Anonymous
07/21/2025 16:59
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Right now, it’s very diverse, but give it 5 years and it’ll become the overflow to Jackson-Reed, and prioritize white and well-off families of color over the Title 1 model they currently have.
In due time, it’ll be gentrified.
LOL - a school in the Palisades will be gentrified?
Meaning what - a school in the Palisades will have among its students kids who live in the Palisades and Ward 3?
Help me make sense of your weird statement.
I didn't make that statement, and I agree that it's weird. Acting like only some of DC's children deserve the best education we can give them is unkind and short sighted.
And yet, I think that what they are trying to say (poorly) is that if the school becomes another enclave for only the rich, we will be doing a disservice to DC students overall. The good news is that the sibling effect will help the school stay diverse for years to come, as will the at-risk set aside.
It is completely reasonable to point out that a segregated, two-tier educational system that replicates the inequalities in our society is not what DC should aspire to.
Why are you presuming that MacArthur is the "best education we can give them"? Is your presumption that MacArthur is among the best based simply on its catchment area? If so, your thinking is really muddled on this.
I'm not?
Anonymous
07/21/2025 16:53
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Right now, it’s very diverse, but give it 5 years and it’ll become the overflow to Jackson-Reed, and prioritize white and well-off families of color over the Title 1 model they currently have.
In due time, it’ll be gentrified.
LOL - a school in the Palisades will be gentrified?
Meaning what - a school in the Palisades will have among its students kids who live in the Palisades and Ward 3?
Help me make sense of your weird statement.
I didn't make that statement, and I agree that it's weird. Acting like only some of DC's children deserve the best education we can give them is unkind and short sighted.
And yet, I think that what they are trying to say (poorly) is that if the school becomes another enclave for only the rich, we will be doing a disservice to DC students overall. The good news is that the sibling effect will help the school stay diverse for years to come, as will the at-risk set aside.
It is completely reasonable to point out that a segregated, two-tier educational system that replicates the inequalities in our society is not what DC should aspire to.
Why are you presuming that MacArthur is the "best education we can give them"? Is your presumption that MacArthur is among the best based simply on its catchment area? If so, your thinking is really muddled on this.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 16:42
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
From my perspective, it’s best for well-off parents to buy-into DCPS, because system of private for the rich and DCPS for the poor seems like an even worse 2-tier system.
This is what is missed in lots of discussion in DC. the set of kids who attend public school is not fixed. we don't have mandatory public schooling, let alone mandatory local public schooling.
DCPS has struggled with buy-in broadly with both wealthier white and African american parents. The richest choose privates, the middle income choose black/black flight to the suburbs or catholics/charters.
Slowly DCPS has brought some of these families back. In the long run, the overall system is better if more families buy into DCPS.
Yes, but I don't think the community support is there for a de-facto all-white high school in DC. I may be wrong, but if (and this is unlikely) but if MacArthur becomes 95% white, something will change and quickly that will make it more diverse. That's not the right ratio for any school in this city and it won't be for any time in the next thirty years.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 15:13
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:
From my perspective, it’s best for well-off parents to buy-into DCPS, because system of private for the rich and DCPS for the poor seems like an even worse 2-tier system.
This is what is missed in lots of discussion in DC. the set of kids who attend public school is not fixed. we don't have mandatory public schooling, let alone mandatory local public schooling.
DCPS has struggled with buy-in broadly with both wealthier white and African american parents. The richest choose privates, the middle income choose black/black flight to the suburbs or catholics/charters.
Slowly DCPS has brought some of these families back. In the long run, the overall system is better if more families buy into DCPS.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 15:06
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Right now, it’s very diverse, but give it 5 years and it’ll become the overflow to Jackson-Reed, and prioritize white and well-off families of color over the Title 1 model they currently have.
In due time, it’ll be gentrified.
LOL - a school in the Palisades will be gentrified?
Meaning what - a school in the Palisades will have among its students kids who live in the Palisades and Ward 3?
Help me make sense of your weird statement.
I didn't make that statement, and I agree that it's weird. Acting like only some of DC's children deserve the best education we can give them is unkind and short sighted.
And yet, I think that what they are trying to say (poorly) is that if the school becomes another enclave for only the rich, we will be doing a disservice to DC students overall. The good news is that the sibling effect will help the school stay diverse for years to come, as will the at-risk set aside.
It is completely reasonable to point out that a segregated, two-tier educational system that replicates the inequalities in our society is not what DC should aspire to.
There are a group of kids in DC who are well-off. They are neighbors.
They can support their neighborhood school, in which case the school will fill up with well-off kids.
They can also not support their neighborhood school, in which case the school will remain socioeconomically diverse.
Either way, none of the composition of the rest of DC schools change.
Which should the kids do?
Ultimately, it’s up to the kids’ parents to decide.
From my perspective, it’s best for well-off parents to buy-into DCPS, because system of private for the rich and DCPS for the poor seems like an even worse 2-tier system.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 12:34
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Right now, it’s very diverse, but give it 5 years and it’ll become the overflow to Jackson-Reed, and prioritize white and well-off families of color over the Title 1 model they currently have.
In due time, it’ll be gentrified.
LOL - a school in the Palisades will be gentrified?
Meaning what - a school in the Palisades will have among its students kids who live in the Palisades and Ward 3?
Help me make sense of your weird statement.
I didn't make that statement, and I agree that it's weird. Acting like only some of DC's children deserve the best education we can give them is unkind and short sighted.
And yet, I think that what they are trying to say (poorly) is that if the school becomes another enclave for only the rich, we will be doing a disservice to DC students overall. The good news is that the sibling effect will help the school stay diverse for years to come, as will the at-risk set aside.
It is completely reasonable to point out that a segregated, two-tier educational system that replicates the inequalities in our society is not what DC should aspire to.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 06:26
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Right now, it’s very diverse, but give it 5 years and it’ll become the overflow to Jackson-Reed, and prioritize white and well-off families of color over the Title 1 model they currently have.
In due time, it’ll be gentrified.
Comments like these are why DCPS can’t be the best. Too much in-fighting. Can’t focus on creating the best system, because there’s too much fighting within the system.
Anonymous
07/21/2025 02:22
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Right now, it’s very diverse, but give it 5 years and it’ll become the overflow to Jackson-Reed, and prioritize white and well-off families of color over the Title 1 model they currently have.
In due time, it’ll be gentrified.
LOL - a school in the Palisades will be gentrified?
Meaning what - a school in the Palisades will have among its students kids who live in the Palisades and Ward 3?
Help me make sense of your weird statement.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 12:51
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:My daughter will be a 10th grader next year The MacArthur APs are fantastic and the most of the 9th teachers were great for our kid. She is excited about the AP classes she’ll be taking next year.
We live in-bounds. Car drop off is fine. My daughter’s best friend at MacArthur lives in Anacostia. She walks to metro and then takes the bus to school which is a 90 minute commute each way. She is a bright, kind, motivated person who is a good scholar and athlete. Her in-bound school and surrounding charter schools don’t have the same offerings that she wants for high school. There are a lot of kids from across the city who are making really long treks on public transit to MacArthur so that they can have expanded class offerings.
My personal opinion: as DC families, I hope that we would want ALL kids to thrive and advocate for the success of ALL of the public schools, not just our inbound ones. DC is a small village and packed with highly educated, affluent people as well as many who are struggling economically.
Our public school system could be one of the best in the nation if we advocated for the whole system, not just our local schools. It takes a shift in mindset toward community well-being which in a time when the Dept of Education is being gutted, it feels like we really need to show up for and care for everyone’s kids.
I know a maelstrom of comments are probably going to follow in the way of DCUM. That is all well and good. I just hope to meet some of you at the DCPS Parents Advisory council meetings or at DCPS public budget meetings or at a Dept of Education support rally too.
Take care and wish all a peaceful summer-
Dept of Ed staffer and parent of a future MacArthur student here — thank you for both parts of this. This is exactly my take. We are at a Hardy feeder that’s high OOB and some people seem to think the high OOB means lack of engagement because the neighborhood uptake is low. To the contrary - the families that are motivated to get their kids into and commute to better fit and safer schools are exactly the families I want to be with (after all, that’s why WE are here as well). I feel a lot of peace with our Hardy to MacArthur guarantee and look forward to watching the school grow.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 09:57
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
My daughter will be a 10th grader next year The MacArthur APs are fantastic and the most of the 9th teachers were great for our kid. She is excited about the AP classes she’ll be taking next year.
We live in-bounds. Car drop off is fine. My daughter’s best friend at MacArthur lives in Anacostia. She walks to metro and then takes the bus to school which is a 90 minute commute each way. She is a bright, kind, motivated person who is a good scholar and athlete. Her in-bound school and surrounding charter schools don’t have the same offerings that she wants for high school. There are a lot of kids from across the city who are making really long treks on public transit to MacArthur so that they can have expanded class offerings.
My personal opinion: as DC families, I hope that we would want ALL kids to thrive and advocate for the success of ALL of the public schools, not just our inbound ones. DC is a small village and packed with highly educated, affluent people as well as many who are struggling economically.
Our public school system could be one of the best in the nation if we advocated for the whole system, not just our local schools. It takes a shift in mindset toward community well-being which in a time when the Dept of Education is being gutted, it feels like we really need to show up for and care for everyone’s kids.
I know a maelstrom of comments are probably going to follow in the way of DCUM. That is all well and good. I just hope to meet some of you at the DCPS Parents Advisory council meetings or at DCPS public budget meetings or at a Dept of Education support rally too.
Take care and wish all a peaceful summer-
We live in-bounds. Car drop off is fine. My daughter’s best friend at MacArthur lives in Anacostia. She walks to metro and then takes the bus to school which is a 90 minute commute each way. She is a bright, kind, motivated person who is a good scholar and athlete. Her in-bound school and surrounding charter schools don’t have the same offerings that she wants for high school. There are a lot of kids from across the city who are making really long treks on public transit to MacArthur so that they can have expanded class offerings.
My personal opinion: as DC families, I hope that we would want ALL kids to thrive and advocate for the success of ALL of the public schools, not just our inbound ones. DC is a small village and packed with highly educated, affluent people as well as many who are struggling economically.
Our public school system could be one of the best in the nation if we advocated for the whole system, not just our local schools. It takes a shift in mindset toward community well-being which in a time when the Dept of Education is being gutted, it feels like we really need to show up for and care for everyone’s kids.
I know a maelstrom of comments are probably going to follow in the way of DCUM. That is all well and good. I just hope to meet some of you at the DCPS Parents Advisory council meetings or at DCPS public budget meetings or at a Dept of Education support rally too.
Take care and wish all a peaceful summer-
Anonymous
07/15/2025 19:27
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is Kim Martin still the Instructional Superintendent?
Left in December
Correction - she was fired last December for some unsavory stuff
Can you tell us more? Work-product or interpersonal?
Anonymous
07/15/2025 18:49
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Is Kim Martin still the Instructional Superintendent?
Left in December
Correction - she was fired last December for some unsavory stuff
Anonymous
07/15/2025 09:39
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:I am not “Harold” but it is true and this is what the data will support. Anyone living in DC knows what is happening here - look at all of the demographic and cost of living data and you will not be able to deny that DC is becoming less diverse - not more diverse - and that the movement is to white, financially well-off people. Let ‘s be grounded in the facts - which you may or may not like. But even without combing through the data, anyone actually living here and actually spending time here has seen this change.
DC is becoming more diverse. The White, Asian and Hispanic populations are all increasing quickly. It's just becoming less Black.
Anonymous
07/15/2025 09:23
Subject: Speaking of MacArthur High School - just FYI
Anonymous wrote:Is Kim Martin still the Instructional Superintendent?
Left in December