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duodmas t1_je8gjke wrote

Southern congressman dogwhistling, what else is new?

As an aside, it's a humorous bit of logic to say that DC schools are crime factories because of chronic absenteeism. Wouldn't that mean that schools are the opposite of crime factories?

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9o227 wrote

is it really a dogwhistle? the public schools do suck. i lived next to one with a math proficiency rate of 3% and a reading proficiency rate of 5%. as far as being inmate factories, i don't think it's entirely fair to blame the schools when there are so many other problems (like entrenched poverty), but they definitely aren't helping very much

it is kind of nasty for an outsider to point this out though

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Sujjin t1_je9qzwk wrote

>Congress reviews all DC legislation before it can become law. Congress can modify or even overturn such legislation. It can impose new and unwanted laws on the District. This retains authority over the District's local budget, most of which is funded only by taxes levied by the District on its residents.

Given DC is at the mercy of congress the fault really does lie with them.

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9rdmo wrote

unless you can point to cases of congress foiling DC's attempts at improving schools, i don't agree

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Sujjin t1_je9rnr5 wrote

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/10/dc-should-revisit-congress-imposition-school-reform-act/

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9rxhm wrote

that isn't an example of congress foiling DC's attempts at improving schools

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gravygrowinggreen t1_je9yah3 wrote

Hmm, seems you may have graduated from a school even worse than a DC public school.

I'll try small words.

1995: congress pass law. law make school hard and cost much to maintain for city. law passed by congress make school hard and cost much. congress interfere.

Did that help? If not, let me know, and I'm happy to work with whatever level of literacy you have achieved in life. We can try pictures!

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9yhj5 wrote

it's impressive that you wrote all this and still misinterpreted the article

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Catch-a-RIIIDE t1_jea109r wrote

And yet, it's stated by the author to be one of the most intrusive examples of Congressional overreach in DC affairs.

Sure, it may not be Congress fucking with budgets and stuff today, but it's clearly laid out that this was Congress using it's unilateral authority in the only region it has it to test their own ideological education platforms (in this case Republicans and charter schools) at a high cost to the District and public education within it and with zero regard for results (because we're still here 28 years later talking about just how shitty DC schools are and Rs are still single-mindedly focused on charter schools as the fix it wasn't in DC).

It isn't the intent of the article that matters here, because Congressional interference to the detriment of DC public education is still the backdrop and even within two paragraphs is well established.

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gravygrowinggreen t1_je9z0ji wrote

The article is saying that DC leaders should attempt to revisit the law. But the article is still about a law passed by congress that interferes with our education system.

Do you need the pictures?

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9z4ic wrote

yeah, please put some pictures together. ty

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[deleted] t1_jea02yy wrote

[deleted]

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gravygrowinggreen t1_jea10ul wrote

The 1995 law makes Administration of DC's many schools incredibly complex and expensive compared to a system with saner design. Charter schools/school choice/school vouchers, are all methods of looting public tax dollars for private individuals, and their presence in a school system in the long run makes things worse overall. While nothing directly leads from charter schools to turf fights on school grounds, the pervasive effects insure negative outcomes for society overall. In other words, systemic issues create numerous problems, many of which appear to not be directly related. Charter Schools aren't the sole or direct cause of your wife's experience, but it is a contributor.

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duodmas t1_je9q9le wrote

The low test scores are a tragic and objective measure that city leadership does not address with enough urgency.

To call them factories of crime or whatever is a dogwhistle.

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[deleted] t1_je9r0lk wrote

[removed]

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[deleted] t1_je9sr0f wrote

[removed]

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alldaylurkerforever t1_je9xaxj wrote

it's a straight up dog whistle.

When people think of DC, they think black people.

So when you say the schools are crime factories, you're implying all these black kids are criminals.

(I know some people on this sub believe that, but it is straight up racism)

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9xuym wrote

when i think of DC, i think of (mostly white) over-educated simpletons who are obsessed with terminology

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alldaylurkerforever t1_je9ydpr wrote

Oh sweet summer child, whenever ANY GOP politician talks about big cities or DC, they are always primarily referring to black people.

Because to the GOP and its voters, black people are the most dangerous people in America. And the GOP will do anything in their power to subjugate them.

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9ywyd wrote

i don't find it useful to psychoanalyze republican voters, unless it leads to a way to get them to vote for democrats

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MacManus14 t1_jea8pzo wrote

Things have changed. They are now referring to both black people and “far left wacko” white people who enable black people.

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jdeeebs t1_jea0nbf wrote

That's weird that you think that. You can do a 30-sec Google search and find census results that indicate a totally different demographic profile.

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jea0y8k wrote

the fact that you think it's weird that i didn't do research to back up my reddit comment make me think you're one of the people i'm talking about

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jdeeebs t1_jea13fo wrote

I'm not in DC. I'm in nova. Maybe you're thinking of nova?

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jea1cwz wrote

i don't think about nova very much

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jdeeebs t1_jea1m39 wrote

You seem like you don't think very much at all

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_jea1tlb wrote

i don't need to think very hard to win arguments on this sub

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jdeeebs t1_jea22xk wrote

You're making fun of people who argue on this sub while you're... arguing on this sub?

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Econometrickk t1_je9ubrp wrote

Spending per pupil in DC is actually quite good and I'm sure the respective teachers would do quite well in other districted.

It's not the schools. It is the parents and local institutions.

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123BuleBule t1_jeaiijx wrote

I work next to a public school that has kids speaking Spanish and Chinese by the 8th grade. Not all of them suck.

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StatusQuotidian t1_jeb35eb wrote

Exactly. It maps almost perfectly with socioeconomic class which maps to race.

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geedunkgeek t1_jecdb2t wrote

His comment was racist as hell, but the schools here (overall) really do stink. Hard to keep enough teachers in the district (I mean, in ANY US school district) with such low pay, low numbers, and growing/unreasonable expectations. Teachers aren’t valued enough, and it’s really not their fault these kids are failing. It’s the political school administrators and the parents who are to blame.

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NorseTikiBar t1_je89rq8 wrote

Not coming from a position of strength there, Representative from motherfucking Alabama.

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QueMasPuesss t1_je8swj2 wrote

Alabama, surprisingly perhaps, has a 16% higher high school graduation rate than DC.

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celj1234 t1_je9ppgu wrote

It’s almost like graduation requirements and standards aren’t the same across all places.

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gnocchicotti t1_jeaaxrc wrote

As someone who has interacted with people who graduated from public schools in the south... that is a huge understatement.

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celj1234 t1_jeabcsg wrote

Louisiana was notorious for graduating kids that straight up couldn’t read

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Lemonfarty t1_je9umhu wrote

Exactly, we should just pass DC kids through. There’s no learning going on so what does it matter

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BookkeeperGlum6933 t1_jegwyf5 wrote

Part of my fellowship in grad school was looking at this. At the time, Texas had 13 different diploma tracks and one of the highest graduation rates in the country.

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Motor_Truck9006 t1_je9kht8 wrote

That’s what happens when you compare apples to oranges. A city vs. a whole state

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Ghost0468 t1_je9nrn2 wrote

In that case, DC should have a considerably higher graduation rate given wide parts of Alabama are rural and poorer….

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Motor_Truck9006 t1_jebfb4y wrote

So you’re telling me rural areas automatically have low graduation rates?

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Ghost0468 t1_jebgxje wrote

Specifically in Alabama - substantially less resources, more widespread poverty, and things like that. Of course if you guys want to get upset about comparing it to another state, then maybe let’s compare it to some of the cities that are supposed to be our peers (based on GDP per capita). San Francisco - 90.2%, Seattle - 86%, San Jose - 91%, and you could go on. The point is that DC has a major issue and it should be resolved. Being angry cause a specific politicians said something is absurd.

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Motor_Truck9006 t1_jebjmf2 wrote

I have a better idea for you. How about you compare DC to cities with similar demographics to DC. Not a city like San Jose who has 3% black. San Francisco is mostly whites and asians, is that comparable to DC? (Formally known as chocolate city) I say no.

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QueMasPuesss t1_je9vriw wrote

But, the larger political backdrop is the push for DC statehood, no? Thus, the comparison is not uninvited.

And OP tried to dunk on Alabama of all places and missed the layup …

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PatchOfParticipation t1_jea1cvd wrote

No one missed anything. Alabama public schools are objectively shit. Especially when Gov MeeMaw diverts education funds to build prisons and water parks.

I say this as someone with firsthand experience with one of the state’s better school systems.

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duodmas t1_je9qibn wrote

Graduation rates mean shit-all. Remember the Ballou High School scandal?

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Cythrosi t1_je8oy8m wrote

Ah the blessed Congressional oversight some here were so desperate for. This entire hearing was largely spent shouting at or talking over the DC reps invited and entirely done for sound bites for campaigning. There was little discussion of things like the USAO issues, issues with police testimony aligning with the body cams, issues with the forensics lab, etc. Just a bunch of dogwhistles and completely uneducated assertions about the District and its residents.

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Deanocracy t1_je8qj54 wrote

We have only one issue. With USAO and their directives.

Need only sunlight on the problem. Demand media do it.

Instead wapo writes new stories that are press releases. Allowing them to say a crime lab shutdown n 2021 prevents prosecution when we can show lack of prosecution in 2019.

Neither party is your friend. Demand better now by every institution

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AnonyJustAName t1_je9iody wrote

A different committee oversees DOJ/USAO, this was the committee with oversight over DC. A joint hearing would have made sense.

Agree it seemed to be a waste of time. It seems they are going to hold more. Anyone here live in DC at the lead up to the control board? Feels kind of where this may head.

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Cythrosi t1_je9jxfw wrote

Unless the GOP takes the Senate and Presidency next year, there isn't going to be a control board. The Dems were absolutely hypocrites in regards to the criminal code reform, but they aren't going to go all in on a complete take over of the DC city government.

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AnonyJustAName t1_je9rhcs wrote

Got it. Hopefully not. My sense was that was mostly about finances but some @ crime so I wondered if that was a goal again. Hope the committee with oversight over DOJ joins or has own hearings. The fact that DC AG has a much higher prosecution rate using same lab and MPD should be looked into. It's not Graves, this has been a trend since late in Obama administration, across Trump and now Biden. So many cases declined and also undercharged and pled.

The provision where MPD cannot look at BWC footage before writing reports (not police involved shootings, everything else) seems unusual and like it is a cause of many cases not going forward per USAO. The rate of no papered cases seemed to tick up around the time BWC were implemented, maybe that legislation should be revisited?

The goal of public safety and incentives of USAO careers need to be better aligned, particularly as there is no electoral accountability. The reduction in funds for USAs could be gas on the dumpster fire in DC since we have no ability to fund elected prosecutors, court capacity, etc. Ugh.

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annang t1_ject9ry wrote

It’s not unusual to say you shouldn’t be allowed to see what the video shows before you write a report, so you can’t lie to make your report match the video. It’s standard in every reform recommendation for how to use BWC. Because testi-lying is rampant. No one is no papering cases because an officer says they turned left and it was actually right. They’re no papering cases because the gun isn’t where the officer swears it was, or the search wasn’t consensual or legal, or the officer is still making arrests despite having multiple documented credibility problems.

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alldaylurkerforever t1_je9x3j8 wrote

You represent ALABAMA.

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MajesticBread9147 t1_jeczcpn wrote

Yes, but The schools are fine to him because nobody he knows sends their kids to public school.

Pretty much every conservative complaining about public schools don't have kids in them.

Vast majority of the wealth in the deep and rural south is old money dating back generations, just don't ask them how their family got it.

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engineeringsquirrel t1_je9o9gh wrote

Dude is from Alabama, they're ranked #46 in education.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama

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economaster t1_je9sa8h wrote

But this is just measuring the education level of the population as a whole not the schools. I assume the smart people leave that backwards state. Doesn't really reflect on the quality of schools though. For example DC has one of the highest education rates in the US but our schools are a dumpster 🔥.

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fuckwatdateachersaid t1_jecc7qn wrote

Can confirm as someone born and raised in Alabama. If smart Alabamians do stay, they live in Huntsville. Sometimes Bham, but I’d say Huntsville beats them out.

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Ok_Culture_3621 OP t1_je8871h wrote

> Mendelson, who chairs the D.C. Council committee that oversees education issues, pushed back. “I don’t agree that the D.C. public schools are inmate factories.”

You don’t agree, Chairman Mendelson? Oh my, how generous of you.

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BellbergDC t1_je9b140 wrote

Erin Palmer would have done so much better. Phil came off as a lost old man looking for his slippers

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Naive_Coast_8919 t1_je9sf45 wrote

Not a big Mendelson fan, but the last thing the Council needed was another wacky progressive activist.

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BellbergDC t1_je9t37d wrote

That’s fair, there would be growing pains with Erin but she is more convincing and has passion unlike Uncle Phil.

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jea0hjg wrote

Yeah someone who has never, ever held real elected office but thinks of herself as a girlboss isn't what the city needs.

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EastoftheCap t1_je9kqsy wrote

Don't local activists talk about the "school to prison pipeline" in DC all the time?

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InterestingNarwhal82 t1_je9rexj wrote

“School to prison pipeline” is different from “crime factory.” The school to prison pipeline argument seeks to address how systemic racism leads Black kids, especially Black boys, to be disciplined more harshly than their white peers, leading to a decrease in academic learning time and greater chance of dropping out. Then, systemic racism leads them to be unfairly targeted by LEOs, receive harsher punishments for misdemeanors than their white peers, and wind up in prison at higher rates (compared to the overall population) than their white peers.

Calling a school with a high POC:white ratio a “crime factory” is a racist dog whistle.

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9sq6w wrote

they sound the same to me, i think you're just being overly sensitive

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InterestingNarwhal82 t1_je9v44e wrote

Nope. They don’t. Keep defending subtle racism (or not so subtle in this case).

From a policy standpoint, one attempts to draw awareness to systemic racism that categorizes Black boys from pre-k, and the other is just an insult based on the racial makeup of schools in a particular area. But do go on about how they’re the same.

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twenty-six-sixty-six t1_je9vxhc wrote

i think people like you use terminology as a way to act like you're helping, while distancing yourself from actual problems

as far as i'm concerned, you, me, and this guy from alabama are all equally useless in the fight to improve our schools

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PooPooDooDoo t1_je9thto wrote

If you removed the name and political party of the person that said it, the majority of the people on this sub wouldn’t know how to feel about it.

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YeahIMine t1_jeb2yao wrote

Itt really is not the same. One is based in quantifiable, real terms. The other is just (R)acism. Not even a dog whistle, if you ask me.

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BrightThru2014 t1_je9xmf8 wrote

It's not the same, obviously, but it's not as far apart at least in terms of factual end point as you're making it out to be.

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pickletype t1_jea44a3 wrote

Do you believe this argument is still credible understanding that over half (52%) of DCPS & PCS teachers are Black, while only 28% are white? This would suggest that you believe Black teachers are the ones driving the "systemic racism" against Black kids.

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20CAS17 t1_je9jpqn wrote

This whole hearing was revolting. Just Republican grandstanding, nothing serious, as per usual.

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fireside68 t1_je9yenb wrote

>This whole hearing was revolting. Just Republican grandstanding, nothing serious, as per usual.

You knew it.

I knew it.

Anyone with a functioning brain who wasn't just happy to see someone yell at people they don't like knew it.

But I saw the post yesterday where folks were all excited about oversight, forgetting now that over half of Congress is batshit fuckery and that it's ONLY about sound bites for future ads, nothing to do with actual governance.

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20CAS17 t1_jeafro2 wrote

Exactly! At no point have I ever believed that these people seriously care about the state of the District.

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BoozAlien t1_je9vqr0 wrote

I watched most of it and was thoroughly disgusted, though I suppose the normalcy of the GOP's behavior at this hearing is why it's gained no traction in the news today.

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mriphonedude t1_je9pj45 wrote

Strong words coming from the person who represents a state that incarcerates more people per 100k than any democracy on earth

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touchmeimjesus202 t1_jeac4ko wrote

My kid goes to a dcps school and it's really amazing. We have some great schools in the city, his school is ranked 8 out of 10 in great schools.

I'm confused

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jeakvmh wrote

What ward do you live in?

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touchmeimjesus202 t1_jealhv4 wrote

  1. Lol
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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jealo7o wrote

I might have figured out why that is your experience.

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touchmeimjesus202 t1_jealxzx wrote

I mean, ward 3 has good schools as well.

I don't know, all my family went to dcps and they're all successful and happy.

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jeamfhs wrote

W3 is king on schools. W1 is much better now than it used to be.

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touchmeimjesus202 t1_jeao1fy wrote

I guess, do the bad schools outweigh the good schools? I just have so much family that has has so much success.

And I'm the only that lives in ward 1

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Deep_Stick8786 t1_jecqmv1 wrote

Its school to school. But generally depends on the neighborhood. And there is drop off between upper and lower grades due to people flighting out of the city or sending kids to private schools

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touchmeimjesus202 t1_jecs1kk wrote

That is true, I have heard that. I only have an elementary aged kid, the elementary schools around me are all awesome! Oyster Adam's, bancroft Marie reed etc

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BrightThru2014 t1_je9xfth wrote

Two things can be true:

  1. f*ck this racist dogwhistler;
  2. DC schools are absolutely atrocious with some of the worst test scores in the nation, and maybe among all developed nations, and consistently fail to keep vulnerable children out of the school-to-prison pipeline (a term used by the ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/juvenile-justice-school-prison-pipeline).

The rightfully indignant response to 1) should not lead to a "closing of ranks" to acknowledge 2).

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jea0230 wrote

>The rightfully indignant response to 1) should not lead to a "closing of ranks" to acknowledge 2).

But it always does because the tryhards will use anyone and everyone, including kids getting trash education, as martyrs for their own cause. Kids leave DCPS (graduate is too generous) without the skills to succeed and go sideways in astronomical numbers. If the failing individual schools was any other organization they would be shut down.

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BarracudaAcademic539 t1_je9r5cy wrote

Rule should be you can only post on this thread if you have a kid in DCPS, and I’m not talking about the opt out charter schools.

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geedunkgeek t1_jeccqd8 wrote

The rule should be only the folks who end up with these “graduates” in their workforce can comment, because parents overestimate their little snowflakes’ intelligence. Most of these kids can barely read, so I have no clue how they’re graduating from the 8th grade, let alone high school. It’s an embarrassment.

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_je9zr3d wrote

Charters educate half the city's kids, might be the majority at some point. Maybe DCPS parents should sit this one out.

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BarracudaAcademic539 t1_jealy5a wrote

Yeah. charters skim off the kids with parents that care enough to apply and/or lottery.

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jeammom wrote

The parents who GAF having better outcomes? Damn that must make you so mad. Before the lottery they'd camp out in front of out of boundary schools just to try to do better for their kids.

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BarracudaAcademic539 t1_jeat784 wrote

Not mad but I do think that charters inhibit the betterment of neighborhood schools.I send my kid to a neighbor school and many highly engaged neighbors see theirs to charters. I’d love to have the neighborhood school have those engaged parents and their PTA fund raising ability helping out DCPS and all those kids who’s parents don’t “GAF”.

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jeawb67 wrote

>charters inhibit the betterment of neighborhood schools.

Absolutely nonsense. They had DECADES to improve themselves before charters and never made an effort to do so. DCPS, especially the Central Office, is a jobs program for Ward 9 and the shills who depend on it.

No one in my neighborhood who cares about their kids sends theirs to the local.

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BarracudaAcademic539 t1_jeb3lic wrote

“Improve themselves”? Schools are only as good as the parents that send their kids to them. The best teachers and administrators can only make so much of a difference. I’ve seen this with both my kids going to two different city schools. This is the falacy of public education. The main factor are the parents. Schools can do little to move the needle beyond what the home environment provides.

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Lemonfarty t1_je9udjz wrote

Please. This stuff starts in the home

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Ok_Sleep_5724 t1_jebh8kx wrote

This seems to be rooted a bit in rac!sm

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economaster t1_je9spm8 wrote

The dude is a racist twat, but he's not wrong that DC public schools are a dumpster fire. For example, in the latest 2022 PARCC results math proficiency for DC students grades 9-12 was <11%...

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Surefinewhatever1111 t1_jea0cu7 wrote

It's always said "Thank God for Alabama or we'd be last" all across the country but DC isn't doing a good job either. DCPS is failing students and families and setting them up for bad life outcomes. It's absolutely criminal that you can "graduate" from DCPS and have reading and writing at several grades below 12th.

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rolandjays365 t1_jebhw6m wrote

I hope this piece of shit takes a short walk down H Street. And punk ass Mendelson sits down when he pees.

1