I thank David Brauer for articulating and putting forward one primary set of difficult and complex questions facing the Minneapolis School Board in the near and far future�and I appreciate the additional issues raised and thoughtful responses that have come in even ahead of candidate replies. I asked for this kind of discussion on this Forum weeks ago and I welcome it�even now in these frenetic last days before the election. The problems have been well described. Rather than just react in choppy "you said/I reply" pieces, I will outline my analysis of problems related to earlier messages, what I thinkis needed, some ways to address those needs and (later) how my life�s work has prepared me to work effectively on the range of issues facing the Minneapolis Board of Education in coming years. I may not be able to do it all in one posting, because these are not simple, separate issues�but I have a lot to say and you�ll read it here as these exchanges continue.
I. The "(NOT) Measuring Up" Report:
As DB describes, the figures reported are dismal and disheartening at best�and this is the District reporting on itself, not even the product of an outside agency or other objective assessment. Improvements in most areas the District claimed to target, in areas of "priority," were pathetically small�parent involvement increased slightly, with no support from the District. Attendance and other matters are problems left to individual school sites to address. Up slightly, we still graduate less than half of our students in four years. The rate of suspension for African-American children continues to rise (75% of all suspensions in 2000-01), while District discipline policy continued to allow the kind of vague bases for suspension (E.g. "persistent lack of cooperation") that feed this situation and provide a remedy for bad behavior that just rewards it with a couple days off of school. They further chose not to even report 3- 7 reading/math scores in order to make the report "user friendly." Like we couldn�t "get it"?? Or we might not be as friendly if we did.
Read the District�s "12-Point Plan" and wonder loudly how the District�s policies and allocation of resources match up with the goals stated in the plan. Then read the Report and ask how they "Measure Up." They don�t. My point here is that the District needs to be held accountable for negligible effort and resulting failure in many areas that have a direct and significant impact on student learning, attendance, test scores & grad rates. I mean an outside, detailed analysis of just how District dollars and resources a re being applied to purported District goals.
A simplistic but illustrative example is my daughter�s Minneapolis school where parents raise outside money through plant sales, raffles, contributions, etc. We use some of that money for a fund to provide cabfare for any parent who needs transportation to participate in anything at the school. But not every school site has the same resources�If parent participation is directly linked to test scores and the District values both, why isn�t there tangible, real District support for parent involvement at every school site? The objectives and values of the District should be reflected in district-wide allocation of resources.
II. Community Schools, Performance & Poverty:
I think we need to maintain the combination of community & magnet schools. This is not dividing the political baby down the middle. Magnet schools are voluntarily integrated schools. We (I) place value on our children spending the bulk of their time in settings that both teach and add to their social & developmental growth through their interaction with the children who will be their world. In my value system, that equals integrated schools. I have two daughters, one white, one African-American, and I have made that school experience for each of them a priority in my 16 years as a Mpls school parent. (10 of those years were pre-Community School years)
At the same time, community matters in multiple ways and parents of all colors and persuasions in Minneapolis want Community Schools. I have listened to parents all around this city. Parents in "open areas," from Southwest to Nordeast, want community schools. Those who have children in community schools that are labeled "failing" schools do not believe that their children have to sit next to white kids or middle-class kids in another part of town in order to learn. I don�t believe so either.
What I do believe is that all of the questions swirling around this set of issues are really about poverty�the impediments to achievement are not about race or innate ability, they are more about class and about ameliorating the destructive effects of poverty on the ability of all children to succeed in school to the best of their individual ability. This is obviously not an idea original to me, but it re-raises the points made above. What IS the district doing about the issues that most impede learning for the majority of our MPS children?
The point I�ve made in my literature and to acknowledging nods in community meetings all over the city is "Equitable support for all Minneapolis schools�funding for critical services in all schools." I discussed this above and it applies here. If any service is deemed by the community as critical (to student success) in any school, it has to be met�be it mental health services, pregnancy prevention, tutoring or housing assistance.
No�what I suggest is NOT necessarily adding to District budget woes. It is about
individual planning for every student and about integrating and coordinating the resources that exist in the community, in families, in other agencies of government�to address the package of needs our students present. It is about a meaningful role that the District can and must play in making all of our schools Community Resource Centers.
More on this and the many related questions presented later. I�ve taken up enough space and attention for one posting. More later. Thanks for listening. If you have not received my literature & would like to, please e-mail in response or call 926-2175.
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