Reply to Another Brent question

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "Another Brent question"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Brent counts among its community a number of "mixed" families and, by and large, race and socio-economic status of students have not been a divisive issue for several years (although that was not always the case).

Brent also includes children of chiefs of staff for moderate Democratic Senators and/or Congressman, children of chiefs of staff for Tea Party/Republican Senators and/or Congressman, children of senior executive branch officials, children of members of the judiciary, children of reporters who work for conservative media outlets, children of parents who work for liberal and conservative think tanks and public policy organizations, children of single parents, children who have lived abroad in locales such as China, Russia, Egypt, Italy and the UK, and children of firefighters and police, as well as children from non-traditional, nuclear families.

While no one can deny that the demographics of Brent have changed markedly in the past decade, largely doe to strides that came about as a result of the hard work of Brent parents during this period, and academic achievement has not progressed as rapidly as many would like to see (for a variety of factors), it is not a function of lack of effort on anyone's part.  Teachers, staff and administration are top-notch and engaged, but the difficulties in filling 4th and 5th grade will not disappear until there is a middle school plan that is accepted by a majority of Brent parents, which is still many years away. 
 the Brent family is welcoming and inclusive (try attending community events such as Fall Festival or Spring Gala), regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or political beliefs.  I would venture to say most parents -- as they should -- leave the politics outside of the school grounds.

You don't necessarily need to wait to drop by the school playground.  Try talking to parents at neighborhood spots such as Turtle (Marion) Park, Garfield Park, or X (Providence) Park.  [/quote]
Brent parent here: The above is a good description of the school's climate.  I would also include that the school has a good number of families with gay parents.  I am constantly amazed at how students, staff and parents take everything in stride - it's no big deal.  In the suburban area I came from, even if people were amenable to something like white gay parents raising black children, it would be a topic of discussion nonetheless.  At Brent the presence of so many permutations of families is rarely mentioned, even in passing.  And that's not because people are unaware, it's just that they are open-minded and sophisticated enough not to focus on it.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics