Hidden Gems

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Well this thread really got off the rails.

I nominate Bard College Early High School. Top notch teachers who have PhDs, students get a Slac experience in high school and an associates degree. Plus the Bard brand. I don’t know why literally no one ever talks about it on here, except it is very very new, and EOTR: https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/415

Also everyone moons over Oyster-Adams, but I think more people should consider Columbia Heights Educational Campus. A bilingual dual immersion school, lots of APs offered, partnership with the Kennedy center, great location.

Probably because it isn't actually early college level work. It will be on grade level at best, and who wants to drive far for that?

There are always posters who question the quality of predominantly black high schools. They are just never good enough for you.

+1 And the pattern is clear - assert that the school actually is terrible based on nothing; then backtrack to an position that it might not be terrible, but it's certainly not special; throw in allusions to endemic behavioral problems; demand that other people prove you wrong; and discount any evidence to the contrary as either outdated, too second or third hand (not reliable!), or too close to the source (boosterism!). Lather, rinse, wait for someone to say something positive about a majority black school, and repeat.

Who said anything about behavior problems? PP asked why people don't talk about it much, and I think it is because the academics are not really early college, it is a long drive, and so small that it lacks various sports etc. Also, compared with say Latin, you can't send your middle schooler there and that is a logistical factor for some.

A long drive from where? It's a short drive from where I am. I get it, it doesn't suit you personally. That doesn't mean it's not a solid school. It is weird for you to devote so much energy to tearing down schools and I do wonder about your motivation.

A long drive from about half the city, when you think about traffic.

DP but this is idiotic. "It's not central to literally everywhere" is never brought up to shut down discussion of SWW. You don't want to go there - don't put it on your list. But you sure are spending a lot of time and energy demanding that people admit that a school that graduates a 96% of kids with at least one year of college coursework alongside their high school diplomas is somehow not actually doing college-level work, because you just assume they must not be, because . . . reasons.

[Anonymous]

167 students at BHSEC seems pretty great to me. Also the commute would not be bad from Deanwood, Hill East, Kingman Park, Fairfax Village, Hillcrest, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well this thread really got off the rails.

I nominate Bard College Early High School. Top notch teachers who have PhDs, students get a Slac experience in high school and an associates degree. Plus the Bard brand. I don’t know why literally no one ever talks about it on here, except it is very very new, and EOTR: https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/415

Also everyone moons over Oyster-Adams, but I think more people should consider Columbia Heights Educational Campus. A bilingual dual immersion school, lots of APs offered, partnership with the Kennedy center, great location.

Probably because it isn't actually early college level work. It will be on grade level at best, and who wants to drive far for that?

There are always posters who question the quality of predominantly black high schools. They are just never good enough for you.

+1 And the pattern is clear - assert that the school actually is terrible based on nothing; then backtrack to an position that it might not be terrible, but it's certainly not special; throw in allusions to endemic behavioral problems; demand that other people prove you wrong; and discount any evidence to the contrary as either outdated, too second or third hand (not reliable!), or too close to the source (boosterism!). Lather, rinse, wait for someone to say something positive about a majority black school, and repeat.

Oh and maybe question the structure of the program or strictness of the faculty/administration as ok for black kids but not ok for white. So exhausting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If there are already Black people going there, who is the gem hidden from, exactly?

The whole logic is that it only matters when white people know about it.

Ding ding ding ding. I also echo another PP who said that parents who do enter schools described as "hidden gems" stop, look, and listen to what is happening inside the school before trying to change it from the get go. There is a reason the school is a gem, and kids are already benefitting. I'm reminded of the Nice White Parents podcast story about the fundraiser for the French program where one well-meaning but clueless white attendee lectured the Puerto Rican PTA mom (who is bilingual) about the benefits to the students to introducing immersion learning based on her splitting time on the UES/France.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there are already Black people going there, who is the gem hidden from, exactly?

The whole logic is that it only matters when white people know about it.

Ding ding ding ding. I also echo another PP who said that parents who do enter schools described as "hidden gems" stop, look, and listen to what is happening inside the school before trying to change it from the get go. There is a reason the school is a gem, and kids are already benefitting. I'm reminded of the Nice White Parents podcast story about the fundraiser for the French program where one well-meaning but clueless white attendee lectured the Puerto Rican PTA mom (who is bilingual) about the benefits to the students to introducing immersion learning based on her splitting time on the UES/France.

I'm not sure why you think that calling it a "hidden gem" means I would by trying to change the school. I'm looking for a turnkey, plug & play school where I don't have to do anything. That's kind of the point. And to be honest, pretty entitled of me. I having a lot of admiration for parents willing to put in hard work to organize and improve. I'm not going to tailor my beliefs based on one person who supposedly offended another one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well this thread really got off the rails.

I nominate Bard College Early High School. Top notch teachers who have PhDs, students get a Slac experience in high school and an associates degree. Plus the Bard brand. I don’t know why literally no one ever talks about it on here, except it is very very new, and EOTR: https://www.myschooldc.org/schools/profile/415

Also everyone moons over Oyster-Adams, but I think more people should consider Columbia Heights Educational Campus. A bilingual dual immersion school, lots of APs offered, partnership with the Kennedy center, great location.

Probably because it isn't actually early college level work. It will be on grade level at best, and who wants to drive far for that?

There are always posters who question the quality of predominantly black high schools. They are just never good enough for you.

+1 And the pattern is clear - assert that the school actually is terrible based on nothing; then backtrack to an position that it might not be terrible, but it's certainly not special; throw in allusions to endemic behavioral problems; demand that other people prove you wrong; and discount any evidence to the contrary as either outdated, too second or third hand (not reliable!), or too close to the source (boosterism!). Lather, rinse, wait for someone to say something positive about a majority black school, and repeat.

Who said anything about behavior problems? PP asked why people don't talk about it much, and I think it is because the academics are not really early college, it is a long drive, and so small that it lacks various sports etc. Also, compared with say Latin, you can't send your middle schooler there and that is a logistical factor for some.

A long drive from where? It's a short drive from where I am. I get it, it doesn't suit you personally. That doesn't mean it's not a solid school. It is weird for you to devote so much energy to tearing down schools and I do wonder about your motivation.

A long drive from about half the city, when you think about traffic.

You know land doesn't attend schools, right? Kids do, and the vast majority of them are in the other half of the city. It's an easy commute from Wards 6, 7, 8, and parts of 5.