Reply to The GTA president's proposal for school integration--what do you think?

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Reply to "The GTA president's proposal for school integration--what do you think?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am on the several of these lists.  I don't have time to go back and look at the original post and the discussion thread.  But, in general, what I remember is that this "proposal" isn't really a serious one, or rather it was made knowing that it was politically impossible.

I think it is a reflection of the frustration that the GTA guy (and many parents) feel trying to get appropriate higher level instruction for their kids.  In the red zone (where this guy lives), the schools generally provide fewer acceleration options.  It would take an entirely different looong thread to lay out possible reasons why (higher poverty rates, less ability of parents to advocate, racism, lower rates of entry preparedness, etc.)  The school system approach to ensuring "equity" in these schools seems to be to fail to provide acceleration/challenge so that the differences between the least prepared and most prepared are less obvious.

This problem doesn't present itself as clearly in green zone schools because  by and large the kids come to school already at higher levels of academic performance (again another thread to discuss why -- wealth, opportunity, outside tutoring, parents who push/advocate, etc.).  So, green zone kids get a higher base level of teaching so that even when their parents fail in efforts to get acceleration/challenge, the base level is not as low as in a red zone school.

The article that was posted and the suggestion to integrate schools comes out of these frustrations and a recent study that shows that low income kids who gain entry to high income public schools are able to perform better (again another thread to discuss why -- better teaching, more prepared peers, etc.)  So, maybe the true answer to "equity in schools", i.e. performance outcomes where low income and minority kids can perform as well as wealthy white kids, is to simply integrate our schools.  (It's another question how "doable" this is.)

I write this as a parent who has had kids in both green zone and red zone schools, and have been in DCPS and MoCo schools.  I have been appalled in both districts about the poor teaching and low expectations set in schools that have mostly low income minority kids.  As a citizen it's sad to see and corrosive to our democracy that low income minority kids get such a different and lower quality education than their wealthy peers in public school.

I also say this as a parent who grew up in MoCo, went to a school that was mostly white and was integrated in the late 70s/early 80s.  I am a strong supporter of integrated schools and have been dismayed to see MCPS make some moves that I think undermine school integration.  Of course, I don't support long distance forced busing to rectify entrenched segregated housing patterns, which is what would have to happen to totally integrate our county due to the very segregated housing patterns (which is also another long thread about why our segregated housing patterns arose -- racially exclusive property covenants, VA and FHA mortgage loan history, mortgage redlining, etc.)  But, where it is possible to integrate schools w/ shorter bus rides (under 1/2 hour) or to situate magnet programs or choice programs to increase diversity, I support such programs.  [/quote]

Appreciate your trying to defend the "GTA guy."  I am on all those lists and have seen this proposal being pushed very, very hard many times.

It looks like you want to push for a socialistic society and are using the school system to do so.  The "GTA guy" on the one side wants to integrate society and on the other he wants to segregate classrooms by advocating separate classes for wealthy, well-prepared.  Sounds like a liberal!!!  This is America, and we have to understand the people can chose to live where they want.  Move to Cuba if you want a society where all housing costs the same.  [/quote]

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