99 percent FARM

[Anonymous]

Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're at Powell. First off, the earliest grades don't seem to reflect 99% FARMS, so I think those stats are bound to change.

On your primary question, there is a language and cultural cleavage between parents who speak English and don't but it is not an unfriendly environment in the slightest. Being friendly and getting to know people can overcome pretty much any of that. Even if your Spanish is terrible.

If you're one of those people who waves at older neighbors and tries to learn parents' names in class you'll be fine. If you're one of those urbanites who walks past the same people every day with iPhone earbuds in, you'll have to make a greater level of effort.

Again as has been said, if you are comfortable in your own neighborhood you'll probably be just fine at your neighborhood school.

Every child eats free at Powell. No one fills out a form. So how would you know what that percentage would be?

I would like to know how the poster knows as well and I'm a Powell parent.

It's really not that hard to know -- in a school of 300 kids, all it takes is 4 kids in the whole school who aren't eligible for FARMs to bring the rate below 99%. If you've been to someone's house and/or you know where the parents work, you can make an educated guess about their affluence. We're TERRIBLE about socializing and making playdates, and I can still say with reasonable confidence that at least four kids in my daughter's kindergarten class are not eligible for FARMs. Now as to who IS eligible for FARMs? I know one mom who received a Thanksgiving basket from the school, so I wouldn't be surprised if her kids are eligible for FARMs, but other than that, I couldn't say.

I'm a middle class family at Powell and they gave Thanksgiving baskets to anyone who wanted one. We were offered a turkey and I declined as we had placed an order for ours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

I would say the great faulty and the outreach and/or social events at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're at Powell. First off, the earliest grades don't seem to reflect 99% FARMS, so I think those stats are bound to change.

On your primary question, there is a language and cultural cleavage between parents who speak English and don't but it is not an unfriendly environment in the slightest. Being friendly and getting to know people can overcome pretty much any of that. Even if your Spanish is terrible.

If you're one of those people who waves at older neighbors and tries to learn parents' names in class you'll be fine. If you're one of those urbanites who walks past the same people every day with iPhone earbuds in, you'll have to make a greater level of effort.

Again as has been said, if you are comfortable in your own neighborhood you'll probably be just fine at your neighborhood school.

Every child eats free at Powell. No one fills out a form. So how would you know what that percentage would be?

I would like to know how the poster knows as well and I'm a Powell parent.

It's really not that hard to know -- in a school of 300 kids, all it takes is 4 kids in the whole school who aren't eligible for FARMs to bring the rate below 99%. If you've been to someone's house and/or you know where the parents work, you can make an educated guess about their affluence. We're TERRIBLE about socializing and making playdates, and I can still say with reasonable confidence that at least four kids in my daughter's kindergarten class are not eligible for FARMs. Now as to who IS eligible for FARMs? I know one mom who received a Thanksgiving basket from the school, so I wouldn't be surprised if her kids are eligible for FARMs, but other than that, I couldn't say.

I'm a middle class family at Powell and they gave Thanksgiving baskets to anyone who wanted one. We were offered a turkey and I declined as we had placed an order for ours.

+1 DH came home with one and I was happy...saved me a trip to the grocery store!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

It is not PC to say (and I am an AA), but your demographic makeup (wink-wink) is the factor. First and second generation Hispanic students are for the most part very different that AA students. All jokes aside.....african american poverty and the behaviors, rituals, and mindset of the poverty stricken AA population is far different than other groups. Hip hop culture and the behaviors and mindset it promotes has and is crippling a subroup of our people at a very young age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

It is not PC to say (and I am an AA), but your demographic makeup (wink-wink) is the factor. First and second generation Hispanic students are for the most part very different that AA students. All jokes aside.....african american poverty and the behaviors, rituals, and mindset of the poverty stricken AA population is far different than other groups. Hip hop culture and the behaviors and mindset it promotes has and is crippling a subroup of our people at a very young age.

Oh, so "FARM" is code for black kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools [[ in DCPS ]] have? 

I would say the great faulty and the outreach and/or social events at the school.

I would say that it's because Powell is 84% Hispanic + 2% white + 1% Asian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I personally would not place my child in a school that is 99% FARMS. The social atmosphere will be different. Usually kids from these types of backgrounds come to school with lots of social, cognitive,emotional, and behavoirial problems. I'm not saying that all FARM students fit this profile. However, in DC it's most likely that these children come from dysfunctional homes where there is child abuse, substance abuse issues, and a list of other problems. It could be a cultural shock listening to a four year verbalizing profanity and misogynistic words, but can't even recite the alphabet. It will be a cultural shock to witness how angry, maladjusted, and unstable these students are. Most of these students never been read to, never been told the words, "I love you", or their emotional needs were never met from the time they were infants. Teachers spend a great deal of time trying to diffuse negative social behavior that teaching sometimes take a backseat. Which means your child's needs aren't going to get met because the priorities of the FARM students are so much more important. The needs of the FARM students are a priority. The entire educational setting will be focus on assisting those students with the various issues that they bring to school. The fact of the matter is that many poor inner-city children in DC are born to parents who don't give a damn. So, when unstable parents bring children into the world, it is up to the schools to provide some form of stability, love, attention, and other unmet needs to these children. I think there are some phenomenal teachers and specialists out there who do an amazing job with these students. However, it's a difficult task. It's the reason why so many DCPS are problematic. We have a culture of children who are born from generations of poverty, child abuse, and other issues. Teachers are forced to take on the role of a parent in these classrooms.

Also, it will be extremely difficult for you to establish friendships with the parents. There is a provincial attitude and a strong level of resistance with some DC residents (especially those from the lower class black communities) against integration and diversity. So, you may encounter some negative attitudes and behaviors from the parents as well.

You have to ask yourself do you want to take a risk and make your child the sacrificial lamb?

PP, your portrayal of the nature of poverty in DC suggests great ethnographic insight. How, prey tell, did you acquire this level of nuanced understanding?

By being an AA inner city child growing up in DC. Also, by 20 plus years working in social services.

Has there been a change since DC introduced two years of preschool? Or are more 0-3 programs needed?

Well, both yes and no. Yes, implementing great early childhood education programs is an enormous help. DC definitely needs more ECE programs for impoverished families. However, that is only a bandage for the actual real problems that exist. You have to get to these kids before they're even born. Poor nutrition, inadequate prenatal care, substance or alcohol abuse during the utero years, the mental health of the parents, the parent's age (typically these children are born to unwed teenage mothers), and other factors negatively effect the fetus and it's brain. Many of these children are born into the world with a host of neurological problems. I think the programs need to start during the utero years with the parents getting adequate healthcare, parental courses, and therapy. Also, it will be a great idea and cost effective to prevent these types of pregnancies from occurring in the first place through a strong mandate for birth control and education about reproductive health. Even with great prenatal programs, they still don't address the issues of: substance abuse, criminal behavior, the 80% out of wedlock rate, incarcerated fathers, fathers who abandoned their child's mother, aging grandparents on a fixed income raising their grandchildren because both parents are damaged beyond repair, a society that enables and coddles destructive behavior patterns, the numerous mental illnesses, the victim mentality, the anti-social mindset, the rampant physical or sexual abuse that these children encounter, and the neglectful parenting of these children's parents. So, until we really get to the root of the problem there is no way DCPS will be able to dismantled all of the issues that these students have. DCPS just like most urban schools in the country have external powers that are beyond their control. I don't care how much money we spend on a program that child still has to return to their neighborhood and household at the end of the day. It takes a real resilient and strong child to endure the horrors of abuse, neglect, poverty,lack of structure, and a community which doesn't support academic achievement to rise above the madness and escape. Some escape through college, the military, or within the entertainment industry. However, millions of these children enter into adulthood repeating the same cycle because that's all they know.

Even though I'm skeptical of some charter schools, there are some great ones out there. I really like what Geoffrey Canada has done with his school The Harlem Children's Zone http://www.hcz.org The key is not just assisting the students. It's changing the communities that they come from and their households. Mr. Canada gets where the root of the problem lies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

It is not PC to say (and I am an AA), but your demographic makeup (wink-wink) is the factor. First and second generation Hispanic students are for the most part very different that AA students. All jokes aside.....african american poverty and the behaviors, rituals, and mindset of the poverty stricken AA population is far different than other groups. Hip hop culture and the behaviors and mindset it promotes has and is crippling a subroup of our people at a very young age.

Oh, so "FARM" is code for black kids.

No. FARM means poor kids. Bancroft, Powell and Marie reed and HD Cooke have 1. A high percentage of FARMS and 2. a very high percentage of Hispanics. The school where I tutor in MoCo has a high percentage of Asians and -- by MoCo criteria -- a "lot" of FARMs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're at Powell. First off, the earliest grades don't seem to reflect 99% FARMS, so I think those stats are bound to change.

On your primary question, there is a language and cultural cleavage between parents who speak English and don't but it is not an unfriendly environment in the slightest. Being friendly and getting to know people can overcome pretty much any of that. Even if your Spanish is terrible.

If you're one of those people who waves at older neighbors and tries to learn parents' names in class you'll be fine. If you're one of those urbanites who walks past the same people every day with iPhone earbuds in, you'll have to make a greater level of effort.

Again as has been said, if you are comfortable in your own neighborhood you'll probably be just fine at your neighborhood school.

Every child eats free at Powell. No one fills out a form. So how would you know what that percentage would be?

I would like to know how the poster knows as well and I'm a Powell parent.

It's really not that hard to know -- in a school of 300 kids, all it takes is 4 kids in the whole school who aren't eligible for FARMs to bring the rate below 99%. If you've been to someone's house and/or you know where the parents work, you can make an educated guess about their affluence. We're TERRIBLE about socializing and making playdates, and I can still say with reasonable confidence that at least four kids in my daughter's kindergarten class are not eligible for FARMs. Now as to who IS eligible for FARMs? I know one mom who received a Thanksgiving basket from the school, so I wouldn't be surprised if her kids are eligible for FARMs, but other than that, I couldn't say.

I'm a middle class family at Powell and they gave Thanksgiving baskets to anyone who wanted one. We were offered a turkey and I declined as we had placed an order for ours.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be misleading -- my kid is not at Powell, she's at another DCPS, where the Thanksgiving baskets were specifically for families who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it. I was speaking broadly about how a parent might have some idea what the FARMs rate is at schools where families don't have to apply for FARMs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

It is not PC to say (and I am an AA), but your demographic makeup (wink-wink) is the factor. First and second generation Hispanic students are for the most part very different that AA students. All jokes aside.....african american poverty and the behaviors, rituals, and mindset of the poverty stricken AA population is far different than other groups. Hip hop culture and the behaviors and mindset it promotes has and is crippling a subroup of our people at a very young age.

I totally agree!

This embracing of thug and uncivilized culture is destroying the AA community. There is a great segment of "Boonducks" with Dr. MLK Jr. King coming back to life and being in the state of shock about how many AA's are behaving. http://youtu.be/M5FR1LGsT7E I feel the way Dr. King feels in this video. If the link doesn't work, then go to Youtube and search "Boondocks Martin Luther King's Speech".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I personally would not place my child in a school that is 99% FARMS. The social atmosphere will be different. Usually kids from these types of backgrounds come to school with lots of social, cognitive,emotional, and behavoirial problems. I'm not saying that all FARM students fit this profile. However, in DC it's most likely that these children come from dysfunctional homes where there is child abuse, substance abuse issues, and a list of other problems. It could be a cultural shock listening to a four year verbalizing profanity and misogynistic words, but can't even recite the alphabet. It will be a cultural shock to witness how angry, maladjusted, and unstable these students are. Most of these students never been read to, never been told the words, "I love you", or their emotional needs were never met from the time they were infants. Teachers spend a great deal of time trying to diffuse negative social behavior that teaching sometimes take a backseat. Which means your child's needs aren't going to get met because the priorities of the FARM students are so much more important. The needs of the FARM students are a priority. The entire educational setting will be focus on assisting those students with the various issues that they bring to school. The fact of the matter is that many poor inner-city children in DC are born to parents who don't give a damn. So, when unstable parents bring children into the world, it is up to the schools to provide some form of stability, love, attention, and other unmet needs to these children. I think there are some phenomenal teachers and specialists out there who do an amazing job with these students. However, it's a difficult task. It's the reason why so many DCPS are problematic. We have a culture of children who are born from generations of poverty, child abuse, and other issues. Teachers are forced to take on the role of a parent in these classrooms.

Also, it will be extremely difficult for you to establish friendships with the parents. There is a provincial attitude and a strong level of resistance with some DC residents (especially those from the lower class black communities) against integration and diversity. So, you may encounter some negative attitudes and behaviors from the parents as well.

You have to ask yourself do you want to take a risk and make your child the sacrificial lamb?

PP, your portrayal of the nature of poverty in DC suggests great ethnographic insight. How, prey tell, did you acquire this level of nuanced understanding?

By being an AA inner city child growing up in DC. Also, by 20 plus years working in social services.

Has there been a change since DC introduced two years of preschool? Or are more 0-3 programs needed?

Well, both yes and no. Yes, implementing great early childhood education programs is an enormous help. DC definitely needs more ECE programs for impoverished families. However, that is only a bandage for the actual real problems that exist. You have to get to these kids before they're even born. Poor nutrition, inadequate prenatal care, substance or alcohol abuse during the utero years, the mental health of the parents, the parent's age (typically these children are born to unwed teenage mothers), and other factors negatively effect the fetus and it's brain. Many of these children are born into the world with a host of neurological problems. I think the programs need to start during the utero years with the parents getting adequate healthcare, parental courses, and therapy. Also, it will be a great idea and cost effective to prevent these types of pregnancies from occurring in the first place through a strong mandate for birth control and education about reproductive health. Even with great prenatal programs, they still don't address the issues of: substance abuse, criminal behavior, the 80% out of wedlock rate, incarcerated fathers, fathers who abandoned their child's mother, aging grandparents on a fixed income raising their grandchildren because both parents are damaged beyond repair, a society that enables and coddles destructive behavior patterns, the numerous mental illnesses, the victim mentality, the anti-social mindset, the rampant physical or sexual abuse that these children encounter, and the neglectful parenting of these children's parents. So, until we really get to the root of the problem there is no way DCPS will be able to dismantled all of the issues that these students have. DCPS just like most urban schools in the country have external powers that are beyond their control. I don't care how much money we spend on a program that child still has to return to their neighborhood and household at the end of the day. It takes a real resilient and strong child to endure the horrors of abuse, neglect, poverty,lack of structure, and a community which doesn't support academic achievement to rise above the madness and escape. Some escape through college, the military, or within the entertainment industry. However, millions of these children enter into adulthood repeating the same cycle because that's all they know.

Even though I'm skeptical of some charter schools, there are some great ones out there. I really like what Geoffrey Canada has done with his school The Harlem Children's Zone http://www.hcz.org The key is not just assisting the students. It's changing the communities that they come from and their households. Mr. Canada gets where the root of the problem lies.

Thank you for your response. It dovetails with my thoughts, but I do not have your experience. Real change takes local involvement to develop programs that will meet the needs of each community, money, time, longterm funding, longterm planning, longterm thinking, longterm committments from many - a holistic approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Powell parent here. What do you all feel the difference is in our school that we don't have the same nightmarish behavior issues that a lot of PPs say other high % FARM schools have? 

It is not PC to say (and I am an AA), but your demographic makeup (wink-wink) is the factor. First and second generation Hispanic students are for the most part very different that AA students. All jokes aside.....african american poverty and the behaviors, rituals, and mindset of the poverty stricken AA population is far different than other groups. Hip hop culture and the behaviors and mindset it promotes has and is crippling a subroup of our people at a very young age.

Oh, so "FARM" is code for black kids.

In Maryland it Menes illegal alien who also eats up ESOL funding too.

[Anonymous]

this discussion has gone south. if it was ever good in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:this discussion has gone south. if it was ever good in the first place.

South as in where slavery began?