been an interesting discussion with some thoughtful comments.

But the problem remains the same - most people with options leave DCPS. They'll give it a try in early elementary, but then they're done. One can say whatever about race, but no one gives a damn about larger cultural issues when it comes to the wellbeing of their own child. It's disheartening to read that there are parents who are extremely exclusionary when it comes to race. And that drives the exodus, which of course is exactly what such families want.

Bold is the answer. Overwhelming majority of families place the top priority on their kid’s education and well being. This is true at the expense of all else. Those few parents here saying community trumps their kid are outliers.

DCPS has proven time and time again that they don’t care about all the kids. The higher performing kids will be “fine” which they equate as finishing school and going to any college which is a very low bar as the majority of resources go to the lowest performing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has actually been an interesting discussion with some thoughtful comments.

But the problem remains the same - most people with options leave DCPS. They'll give it a try in early elementary, but then they're done. One can say whatever about race, but no one gives a damn about larger cultural issues when it comes to the wellbeing of their own child. It's disheartening to read that there are parents who are extremely exclusionary when it comes to race. And that drives the exodus, which of course is exactly what such families want.

I don't think this is true. I think most parents stay in DCPS, statistically speaking.

No they don’t. As someone has said, about 50% of the kids in the city don’t attend DCPS. But the number is actually much higher because it doesn’t take into account the families who move to the burbs for the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has actually been an interesting discussion with some thoughtful comments.

But the problem remains the same - most people with options leave DCPS. They'll give it a try in early elementary, but then they're done. One can say whatever about race, but no one gives a damn about larger cultural issues when it comes to the wellbeing of their own child. It's disheartening to read that there are parents who are extremely exclusionary when it comes to race. And that drives the exodus, which of course is exactly what such families want.

I don't think this is true. I think most parents stay in DCPS, statistically speaking.

No they don’t. As someone has said, about 50% of the kids in the city don’t attend DCPS. But the number is actually much higher because it doesn’t take into account the families who move to the burbs for the schools.

Check out the grade progression ratios here: https://edscape.dc.gov/page/grade-progression-ratio

Citywide 5th to 6th progression has consistently been the lowest, but it was still 94% in SY22-23. 8th to 9th is actually exceeds 100% (presumably because of private school students moving into application schools?).