| ThurgreedMarshall |
11-04-2013 05:04 PM |
Re: Interesting Article
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
(Post 484026)
She makes some excellent points, but I'd refine them in a couple of ways:
1) some points relate to being minority, but some relate to finances, and she should differentiate the two.
2) some of the disconnects would ring even truer in the average UMC suburban public school than in any prep school; I know it's more fun to beat up on prep schools, but they're actually more likely to try to productively address the issues that the public schools are.
Certainly, the private schools my kids have attended have been both more racially and more economically diverse, and more conscious of having a problem to address, than the local public school (which sets an uncommonly low standard on all scores, admittedly).
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Atticus Grinch
(Post 484028)
Depressing. We have institutions here touting their "diversity," but diversity is not the finish line, integration is. What use is it to have a diverse demographic profile but not fully integrate? More harm than good in that.
In fairness to those prep schools, the identical thing happens in the public school setting when you try to integrate low SES students of color with wealthy whites. The parents and administrators have the best of intentions but there are precious few tools for making a seventh grader invite someone to a birthday party — and even if invited, what do you give to a kid who has everything? In the Hallmark movie of life, it would be a handcrafted gesture of friendship, but we don't live in that world.
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Guys, it's an interesting article. I wasn't posting it as the definitive take on the issue.
Clearly there are general race/class problems that must be faced everywhere in the world. You'll see it in private schools and very wealthy school districts. Yes. Well said, both of you.
I think the point of the article is to show that despite the good intentions of schools like this (especially the ones in NYC), it may not be the best option for your (minority) child, even if they are being offered a world-class education. Parents are understandably excited about it because they see the access as a great opportunity. But it turns out that the access isn't necessarily full access and the fact that these kids never really feel comfortable can do significant damage. While the schools probably have the best of intentions, based on my and my wife's experience with private schools in the city, it often feels like the rich parents' think minority kids are there as a service to the rich kids who belong--to enrich their kids' experience.
It echoes my experience in college. Poor kid from the city at a school with kids whose economic situation was quite different. The black college kids at our school ended up socializing and eating together in much the same way as those in this school. It sucks, but the rich will always find ways to remove themselves.
TM |
