Would you put your white kid in KIPP or Center City?

[Anonymous]

White girls twerk too, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:White girls twerk too, lol.

And then some, lol!

[Anonymous]

I'm another white nearly only for PK - 6th grade.

Short answer: I am fine. It didn't solve all my problems. I still have lots of run-of-the-mill internalized racism of the well-intentioned white liberal. And as soon as I hit an almost all-white middle school (divorced parents, new district), I got totally used to being in the white super-majority.

Having actual friendships with a bunch of different kinds of black girls improved my emotional intelligence and ability to hang out with / show up for my non-white colleagues.

At core, I'd say, the class education my middle-class self got in a rust-belt Title 1 school was probably more lasting than any racial awareness / thoughtfulness I developed. Probably because I got to practice crossing those lines (or leaving well enough alone) for a lot longer.

I think I'd look for all the things you'd look for in any school: Does my kid's teacher know my kid? Does she or he have my kid's number? Is my kid excited about school?

AND! If you do end up in a school where your kid is an "only/ one of 2", spend a little time reading up on white fragility, etc in schools--lots of white parents (like me) come on into a school set to change it, make some promises, and then bail when change doesn't happen in the way they want it to. Which burns off the energy & significance of the work black and latino parents may be putting in.

Which doesn't feel like disrespect when you're doing it--again, first hand experience here. It feels like helping. It's not your fault that white voices echo more loudly.

But they do. So if you're coming into a school as a minority, get ready to listen and follow; lots of schools have been burned by well-intentioned white savior types. (Sorry to lecture! But it's a thing! And white parents can lead other white parents more effectively than black parents who sometimes have higher priorities than dealing w my / others' white nonsense.)

[Anonymous]

I would have absolutely no hesitation for my child to be the only white kid.

I would have absolutely 100% hesitation to ever send my child to a KIPP school. I taught in one for years. Don't do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm another white nearly only for PK - 6th grade.

Short answer: I am fine. It didn't solve all my problems. I still have lots of run-of-the-mill internalized racism of the well-intentioned white liberal. And as soon as I hit an almost all-white middle school (divorced parents, new district), I got totally used to being in the white super-majority.

Having actual friendships with a bunch of different kinds of black girls improved my emotional intelligence and ability to hang out with / show up for my non-white colleagues.

At core, I'd say, the class education my middle-class self got in a rust-belt Title 1 school was probably more lasting than any racial awareness / thoughtfulness I developed. Probably because I got to practice crossing those lines (or leaving well enough alone) for a lot longer.

I think I'd look for all the things you'd look for in any school: Does my kid's teacher know my kid? Does she or he have my kid's number? Is my kid excited about school?

AND! If you do end up in a school where your kid is an "only/ one of 2", spend a little time reading up on white fragility, etc in schools--lots of white parents (like me) come on into a school set to change it, make some promises, and then bail when change doesn't happen in the way they want it to. Which burns off the energy & significance of the work black and latino parents may be putting in.

Which doesn't feel like disrespect when you're doing it--again, first hand experience here. It feels like helping. It's not your fault that white voices echo more loudly.

But they do. So if you're coming into a school as a minority, get ready to listen and follow; lots of schools have been burned by well-intentioned white savior types. (Sorry to lecture! But it's a thing! And white parents can lead other white parents more effectively than black parents who sometimes have higher priorities than dealing w my / others' white nonsense.)

Good advice. But as a practical matter ... we're looking at a middle school that got 1 star. I think to turn it around it in fact WILL take a dose of white savior types (or lets just say educated UMC savior types - our elementary school is significantly multiethnic.) There's really nobody to listen to or follow, so if its gonna work, everyone is going to have to take initiative and leadership. To me, the duty in this circumstance is to reach out to all parents and all kids to make sure that their voices are heard, not dampening the white voice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would have absolutely no hesitation for my child to be the only white kid.

I would have absolutely 100% hesitation to ever send my child to a KIPP school. I taught in one for years. Don't do it.

Can you explain why not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't. I saw this growing up as the only asian kid in a all white school district from 4th to 12th grade. Let's just say I didn't have any friends until 9th grade. I graduated in the 90s so yes, race relations is better, but the bullying is worse.

Why do you say the bullying is worse? I would say bullying has definitely decreased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And many affluent people move to poor neighborhoods solely to get more house for their financial investment, and DONT make any attempt to make sincere community investments with the people who live there already...

Yup especially if they plan on sending their kids to private schools. Tons of black folks do this in PG county to get more house with no intention of using the generally subpar public schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I went to a predominantly black school through eighth grade and I am white. I would do the same with my son though our neighborhood school is closer to 50/50. Certainly helps one not to have the kind of weird hang ups some white people have, like thinking being AA is a personality type or something. Did I sometimes feel weird and not part of the dominant culture? Sure but I don’t know that that was a bad thing to experience and navigate.

I'm the poster who said that if a white three year old experiences racial discrimination at school, it could be a learning experience. I was thinking of micro-aggressions, ignorant assumptions, maybe use of a racial epithet or an incident of exclusion; the kind of stuff I, as a white person, have once in a while actually experienced. Being subjected to that level of racist treatment I think can be a learning experience for white people, because it can remind us that racism exists, show us that hurts, that it's wrong, and we can learn something about race, privilege, and decent conduct as we navigate the best response. I was not thinking that it would be OK for a white child to be violently attacked because of their race or something like that -- that's just so out of the realm of what I perceive as realistic (and yes, it is a white privilege for it to be so unrealistic for my kids) that I didn't even think about it.

As a PP said -- white parents who are so concerned about having the only white kid in the preschool class, what is the worst thing that could realistically happen? IMO, it would be a racist statement from a kid or teacher (i.e., "you can't do X because you are white.") If that happened to my kid, it would absolutely be a learning experience to unpack the comment and respond to it. Non-white kids get this message all the time. Parents need to recognize it (when it's sent to our kids or others) and be ready to help our kids respond appropriately.

Most normal people don't want to live in a neighborhood, school, or heck work at a company where they are less than 10% of the population. It's human nature people

That’s white people nature.

What exactly is "white people nature", dear racist fellow?

I'm not the poster who wrote the comment, but many affluent black people live in neighborhoods and go to schools where they are less than 10% of the population. They choose to live in those neighborhoods and send their kids to those schools.

And?

That's perfectly normal in a country where blacks account for 12% of the population.

And... the idea that normal people don't want to live in a neighborhood, go to school or work where they are less than 10% of the population is not necessarily true. It's not "white people nature". Nor is it black people nature.

I'm the original poster on the 10% and I agree with the above 2 points it's a stereotype. If you look at human settlement patterns most folks prefer/choose to be around folks that are similar SES as themselves which as we all know has a strong racial component. More stereotypes. Asians almost always focus on schools. Whites generally do until an area has a high asian population than they generally leave. For blacks its more of an SES thing with many blacks wanting to escape negative black culture associated with the lower black class.

In summary people are just looking out for their best interest. I don't think most whites would be comfortable having their child be less than 10% in a school environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have absolutely no hesitation for my child to be the only white kid.

I would have absolutely 100% hesitation to ever send my child to a KIPP school. I taught in one for years. Don't do it.

Can you explain why not?

Kids call it the 'kids in prison program'
They, like many charters, will kick kids out for any and everything, if they even let them in - IEP, 504, first strike you're out even with menial absurd inconsequential rules like chewing gum.

They're all there for the numbers. "We sent 100% of our kids to college!" but really they boot out all the kids who won't get in

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2012/03/why-students-call-kipp-kids-in-prison.html

http://debsedstudies.org/knowledge-is-power-but-at-a-cost-kipp-cmo-report/

https://educationvotes.nea.org/2017/03/07/5-reasons-charter-schools-bad-news-students/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm another white nearly only for PK - 6th grade.

Short answer: I am fine. It didn't solve all my problems. I still have lots of run-of-the-mill internalized racism of the well-intentioned white liberal. And as soon as I hit an almost all-white middle school (divorced parents, new district), I got totally used to being in the white super-majority.

Having actual friendships with a bunch of different kinds of black girls improved my emotional intelligence and ability to hang out with / show up for my non-white colleagues.

At core, I'd say, the class education my middle-class self got in a rust-belt Title 1 school was probably more lasting than any racial awareness / thoughtfulness I developed. Probably because I got to practice crossing those lines (or leaving well enough alone) for a lot longer.

I think I'd look for all the things you'd look for in any school: Does my kid's teacher know my kid? Does she or he have my kid's number? Is my kid excited about school?

AND! If you do end up in a school where your kid is an "only/ one of 2", spend a little time reading up on white fragility, etc in schools--lots of white parents (like me) come on into a school set to change it, make some promises, and then bail when change doesn't happen in the way they want it to. Which burns off the energy & significance of the work black and latino parents may be putting in.

Which doesn't feel like disrespect when you're doing it--again, first hand experience here. It feels like helping. It's not your fault that white voices echo more loudly.

But they do. So if you're coming into a school as a minority, get ready to listen and follow; lots of schools have been burned by well-intentioned white savior types. (Sorry to lecture! But it's a thing! And white parents can lead other white parents more effectively than black parents who sometimes have higher priorities than dealing w my / others' white nonsense.)

You are more than fine. You own up to internalized racism and see color. You demonstrate why it can be a good thing. I went to a 50/50 black/white school which I don’t think was enough to get this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a predominantly black school through eighth grade and I am white. I would do the same with my son though our neighborhood school is closer to 50/50. Certainly helps one not to have the kind of weird hang ups some white people have, like thinking being AA is a personality type or something. Did I sometimes feel weird and not part of the dominant culture? Sure but I don’t know that that was a bad thing to experience and navigate.

I'm the poster who said that if a white three year old experiences racial discrimination at school, it could be a learning experience. I was thinking of micro-aggressions, ignorant assumptions, maybe use of a racial epithet or an incident of exclusion; the kind of stuff I, as a white person, have once in a while actually experienced. Being subjected to that level of racist treatment I think can be a learning experience for white people, because it can remind us that racism exists, show us that hurts, that it's wrong, and we can learn something about race, privilege, and decent conduct as we navigate the best response. I was not thinking that it would be OK for a white child to be violently attacked because of their race or something like that -- that's just so out of the realm of what I perceive as realistic (and yes, it is a white privilege for it to be so unrealistic for my kids) that I didn't even think about it.

As a PP said -- white parents who are so concerned about having the only white kid in the preschool class, what is the worst thing that could realistically happen? IMO, it would be a racist statement from a kid or teacher (i.e., "you can't do X because you are white.") If that happened to my kid, it would absolutely be a learning experience to unpack the comment and respond to it. Non-white kids get this message all the time. Parents need to recognize it (when it's sent to our kids or others) and be ready to help our kids respond appropriately.

Most normal people don't want to live in a neighborhood, school, or heck work at a company where they are less than 10% of the population. It's human nature people

That’s white people nature.

What exactly is "white people nature", dear racist fellow?

I'm not the poster who wrote the comment, but many affluent black people live in neighborhoods and go to schools where they are less than 10% of the population. They choose to live in those neighborhoods and send their kids to those schools.

And?

That's perfectly normal in a country where blacks account for 12% of the population.

And... the idea that normal people don't want to live in a neighborhood, go to school or work where they are less than 10% of the population is not necessarily true. It's not "white people nature". Nor is it black people nature.

I'm the original poster on the 10% and I agree with the above 2 points it's a stereotype. If you look at human settlement patterns most folks prefer/choose to be around folks that are similar SES as themselves which as we all know has a strong racial component. More stereotypes. Asians almost always focus on schools. Whites generally do until an area has a high asian population than they generally leave. For blacks its more of an SES thing with many blacks wanting to escape negative black culture associated with the lower black class.

In summary people are just looking out for their best interest. I don't think most whites would be comfortable having their child be less than 10% in a school environment.

Good point. I am black so maybe that's why I see it as an SES thing instead of a racial thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have absolutely no hesitation for my child to be the only white kid.

I would have absolutely 100% hesitation to ever send my child to a KIPP school. I taught in one for years. Don't do it.

Can you explain why not?

Kids call it the 'kids in prison program'
They, like many charters, will kick kids out for any and everything, if they even let them in - IEP, 504, first strike you're out even with menial absurd inconsequential rules like chewing gum.

They're all there for the numbers. "We sent 100% of our kids to college!" but really they boot out all the kids who won't get in

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2012/03/why-students-call-kipp-kids-in-prison.html

http://debsedstudies.org/knowledge-is-power-but-at-a-cost-kipp-cmo-report/

https://educationvotes.nea.org/2017/03/07/5-reasons-charter-schools-bad-news-students/

This is a hilarious cherry-picking of thoroughly anti-charter (not just anti-KIPP) perspectives. If you are thinking that a KIPP school might be right for your kid (white, black, low-income, high-income, whatever) you should visit the school. I taught in KIPP schools for many, many years and the schools I taught in are not the same today as they were a decade ago. KIPP DC runs some of the most joyful programs I've been in (in my current role) and their reputation has yet to catch up with their reality. Don't believe the hype - go see it for yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would have absolutely no hesitation for my child to be the only white kid.

I would have absolutely 100% hesitation to ever send my child to a KIPP school. I taught in one for years. Don't do it.

Can you explain why not?

Kids call it the 'kids in prison program'
They, like many charters, will kick kids out for any and everything, if they even let them in - IEP, 504, first strike you're out even with menial absurd inconsequential rules like chewing gum.

They're all there for the numbers. "We sent 100% of our kids to college!" but really they boot out all the kids who won't get in

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2012/03/why-students-call-kipp-kids-in-prison.html

http://debsedstudies.org/knowledge-is-power-but-at-a-cost-kipp-cmo-report/

https://educationvotes.nea.org/2017/03/07/5-reasons-charter-schools-bad-news-students/

This is a hilarious cherry-picking of thoroughly anti-charter (not just anti-KIPP) perspectives. If you are thinking that a KIPP school might be right for your kid (white, black, low-income, high-income, whatever) you should visit the school. I taught in KIPP schools for many, many years and the schools I taught in are not the same today as they were a decade ago. KIPP DC runs some of the most joyful programs I've been in (in my current role) and their reputation has yet to catch up with their reality. Don't believe the hype - go see it for yourself.

Thanks for saying that. My child has been at KIPP DC for years and we both love it. Kiddo loves going to school, other kids are happy to be there, and the teachers are AMAZING - I have no idea how they recruit them, but my child has had the best teacher ever - every single year for 7 years now. The bar has gotten REALLY high because it just gets better every year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I went to a predominantly black school through eighth grade and I am white. I would do the same with my son though our neighborhood school is closer to 50/50. Certainly helps one not to have the kind of weird hang ups some white people have, like thinking being AA is a personality type or something. Did I sometimes feel weird and not part of the dominant culture? Sure but I don’t know that that was a bad thing to experience and navigate.

I'm the poster who said that if a white three year old experiences racial discrimination at school, it could be a learning experience. I was thinking of micro-aggressions, ignorant assumptions, maybe use of a racial epithet or an incident of exclusion; the kind of stuff I, as a white person, have once in a while actually experienced. Being subjected to that level of racist treatment I think can be a learning experience for white people, because it can remind us that racism exists, show us that hurts, that it's wrong, and we can learn something about race, privilege, and decent conduct as we navigate the best response. I was not thinking that it would be OK for a white child to be violently attacked because of their race or something like that -- that's just so out of the realm of what I perceive as realistic (and yes, it is a white privilege for it to be so unrealistic for my kids) that I didn't even think about it.

As a PP said -- white parents who are so concerned about having the only white kid in the preschool class, what is the worst thing that could realistically happen? IMO, it would be a racist statement from a kid or teacher (i.e., "you can't do X because you are white.") If that happened to my kid, it would absolutely be a learning experience to unpack the comment and respond to it. Non-white kids get this message all the time. Parents need to recognize it (when it's sent to our kids or others) and be ready to help our kids respond appropriately.

Most normal people don't want to live in a neighborhood, school, or heck work at a company where they are less than 10% of the population. It's human nature people

That’s white people nature.

+1