Reply to Wilson honors for all - how has it worked?

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Reply to "Wilson honors for all - how has it worked?"

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

You distort every point ever so slightly to create the adversary you wish you had so you can be the good guy. Typical privileged white dude yelling at not privileged white dudes to watch their privilege.

Racism is absolutely a problem today. It is not, however, the driver of 90% of the decisions or opinions that posters on DCUM like to call racist. In the rare occasions that one accepts that it isn't the driver, one brings up the definition of racism that makes it an institutional problem. Therefore if your statement or action isn't actively anti-racist or seeking equity, it is racist. That isn't sustainable.

I didn't see the PP you bullied say that racism and white privilege don't exist. She did say that they are used as just a tactic to shut down debate. Just because a baseball bat is used as a weapon doesn't mean it isn't also bona fide sports equipment.

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What do YOU believe drives the achievement gap at Wilson?  How would you address is?  Do you believe a long history of unequal treatment of black people by civil institutions (segregated schools, closed professions, restrictive deeds, segregated public facilities, employment discrimination, government investment in homeownership overwhelmingly in white neighborhoods) has anything to do with this achievement gap or not?  If not, what do you think are the causes?[/quote]

Hey there good questions and hopefully this can be productive

I am the person calling out that too many people use racism and white privilege as a means to end debate poster by the way.  I am interested in actual solutions I like questions like this.

In 2019 the achievement gap at Wilson is primarily driven by parenting or lack there of which is connected to low SES high at-risk vs higher SES low levels of at-risk

People who are lower at-risk and generally higher SES levels generally understand that educating your child starts from birth.  It's not enough to rely on a school to teach your child.  You need to actively engage with them, read to them, ask them interesting questions. All of this needs to be occuring again from birth.  And the 0-5 age range is the most critical time in this process

People who are high at-risk generally lower SES levels generally have all sorts of stresses in their lives.  They either don't understand or don't have time to actively engage with their child, read to them or ask interesting questions.  Often the home is chaotic and loud which detracts from development.

From the time students enter school there is a large achievement gap.  It is very hard to close this gap.  Closing the achievement gap has been the focus of education reformers for at least 25 years now and the gap is barely budging

To close the achievement gap you need to educate parents how to actually parent.  I would require parenting classes before birth.  I would have home visits when kids are growing up.  I would build on programs like ensuring every child has books they can read etc.  I would encourage mentorship, community members mentoring parents.

I would also argue that concentrated poverty is also a problem but I think that is much harder to correct.  Zoning could help but it is a much bigger problem and I think focusing on encouraging strong parenting practices is the most cost effective solution.

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In DC there is a large racial connection to SES levels.  There are many higher SES levels whites and many lower SES level blacks.  There are also higher SES level blacks both in DC and PG county and all over the country.  These higher SES levels blacks prove that in 2019 that main cause and factor of the achievement gap is parenting not racial issues.  There are plenty of low income asians and Africans who have highly successful children.  Again this is a result of solid and focused parenting not racial or even SES issues.     [/quote]

But you are talking about solutions that affect what happens outside of the building. There is a growing body of evidence that in home visits work as well as (Baltimore has a great program) as well as pre-k for all. I fully acknowledge as an African American parent with kids at Wilson that much can be done on that front - but it's not a problem that Wilson can address effectively.

Let's not use parenting as a scapegoat for inaction. Also you cannot separate race from SES. It's not possible.

We need to be specific and work in the spheres where we do have influence - the solutions need to focus on what is happening in the building. [/quote]

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