The DMN's Rod Dreher not-so-gently calls white Woodrow parents self-interested racists

Maybe it was a slow news week at the DMN, or maybe editorial columnist and generally thoughtful neighborhood resident Rod Dreher needed to replenish his email inbox with comments from unhappy readers. Regardless, his Sunday column in the DMN's Points section, "Woodrow a good choice — if you're white", isn't going to earn him any bonus points among neighborhood parents with kids at Woodrow (full disclosure: myself included).

Read the column yourself to form your own opinion, but the clear message is that the group of parents profiled last week in the DMN (and commented on here) who initiated a "Choose Woodrow" campaign (I have one of the signs on my porch but I didn't help organize the group) are interested only in white kids, to the educational and cultural exclusion of Hispanics and blacks at Woodrow. And the entire campaign, Dreher says, is no more than an effort by white parents to attract more white students solely to boost the school's test ratings with the Texas Education Agency.

As partial evidence for all of this, Dreher writes that Woodrow principal Ruth Vail — a Hispanic who is a neighborhood resident and Woodrow graduate herself — is sending her sixth-grader to St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, as if that decision somehow makes a mockery of Vail's comments in the earlier DMN story about her efforts to educate all of Woodrow's students — not just the white ones.

Using as evidence Ms. Vail's educational choice for her own daughter — I have no idea why she made that choice, nor is it any of my business (or Dreher's or other DMN readers') — is a low blow that has no bearing on this situation. I agree that choice doesn't help inspire confidence in DISD, but we as taxpayers aren't paying Ms. Vail to use her child's educational experience as an inspriation to the rest of us; we're paying her to teach our neighborhood's kids, and how she chooses to educate her child is her call and not mine or Dreher's or anyone else's. Like any parent living in Dallas, Ms. Vail is free to send her child to whatever school she feels is best — provided, of course, she can afford the private school tuition. In fact, Dreher himself pointed out awhile back that he wasn't aware of a single senior DMN editorial official who sends his/her children to a DISD school. Any guesses why that might be or what that might mean for the DMN's commitment to cover public education fairly and impartially?

Dreher correctly writes that Woodrow's white students pass the TAKS math and science numbers in disproportionately higher numbers than Hispanic or black students, buttressing this argument by citing a 2006 State of Texas study that "deemed half of Woodrow's white seniors 'college ready' in English and math. Hispanics? Try 7 percent. Blacks? Four." He then concludes that "white Woodrow parents don't have to worry about their kids suffering academically from attending a majority-minority school where black and Hispanic academic performance is a disaster area. Most whites take college-track courses — and aren't held back by underachieving minorities, who are in different classrooms."

That argument makes no sense: The state says half of Woodrow's white students are "college ready", so Dreher concludes that "white Woodrow parents don't have to worry about their kids suffering academically"? Well, what about the other 50% of white students who aren't "college ready"? Shouldn't those parents be worried, along with the 93% of Hispanic parents and 96% of black parents whose students aren't deemed by the state to be "college ready"?

The truth of the matter, as far as I understand it, is that any student of any race or ethnicity is free to sign up for any Advanced Placement course of any type at the DISD school he or she is attending; being white is not and should not be a pre-requisite. But those courses are tough: I know this because I've watched our son suffer through two of them already, and he's just a sophomore who will be enrolling in three or four more AP courses before he leaves Woodrow. And I can assure you of this: Our son would not be signing up for these AP courses if we didn't force him to: They're way too much work and too much stress compared with the non-AP and non pre-AP courses offered at Woodrow. Like virtually every other student — white, black or Hispanic, high-achievers or otherwise — our son would take the easy way out if we, his fairly vigilant parents, didn't force him to do otherwise.

Rather than blaming DISD or Woodrow's principal for this disparity (after all, the school can't force a student to take a non-required class he or she refuses to take), Dreher needs to focus his blame on the parents who, for whatever valid or invalid reason, choose not to be involved in their child's education. There is no doubt that some parents, by virtue of economics, hold down multiple jobs to pay the bills; but if those same parents refuse to pressure their children to take challenging courses, and if they aren't at home enough to force their child to do the homework necessary to stay eligible to remain in the class, how is that DISD's fault? Or more to the point of Dreher's column, how is that the fault of other parents in the neighborhood?

Ultimately, it's the responsibility of my wife and I to help our child wring the most he can out of his educational experience, but it would be crossing the line — and Dreher would be among the first to point this out — were we to start imposing our value system on someone else's kid ... much as I would be willing to do just that, but for the obvious legal, moral and ethical consequences.

Neighborhood parents' "Choose Woodrow" campaign is simply a well-intentioned group of parents' effort to improve a school they know can be better. Making their campaign out to be some type of self-absorbed scam endorsing a hidden agenda of educational racism at the expense of other neighborhood students is wrong-headed, to put it mildly.

And one more thing: Dreher's arguments were long on accusations and short on solutions. They make me wonder just how much time he spent in DISD schools soaking in the environment and working with students — all of the students — before he took it upon himself to condemn this group of parents for offering a solution to a problem many of us have experienced up-close-and-personal for years.

Dallas has no shortage of well-meaning academics, politicians and writers who from afar seem able to divine what's wrong with DISD and seem more than happy to mail in the answers to all of the district's problems. Hey, these problems aren't going away anytime soon — why don't you guys actually get your hands dirty at a DISD school for a few months, and then let's see what you have to say.

Comments

[Tammy Lee]

Rod Dreher's comments clearly portray Woodrow and its failures to be one of the "Black Swans" that warn him to bug out, exercise the "Benedict Option",

http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/04/the-black-swan-the-benedict-op.html

and serve his family fancy goat cheese in their new home in the shadow of Clear Creek Monastery or wherever while the dark people left in the inner cities kill and eat each other or whatever horrors he imagines they engage in left to their own less virtuous than he is Dark Age devices.

He writes, further, at

http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/04/hitting-the-wall.html.comments.html

that this bugging out is something all right-thinking people like him should do right now, that is, abandon Woodrow and go eat goat cheese with monks:

"The Benedict Option is for now, and it's premised on the idea that the conditions we're living under now put the culture (including a particular faith and a particular set of values) traditionalists value at grave risk. Those who take the Benedict Option have decided that what matters most to them can't survive in the mainstream, and have decided to hive off in one way or another and build a life in small community such that the faith and the virtues can sustain themselves in community through the Dark Age."

Posted by: Rod Dreher | April 12, 2008 6:21 PM

Tammy

[Alex]

I think your assessment of how AP classes break down is correct and can only be known by those with first hand experience, I also appreciate your support of the "Choose Woodrow" campaign. That being said, it does not look good that Vail sends her kids to private school.

[Bobby Estes - Head Football Coach WWHS]

After 3 years in GISD, my son chose Woodrow. Yes, he did want to play for his dad, but he had faith that Woodrow would prepare him for college academically. As a father, I have the complete confidence in WWHS. We Chose Woodrow.

[JKR]

I would like to ask Mr. Dreher if he has ever been inside Woodrow. It seems obvious to me that he has not, so I would like it on record.

In all these years I have found that we are like Dr Pepper - so misunderstood. I even came up with 'opaque to outsiders' for just such criticisms as Mr. Deher's.

As for Mrs. Vail, I am not sure where she lives now but I know at one time she just outside any of the Woodrow feeders. Having gotten to know her the last few years, I do not question her loyalty to Dallas or Woodrow.

[Amy S]

Isn't it interesting the relationship between cause and effect: a parent pushes their child REALLY HARD academically and they excel; a school pushes a child REALLY HARD academically and they drop out.

[Rick Casner]

I have thought all day how I wanted to respond to these posts. Rick and I had a nice discourse this morning on this topic (we have had many over the years about private vs public). While I have my two kids at parochial school, it is a challenge for us financially to do so, but I feel strongly that I want my kids to have a faith based education. I had the same opportunity growing up as did my wife. Many families are dual income families just so they can send their kids to private school. My wife is also an educator and has taught in both public and parochial schools.

I like Woodrow. I know lots of people that go to Woodrow or have gone to Woodrow. I have no problem with Woodrow. Woodrow seems to work great for a segment (but not all). I have a problem with the DISD. I pay taxes like everyone else so I think I still have a say. I am planning to vote Yes on the bond. Not because I agree with it, but I think throwing money around will have some positive impact in spite of some of the shortcomings of the district.

I am not sure what statistics to believe and it does not matter. Dreher's statistics make it seem awfully grim, while Norman post here on the BackTalk blog takes a different spin on the numbers. I look at it this way. The numbers are not good. How bad they are is up for argument, but none of the those numbers should be acceptable. If Jesuit or Lynch or St Marks or Greenhill or ESD or Ursuline or Bishop Dunne had similar numbers, they would not be in the school business very long.

I agree with Rick W. that parents are a driving force and many of the kids do not stand a chance due to inactive parents. Our kids go to parochial school and we still have to be a driving force as my parents were to me. Kids need more parental involvement. That must be fixed. How? I have no idea. There should be smarter people than me to figure that out.

Rick W talks about AP courses and states they are open to all for enrollment. If 58% of whites enroll in AP courses and only half of whites who graduate Woodrow are college ready, this to me says you MUST enroll in AP courses if you want to be college ready. In other words, if you take normal, run of the mill courses, you do not stand a chance. That must change. I did not take an AP course in high school. I was not near smart enough, yet I was still college ready. According to the numbers, if I did not take an AP course at Woodrow, I would have not been college ready. That is not right.

I think Rick misses the point on Principal Vail and why her kid goes to private school. I think a DISD principal should have enough confidence in her employer to send her kid to public school...no matter the school. I personally think it is relevant. I am sure they have their reasons and that is clearly their personal decision to make, but it does look bad. Along those lines, you have many top DISD administrators that just received an exemption so they can live OUTSIDE the district. Is this so they can send their kids to outlying school districts and avoid DISD altogether?

[Bill Kennedy]

Good points, Rick C. However, perhaps the Principal, just like you and your wife, feels strongly that her kids should have a faith-based education. It's all personal choice, and should not reflect on, or be directed by, one's career choice.

[Kyle Rains]

Rick C. I would like to suggest that those kids would never gain entrance into private school in the first place. That doesn't mean anyone is giving up on a Katrina refugee or a immigrant who doesn't speak English and may not have more than a couple of years of schooling. TAKS doesn't consider extenuating circumstances - therefore how do you improve the numbers when you only have the kid a couple of years?

[Kyle Rains]

*an

[Rick Wamre]

Rick C., on which kids are college-ready, I didn't mean to imply that the kids taking AP courses are the only students who could be considered college-ready at Woodrow. I was just using AP courses as an example of what Woodrow and DISD make available to students, and from watching our son's workload, any student who takes and passes an AP course is going to be college-ready in that subject. And as I noted, any student can take an AP course; in fact, I believe DISD encourages students to sign up for AP courses and even gives students who successfully pass the AP Exam at the end of the course a small honorarium (check out this pdf: http://www.apstrategies.org/ip/apresults/APS%202006.pdf). As for Ms. Vail's choice, since DISD doesn't require educators to live in the district and/or send their kids to DISD schools, she's simply exercising her right to choose, just as the "Choose Woodrow" people are exercising theirs. Now, I do think DISD should consider either requiring or offering incentives for top DISD educators to live in the district, much the same as the district is supposed to be doing with its top administrators. In fact, I believe that we should be doing the same thing with Dallas police officers, but that's a post for another day...