Reply to African-American parents - where are your kids in school and how are they doing?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
My kids are very young, like yours. Right now, more than the academics, I'm interested in cultural literacy and socialization with AA peers. I feel it's an inoculation to identity issues that may come up later, when they are marginalized by their decidedly middle class upbringing---the values, household habits, and exposure to opportunities not typically found within the local community.

I'm also a product of DCPS, but ended up at a tony private school and elite college. The early immersion in all-AA environments (D.C. was pretty different 20 years ago, wasn't it?) gave me both a context of belonging [b]AND an understanding of how I was different from peers who may have shared a general cultural background with me but differed in terms of housing and family structure (and all that this entailed).[/b]
The connection between racial socialization and things like self-esteem and resilience has been well established within the literature. I think it's great that you're taking this element into consideration when thinking about their schooling.

Good luck working this out and finding what works best for your family. [/quote][/quote]

OP again - I messed up the quotes on my previous post.

OP here.  So interesting you mention this aspect - this was definitely an eye-opening experience for me in middle and high school in DCPS.  It was not always an easy place to be a smart, achievement-oriented AA student.  In the end, I came out with a stronger sense of self, but I question whether that's what I want to set my kids up for.  What's worse - social ostrazation by your AA peers or social isolation because you have no AA peers?  Or maybe these issues have changed a bit since I was in school.  I know it depends a bit on the kid, but that's what I struggle with.

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