Anonymous wrote:I might be horrible, but I'm a person of color who grew up poor, FARMs all the way. Without white and middle-class peers in school, I wouldn't have thought to go to college, or if I had gone, I probably wouldn't have graduated, no matter how strong the academics were. Without a diverse HS in my background, college and law school wouldn't have been on my horizon.

I earn 150K and live in a house in which I have at least 700K of equity. I want those boys to have what I have. Sadly, a racially and economically segregated environment in school probably won't put them on a path to prosperity, or integration into the larger society. Wish things were different. So please spare me your holier than thou bleeding heart diatribe. No, I don't like the set-up at the Ron Brown School for Boys.

No one is stopping boys of any income or race from enrolling -- admission is by lottery. Having all schools be integrated would be best for everyone. But this is DC -- parents of means don't choose schools with more than a small percentage poor kids. Since dcps can't force integrated schools, I'm glad they are providing a high quality, targeted school for kids who need it.

Anonymous wrote:I might be horrible, but I'm a person of color who grew up poor, FARMs all the way. Without white and middle-class peers in school, I wouldn't have thought to go to college, or if I had gone, I probably wouldn't have graduated, no matter how strong the academics were. Without a diverse HS in my background, college and law school wouldn't have been on my horizon.

I earn 150K and live in a house in which I have at least 700K of equity. I want those boys to have what I have. Sadly, a racially and economically segregated environment in school probably won't put them on a path to prosperity, or integration into the larger society. Wish things were different. So please spare me your holier than thou bleeding heart diatribe. No, I don't like the set-up at the Ron Brown School for Boys.

So you won't be enrolling your kids at Ellington either?

I might be horrible, but I'm a person of color who grew up poor, FARMs all the way. Without white and middle-class peers in school, I wouldn't have thought to go to college, or if I had gone, I probably wouldn't have graduated, no matter how strong the academics were. Without a diverse HS in my background, college and law school wouldn't have been on my horizon.

I earn 150K and live in a house in which I have at least 700K of equity. I want those boys to have what I have. Sadly, a racially and economically segregated environment in school probably won't put them on a path to prosperity, or integration into the larger society. Wish things were different. So please spare me your holier than thou bleeding heart diatribe. No, I don't like the set-up at the Ron Brown School for Boys.

Anonymous wrote:Rah, rah, rah. I, too, would be thrilled if high SES kids were involved. St. Albans in DC public. Let's face it, without high SES peers, most of these kids aren't going to soar at RBSB, or afterwards. They think they will, their parents will think they will, their teachers may think they will, but, for the most part, they won't. Not in America in 2017.

You're a horrible person. I'm sorry do you really think these boys need rich white peers to succeed? You are what's wrong with America in 2017. Yeah yeah yeah MAGA.

These boys do just fine.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/100-percent-of-seniors-at-chicago-school-admitted-to-college-for-7th-year-in-a-row_us_5722273ee4b0b49df6aa5aaa

Anonymous wrote:Rah, rah, rah. I, too, would be thrilled if high SES kids were involved. St. Albans in DC public. Let's face it, without high SES peers, most of these kids aren't going to soar at RBSB, or afterwards. They think they will, their parents will think they will, their teachers may think they will, but, for the most part, they won't. Not in America in 2017.

I think you don't fully understand where these boys are starting from and how different their immediate needs are from boys at St. Albans.

Anonymous wrote:Rah, rah, rah. I, too, would be thrilled if high SES kids were involved. St. Albans in DC public. Let's face it, without high SES peers, most of these kids aren't going to soar at RBSB, or afterwards. They think they will, their parents will think they will, their teachers may think they will, but, for the most part, they won't. Not in America in 2017.

Give it a fuc**ng break already! These kids have so little and far fewer opportunities than your high SES kids. Why are you so butt hurt that they get this school and its benefits? What is it taking away from your dc? Please, tell me because I really don't understand your vitriol, and others as well, when it comes to this topic.

Anonymous wrote:Rah, rah, rah. I, too, would be thrilled if high SES kids were involved. St. Albans in DC public. Let's face it, without high SES peers, most of these kids aren't going to soar at RBSB, or afterwards. They think they will, their parents will think they will, their teachers may think they will, but, for the most part, they won't. Not in America in 2017.

Really, does everything have to be about you?' Let these kids have something good without rich kids taking it from them.

Rah, rah, rah. I, too, would be thrilled if high SES kids were involved. St. Albans in DC public. Let's face it, without high SES peers, most of these kids aren't going to soar at RBSB, or afterwards. They think they will, their parents will think they will, their teachers may think they will, but, for the most part, they won't. Not in America in 2017.

Anonymous wrote:This makes my heart smile. I wish nothing but the best for these young men.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/05/dc-all-boys-high-school/102898672/

Love it!

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Those were my favorite parts too. Did you watch the video? I am so excited for these young kings

I watched some but then had to start a work mtg. Great, great opportunity for them!

I remember there were a lot of folks on this site who were skeptical about the legality of this school. Not a lawyer myself, but I agree with Karl Racine's take in the article:

"Karl Racine, D.C.’s attorney general, has said the initiative is constitutional because its rationale — to address the educational deficiencies of D.C.’s most at-risk students — is “exceedingly persuasive,” as required by the U.S. Supreme Court. He also said it doesn’t undermine opportunities for minority female students."

I wish this could be translated to all teens!

Oh man, thank you for posting.

How gratifying that these interventions (and all the work on so many people's part) are having such a deep effect on the lives of the young men quoted--and reaping such incredibly positive statistics.

OP here. Those were my favorite parts too. Did you watch the video? I am so excited for these young kings

This is so encouraging. I especially like these couple of excerpts from the article.

"Before arriving at Ron Brown, Williams said, many students would act out in class “to hide their deficiencies, to hide their fears, to hide their inability to access the work … that’s a mask that they wore for a long time, and they had to take it off.”

also:

"Matthews, now 15, recalled that he arrived at the school ready for trouble, accustomed to talking back to teachers. The first surprise: the school's required uniform, a Navy blue blazer, white Oxford shirt and purple-and-gold striped tie.

He wasn't happy about it, but soon saw its value: When he and his classmates wore the uniform off campus, people treated them differently, like "young, nice men.”

Echoing Williams, he said that around mid-October, things changed. He began pushing himself harder and opening up during circle time. "That’s how all of us were," he said. His GPA rose from 2.5 to 3.7."

This makes my heart smile. I wish nothing but the best for these young men.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/07/05/dc-all-boys-high-school/102898672/