Anonymous wrote:And also that maybe I don't feel this need to make sure my kids are surrounded by UMC kids in their schools.

Anonymous wrote:^^^ WTH?!? All PP suggested is that it’s inappropriate to say that a school is “stuck” with a low percentage of white kids. PP did not in any way suggest that you should “subject” your child to anything nor did PP “condemn” you for not doing so. The fact that you somehow how read that from the post is bizarre.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jefferson appears to be stuck at around 2% white. Has been for 4 or 5 years now. Not much more to say.

This is what's called a "racist" and "supremacist" post because it implies something about Black students that makes a school "stuck" if (only?) "2%" Whites attend it. The non-racist version of this might be to point out how all students are doing at Jefferson Academy, maybe pointing out that Jefferson Academy has both Black and White, and some Latino, high achieving students. The anti-racist may add that the reason why from among the students who lag behind most are Black is because they predominantly come from elementary schools that sit in subpar neighborhoods, plagued by poor housing conditions, poor healthcare, community trauma through gun violence, high teacher turn-over, spotty and infrequent public transportation, environmental challenges etc. The anti-racist might also stress that the metrics by which we determine who is highly or not highly proficient are themselves racist, favoring inherently higher ratings for White students.

More directly on the topic: Once you understand all of this - statistically - you will also understand that the above statement is, in addition, irrelevant.

Anonymous wrote:Jefferson appears to be stuck at around 2% white. Has been for 4 or 5 years now. Not much more to say.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think also there is this mentality among parents that their kid is the brightest, smartest most gifted child DCPS has ever seen. I'd argue the vast majority of kids turn out remarkably average, as do most adults. I don't know if its proximity to wealth or the high achieving nature of DC in general but everyone seems to their their 4 year old is gifted and needs the most academic rigorous school available. I do think there is something to being the star academically at a middle of the road school vs middle of the road at a great school where you don't stand out at all. I'm very "successful" on paper, first generation, attorney, bar admission in 2 states, work at a very desirable fintech and did not go to one remarkable school, if anything went to a pretty poor public school track. What I did have though...was some personality, the ability to network and seek out opportunities, a really diverse friend group and the initiative to just keep going. Several of my college friends went to Sidwell and other private prep schools, none of which have remarkable jobs today. I understand these are anecdotal but they've shaped my perspective on education. There is so much more to education than being at a school that is at an "acceptable" 60% or more rate of white kids or ensuring that your child has every possible advantage and AP class under their belt. From the person that turned out just fine and didn't take one AP class. I hope if you're happy with the quality of life on the hill that you invest in your community and local schools, sometimes it just takes a few and perhaps your kids would be just as happy and well off in the end.

I love your post and I think your advice is solid. Invest in your community and trust that there is growth and value in that experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think also there is this mentality among parents that their kid is the brightest, smartest most gifted child DCPS has ever seen. I'd argue the vast majority of kids turn out remarkably average, as do most adults. I don't know if its proximity to wealth or the high achieving nature of DC in general but everyone seems to their their 4 year old is gifted and needs the most academic rigorous school available. I do think there is something to being the star academically at a middle of the road school vs middle of the road at a great school where you don't stand out at all. I'm very "successful" on paper, first generation, attorney, bar admission in 2 states, work at a very desirable fintech and did not go to one remarkable school, if anything went to a pretty poor public school track. What I did have though...was some personality, the ability to network and seek out opportunities, a really diverse friend group and the initiative to just keep going. Several of my college friends went to Sidwell and other private prep schools, none of which have remarkable jobs today. I understand these are anecdotal but they've shaped my perspective on education. There is so much more to education than being at a school that is at an "acceptable" 60% or more rate of white kids or ensuring that your child has every possible advantage and AP class under their belt. From the person that turned out just fine and didn't take one AP class. I hope if you're happy with the quality of life on the hill that you invest in your community and local schools, sometimes it just takes a few and perhaps your kids would be just as happy and well off in the end.

I love your post and I think your advice is solid. Invest in your community and trust that there is growth and value in that experience.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jefferson appears to be stuck at around 2% white. Has been for 4 or 5 years now. Not much more to say.

There is more to say.

As indicated above, the white kids who do attend Jefferson seem to do extremely well. According to the latest PARCC results, 100% of them met or exceeded expectations in ELA, and 90.9% of them met or exceeded expectations in math.

I know that the sample size is is small, but it's large enough to be publicly reportable. Also, I haven't seen any data to the contrary.

Anonymous wrote:Jefferson appears to be stuck at around 2% white. Has been for 4 or 5 years now. Not much more to say.

Anonymous wrote:It is true we would have given Jefferson a chance, if there were no other options. But it is also true that I would not be certain my kid would survive there for even a year.

With another option, it's just a risk I'm not willing to take.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are IB for Van Ness (and have been attending for many years) and are excited for Jefferson. Greg Dohmann is inspiring and the renovation that was just completed is gorgeous. They have a strong robotics team that competes which my older son especially is very excited about. Unsure what our plan for HS is at the moment.

Now that Van Ness is graduating classes, maybe it can be the bridge that eventually gets Brent kids to Jefferson. Van Ness at least has geography working in its favor (its somewhat closer to Jefferson than Brent & since VN isn't on the Hill, parents probably don't have the same psychic trouble thinking of Jefferson as a neighborhood school for them). Also Van Ness parents, by and large, don't have the same $$ as Brent parents and so don't have quite as many options. (I don't mean that in any negative way, just that Brent IB folks almost all have enough $$ that they don't *have* to make Jefferson work even if they strike out in the lottery; that is less true at Van Ness, where there is more economic diversity.)