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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]Please remember in your analysis that non white does not equal poor. A non-white UMC student may not feel as comfortable at Banneker as a non-white middle or lower-middle class student. I am black UMC. I would consider sending my kid to Basis but not Banneker. [/quote]

Uh, I know quite a few black UMC kids at Banneker. The school population is 27% at-risk and also high-achieving. I think it is a real misunderstanding of the school (and a disservice to your kid!) to think that a black UMC kid might not feel comfortable.[/quote]

Any urban kid might not feel comfortable in any school where more than 80% of students belong to a single race. The lack of racial diversity at Banneker in a real drag. If DCPS wants Banneker to diversify, system leaders could make that happen. DCPS could start by making sure that more photos of white and Asian students appear on the Banneker web site and marketing materials. Banneker could also ditch some of the rules that tend to turn off UMC parents.  The school could focus on raising Banneker's comparatively weak standardized test scores, offering more serious STEM and language classes and expanding and strengthening EC offerings.  [/quote]

You're kidding! There aren't enough excellent majority-white spaces--we need to make an excellent majority-Black space more diverse???[/quote]

Agree! As the parent of a white freshman at Banneker, there is no need to change marketing materials! [b]What’s wrong with seeing Black students? [/b]It is odd to me that this is seen as a negative.  I don’t care that there aren’t more white students nor does my kid. What rules do UMC parents object to? More serious classes?! You clearly know nothing about Banneker.[/quote]

Easy one. Banneker could be a better school if it attracted a more diverse student body, was more welcoming to non-blacks. You're v. unusual. Banneker isn't fantastic academically across the board and doesn't offer many competitive ECs. There's plenty of room for improvement.  I know a good deal about Banneker since I've volunteered there on and off for years. I'm not white. I attended a NYC test-in GT elementary school, middle school and magnet high school before going to an Ivy on a Pell Grant. DC doesn't support a single real magnet high school on a par with those in NYC, Boston, Chicago, cities in Texas etc. which is a shame.  [/quote]

I’m going to reject the idea that Banneker is unwelcoming to non-Black students. I think you completely dismiss the long held anger/animosity regarding school integration among whites. The vestiges are still with us. You are also comparing DC to large state school systems, which is completely unrealistic. Can DCPS improve some things? Sure. We like Banneker. Great teachers and nice kids.

You post often on Banneker threads. I’m always appalled that you come on here to tear down the school and its students. I really hope my kid has no interactions with you. You seem like an a**.[/quote]

Agreed as I recognize this poster as well.

Banneker receives more applicants than spots. It doesn't need to anything to attract additional applicants. Its Title 1 status is new and intentional. It's both prudent and beneficial to our city's youth. The school is also centrally located and on the best campus in the DCPS system. [/quote]

Actaully, Banneker is barely half full now. So they have plenty of space but are trying to grow gradually. There is pressure to fill the school. It's not SWW pressure but it's ramping up.

It's been a Title 1 school for years so not sure where the "new" comes from. With the new location, it will be interesting to see how long it last.[/quote]

Banneker enrollment is 671 this year; building capacity is 800. They are still growing toward that target, but they’re well over halfway there. (You sometimes hear about the school “doubling in size” because ten years ago, Banneker enrollment was 400.)

Banneker had indeed been Title I for a long time, but last year they did not qualify.[b] They’re back to Title I this year, probably because they adjusted their admissions process to ensure that more qualifying students were admitted.[/b] Given that recent history and the commitment it implies, I would expect the school to run at the edge of Title I for the foreseeable future. [/quote]

I really hope they are not doing that. That would be awful and disingenuous. I kinda felt they were doing this after a few kids that were extremely qualified even get a interview.[/quote]

Banneker does not include a required or suggested minimum GPA in this year's selection criteria (in contrast to Walls, Bard, McKinley, and Phelps). It's an interesting decision/choice, though they still ask for (and will presumably review) student transcripts.[/quote]

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