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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

What could DCPS do to keep you?  What would they need to change?[/quote]

Not OP, but I think DCPS is just not that attractive for black middle class families.  I wish it weren't so.  Some may luck into ITS or some other popular charter that has close to a critical mass of black middle class families.  Others may lotto into Shepherd or Eaton or a couple other schools.  If they're able to--and we're no longer talking middle-class, but upper middle class--they'll buy IB for these schools (my overall impression re: many UMC AA families is that many skip DCPS altogether, and go private or parochial).

One major factor, IMO, is that this city has a lot of fairly new-to-DC, highly educated, and fairly affluent white families who are often willing to try out gentrifying schools, and then there are a lot of AA families from multi-generational poverty that make up the bulk of the public school population.  In schools with few middle class AA students, AA parents have legitimate concerns about peer influences and low expectations from teachers who may lump all black kids together and consider them a lost cause, or just have lower expectations for our kids.  White families in these gentrifying schools will be largely insulated from these concerns, as it doesn't really affect their children to the same extent.  It's just not worth it for many middle class AA families, and they may leave for Silver Spring/Bowie/Rockville/etc. after a while, if they didn't start out there in the first place.

I think there will continue to be a growing divide in the city, with middle class families of all stripes being squeezed out, unless there is a significant investment in affordable housing and in multi-family housing in a lot of the upper NW neighborhoods with attractive school options.[/quote]

Huh, very interesting, thanks.  I can see how middle class white parents wouldn't have the same kind of worries.

Re: growing divide in the city, sadly I think it's almost too late.  Ten or more years ago the city should have upzoned large swaths of wealthy areas AND invested more in affordable housing.  The city does not have enough housing, and limited housing supply has caused demand to go through the roof, along with prices.  DC is headed towards become a rich-only city.[/quote]

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