Gwinnett schools keep on rocking (Atlanta, Lilburn: low income, 2015, neighborhoods)

[arjay57]

Looks like the Gwinnett juggernaut isn't slowing down.

As usual, Gwinnett County posted a strong showing [on the Georgia Milestones], which is important given that the state’s largest school district is also the one seeing a dramatic shift in demographics. It now has more children who are English language learners and more students living in poverty, both of whom often bring learning challenges.

As the AJC just reported: In 1995, 80 percent of Gwinnett County Public Schools students were white. By 2015, that number dropped to just 26 percent, according to the ARC’s data. Over the same time period, the school system’s share of Hispanic students increased sevenfold — from 4 percent to 29 percent — and the proportion of black students more than tripled, from 9 percent to 31 percent… Gwinnett became a “majority minority” county — meaning non-white residents account for more than half of the population — in 2010, and the ARC projects that the county will have more Hispanic residents than white ones by 2040.

Despite demographic shifts, Gwinnett outpaces state averages in Georgia Milestones | Get Schooled

[ATLTJL]

This makes me wonder if the reverse is true.

A lot of people in gentrifying areas with underperforming schools I think assume those schools will just organically get better as more white kids attend. I've seen arguments defending these schools as up and coming by pointing to rising white attendance.

But if demographics can't drag down Gwinnett, isn't is also reasonable to assume that they can't prop up others?

[PKCorey]

If you look at the data, the schools that did the best have larger % of white students and low poverty levels.

[jeoff]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

This makes me wonder if the reverse is true.

A lot of people in gentrifying areas with underperforming schools I think assume those schools will just organically get better as more white kids attend. I've seen arguments defending these schools as up and coming by pointing to rising white attendance.

But if demographics can't drag down Gwinnett, isn't is also reasonable to assume that they can't prop up others?

Originally Posted by PKCorey

If you look at the data, the schools that did the best have larger % of white students and low poverty levels.

Although the wealthier "whiter" schools may do better. Poor and minority students still do better in Gwinnett than anywhere else in the state.

I wonder if part of this relative success has to do with the sort of self-selection that (may) occurr in charter schools--That is, poor and minority parents that are the most involved in their children's education choose Gwinnett ("charter school") over other underperforming counties (local school). While less involved or aware poor minority parents are less selective about schools. ---More involved parents with more disciplined children choosing better schools. (That is what my AA neighbors who were very involved in their girls education did in 2005--bailing out of Stone Mountain in Dekalb for Lilburn in Gwinnett).

[whodean]

DeKalb could certainly learn a thing or two thousand from Gwinnett

[BR Valentine]

Percent FRL

1. Cobb - 44%
2. Gwinnett - 54%
3. State Avg. - 62%
4. DeKalb - 72%
5. APS - 77%

Not to dismiss the hard work of Gwinnett staff which includes a couple of my neighbors, but income and test scores are extremely, linearly in fact, correlated. Additionally, I'm certain that the portion of kids in Gwinnett who qualify for reduced rather than free lunch is much greater proportionately than in APS.

So good job Gwinnett. Yes, DeKalb and APS have had long-standing administrative shortcomings and probably could learn something from Gwinnett. But context, family income in this case, still matters.

[whodean]

Part of that is DeKalb and APS doing a very poor job and chasing away families that can afford to go to private schools, leaving FRL families.

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by whodean

Part of that is DeKalb and APS doing a very poor job and chasing away families that can afford to go to private schools, leaving FRL families.

Poverty rate

1. Gwinnett - 13.4%
2. Dekalb - 20.4%
3. Atlanta - 25.2%

Low-income families repel middle-income families from schools. That's why schools are so much more segregated than residential neighborhoods are. Atlanta and to a somewhat lesser extent DeKalb have high concentrations of low-income families to the extent that it's impossible to avoid having many schools with unacceptably large numbers of low-income children for the typical middle income family. The HNW households in Atlanta and DeKalb would send their kids to private schools even if the public schools were equivalent to Forsyth's.

[whodean]

Originally Posted by BR Valentine

The HNW households in Atlanta and DeKalb would send their kids to private schools even if the public schools were equivalent to Forsyth's.

Never going to find out, but it would be nice to see them set that goal instead of promulgating the corruption and graft by investing a smaller amount of available funds to the class room than other school systems do.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by BR Valentine

Poverty rate

1. Gwinnett - 13.4%
2. Dekalb - 20.4%
3. Atlanta - 25.2%

Low-income families repel middle-income families from schools. That's why schools are so much more segregated than residential neighborhoods are. Atlanta and to a somewhat lesser extent DeKalb have high concentrations of low-income families to the extent that it's impossible to avoid having many schools with unacceptably large numbers of low-income children for the typical middle income family.

What is the solution to this? To parcel out the low income kids more widely throughout the system so that they are not concentrated in particular areas?

I wonder what the tipping point is for the percentage of low income kids that can be reached before higher income families start pulling their kids out of the system?