School Issues

So this morning the Times carried an article about a progressive suburb of Baltimore, founded on the principle of integration by the late developer Rouse. It was to be a "new America" -- and fittingly the first child born there was biracial. Ah -- that it could have worked out.

Turns out the suburb developed two parts: the older part grew mostly minority and poor, and the new part richer and whiter and Asian. And now the school board is trying to make things fairer -- by busing kids from the rich high school to the poor one. The rich school parents are just about all Democrats -- liberal, in fact, but they aren't having it. It seems integration is fine -- for other kids. They want things as they are -- their very high performing high school to get their kids into name colleges are paramount. And they're full of crap in their opposition -- claiming spending time on buses will drive kids to suicide, and make them miss extra curricular activities. It's an ugly fight.

Wifey and I were always firm believers in public education for the Ds -- and we're proud of their experiences with all public education -- even including college and grad school.

But there were some very politically incorrect truths at their high school -- which was, I think, about 20% black -- with most of those kids from poorer parts of Miami Dade. First, the AP classes were almost totally white and Asian. I remember one of D2's friends, Spencer, telling me the high school was "basically South Africa" -- with the high performing enclaves of kids essentially separate from the general population -- except at things like lunch, and after school activities.

There were exceptions, of course. One girl, a classmate of D2's, was indeed on the AP track. She happened to be the daughter of a MLB Hall of famer -- she went on to UF, and joined the mostly Jewish sorority. But largely, where the students came from determined where they ended up...

I guess the reasons are manifold. I observed one very unsettling thing. Wifey and I NEVER missed a back to school night -- we would race from class to class, meeting the Ds' teachers, and learning about the curricula.  On a typical back to school night, judging by the complexion of the parents attending, you wouldn't know the school was 20% black. Maybe 1-2% of the parents attending were black.

I know there are reasons for this. Perhaps the black parents had work hours that didn't allow them to attend -- or they had kids in other schools as well as the Ds'.  But it used to bother me a lot -- we knew well what was going on academically with the Ds, and their school offered a lot -- it seemed a shame to not take advantage of it, and, of course, it all begins at home.

D2 graduated 9 years ago, so we haven't had direct concerns with the schools. But if we're blessed with grandchildren, these matters will become front and center again.

D1 and Joey live in a gentrifying part of Miami. Their home high school is Miami Edison -- one of the lowest performing schools in the County. D1 is adamant that private school will be the only available option.

I get it. Safety was always paramount -- Wifey and I always pledged that the moment we sensed any safety issues in the Ds' schools -- it would be hello Ransom Everglades. And, indeed, it almost happened.

In D2's sophomore year, there were some scary incidents -- seemingly racial in nature. As the information made it to us, there was a fight between two students -- one white and one black,and one of the kids was airlifted to the hospital. That was it.  We had D2 apply to transfer into Ransom, the top private high school in the state. They rarely took transfers.

D2 took the exam and excelled. She was accepted. It appeared she would finish her high school career at the exclusive private high school. I stopped by her regular school to fetch her records, and the principal asked me into his office. He was a dead ringer for the actor and writer Ben Stein. He was an old school Brooklyn born Miami Dade educator -- nice man.

He was sad to see D2 leave -- she was a top student -- a student leader. He asked me why we were pulling her out. I told him that I was a believer in public education, but how could I leave my daughter in an unsafe environment. He then proceeded to tell me details about the troubling event -- in fact, it was horseplay between two friends -- one accidentally fell and hit his head -- there was no "racial fight." Some other things the parents were chittering about were also false.

So I asked D2 her preference -- she had close friends, was excelling where she was, and decided to stay. I called the Ransom administrator to say thanks, but no thanks -- D2 was staying. The woman was incredulous -- NO ONE allowed to transfer in to Ransom EVER rejected the opportunity. Well -- D2 would be a first. I kind of liked that -- being accepted into a snooty place and telling them no thanks...

And D2 in fact flourished -- as her sister had 4 years before.

It's a balance -- wanting your kids to get real world experience -- true diversity, like they'll see in the real world -- but also giving them the best education they can.

I hope things in the Rouse suburb end peacefully -- like Rodney King hoped -- everyone "just gets along."

If we're so blessed, with another generation of kids to educate -- we'll be back in the thick of things like this sooner than later.