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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm a high-SES black parent and my kids would get destroyed at most of those schools. We have enough problems to worry about than subjecting our kids to that foolishness. It'll be Latin or private for us, so reallistically probably private starting in 6th.  [/quote]

Due to racism, low expectations from teachers? Overcrowding? Something else? Your voice is important for all to hear. I'm a parent of a young mixed kid and always seeking to listen to Black voices willing to share their lived experiences. [/quote]

My kids are mixed too (black and non-white). It's really about low expectations, which is really a problem [i]everywhere [/i]when it comes to black children. Most high-performing (on even grade level-performing) black children have few same race academic peers in public schools. This is a real drag on their academic performance as you get into middle, HS.

I would have a look at this:

https://washingtondc.momcollective.com/parenting-wisdom/tips/diverse-schools-dilemma-black-boys-in-school/

[/quote]

Here is the money quote from the link above

[i]School Solutions[/i][b]

[i]Diverse Schools Dilemma’s suggestions helped me envision a plan for my son’s education, up until middle school. After elementary school, things get tricky. The book has a suggestion to help middle-class parents of African-American boys overcome the cycle of low expectations, decide excelling academically is a Black thing, and be in a peer group that will push a young man to do and be his best. Unfortunately, the solution is not cheap, it’s a private school. Not just a private school, a private school with a critical mass of students of color. It isn’t the only solution, but a public school program the book highlights is so complex and nuanced I would not trust DCPS or a charter to be able to implement or maintain it. There are a number of predominately African-American private schools in the District of Columbia, but that would be another post for another time.[/i][/b][/quote]

Thank you for sharing. Raises so many more questions about how to curate the academic experience to support our POC kids. My well-intentioned white friends tell me not to worry about school choice-- that kids with educated parents will do fine even if the school is mediocre completely overlooking that my son has to figure out how to PROVE he is more competent just to be viewed (encouraged, and challenged) similarly by a teacher, not to mention other factors like making friends. We all know intrinsic biases work against POC kids but this is new territory for me and I'm trying to figure out how to navigate it. In the comments section, the author recommended finding mentors because learning how to navigate academics for POC is a skill to be learned and i will do that. Thanks again for your initial comment. [/quote]

The other issue is peer group. Many POC with means send their kids to private rather to even Deal or Wilson, because while the white kids tend to be uniformly higher SES and higher performing, that isn't the same of the kids of color. So there have been issues with being drawn into a crowd where there is pressure not to be seen as a nerd and to de-prioritize academics.[/quote]

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