Reply to Middle and high school on Capitol Hill

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Middle and high school on Capitol Hill"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What never fails to enrage me are Hillites accepting what Upper NW parents never would collectively - several "neighborhood" middle schools that 3/4 OOB and/or 2/3 empty.  What would warrant having the Hill strongest elementary schools feed into a single MS is simple common sense, and a preoccupation with practical social justice.  The poor kids in our community do not benefit from the phenomenon of the great majority of highly educated families fleeing undesirable, low-performing (or at best, mediocre) neighborhood schools not just year after year, but decade after decade.  Let a critical mass of strong students build at a single Ward 6 by-right middle school and all boats rise with the tide, and fast.

When most local affluent parents would much rather move, go private, or go charter rather than enroll their children in a by-right school in which they lack confidence, the system is at fault, not the parents.  Yes, the odd high SES parent/good liberal like you can and will make SH work, but most can't and won't.  We are in-boundary for SH but my Asian better half (senior with a federal agency) won't touch a school that's 0% Asian for our children, period.  His bitter memories of being taunted by peers as one of the only Asians in his public MS remain strong.

Calling fellow Hill parents names for our failure to line up to enroll their kids at middle schools with proficiency pass rates in the teens (EH and Jefferson Academy) without grade level offerings, let alone classes and programs supporting advanced learners, is churlish and childish. Cut the crap, friend. [/quote]

I don't disagree in principle, but I think the problem is the barely concealed racial animus of some posters when they talk about the "OOB" kids, plus the air of entitlement and privilege ("I paid $900k for my house, I DESERVE to be catered to by DCPS!").  I don't think this is the kind of attitude that will inspire DCPS to listen to us.  People need to face the fact of the city and the ward we live in, and realize that they need to be careful and thoughtful with their words.  [b]It's also off-putting to talk about how "terrible" Jefferson is and how one can't "use" the schools -- this minimizes the hard work and dedication that I'm sure is happening in those schools, and makes it sound those schools are beneath our dignity.  It's just ugly language.[/b] [/quote]

Amen.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics