Reply to S/O - What’s up with AEM?

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

That all gets lost with comments like: “whi.....I mean elitist"

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Sorry, I disagree a bit here.  Every community in Arlington says what it wants; but does not necessarily get it.  Yeah, the wealthy white communities in the north get it more than not.  However, the Black community of Nauck wants its own neighborhood school.  They don't want anyone from outside their neighborhood coming to "their promised neighborhood school."  Again, sorry; but no neighborhood gets that.  Randolph ES is probably the closest thing to it; but even the majority of those students are technically from outside the Douglas Park neighborhood.  I don't believe the Black community around Drew said it specifically wanted an 80% FRL neighborhood school.  Even if they did, I don't think it's right to let them have that.[/quote]

The issue that was specifically the subject of the comment was whether Drew would be a neighborhood school or some sort of hybrid, arguably akin to what it previously had with Montessori. It is true that not every community gets what it wants, but typically that plays out as everyone else saying, you can't have that b/c it's not best for Arlington, and not, you can't have that b/c it's not best for YOU.

There is zero basis to say that the black community and/or Nauck didn't want anyone outside the neighborhood going to "their" school. Zero. The boundary process was about figuring out how to fill Drew, and about all the other nearby communities fighting to stay out of Drew. To the extent there was a coherent Drew voice or movement, it generally just wanted a reasonable boundary. (If you're one of those conspiracy theory folks about how Drew "didn't want" SF or something, nonsense. I was there and that is not true.) [/quote]

This is not exactly accurate.  The idea was to make Drew science focus so that there wouldn’t be a fight to stay out of it, but more of a fight to get into it. The problem is the idea wasn’t presented clearly enough and the immediate reaction was you are a racist for even having an idea about it.[/quote]

I said arguably akin. I know the author didn't design it to be the same as the two programs/one school thing. But the issue remains: it was presented in a "this is best for you" kind of way, from a white community to a black community. As I understand the at-issue term, leaving aside whether I think it's a useful or productive one, that's pretty much what it means. And I think the reason it was used was to get people to consider the history and context that were also in play, separate and apart from the merits of the idea or the chaos of the boundary process. [/quote]

This is PP.  I disagree that it was “arguably akin,” but I can’t disagree with the rest of your statement.  The whole thing was a mistake, and the originator apologized and recognized that well-intentioned people can do unintentionally racist things.  But the way it played out was awful and hurtful—and not just because of white fragility.  I just wish that people would at least try to recognize when people are trying to be on the good side and make a mistake.[/quote]

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