Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Never Change, Philly Magazine

Actually, please do. But you don't.

It's important to note that while this is a "good"* school in a wealthy area, 47% of students are black. Another source says 32%, but either way.

*"Good" schools are as much a matter of perception as reality. Not saying there are no differences in school quality - there are! - but quite often perception plays a big part in that classification. Also, too, not suggesting there's a contradiction between having a large black student body and having either a good or a "good" school. Arguably this school isn't representative of Philly schools, but more importantly the picture isn't representative of that particular school. It's one thing to front the "good" public schools, another thing to suggest (deliberately or not) that the "good" schools are the ones with only white children, which is what the picture does.

I've been informed that two of the kids are "not white" by American standards (these are all social constructs, of course), but for the casual viewer...