I'm having a problem with some observations about the school segregation
issue.

My daughter just graduated from MPS, South High, last June.  I can compare
her experience with my son's experience, since he attended Marcy Open,
Anwatin IB, St. Paul Academy, and was graduated from Edina H.S.

(My step-daughter attended Minnetonka through 9th grade and was graduated
from Blake Schools, incidently, and for what it's worth, the kids in my Cub
Scout/Boy Scout troops mostly went to MPS all the way through, graduating
from North, Edison, and South.)

The ticket is that if the parents are involved in the schools as mentors,
tutors, fund raisers, boosters, or just cheerleaders from the sidelines,
the kids will do well.  If the parents are indifferent to what's going on
in the schools their children attend, the kids will be fairly indifferent
also.

I live across the street from Tuttle and when Marcy and Tuttle shared that
building, I loved the idea that my two could cross the street and be at
school.  Since Marcy stayed in Southeast, we never really left the
neighborhood, and I'm delighted to report that my daughter went to school
with the same children, k-12, while my son stayed with the same people k-6
(Marcy was only K-6 at that time)

>1. Do you accept the segregated state of the Minneapolis public system
>as acceptable given the alternatives and the support for the community
>school model?

As someone who is now graduated from the system, I like having my kids
close to home.  Parents will send their children to the school that feels
the most comfortable to them.  For us, it was Marcy Open.  My neighbors
mostly prefer Tuttle, a neighborhood school.  

>3. If so, what must be done to reduce the correlation between
>poor-performing schools and schools with high percentages of poor
>students?
David--truly, if someone can answer that question, they're wasting their
time running for the school board of Minneapolis.  They might practice
walking on water.

I know what worked in our school situations, which was parental
involvement.  Parental involvement is practically mandated in the SPA/Blake
environments, by the way.  It's not in the contract in so many words, but
the point is firmly made.  I wonder how far back in the family tree you
have to adjust history before you get better scholastic achievement today?

Emilie Quast
Como/SE Mpls.

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