Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

I want an article to explain how it's possible that many black-majority schools in DC have been getting higher funding for decades, both capital and per-kid, and still severity lag behind.

Material resources is not all that counts. Those PTA-involved families do add a lot of value to schools, and short-sighted articles like this one only help mud the waters.

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

Our kid is in immersion at RT and never heard of parents providing gift cards for supplies at the beginning of the year or teacher appreciation week....

My child is also in the immersion program at RT and I remember seeing the call for teacher appreciation gift cards. I gave teachers gift cards directly and not through the PTA.

PP again, also the gift cards were for all of the teachers, not just the Spanish Immersion teachers. The article misrepresents the PTA in that aspect.

You give gift cards to all the teachers, and not just your own child's teacher? That's very generous if it's true.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My school in MCPS has a lot of FARMs children and I think the PTA is concerned about things that do affect all of the children regardless of income. For example nutrition in the cafeteria. It is the low income children who are more likely to be eating hot lunches and they are more in need of good nutritious food.

As for the chrome book issue at Rolling Terrace. I don't agree that Chrome books are especially good for children without computers at home. The concern of the PTA is too much screen time. I think lower income kids actually watch more television than the higher income children. The MCPS information sent home for new Kindergarten families actually recommends limiting screen time at home. And yet the kids watch movies, shows and animated lessons on the smart boards. In addition to that some of these kids have televisions in their bedrooms and stay up late watching things like (the walking dead and Law and Order SVU) both shows my DS came home from Kindergarten asking about. So I think there may be disagreement about screen time but I do not think it is fair to say that the fight about screen time is only important to high income children. There are studies showing time and time again that screen time isn't good for developing brains.

I just don't understand how the PTA is vilified for trying to help. Think about the state of the PTA without the immersion program.

I think you missed the issue surrounding the chrome books. Yes, low income kids can watch a lot of tv. But, they don't have access to computers, and now a days, kids need to know how to use computers. Having a chrome book in the school gives these low income kids exposure to computers that they otherwise don't get at home. That's why the low income parents were happy to have the chrome books in school.

PP here. I am not missing that point. I am saying that the PTA believes it is representing everyone. I definitely understand the alternative argument. I would argue however that chrome books are not the solution. Real computers are which are what people need to word process and eventually in an office. The PTA seems okay with the regular computers which are in classrooms and the computer lab. What I have heard about the chrome books is that the kids often play games on them in class! The main point of the chrome books are for testing. There were and are regular computers for the kids to use. Chrome books like iPads are essentially toys.

? You need to pull yourself into the 21st century. Everything is done in the cloud now, including word processing. "Real computers" are becoming obsolete. I work in high tech, and everything is moving to cloud computing. The hardware is just a shell.

Kids use chromebooks for research in class. It teaches them how to type, to use the internet, a to use a computer in general. I have volunteered in my DC's 2nd grade class and have seen them use it for this purpose.

My husband is IT and that's not true. For professional use, many things are in cloud, but not for home use yet. We have cloud for storage only.

This isn't home, this is school work. My high schooler and middle schooler both are required to use google classroom for various projects. They do it on chrome-books in the classroom or from our computers at home but they don't use any other editing software.

Well by HS it is usually collaborative projects, there will be a document which all members of a group have access to. If google is data-mining my DC's lab report, so be it, I still prefer this to buying the Microsoft suite.

We do it all at home and then transfer it. Chrome books are monitored by the big companies and we are not ok with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My school in MCPS has a lot of FARMs children and I think the PTA is concerned about things that do affect all of the children regardless of income. For example nutrition in the cafeteria. It is the low income children who are more likely to be eating hot lunches and they are more in need of good nutritious food.

As for the chrome book issue at Rolling Terrace. I don't agree that Chrome books are especially good for children without computers at home. The concern of the PTA is too much screen time. I think lower income kids actually watch more television than the higher income children. The MCPS information sent home for new Kindergarten families actually recommends limiting screen time at home. And yet the kids watch movies, shows and animated lessons on the smart boards. In addition to that some of these kids have televisions in their bedrooms and stay up late watching things like (the walking dead and Law and Order SVU) both shows my DS came home from Kindergarten asking about. So I think there may be disagreement about screen time but I do not think it is fair to say that the fight about screen time is only important to high income children. There are studies showing time and time again that screen time isn't good for developing brains.

I just don't understand how the PTA is vilified for trying to help. Think about the state of the PTA without the immersion program.

I think you missed the issue surrounding the chrome books. Yes, low income kids can watch a lot of tv. But, they don't have access to computers, and now a days, kids need to know how to use computers. Having a chrome book in the school gives these low income kids exposure to computers that they otherwise don't get at home. That's why the low income parents were happy to have the chrome books in school.

PP here. I am not missing that point. I am saying that the PTA believes it is representing everyone. I definitely understand the alternative argument. I would argue however that chrome books are not the solution. Real computers are which are what people need to word process and eventually in an office. The PTA seems okay with the regular computers which are in classrooms and the computer lab. What I have heard about the chrome books is that the kids often play games on them in class! The main point of the chrome books are for testing. There were and are regular computers for the kids to use. Chrome books like iPads are essentially toys.

? You need to pull yourself into the 21st century. Everything is done in the cloud now, including word processing. "Real computers" are becoming obsolete. I work in high tech, and everything is moving to cloud computing. The hardware is just a shell.

Kids use chromebooks for research in class. It teaches them how to type, to use the internet, a to use a computer in general. I have volunteered in my DC's 2nd grade class and have seen them use it for this purpose.

My husband is IT and that's not true. For professional use, many things are in cloud, but not for home use yet. We have cloud for storage only.

This isn't home, this is school work. My high schooler and middle schooler both are required to use google classroom for various projects. They do it on chrome-books in the classroom or from our computers at home but they don't use any other editing software.

Anonymous wrote:

I know what the point being made is but its simply not true. The immersion classes simply don't have more significant "stuff". Furthermore, RT is partial immersion. What that means is that the non immersion kids are typically with immersion kids half of the day so even if immersion parents did provide more "stuff" non-immersion kids would have it too.

If folks like the PP are giving gift cards directly to the homeroom teachers, then the Spanish immersion kids could totally end up with more/better resources than their Academy peers, at least for the half of the day they are in immersion.

I know what the point being made is but its simply not true. The immersion classes simply don't have more significant "stuff". Furthermore, RT is partial immersion. What that means is that the non immersion kids are typically with immersion kids half of the day so even if immersion parents did provide more "stuff" non-immersion kids would have it too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

Our kid is in immersion at RT and never heard of parents providing gift cards for supplies at the beginning of the year or teacher appreciation week....

My child is also in the immersion program at RT and I remember seeing the call for teacher appreciation gift cards. I gave teachers gift cards directly and not through the PTA.

PP again, also the gift cards were for all of the teachers, not just the Spanish Immersion teachers. The article misrepresents the PTA in that aspect.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My school in MCPS has a lot of FARMs children and I think the PTA is concerned about things that do affect all of the children regardless of income. For example nutrition in the cafeteria. It is the low income children who are more likely to be eating hot lunches and they are more in need of good nutritious food.

As for the chrome book issue at Rolling Terrace. I don't agree that Chrome books are especially good for children without computers at home. The concern of the PTA is too much screen time. I think lower income kids actually watch more television than the higher income children. The MCPS information sent home for new Kindergarten families actually recommends limiting screen time at home. And yet the kids watch movies, shows and animated lessons on the smart boards. In addition to that some of these kids have televisions in their bedrooms and stay up late watching things like (the walking dead and Law and Order SVU) both shows my DS came home from Kindergarten asking about. So I think there may be disagreement about screen time but I do not think it is fair to say that the fight about screen time is only important to high income children. There are studies showing time and time again that screen time isn't good for developing brains.

I just don't understand how the PTA is vilified for trying to help. Think about the state of the PTA without the immersion program.

I think you missed the issue surrounding the chrome books. Yes, low income kids can watch a lot of tv. But, they don't have access to computers, and now a days, kids need to know how to use computers. Having a chrome book in the school gives these low income kids exposure to computers that they otherwise don't get at home. That's why the low income parents were happy to have the chrome books in school.

PP here. I am not missing that point. I am saying that the PTA believes it is representing everyone. I definitely understand the alternative argument. I would argue however that chrome books are not the solution. Real computers are which are what people need to word process and eventually in an office. The PTA seems okay with the regular computers which are in classrooms and the computer lab. What I have heard about the chrome books is that the kids often play games on them in class! The main point of the chrome books are for testing. There were and are regular computers for the kids to use. Chrome books like iPads are essentially toys.

? You need to pull yourself into the 21st century. Everything is done in the cloud now, including word processing. "Real computers" are becoming obsolete. I work in high tech, and everything is moving to cloud computing. The hardware is just a shell.

Kids use chromebooks for research in class. It teaches them how to type, to use the internet, a to use a computer in general. I have volunteered in my DC's 2nd grade class and have seen them use it for this purpose.

My husband is IT and that's not true. For professional use, many things are in cloud, but not for home use yet. We have cloud for storage only.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

Our kid is in immersion at RT and never heard of parents providing gift cards for supplies at the beginning of the year or teacher appreciation week....

My child is also in the immersion program at RT and I remember seeing the call for teacher appreciation gift cards. I gave teachers gift cards directly and not through the PTA.

PP again, also the gift cards were for all of the teachers, not just the Spanish Immersion teachers. The article misrepresents the PTA in that aspect.

Yes, what the article states is simply not true. If it happened it was anecdotally....

What does happen is teachers typically hand out a list of things they want and parents sign up to provide it. But, that is coming on the end of the teacher not a push from the parents to make their particular class have more stuff than other classes.

It looks like the point being made in the article is that parents give generously in the Spanish-language classrooms, and the result is that the immersion classrooms are better resourced than the "Academy" classrooms. If true, that's a problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

Our kid is in immersion at RT and never heard of parents providing gift cards for supplies at the beginning of the year or teacher appreciation week....

My child is also in the immersion program at RT and I remember seeing the call for teacher appreciation gift cards. I gave teachers gift cards directly and not through the PTA.

PP again, also the gift cards were for all of the teachers, not just the Spanish Immersion teachers. The article misrepresents the PTA in that aspect.

Yes, what the article states is simply not true. If it happened it was anecdotally....

What does happen is teachers typically hand out a list of things they want and parents sign up to provide it. But, that is coming on the end of the teacher not a push from the parents to make their particular class have more stuff than other classes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have to admit that this is right in the sweet spot of things I find fascinating - gentrification, education policy, and how language immersion programs have been co-opted by White families.

http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/how-marginalized-families-are-pushed-out-of-ptas/491036/

When schools are cash-strapped, the priorities of the members of the parent organization often become the priorities of the school as a whole. Rivera-Blanco says she sees this dynamic play out often at Rolling Terrace with the Spanish-immersion program, which is populated largely by students with means. For example, parents of kids in the program ensure that its teachers receive gift cards at the beginning of the year and during Teacher Appreciation Week to pay for supplies. “There are parents in our school that can’t put enough cents together to get a coat much less give their teacher their supply list,” Rivera-Blanco said. “That imbalance is huge. You can walk into a classroom and know which is a Spanish-immersion classroom and which one isn’t.”

Our kid is in immersion at RT and never heard of parents providing gift cards for supplies at the beginning of the year or teacher appreciation week....

My child is also in the immersion program at RT and I remember seeing the call for teacher appreciation gift cards. I gave teachers gift cards directly and not through the PTA.

PP again, also the gift cards were for all of the teachers, not just the Spanish Immersion teachers. The article misrepresents the PTA in that aspect.