Black Community in NOVA? (and Schools) (Virginia Beach, Hampton: neighborhood, best schools, college)

[Denton56]

Originally Posted by claremarie

The "Myths Left Behind" link focused on Graham Road Elementary in the Falls Church area, where most of the students are children of Hispanic and Asian immigrants (with about 12% black and 10% white). The school has done some amazing things with these kids, but most of them aren't black. There are cultural issues aplenty in these populations, but they are different than the cultural issues facing most low-income black students.
And though Fairfax County is wealthy overall, there is a range of incomes, and the schools that serve the lower-income communities have lower test scores. You can take a look at the schools ranked by test scores, and the (inverse) correlation between incomes and test scores is unmistakable.

Yet the school board refuses to force staff to implement programs that have been proven to work. If Graham Road can succeed, there is NO reason why other low income schools, like those in Reston, Dogwood and Terraset, can't also be successful. But our school board continues to permit schools to fail our children when it's clear there are things that could be used to help those children who are stuck in failing schools.

[Newk]

I think getting a good quality education should be the most important. I went to Catholic elementary and high school, and there were very few black kids in my classes. Out of my graduating class of 200 for high school, there were only about 10 black kids. but do you know what? They were the most popular. So take it for what it is, that Fairfax County has an excellent public school system, and the schools are majorly white. Your child will get a better education here than Upper Marlboro, but may be the minority at their school. But I think it should be worth it to deal with that.

Concerning housing, with great schools, comes high income earners for the parents, who are involved in the child's education, and thus keeps housing high.

Just be prepared that you may not meet all the criteria that you are looking at.

[nwlv]

Originally Posted by Skapov

Also, the "achievement gap" starts even BEFORE birth, as black women have higher incidences of having low-birth weight premature babies, and are significantly less likely to breastfeed (very few actually breastfeed), and there is considerable research that both prematurity and poor nutrition and formula-feeding results in reduced IQ and attention-deficit-disorders. That's food for thought...

So blacks have lower IQs, than whites?

[sweetpotater58]

I am not trying to cause a problem here, but think about some of these posts. Imagine if a White person posted "Looking for a White Community to move to" Racism is truly not dead in America, but it isn't just whites who have to watch themselves. The most important thing you should be looking for is a good community to move to, where the schools are good, and the neighborhoods safe. Northern Virginia is more culturally and racially diverse than PG County. When I moved from there years ago, i was amazed at how much better a place Northern Virginia was. PG county schools in many locales for non blacks is much like it was for blacks in racist white schools of the deep south in the early days of integration. Not meaning to cause trouble, but this whole white this, black that, hispanic this, asian that does nothing to help our children get along-we are the ones who keep causing all this racial crap in this country-all of us! Move forward. The past made in plain and clear what being racial about things does.

[sbullet]

Originally Posted by Skapov

This is all **great** information! VA does seem to be more integrated than MD or DC, and I remember thinking that I'd never settle in a RED State, but VA's not even RED anymore.

I did some quick web research of Louise Archer ES and it sounds like a dream, pretty much all the schools in the Vienna area get 5 stars on Schooldigger.com (top 10%) and are excellent! But alas, I went over to ZipRealty.com and out of about 300 listings, only 25 or so came up under $500k. We are gonna be 1st time homebuyers and cannot spend more than about $425K for a home, preferably in the $375-400k range, so Vienna/Oakton are way out of our price range.

I went to Louise Archer ES, as well as Madison HS which literally shares fields with each other. I'm 23 now, so its been over a decade since i've went there, altho it seems like it was just yesterday..

Despite the fact that it has a black history, there weren't too many black kids there. Its primarly white, and asians. At Madison HS, there was a larger number of black kids, but the majority of them segerated themselves into their own cliche and kind of get a "trouble maker" label put on them. Of course, not every person is the same.

i recall my history teacher in 11th grade at Madison HS a young black lady and she was really good. I hear she is now a councelor there. She is from the Hampton roads area as well.

hope this helps.


//edit : oops. i just realized i revived a dead thread.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by Skapov

I think people need to understand that due to various self-perpetuating and societal cultural norms, down from slavery to the "war on drugs" (which imprisoned a whole generation of young black men), many African-American families have experienced great trauma that has resulted in "broken-homes". The fact that 70% of black children are born to single moms, means a life with economic hardship, and if mom is tired and working 3 jobs to keep the family afloat, then there isn't exactly any time to read bedtime stories or help with homework for the children. Yeah, it's real complex, but I believe the under-performance is mostly due to the type of parenting that these children receive, and the lack of high expectations that the teachers have since many educators believe that poor black children can't learn.

Also, the "achievement gap" starts even BEFORE birth, as black women have higher incidences of having low-birth weight premature babies, and are significantly less likely to breastfeed (very few actually breastfeed), and there is considerable research that both prematurity and poor nutrition and formula-feeding results in reduced IQ and attention-deficit-disorders. That's food for thought...

I don't know I grew up in a black single parent household. I turned out alright. My mom had a lot of support from my grandmother who was a second parent in fact I called her mama and there was always confusion about who I was talking to. In hindsight this was probably because I was imitating my mother which kids tend to do. So what else would my mother call her own mother?

My mother had it pretty rough she took care of me, went to school and took care of my mother who always had health problems even when my mom was a teenager and had a second job but there was always someone looking after me. But I always went to good schools on the otherside of town and always had family watching me. So being single with kids isn't a good excuse but family has to be there to offer support even if it's a teen mother who shouldn't have had the kids.

At the same time one argument you made that was interesting was about breastfeeding. I had never heard that it attributed to ADHD which is what I have. Anyways my mom didn't breastfeed. Obviously I dont' remember but that's what she told me. But even then one just has to rise above challenges not make excuses. Although you have to be careful with a statement that implies that one has a lower IQ because mom didn't breastfeed.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by sweetpotater58

I am not trying to cause a problem here, but think about some of these posts. Imagine if a White person posted "Looking for a White Community to move to" Racism is truly not dead in America, but it isn't just whites who have to watch themselves. The most important thing you should be looking for is a good community to move to, where the schools are good, and the neighborhoods safe. Northern Virginia is more culturally and racially diverse than PG County. When I moved from there years ago, i was amazed at how much better a place Northern Virginia was. PG county schools in many locales for non blacks is much like it was for blacks in racist white schools of the deep south in the early days of integration. Not meaning to cause trouble, but this whole white this, black that, hispanic this, asian that does nothing to help our children get along-we are the ones who keep causing all this racial crap in this country-all of us! Move forward. The past made in plain and clear what being racial about things does.

Very well said. That was my point I failed to get across many pages ago. I think a lot of black americans (not all black people are from Africa, my friend from Trinidad gets pissed if somebody called him an "African American") parents don't realize the change that has happened even since their generation. We (America as a whole) elected a back president. And yes, A LOT of white people voted for him including most of Iowa!! Times have changed. Granted, it's not all peachy, but it's gotten tons better. Part of the problem is this politically correct BS and white guilt that is rampant in the liberal media.

I went to a school that was about 40% black, 40% white, and 20% "other". Everybody got along great for the most part. All races have their a-holes. As stated by another poster, most of the "popular" kids in school were black. I saw very little racism.

[jaywallace]

Originally Posted by terrence81

I don't know I grew up in a black single parent household. I turned out alright. My mom had a lot of support from my grandmother who was a second parent in fact I called her mama and there was always confusion about who I was talking to. In hindsight this was probably because I was imitating my mother which kids tend to do. So what else would my mother call her own mother?

My mother had it pretty rough she took care of me, went to school and took care of my mother who always had health problems even when my mom was a teenager and had a second job but there was always someone looking after me. But I always went to good schools on the otherside of town and always had family watching me. So being single with kids isn't a good excuse but family has to be there to offer support even if it's a teen mother who shouldn't have had the kids.

At the same time one argument you made that was interesting was about breastfeeding. I had never heard that it attributed to ADHD which is what I have. Anyways my mom didn't breastfeed. Obviously I dont' remember but that's what she told me. But even then one just has to rise above challenges not make excuses. Although you have to be careful with a statement that implies that one has a lower IQ because mom didn't breastfeed.

It's a scientific fact that non-breast fed babies have lower IQ's than those that are breast-fed. The poster shouldn't have to be careful with that statement. Again, political correctness getting in the way of the truth.

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by RedShrek

This is a very telling statement. Does anyone have anything constructive to add to this line? Why is this the case in a supposedly affluent area? Is this a cultural issue or an economic issue?

The Mt Vernon school district includes the Rt 1 corridor. While the students living near Ft Hunt road and the Mt Vernon Parkway may be considered as being from affluent families, the students living in the many garden style apartments and homes off of, and north/west of Rt 1, decidedly are not.

[terrence81]

Originally Posted by nitrovic

It's a scientific fact that non-breast fed babies have lower IQ's than those that are breast-fed. The poster shouldn't have to be careful with that statement. Again, political correctness getting in the way of the truth.

I'm sorry it's not about political correctness maybe I just don't like the idea of someone implying that I'm stupid just because my mom didn't breastfeed. I don't think that was the intention of the original person who said it. You on the other hand I'm not so sure about. There's a difference between politically incorrect and rudeness.