Reply to Integration and DC Schools -- A high priority? Yay or nay?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Until the city is more integrated, the public schools won't be. Take a look at the charters and the specialized high schools, which are generally more integrated. [/quote]

Agree with this -- when neighborhoods are segregated, so are schools, and the solutions if you don't integrate neighborhoods aren't very appealing.

[b]I also think orgs like Empower Ed sometimes ignore a lot of the challenges with school integration that don't have much to do with racism or classism, but are just practical.[/b] Like that sometimes different racial and socio-economic demographics have different approaches to parenting and education, and to reconcile them, everyone has to give a little. Or that parents might ultimately decide it's not healthy for their kid to one of only a very small number of kids at their school of a specific demographic, not because they are racist, but because that can lead to unhealthy peer dynamics.

The lottery means that even if you shift boundaries in a way that makes the catchment more integrated, it might not lead to a more integrated school unless you address the above issues in a way that feels comfortable for people. But even as I'm writing this I'm hearing the objections (it's not about making white people comfortable, etc.). But actually comfort matters to everyone. You can't expect people to just be uncomfortable, indefinitely, especially when the system also provides them with other options.[/quote]

Agree with you that a lot is ignored by EmpowerEd and their references to integration aren't very deep. But given that they've sometimes got the ear of council and a leading mayoral candidate, they are worth paying attention to -- especially if the next Mayor builds her education agenda on their ideas/platform. [/quote]

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