No axe to grind. Institutional racism involves economic class as well. Of course most of the students in DC schools are Black. The population of the city is mostly black.

This thread is about tracking...to get back to the main point. When structures are in place, like tracking, to hold back individuals from receiving an equal opportunity to learn then it is called institutional racism. It is not only about whether you are black, white, Asian, etc.

It is particularly aggregious when schools track students at the young age or 8 or 9, deciding for them at such an early age that their opportunities are going to be limited for the rest of their schooling. Why? Because it begins the downward spiral...the achievement gap...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are not talking about Albert Einstein here. We are talking about the track that sends to to prison vs. the track that sends you to Harvard. Just asking for something a bit better than prison for these children.

Your examples seem a little extreme, but let's go with it. So, to your line of thinking, Banneker, SWW, Ellington, and the Wilson academies (except for the sports one) are the track to Harvard? And all the other DCPS HS options are the track to prison?

I realize it's a bit dramatic. But, yes, I am talking about the structural racism that exists. In those specialized schools you named, those students are priviledged and have access, high quality teaching and resources in ways that the rest simply do not. The opportunities are severely limited in your East of the River schools.

Structural racism? You do realize that Banneker is about 99% AA don't you?

Seriously? Are you saying that institutionalized racism doesn't exist in DC schools in spite of the very, VERY few who can go to the top magnet schools? Just think about East of the River/West of the River schools. Are you kidding me?

I am not.

You said that the specialized schools (of which Banneker is one) the students are privileged. You also made accusations of institutional racism. Banneker is the top public HS in DC and it is majority AA (as in, almost completely AA). You apparently want to ignore any example which contradicts the axe you'd like to grind.

Sort of feels like confessing if you indicate your school does this.

Our JKLM does.

Anonymous wrote:3/4 is why a lot of grades start specializing teachers so that you can level the experience or track if you prefer.

are there any DCPS schools that do this?

3/4 is why a lot of grades start specializing teachers so that you can level the experience or track if you prefer.

Yes. That is also the age/grade level when it switches from "learning to read" to " reading to learn". As in, reading science text books and social studies articles and there are research projects and deeper textual analysis of books and stories. if the student has not "learned to read " as evidenced by a poor result on a standardized reading comprehension test (dc cas) then the gap widens and become more detrimental as some students are ready to surge ahead and others really need immediate help to diagnose gaps and get them.caught up. differentiated teaching in this situation is not good.for either group who may need very different instruction ( not less then, or more than, just different. similarly in math. without the basic foundations, moving on toward pre algebra is a pointless exercise in torture.

Anonymous wrote: Most teachers can manage differentiated teaching to a reasonable variation of levels/skills/abilities. When that variation gets extremely wide, NO teacher can do it effectively and it is not good for the kids.

So, just trying to understand, at some point, maybe 3-4 grade, does the window widen so much that differentiation is no longer effective? I could see the gap widening exponentially -- in first grade you might be teaching to 2 grade levels, in 2nd to 4 levels and by the time you reach 4th it becomes too difficult? Maybe this is why the creation of the non immersion program at 3rd/4th grades at Yu Ying?

Most teachers can manage differentiated teaching to a reasonable variation of levels/skills/abilities. When that variation gets extremely wide, NO teacher can do it effectively and it is not good for the kids.

Then, there needs to be some structural way to lessen the variation.

Differentiated teaching has become a political buzzword, a convenient way to get around the discussion of ways tracking could be humanelynand effectively implemented. It is not a cure all no matter how much people want it to be

Your examples seem a little extreme, but let's go with it. So, to your line of thinking, Banneker, SWW, Ellington, and the Wilson academies (except for the sports one) are the track to Harvard? And all the other DCPS HS options are the track to prison?

I realize it's a bit dramatic. But, yes, I am talking about the structural racism that exists. In those specialized schools you named, those students are priviledged and have access, high quality teaching and resources in ways that the rest simply do not. The opportunities are severely limited in your East of the River schools.

Structural racism? You do realize that Banneker is about 99% AA don't you?

Seriously? Are you saying that institutionalized racism doesn't exist in DC schools in spite of the very, VERY few who can go to the top magnet schools? Just think about East of the River/West of the River schools. Are you kidding me?

Lighten up, Francis. Banneker, SWW, and Ellington are available to all students, regardless of race or ward of residence, including EotR students. Bannaker and Ellington are almost entirely AA, and SWW is about 50% AA. THe PP was merely making the point that those schools don't demonstrate structural racism, at all. Are the students afforded extra opportunities? Sure - but they've earned them through hard work and success, those oportunities are open to all, and in fact each of those schools has a significant AA population. So, not demonstrating racism at all.

So what do middle class families with bright kids who cannot afford private, but do not want to leave the city do?

My kids are bright, do well in school, but are not geniuses. Probably in the top 10-20% of their classes.

DC #1 went to our local DCPS (not JKLM, but a respectable school). By 4th grade he was miserable. Differentiated instruction was present but not consistent among teachers. We applied and won the lottery to Latin in 5th. DC tested into advanced math, feels challenged and is motivated. Gets mostly As.

DC #2 was sent to well regarded charter. He is currently in 4th grade and we have begun to have complaints about his not feeling challenged. I sometimes think that his teacher spends so much time taking care of the kids who need a lot of help, that there is no time left for those kids that need to be challenged.

I feel uncomfortable with tracking, but I am not convinced that most teachers are able to manage differentiated learning effectively. I wish that more schools offered more advanced curriculum in elementary. Children spend 6+ hours a day in school, it should not be boring to them.

It's this conversation right here that tempts me to get out of the city right now. We are a middle class family with some high expectations for our kids educational experience. We can't possibly afford private school for all if our kids and we are philosophically committed to public education.

But what I take away from my experience here in Washington public school world is that I had better be willing to spread my high performing students around to the struggling schools in order to contribute to the betterment of all public school kids.

If I do exercise due diligence and get my kids in a place where teaching and learning is happening at an acceptable level, I am labeled elitist, selfish, rascist and told my decision and hard work to put my kids in a good school is hurtful to the rest of the city.

There are many many many families of all races and sociology economic status facing this same dilemma. In the past, most of them left the public school system. Did THAT help the school system?

Now that same old dc culture of " gotta get mine, so you can t have yours ". Comes around again. Our leaders could change this conversation, but they sink right into it for political gain: witness kwame browns comments on inequitable middle schools in today's examiner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are not talking about Albert Einstein here. We are talking about the track that sends to to prison vs. the track that sends you to Harvard. Just asking for something a bit better than prison for these children.

Your examples seem a little extreme, but let's go with it. So, to your line of thinking, Banneker, SWW, Ellington, and the Wilson academies (except for the sports one) are the track to Harvard? And all the other DCPS HS options are the track to prison?

I realize it's a bit dramatic. But, yes, I am talking about the structural racism that exists. In those specialized schools you named, those students are priviledged and have access, high quality teaching and resources in ways that the rest simply do not. The opportunities are severely limited in your East of the River schools.

Structural racism? You do realize that Banneker is about 99% AA don't you?

Seriously? Are you saying that institutionalized racism doesn't exist in DC schools in spite of the very, VERY few who can go to the top magnet schools? Just think about East of the River/West of the River schools. Are you kidding me?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not following the logic some are using. At YY the curriculum is the same, it is just delivered in English in the DCC instead of both English and Chinese. Everyone benefits because one teacher isn't divided between ability levels that may span upwards of two years worth of academic difference (just a typical 2-3 ability levels in each class).

You are right, you are not following the logic. This thread is about tracking and not YY, but again, the logic is this: not everyone benefits!! Only the students in the mission-consistent classes benefit. The rest are doing basic test prep. Please just ask yourself what is happening in this low track and you have your answer.

What is the benefit that they are missing? What happens in Chinese that is different?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are not talking about Albert Einstein here. We are talking about the track that sends to to prison vs. the track that sends you to Harvard. Just asking for something a bit better than prison for these children.

Your examples seem a little extreme, but let's go with it. So, to your line of thinking, Banneker, SWW, Ellington, and the Wilson academies (except for the sports one) are the track to Harvard? And all the other DCPS HS options are the track to prison?

I realize it's a bit dramatic. But, yes, I am talking about the structural racism that exists. In those specialized schools you named, those students are priviledged and have access, high quality teaching and resources in ways that the rest simply do not. The opportunities are severely limited in your East of the River schools.

But this is more than structural racism-- what people fail to realize is the role of economics, especially in discussing what is happening to schools (both Charter and DCPS) East of the River. Middle-class vs lower/working class, outcomes in terms of career/job trajectories is a discussion about socioeconomics, not just race.