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Dear Preferred Readers:
In the last issue of themail, Patricia Howard-Chittams wrote that
Hardy Middle School practiced ability grouping of its students that
resulted in at least de facto, and possibly intentional,
segregation of its students, and that the students who were placed in
the lowest track were treated by teachers and the principal as poor
prospects for learning. Someone who is very familiar with DC public
schools wrote me that she had forwarded the article to a listserv to
which she belongs, and that some people on that listserv questioned
whether Chittams' version were accurate, and one person who wrote to her
doubted that the principal would either practice any form of segregation
or would call any children stupid. Here's what I wrote her:
“Your correspondent is right that themail is an open forum, without
viewpoint censorship. I include a lot of messages with which I disagree,
and the purpose of requiring that all submissions be signed is for
individuals to take responsibility for their own opinions. I don't know
whether Patricia Chittam's description of the situation at Hardy Middle
School is accurate or not, but I think it is worth exploring further to
find out. Here are my first thoughts; if you wish to share them with
your correspondent, please feel free to do so. As I read Ms. Chittams'
message, she is saying that Hardy practices ability grouping that
effectively functions to segregate the school — that the lowest
ability group is all black and the highest ability group is
predominantly, if not entirely, white. It is possible that her
accusation of 'segregation' could be disproven by showing that it is
factually wrong — either that the school doesn't do ability grouping,
or that the different ability groups have roughly similar racial
percentages. That would end the matter.
“However, it is also possible that her facts could be right, but
her conclusion that this constitutes 'segregation' could still be argued
with. One could argue that ability grouping improves classroom education
for all students in all ability groups; that the classes are grouped by
ability based on objective, nonracial criteria; and that if those
criteria do result in groups that have widely varying racial
percentages, that is certainly not its purpose and that better
preparation in elementary schools will eventually eliminate those
disparities. That would probably convince some people and not others,
depending mostly on people's own experiences with ability grouping in
their own or their children's schools. That argument could be disputed
by those who believed either that ability grouping doesn't lead to
improved classroom instruction, or that it may improve education for
higher ability groups, but harm education for lower ability groups. It
would also raise the question of whether, if ability grouping did
improve education but it also, even if unintentionally, resulted in
effectively segregated classrooms within schools, would it be worth it?
“As to the other matter that your correspondent questioned -- has
the principal or have teachers at Hardy actually called the students in
the lowest ability groups 'stupid,' or objectively done things that give
them the impression that they believe they cannot learn? Do teachers
actually spend a good portion of class time discussing last night's
basketball game, instead of trying to teach? It would be hard to prove
those accusations wrong (how do you prove that no one in your school
ever said something?), but one could certainly ask for specific examples
of this kind of behavior, and the accusation would be discounted if
specific examples couldn't be provided. (Asking for examples would run
the risk that you would get them, of course.) However, Chittams says
that students and their parents have the impression that these students'
ability and worth are devalued at the school — and if it is true that
parents and students other that Chittams and her son have that
impression, then their feelings are harder to argue with. In any case,
if anyone wants to pursue this matter further in themail, either to
dispute or to support what Ms. Chittams wrote, I'd be open to
submissions.” That invitation is open to anyone who has either facts
or opinions to contribute.
Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com
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City Council At-Large Race Heats Up
Sam Brooks, sam@electsam.com
As I am sure most readers are aware, the race for the At-Large City
Council seat currently held by Harold Brazil is heating up. I am one of
two officially filed candidates — Kwame Brown is the other — running
to unseat the incumbent. A great way to learn about the candidates and
the important issues of our campaign would be to listen to the May 7
broadcast of Kojo Nnamdi’s “The DC Politics Hour.” The show,
featuring interviews with myself, Kwame Brown, and Harold Brazil, is now
available online at http://www.wamu.org/kojo/shows/2004/knarc_040503.html#friday.
There certainly will be many opportunities for Washingtonians to
learn more about us in the months to come, but May 7th’s “DC
Politics Hour” is a great primer.
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Privacy Villain of the Week: DC’s Traffic
Cams
Gabe Goldberg, gabe@gabegold.com
[The Consumer Alert's National Consumer Coalition Privacy Group has
named DC's traffic cameras its privacy villain of the week: http://nccprivacy.org/handv/040514villain.htm.
From the report:] “In fact, placing traffic cameras on pedestrian-free
highways like New York Ave. and Anacostia Parkway may increase danger on
the roads by mixing drivers going at 'highway speed' and other drivers
slowing precipitously to below the too-low speed limit, anxious that a
camera will snap them. This is a recipe for disaster that compromises
both safety and privacy.”
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$50,000 in the Budget for Bell High School
Instrumental Program
Dorothy Marschak, dmarschak@chime-dc.org
On the initiative of Councilmember Jim Graham, the City Council has
approved $50,000 for Bell Multicultural High School's instrumental
program, including equipping a recording lab. Jim visited the school
after CHIME President Marschak informed him of the great need there for
support for its band and other music programs. School bands, besides
many other benefits to its members and the school, serve as a positive
alternative to gangs and also provide a source of income from gigs. This
help to Bell was from funds for the anti-gang and Latino programs, not
the school budget. There has been no school budget money for instruments
for many years, and only a handful of primary and middle schools have
instrumental programs. In fact, over 30 percent of DC elementary schools
had no music teacher at all this year, and the number will doubtless
increase with the announced cuts in the coming year. There is a wealth
of evidence now that music education is not only of intrinsic value, but
is associated with enhance academic performance and other individual and
social benefits. The private sector (including CHIME) can help, but
cannot take the place of the dedication of public funds to including the
arts in school funding. Please let the Mayor, your elected officials and
your Principal (if you are a DCPS parent) know you want music included
in the required funded curriculum. You can sign CHIME's petition for
required music education on its website, http://www.chime-dc.org.
You can also donate an unneeded instrument, volunteer you help or a make
a contribution on the website. The mission of CHIME (Community Help In
Music Education) is to promote and provide music education to DCPS
students, during and outside of school. More information about CHIME is
available on our website or from contacting us at info@chime-dc.org.
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Dorothy Brizill's “City of Special Interests” [themail, May 16]
certainly puts its finger on a critical delusion. Whoever is named to
head a dysfunctional institution has to be superb but, as superb as
anyone might be, it's not enough. The top person has to be backed up by
extraordinarily competent and loyal subordinates. Paul Vance was
outstanding. I told him he didn't have a chance because he couldn't
redress the entire top of the structure. There isn't any leader on a
white horse with a silver bullet, and it won't be done overnight. The
school system requires a long-term rebuilding process and thinking out
of the box. Not likely here.
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If Patricia Howard-Chittams' description [themail, May 16] is
accurate, I am outraged by the shameful treatment to which
out-of-boundary students are apparently subjected at Hardy. I'm
particularly upset because Hardy is housed in what I knew as Gordon
Junior High School. When I finished Powell Elementary in 1959, I was
denied the opportunity to attend McFarland Junior High or Roosevelt High
School -- both a short walk from home — with my classmates and
friends. Instead, those of us who lived west of 16th Street were
required to attend Gordon, where we became part of a new minority —
black students bussed, albeit by DC Transit at our own expense — to
achieve the integration of DC public schools without inconveniencing
white families or exposing their children to any but the “lightest and
brightest” colored kids. We were hand-picked by a race- and
color-biased Board of Education policy implemented by DCPS
superintendent Carl Hansen.
Despite what became perhaps the best three years' I spent attending
DC Public Schools, it was in many respects a traumatizing experience.
Yes, we got a first-rate education in what may have been the most
integrated (as opposed to desegregated) setting in DC, but we put up
with prejudice and regular abuse from many classmates as well as the
older white teachers who resented having “pickaninnies” in their
classes, and yes, they called us that openly. Sure, we were exposed to a
diversity we might not have experienced otherwise — our new friends
included US armed service and Embassy foreign service brats, Olde
Georgetowne scions, and the kids of cabinet members, journalists, and
other semi-famous DC families; but we were separated and alienated from
our neighborhood peers, whom we were led to believe didn't deserve the
special treatment we were enjoying.
What's past is prologue. My advice for the here and now: If you
believe your children are the victims of the sort of racial
discrimination that the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision
found illegal, take action right away. One of the best civil rights
firms in town is Relman & Associates on Dupont Circle, and there are
no doubt others. Don't let this go unchallenged. If your kids have to be
part of some undeserved drama based on the bigotry of adults, let them
be the better part. Don't leave DCPS defeated and resentful, stay and
fight with the righteous dignity of our forebears. And in the meantime,
tell your kids to work as hard as they have to in order to keep
themselves academically fit, and to be kind to themselves and other
people. It's hard, but we had to do it, and I believe are better for it.
The bigotry of others is no excuse for shooting yourself in the foot.
There's nothing sadder than an angry, uneducated victim; we have more
than our share as it is.
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[Re: Public Preferences, Patricia Howard-Chittams, themail, May 16] I
commend the author of this letter, whom I presume is a parent at Hardy
Middle School. It takes exposure of these nasty problems in our school
system to solve them. Denying and downplaying them is counterproductive.
Writing this letter meant taking a stand and risking social retaliation
against your family by other families at the school, by the school
administration, and by the school's parent leadership. The only way to
improve our school system is to shine a bright light on its worst abuses
and to attack them one by one. You have done a lot of kids a great
service by revealing this disturbing situation to the Washington
community.
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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS
DC Public Library Events, May 20
Debra Truhart, debra.truhart@dc.gov
Thursday, May 20, 12:00 p.m., Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial
Library, 901 G Street, NW, Room A-5. Dr. K. Todd Houston, executive
director, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing will present a lecture on trends in hearing aids and other
assistive technology. Public contact: 727-2145 (TTY or Voice).
Thursday, May 20, 4:00 p.m., Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library,
3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW. The DC Public Library proudly renews the
Air Force Band @ your library concert program to present the second of
three springtime performances. Public contact: 282-3080.
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Kids’ View of the City, May 23
Madeline Lacore, mlacore@wusa9tv.com
Starting on Monday, May 23, 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on view
through August 1 at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Kids’
View of the City features art projects by first and second grade
students from John Eaton Elementary School in Washington, DC, who
examined their school’s neighborhood using the Museum’s land use
planning program, City by Design. The works primarily depict the school’s
neighborhood, Cleveland Park, but also reflect the neighborhoods where
they live throughout Washington. Museum hours are Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission
is free. Public inquiries: 272-2448 or visit http://www.nbm.org.
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National Building Museum Events, May 23-24
Brie Hensold, bhenhold@nbm.org
Sunday, May 23, 1:00-4:00 p.m., Rowhouse Design. Rowhouses define the
character of many Washington, DC, neighborhoods. During this program,
families will build and decorate individual rowhouse facades using a
variety of craft materials. Presented in conjunction with the display
Kids' View of the City. $5 per house. Drop-in program. Appropriate for
all ages.
Sunday, May 23, 1:00-3:00 p.m., films: Ironworkers: Facing a
Challenge and Frank Gehry: An Architecture of Joy. Ironworkers
chronicles the story of how ironworkers rushed to the scene of the World
Trade Center disaster to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts. The
Frank Gehry film covers his work of the 1990s: his breakthroughs in
architecture and the extraordinary maturation of his work during the
decade. These films complement the exhibition Symphony in Steel. Free.
Registration not required.
Monday, May 24, 6:30-8:00 p.m., lecture: Victor Gruen: Mall Maker.
The shopping mall has been criticized for much that is wrong with
America -- sprawl, conspicuous consumption, the loss of regional
character, and the decline of "Mom-and-Pop" stores. Author M.
Jeffery Hardwick will discuss how the mall was born of an idealized
vision of America by immigrant architect Victor Gruen. After the
lecture, he will sign copies of his book Mall Maker: Victor Gruen,
Architect of an American Dream (University of Pennsylvania Press).
$10 Museum members and students; $15 nonmembers. Registration required.
All events at the National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Judiciary
Square stop, Metro Red Line.
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War Stories at the City Museum and Story Slam
at the Speakeasy, June 8
Brad Hills, info@washingtonstorytellers.org
On Tuesday, June 8, the Washington Storytellers Theater and the City
Museum of Washington, DC, join forces to present “War Stories: Paul
Duke Interviews Members of the Greatest Generation.” As part of the
month-long celebration surrounding the dedication of the WW II Memorial
on the Mall, veteran journalist Paul Duke will moderate an evening of
gripping storytelling by some who fought in that conflict. In this
special program saluting the Greatest Generation, participants will
recount, live and via taped recording, what it was like to be part in
“the Good War” — living history at its best.
The Washington Storytellers Theater is an official partner in the
Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress, which has been
charged by Congress to collect the oral histories of American vets from
World War One on. This evening of war stories grew out of interviews by
WST’s members and volunteers. The material they are gathering will
ultimately be deposited with the Library for the benefit of future
generations. Place: the City Museum of Washington, DC, 801 K Street, NW,
Tuesday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m. Ticket price: $8 ($5 WST and Historical
Society Members). Purchase at the door or in advance by calling
301-891-1129.
Washington Storytellers Theater “Speak Easy Season 03/04”
presents Story Slam '04: Near Misses. Once again we present one of our
most popular Speak Easy events. The rules are simple. Come with a story
that has something to do with the theme, keep it to five minutes max and
let it rip. Winners receive untold riches and recognition beyond their
wildest dreams. The Speak Easy, Tuesday, June 8, 8 p.m., at HR-57, 1610
14th Street, NW (between Corcoran and Q Streets). $5 admission, doors
open at 7:30. Call the office at 301-891-1129 to reserve a “Slam
Spot.”
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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS
Transfer Cassette Tapes to CD
Anne McCormick, amccormick@itic.org
Can anyone recommend a business or individual to transfer two
cassette tapes to two CDs? I'd like two copies of each, if possible.
These are personal musical recordings of original music performed in
live performances about twenty years ago. I want to get these on CD
soon. Please contact me directly.
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