[arthymom]

If you had to choose between moving to a new house and a school district that was really AMAZING in the area in terms of reputation, resources, and test scores but hardly any Latino/Hispanic kids, or staying put in a decent school district that has one of the larger latino/hispanic populations in the area, what would you do and why?

Thanks...We are sitting on a moving or not moving crossroads again and need some ideas...I'm stuck in my own brain paradigm and need fresh ideas.

[jimanddarla]

I would move to the better school district. My only reasoning for this is that the Latino community is growing in our country. If you were to choose the school district with the better test scores the schools in this district are bound to get more and more Latino pupils as the years go by.

Just wondering how much of a difference is there in the scores? There have to be reasons why the district you now live in has poorer scores than the one you want to move to. Whether it be bad teachers or bad parents you'll want to be cautious. Plus if you can sell your house it is a buyers market out there (if you can get a loan.)

Just my 2c. Good luck with your decision!

Jim

[connorsmommy1999]

I'd stick where you are.

this might come off really politically incorrect or racist so I want to say up front that I dont mean it to at ALL.

We live in one of the best districts around, but we're really really low on minority students. Very close to us we have a decent district with an amazing mix of hispanic/caucasion students, I mean the ratio is really great!
we know people who work in both district and they both said some version of the same thing:
the districts with more minority students usually do have lower averages on test scores and their outcome (graduate) rates arent as high. They had a lot of explanations for this, I dont really want to go into that too deep but the one that makes the most sense is that many of them are ESL families and it's just harder on them all the way around. ---having hosted many foreign high school students I can totally see that!
OK I'm rambling...
my point is that they both were very emphatic that if you have a distict with higher minority numbers and it's getting decent test scores and outcomes then it really probably is a rockin awesome district.
We also know two families in that district (snobby rich white families ) and they LOVE the district, they say it's the best they've ever been in and they LOVE the cultural influence that the higher minority numbers brings to their children's lives, they both said they are glad they live there.

you can always (and easily) supplement your childs education if you feel it's lacking - with all the homeschool resources available these days you can really do anything! but it's not so easy to "supplement" their lives with people and realationships. The fact that your local school can provide them the oppotunities to have more hispanic/latino friends is soooo worth staying for. (IMO)

[mommytoEli]

i just moved from an area with a HUGE hispanic population to a place with a great school district....and i am NOT kidding when i tell you we have seen hispanics in 2 places- working at the mexican restaurant and working construction on some new houses. i was totally sad when i saw that. we moved for other reasons, but if i was choosing between the 2 experiences we've had, i'd pick more hispanic children for eli over a great district. i can make up for any lack of education my children will receive at home, but i can't make up hispanic friends. oh...i just went back and read the posts before mine, and connors mommy said it before me. i agree. here i am in this great district...wondering if the only way my child will see people like him is if i take him out to eat. i'm sad.

[crick]

Depends on what makes the great school district great, imo. Is it primarily the test scores? Resources of course are important, but if it's primarily the test scores and ratings given to the school based on those scores, I'd toss that out the window and base your decision on the other stuff.

I live in the top school district in our area and yes, it's primarily white too. I hate our schools quite frankly because there is NOTHING diverse about it. I don't mean just the lack of minority students, but the lack of anything cultural, diversity and the primary focus of our schools is the huge push for those test scores. When it's all said and done when our kids go off to college, high test scores are only a part of things. There is much more to life than the state tests and those scores only reflect a small part of the entire education our kids get.

The whole being of your child will be the most important factor in my opinion.

[beverlyanderic]

Originally Posted by connorsmommy1999

it's not so easy to "supplement" their lives with people and realationships.

Interesting point, connorsmommy1999. It's not easy, but such efforts would enrich the whole family. What good will a child's interracial relationships and experiences be in a diverse school district if the parents don't socialize much with people of other backgrounds? I unabashedly explained to some friends recently that I have to get out of my comfort zone and strengthen my relationships with friends of other backgrounds. One friend went as far as calling me a racist. Perhaps I am since I can't help but notice how I am white but some other people are not. I digress. Anyway, my son deserves more from me than being plopped into a social situation in which I haven't role modeled positive, constructive behaviors. Whether he be in a diverse or all-white school, it's up to me to show him what's important and how to deal with the real world. If parents evaluate their biases and work to overcome them, I don't think it matters what school district the children attend. Either district offers real world experiences. There will always be white privilege and superiority complexes. There will always be discrimination against non-white races. Deepening our children's understanding of their part in these struggles will benefit them as adults.

Arthymom -- is the school district the only reason for considering a move, or are there other benefits to the move?

(Edited to sign my name... it's Beverly writing, not Eric.)

[Leebert2]

I would absolutely stay in the district where there is more diversity. High test scores at a school is not the only factor in the success of a child and with a loving and responsive parent like you, your child will do just fine academically no matter where attending school. Being in a school that is culturally responsive to various groups (and with other models of success who look like him/her) far outweighs in benefits over the long run. There is a lot of research out there on this topic right now, solid research, that says this matters. JMO. Good luck with your decision.

[BethanyB]

If the school district that you live in is good but the other district is considered "better", I would stay where I was. I personally believe diversity is important nomatter what type of family you are in but I believe it is even more important when you are parenting a child of a different race - a child that is a minority. I believe that kids need to see people who look like them if at all possible.

As a teacher and the CC mom to black children I can tell you that test scores don't mean everything. There are good schools with good teachers but are not at the top when it comes to test scores. I teach in a very affluent, non diverse school and the test scores are great. However without diversity when it comes to class and race, I would not want my child going there.

Parents can be of great help when it comes to the academic success of their child. You can put that love of learning in his or her heart. You can set the example that education is important and enthusiastically help your child with his or her assignments. Good teachers can do that too. And trust that there are good and bad teachers in districts with "the best" test scores and good and bad teachers in districts with "good" test scores.

At four years old I can see my son wanting to make connections with other AA people in his life. I think seeing other people who look like him will help with his self esteem. I find that super important. Good luck with the decision.

[ohanagirl]

I teach in a very affluent school and district in south Orange County, CA. Our middle school and district have high test scores and there is a lot of competition between the parents regarding their students. It is a tough place to teach and a tough place to be a kid. A few years back they decided to bus in some students from an area about 8 miles away that is mostly minority and a lot of government subsidized housing. The district and school wanted to try and provide a "better" education for this group of students and wanted to try and provide a more "diverse" education for the current students. Racial tensions have been high among the students ever since. The San Juan kids (the ones bused in) all stick together and speak Spanish, they are in mostly the same ESL classes, and rarely make new friends. The kids in the school boundaries make all kinds of horrible comments... they use the term grass cutter, tell the girls they will be cleaning their house in a few years, etc. The diversity the students see come in the form of the hired help at their house and that is how they treat their fellow students.

My husband and I are in the process of buying a home not in our district and this is one of the main reasons. I am just waiting for our adoption to be finished so I can not teach here anymore. It has been heartbreaking and try as I might to educate beyond test scores I get beat up dealing with the parents who worry about the "gang members" at the school. By the way none of these students are affiliated with gangs... just another stereotype from the community.

Sorry for rambling but it really strikes a nerve with me. I taught in a lower test score area with rich diversity before we moved to California and loved it!! The students learned so much from each other and embraced differences of not just culture but of learning disabilities and special education differences as well. That community of a school and learning provided much more for the students, parents and faculty then could ever be measured by a standardized test.
Good luck with your decision.

[Gatos]

I would stay where you are for many of the above stated reasons.

[ej-momtobe]

Interesting post, because we were thinking of moving to an area that has a higher hispanic population, until we found that our local elemetary school has bilingual (english/spanish) education...so there probably are quite a few hispanic families in our area. With us its as much the element of being able to speak spanish with peers (we are raising him bilingual) as simply having latino as peers.

I think it is priceless for our little ones to be surounded by hispanic kids and adults of all economic backgrounds...not just the maids and lawn mowers. So if your existing community provides that, I would stay put.

[MamaS]

You only get one chance to educate your child, so I always went for the best available. In my case, that meant that I worked for 30 years in public schools but all of my children attended a private school. The school had about a 7% minority enrollment when my daughters attended. Five years later, when I enrolled my (grand)son, the minority enrollment was up to 50%, but the school reputation is still excellent. Minority parents want the best for their kids too, and they will move in or transfer in to get it. Even if your son is a minority in his class for a year or so, it won't stay that way!

[BethanyB]

You never know how the population of a school will change but just remember that it may never change or if it does it make take years. I have been teaching in the same school district for about eight years and we have had a 1 percent AA population all that time. We also have a very small percentage of Asian/Hispanic population that I have not seen change. There are many years that all of my students are white, this year included. So if it's really important to you, keep in mind that the pop. may not change for years if at all.

[Mariais5]

How much socializing will your children do with other children from school? Is that their main source of friendships, or do they have other children ~ church, your friend's children, cousins, etc.. ~ that they socialize with more than the ones from school?? Will they have other opportunities to be with hispanic/other ethnic group children away from school?

I would hate to pass up a really good education.. But, I'd also hate to put my child in a position of feeling isolated.. Our children go to a private school with a low minority attendance ~ although, of our daughters closest friends, two are hispanic and two are AA.. But, there is maybe only a 10-20% minority student base.. However, our church is more like 30-40% minority, and we have several hispanic friends, so if we decide to put Bryce and Sofie in the same private school, I won't worry because they will have other positive contacts with hispanic children elsewhere..

[drasusi]

I just returned from 9 days in Mexico....I was amazed at the way that my 2 year old bloomed socially and verbally when surrounded by children who looked and sounded like him! We live in an upscale neighborhood and he has an "enriched" environment....but his self-confidence and happiness were just overflowing while we were there. It has me thinking quite a bit of how to restructure here to give him more contact with other Latino children....