Comments on: Race-Based School Choice?

By: Venomous Kate

Venomous Kate — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:05:04 +0000

Silvermine, I agree we’ve got to stop forcing social engineering. Like Carin pointed out, it doesn’t benefit those who go through it.

Besides, as I always say, the only way to stop racial discrimination is to stop making race an issue in ANYthing. That goes for government programs that attempt to undo what people seek to accomplish.

By: silvermine

silvermine — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:41:29 +0000

Oh and college credit for it?? That’s insane. I don’t think they should look at hte kid’s race (it’s not even allowed here in CA) but to give them a boost for which friends and/or school they chose? Huh?? That’s insane.

By: silvermine

silvermine — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:40:31 +0000

In the bay area, I’d say most, if not all the schools, are segregated by choice. People live near people who are like them and share their culture. There are schools out here with a high number of latinos. There are several schools public charters down the street from me that are 99% asian. There’s a private school also right down the street that is mostly Indian. People usually like what they are used to. I don’t want my kis to go to one of those schools, but it has nothing to do with racism. I don’t like the high-stress test taking 2-hours-of-homework-for-kindergarteners culture that goes along with those schools.

To each their own. You can’t force people to not do this. It’s sort of a human thing.

By: Carin

Carin — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:55:27 +0000

I was one of the three white kids in a “black” public school. I wouldn’t put that burden on my children. It’s awfully hard to be the only white kid, so even if the school were just as good as others, I wouldn’t choose it; not because I’m racist, but because I know my children would have to put up with the reverse racism that everyone says doesn’t exist. The down side to that is that no one sees it as a problem (the administration or media) so you basically just have to deal with it. It isn’t pretty.

By: wavemaker

wavemaker — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:43:55 +0000

I suspect that the distinction really doesn’t exist. Go into the cafeterias of the well-integrated schools and observe who sits with whom. The kids voluntarily segregate.

This occurs whether it’s an inner city public school or a highly exclusive private school. In cafeterias, dorms, extra-curricular activities.

By: Venomous Kate

Venomous Kate — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:16:08 +0000

That could be, except the study notes one of the most favored schools – John Yehall Chin Elementary — is in a rough area.

On another note, I find it curious that when we’re talking about this segregation-by-choice issue in terms of children, we condemn it and call it racism.

Yet this morning I saw an advertisement featuring only black people & playing a hip hop song in the background. The message (regardless of what they were selling) was plainly that there IS a black culture and it IS different than a white culture and so what?

So, how come when it’s adults it’s ok but when it’s children it’s “racism”?

By: wavemaker

wavemaker — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:26:43 +0000

From what little I know about black neighborhood schools in SF, perhaps the reason why parents don’t want their kids going to those schools hs more to do with safety and security than education.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:13:50 +0000

Face it, none of the educational reforms have ever worked. “No child left behind” is an abysmal failure. Schools with integration stay, for the most part, segregated: whites hang with whites, blacks with blacks. Why? Don’t know. It’s a reality, however.

By: Venomous Kate

Venomous Kate — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:31:34 +0000

That doesn't really fix it, either, Jim. The actual problem is parental belief (whether real or imaginary) that "mostly black" schools don't deliver quality education. The only way to overcome this is by actually eliminating the achievement gap, but so far nothing's worked. In KCMO, educators initially believed that the best way to fix the problem was by coupling forced desegragation (i.e., bussing) with unlimited funds. Over the course of 12 years the city spent $2 billion building new schools, improving resources, bussing students and working to raise test scores. The result was a complete and total failure which led to increased "white flight" among those families living in the areas around the well-funded magnet schools and only minimal interest by suburban whites of enrolling their children in the magnet school system.

By: Jim

Jim — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 18:22:46 +0000

Anne, I don’t disagree with you but what you said simply reinforces my point. People have to TAUGHT that stereotypes are usually not correct. Experience is the best teacher and not everything worth knowing comes from a school education.