Perhaps it is your reading comprehension level (or writing skills) that needs to be addressed. And for the record, having black friends doesn’t mean a thing. You only know your black friends as well as they allow you to know them. Until you’ve walked in my shoes…read into that whatever you choose.

I realize that you probably won’t see this, but your reading comprehension could use some work. I clearly stated that I didn’t believe that causation and correlation are the same thing. I also stated that there are more than likely numerous reasons for the correlation. (Income is obvious) I also stated that the majority of the visitors to my home are black. I know my neighbors quite well. In fact, I know most of them too well. My house is like a sitcom with all of the neighbors and characters who are dropping in everyday.

We tend to claim we do it because of proximity (the school is in the neighborhood, etc) but we prefer to be around people we judge to be like ourselves. Even poorer people don’t generally seek out people who are several social classes “above” them.

I’d like to think our children are getting beyond some of that. My children are much more multi-cultural, probably as a result of growing up in 2 university towns on 2 university campuses with the attendant exposure to “different people.”

No one can think of astoundingly creative things ( that appeal to all readers) every day. It does not look like the second topic has had many bites either. Maybe folks check in first thing in the morning and it will resume when the get home tonight…who knows?

@lmno, I’m sure in your research you also found that the communities of these predominantly white schools were in a higher income bracket. The idea that within the black culture academics rank low is a myth that must be stopped. I’ve been teaching many years, and I’ve almost always taught in schools that were 95% or more black. Students that are in lower socio-economic communities don’t have an emphasis on education. There are more African Americans in poverty than white. However, this statement is true for both races. Try searching in some poor, rural white areas of Georgia. I can assure you the test scores won’t be so high. I am surprised that although you say you live in a predominantly black neighborhood, you haven’t taken the time to really get to know your neighbors and understand their views on education.

As an educator, I would never rely heavily on test scores to choose a school. Why? Because cheating happens EVERYWHERE! I like to visit schools in the middle of the day and watch the kids in action. Do I hear yelling, or are kids engaged in instruction? I’ve always been in a unique situation because I have access to teachers that the average parent may not. However, any parent can visit. My son’s school is predominantly black and their test scores are great. He is in the 99th percentile on the ITBS and I attribute much of that to the outstanding teachers that have taught him. PTA meetings are usually full and parents are involved in their child’s education. Too many black schools get a bad rap. It’s time for this to end.