Ms. Kosnoff has certainly provided us with more information. I've tried to summarize Ms. Kosnoff's into general categories: problems, value statements, proposals and questions. I believe that I have paraphrased correctly when necessary for clarity. Ms. Kosnoff is free to correct me where I have not. I will also provide a few comments and responses.
Problems > * Pathetically small parent involvement.. > * Attendance and other matters are problems left to individual school sites to >address. > * The rate of suspension for African-American children continues to rise. > * The district discipline policy continued to allow the kind of vague bases for >suspension Value Statements > * The District needs to be held accountable. > * The objectives and values of the District should be reflected in district-wide >allocation of resources. > * We need to maintain the combination of community & magnet schools. > * We (I) place value on our children. > * We need integrated schools. > * We don't need to send children of color to middle-class schools. > * Issues are really about poverty. > * The impediments to achievement are not about race or innate ability. > * The impediments to achievement are more about class and poverty. > Proposals > * 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. > * Individual planning for every student and integrating and coordinating the >resources that exist in the > community, in families, in other agencies of government. > * The District can and must play a role in making all of our schools Community >Resource Centers. > I asked previously how you intend on organizing and financing these proposals. I think that this is an important point, because I don't think that they are feasible. Furthermore, I think that schools should focus on the education of our children. Redefining the schools as Community Resource Centers will only divert purpose and resources. The schools can't educate properly now, how will they be better at it when take on even more complex roles? I still haven't seen any concrete proposals for the BIG problems facing the public schools and I am beginning to develop a grudging respect for Patrick Peterson. Question > * What IS the district doing about the issues that most impede learning for the >majority of our MPS children? > I think it is more important to know why the district is not doing anything and I think that that E.D. Hirsch knows the answer to that question: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~athe0007/HirschArticle.html Michael Atherton Prospect Park _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
