Living in Philadelphia with Kids (renting, condo, how much)

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Thanks for posting.

For most of the past couple of decades, Masterman's been the only Pennsylvania high school to crack U.S. News' top 50 high schools nationwide.

I see that Downingtown STEM Academy has also made it into that club (at #29, seven spots below Masterman).

U.S. News ranks Central #4 statewide (Radnor High is #3; #s 1 and 2 are above) and #284 nationwide (Radnor's #237).

24% white, 26% black, 36% Asian, 8% Hispanic.

"100% economically disadvantaged," but since the SDP serves free lunch to all students under a USDA program that allows this for high-poverty districts, that stat's probably bogus.

The stat is bogus. Twenty percent of Masterman students are economically disadvantaged. Also black enrollment is now down to 15%. Demographically Masterman is nothing like the vast majority of other district school. That’s a huge factor in why it’s so sought after.

https://futurereadypa.org/School/Fas...82005046203183

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by BR Valentine

The stat is bogus. Twenty percent of Masterman students are economically disadvantaged. Also black enrollment is now down to 15%. Demographically Masterman is nothing like the vast majority of other district school. That’s a huge factor in why it’s so sought after.

https://futurereadypa.org/School/Fas...82005046203183

The stats in my post were for Central, not Masterman.

Niche.com, the one school rating site that factors diversity into its rankings, rates Central No. 1 in the state on that metric.

But the "economically disadvantaged" stats for both are bogus for the reason I gave.

[bursitis]

Originally Posted by Muinteoir

That was not racist. The desire for a high performing school that is more representative of the city's demographics is anti-racist.

When a desire and a policy for racial quotas results in excluding others who are more deserving, that makes it 'racist.' And a lot of people, yourself included, have no problem with that.

How about we do better by placing and rewarding the brightest and most qualified?




Crazy concept, I know.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by bursitis

When a desire and a policy for racial quotas results in excluding others who are more deserving, that makes it 'racist.' And a lot of people, yourself included, have no problem with that.

How about we do better by placing and rewarding the brightest and most qualified?




Crazy concept, I know.

One reason for putting a thumb on the scale in favor of the disfavored - and I'm not just talking race here, though that matters a lot in our society - is because doing so both helps reduce inequality and promote the kind of social mobility we need more of. (And our society has become less, not more, mobile over the recent decades.)

I've tended to favor preferences based on socioeconomic status because (a) they allow us to achieve the racial diversity goal without being explicitly racial, thanks to the proportions of the various racial groups living in poverty (b) they allow low-income children regardless of race to get a leg up (c) and that's important because study after study has shown that school performance (at least as measured on standardized tests) correlates most strongly with household income, and income redistribution enjoys even less support than racial preferences.

The other option: Pour the kind of money and resources (including human ones; the poor kids often don't enjoy the kind of home support the wealthy kids do) the wealthy schools enjoy into the poor ones. In fact, pour more resources into those schools than the wealthy ones enjoy. Now figure out where that money's going to come from. Think the privileged parents will quietly agree to this?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by bursitis

When a desire and a policy for racial quotas results in excluding others who are more deserving, that makes it 'racist.' And a lot of people, yourself included, have no problem with that.

How about we do better by placing and rewarding the brightest and most qualified?




Crazy concept, I know.

But I will also address race specifically.

I grew up integrated, at least as far as schooling is concerned.

I am very much aware that our society remains divided by race. I'd like more people to grow up as I did.

Most black parents, even the ones who trust white people as far as they can throw them, seek the same thing. They're not the ones standing in the way of that goal.

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

The stats in my post were for Central, not Masterman.

Niche.com, the one school rating site that factors diversity into its rankings, rates Central No. 1 in the state on that metric.

But the "economically disadvantaged" stats for both are bogus for the reason I gave.

Was just confirming what you mentioned regarding universal feeding and providing school level data. Central is just under 40% economically disadvantaged. Both schools highlight the double-edged nature of selective enrollment public schools. They are an effective tool for attracting white students and promoting diversity. However, they exacerbate economic, linguistic and special ed segregation in schools.

Also, US News is absolutely a trash source for anything related to education.

[bursitis]

Poor Asian and African children seem to be doing quite well academically here in the U.S.




How many more excuses do we need for ... ?

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by bursitis

Poor Asian and African children seem to be doing quite well academically here in the U.S.




How many more excuses do we need for ... ?

American history is different from that of Asia or Africa. Even in the "scramble for Africa," the native populations were not subjugated to the degree the Africans brought to America against their will were.

And yes, certain historical events reverberate long after their end.

If you don't understand that or the way those events reverberate, I pity you.

I do, and I'm probably the kind of person you wish there were more of.

[BR Valentine]

Originally Posted by bursitis

Poor Asian and African children seem to be doing quite well academically here in the U.S.




How many more excuses do we need for ... ?

Academic achievement is intensely correlated with the level of parental education. Little known fact. African immigrants are slightly more likely to have a college degree than US born whites. The same is true for Asian immigrants. They may have a comparatively low-income but they are often well-educated.

We now return to our regularly scheduled bigotry.

[pman]

Originally Posted by PHLondoner

Any school that you have to test into is going to be higher achieving in school rankings.

Our concern with Masterman from a parents standpoint is, frankly, how competitive it is academically once you're there. There's certainly a "type" that can thrive in this pressure cooker but it can get pretty intense if your piers are all getting 1400s on their SATs while also being a concert cellists at the age of 15...

Luckily - if Masterman isn't your kids bag - Central is an awesome school that offers a more "normal" big high school experience.

I've heard some masterman parents complain about the culture at the school. Yes, the education itself likely isnt any better than central.