Right. There is this weird thought that if you put enough smart kids from stable families at a school, that alone will result in advanced learning. I think it happens sometimes at the ES level because parents of these kids ask for more and depending on the admin and the teachers, the teachers might choose to offer that type of differentiation. (I don’t think that it is anything that these students have a “right” to, however, unlike students who are entitled to special supports under IEPs- so you are really relying on the discretion of the school). It changes in MS and HS though. If the school isn’t offering advanced classes, then that just means that the bright kids won’t be challenged. It is much harder for parents to insist on an advanced course offering than it is to ask for differentiation in an ES classroom.

Anonymous wrote:I think Asian families can really raise the academic game at DCPS schools as their culture values it more than any other culture. It can be a win for them as well because elite colleges value Asian applicants coming from inner city schools more due to their diverse experiences compared to sheltered and spoon fed suburban applicants.

I don't get this post. Asians obviously can't raise the academic game in DCPS. That's obviously the job of system leaders, admins and teachers. They do what they can instead, mostly leave. The DC public schools with the highest percentage of Asians are Deal, YuYing and BASIS.

Anonymous wrote:As an Asian family, I love DCPS. My kid doesn't have to compete with many other Asian families and does well. We're not a first gen family and have checked a bit out of the rat race many of our family members dealt with in NoVa and MoCo. DC suits us just fine.

We're an Asian family that finds our mostly white and umc DCPS ES, 8 years in, to be more of a rat race than the community at the heritage language school our kids attend in NoVa on weekends. The suburban families we deal with seem to enjoy learning and academic challenge more than impressing/beating competitors. Would BASIS DC be so popular with umc families in this city if the rat race was confined to the burbs?

Asian families generally lack the patience for DC public schools past elementary. The middle and high schools are too crowded, segregated by race and class, spartan, inflexible, badly managed by DCPS higher ups (the firing of the good Walls head comes to mind) and/or low-performing.

Rat race stress is for those without enough imagination, creativity or chutzpah. Nobody stopping your family members from running their own races.

I keep hearing mixed info on the question of how DCPS feeder schools work, and this thread underscores this question. If you get into a particular school out of bounds, do you get to continue along the feeder path for that school regardless of where you live? So OP’s child automatically goes to JR from Deal regardless of where OP lives? I have definitely heard IRL families in this situation say their child will not automatically get into their feeder middle/high.

As an Asian family, I love DCPS. My kid doesn't have to compete with many other Asian families and does well. We're not a first gen family and have checked a bit out of the rat race many of our family members dealt with in NoVa and MoCo. DC suits us just fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its understandable that one would prefer schools where their children can see other people like them and not feel alienated but if Asians won't enroll their kids in local schools, how are these schools ever going to have any diversity? If DCPS can attract them to local schools, it really can add fresh air for everyone. New and different perspectives can invigorate a learning community. This is America, we don't need segregation, we need inclusion.

I’m Asian and was interested in DCPS but DCPS has made it abundantly clear that they tolerate white kids, care about AA kids and don’t give a damn about Asians. I don’t really think they care about Latinos either.

Curious why you feel this way.

DP

It's demographics and power. DCPS is majority black so those will always be catered too first. Hispanics fail to max there political clout anywhere, same with asians and in DC there are barely any asians in DCPS. White people have more of both but there numbers quickly decrease after elementary schools so most of DCPS just chooses to ignore them.

That's what stops DCPS from doing well, if they don't understand it, majority parents should insist on making their schools diverse for their own children's sake.

In they end, every student who has caring parents, moral compass, pays attention in class, does his homework, gets office hours/outside tutoring/parental help for subjects he struggles with, participates in extracurriculars, has some friends, can speak to adults with confidence, regularly sees a pediatrician, eats/sleeps/walks well, is going to succeed.

Parental maneuvering is understandable but not much helpful in long term to guarantee success or happiness. Parental love and attention is. Long commute hours for children or parents are often basis of many issues.

My middle schooler caught the metro across town throughout MS & was just fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its understandable that one would prefer schools where their children can see other people like them and not feel alienated but if Asians won't enroll their kids in local schools, how are these schools ever going to have any diversity? If DCPS can attract them to local schools, it really can add fresh air for everyone. New and different perspectives can invigorate a learning community. This is America, we don't need segregation, we need inclusion.

I’m Asian and was interested in DCPS but DCPS has made it abundantly clear that they tolerate white kids, care about AA kids and don’t give a damn about Asians. I don’t really think they care about Latinos either.

Curious why you feel this way.

DP

It's demographics and power. DCPS is majority black so those will always be catered too first. Hispanics fail to max there political clout anywhere, same with asians and in DC there are barely any asians in DCPS. White people have more of both but there numbers quickly decrease after elementary schools so most of DCPS just chooses to ignore them.

Thank you everyone for your kind and helpful advice. I have decided to let him attend Alice Deal but have him catch the subway in the morning and after school although he is nervous about it. I’ll show him for one full week before school starts.

Anonymous wrote:DC is a woke community, if Asian families raise their voice, school and board will have to listen and resolve. Don't accept it, they need you more than you need them. AA families would stand up for you.

Nonsense. DC is a woke community that tolerates white families and quietly disdains Asian immigrants, the model minority, too academic for their own good, not playing by the rules of mainstream parenting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its understandable that one would prefer schools where their children can see other people like them and not feel alienated but if Asians won't enroll their kids in local schools, how are these schools ever going to have any diversity? If DCPS can attract them to local schools, it really can add fresh air for everyone. New and different perspectives can invigorate a learning community. This is America, we don't need segregation, we need inclusion.

I’m Asian and was interested in DCPS but DCPS has made it abundantly clear that they tolerate white kids, care about AA kids and don’t give a damn about Asians. I don’t really think they care about Latinos either.

This Asian parent agrees with you, PP, after 8 years in DCPS schools EotP for 2 kids. System leaders don't care if you come, don't give a whit if you leave, don't consider your situation at all.

As an Asian student in DCPS, you're considered an adjunct white. SH effectively attracts a tiny number of Asian students from the feeder elementary schools, or none, year after year, yet there's never any dialogue on the matter at any level.

I think Asian families can really raise the academic game at DCPS schools as their culture values it more than any other culture. It can be a win for them as well because elite colleges value Asian applicants coming from inner city schools more due to their diverse experiences compared to sheltered and spoon fed suburban applicants.

DC is a woke community, if Asian families raise their voice, school and board will have to listen and resolve. Don't accept it, they need you more than you need them. AA families would stand up for you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its understandable that one would prefer schools where their children can see other people like them and not feel alienated but if Asians won't enroll their kids in local schools, how are these schools ever going to have any diversity? If DCPS can attract them to local schools, it really can add fresh air for everyone. New and different perspectives can invigorate a learning community. This is America, we don't need segregation, we need inclusion.

I’m Asian and was interested in DCPS but DCPS has made it abundantly clear that they tolerate white kids, care about AA kids and don’t give a damn about Asians. I don’t really think they care about Latinos either.

Can you give more specifics? How would they demonstrate caring or not caring about Asians for people thinking about enrolling or actually attending? Is it representation on the faculty, cultural awareness and acknowledgement, something else? This is not meant to be confrontational or unpleasant - I just really want to understand.