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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I do, actually.  I've volunteered at Banneker over a four-year period, at the invitation of science teachers I met through a STEM mentoring organization I'm involved with.

Sorry, but the SAT scores and AP scores coming out of Banneker speak for themselves.

If the average MATH SAT score really is in the high 400s, at least half of the students don't have a firm grasp of algebra or geometry, let alone trig and calc. They also lack the requisite vocabulary and analytical skills to handle elite college-level humanities studies.  Wish things were different.[/quote]

You volunteer at the school and turn around and trash the teaching?! [/quote]

When you volunteer somewhere, you gain a little insight into how the place works. Over time, this New Yorker got fed up with lack of ambition for Banneker's upper echelon academically on the part of many adults in the building, at least where STEM education goes. The tyranny of low expectations wasn't hard to identify. Very different feel than Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Hunter College MS/HS, where I've also volunteered.  Lots of happy talk and drill at Banneker, but not enough joy of learning, healthy competition within the peer group, serious extra-curriculars, and aiming high to crack competitive colleges.  It's more of a culture of "any 4-year program will do."  I left unconvinced that admins and teachers do their utmost to impress the critical importance of scoring high on standardized tests on students. The concept clearly isn't integral to the school culture.[/quote]

As the parent of a current student, I hope they found better volunteers this year. [/quote]

Don’t shoot the messenger.

:hunf: [/quote]

I think it’s terrible that you volunteer and then turn around and bad mouth the students and school. [/quote]

DP.  It seems like you're upset that PP is pointing out a real weakness of the school.  It seems to me that Banneker should recognize and address this glaring weakness in order to better serve students.  How is pointing that out "bad mouthing the students and school"?

My kid's SAT went up 300 points with tutoring.  I'm sure that many kids at Banneker could have similar improvements, which would dramatically increase their college choices and merit aid awards.  How is that bad? [/quote]

The 80 or students that graduated last year had $50 million in aid, I think they’re doing fine.[/quote]

So you are actually claiming that Banneker students received on average $625k in aid, or approximately twice the 4 year cost of the most expensive private schools?   You seem to lack basic math skills. [/quote]

I don’t lack math skills. You just lack first hand knowledge of Banneker. But PP above explained it to you (all aid offered vs aid accepted).[/quote]

I DO lack first hand knowledge of Banneker.  My kid’s high school choice was between Wilson, Walls and McKinley.  Ended up at Wilson for sports.

That said, he wouldn’t have gotten into the college he’s attending if his SATs hadn’t improved.  Do you doubt that Banneker kids would have an enormously greater range of options if their SATs were higher?  That doesn’t make sense to me.  Or are you arguing that schools that will take a kid with a 950 SAT are good enough for all Banneker kids?

What’s the argument against trying to improve Banneker kids’ scores?  Do you believe it’s too difficult?   Recent changes to the SAT have exacerbated it’s pro-wealth, pro-white bias, but I believe that kids of color CAN do well on the test. [/quote]

I’m not arguing against them doing better on SATs. I would argue we need to scrap standardized college exams because it’s a waste of time. SATs are dumb. It’s one factor among others in evaluating a student. But truly, you only learn how a student does on standardized tests. They don’t reflect knowledge or potential, no matter what the college board argues. I became anti-standardized tests in graduate school. Foreign students must take the TOEFL (English language exam) to attend American universities. Every year GTA were assigned to a few grad student who had perfect (or close to perfect) scores. Only to have these students arrive on campus with zero abilities to speak or write English. Standardized tests are a game! Do I want my kid to waste learning time on how to take them? No, not really.  But clearly there are those who only judge a school on those tests.[/quote]

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