[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > A plan to desegregate the schools in Minneapolis is desirable because it puts > some pressure on district officials to equalize educational facilities. As > others have pointed out, the mayor proposed to desegregate the schools by > desegregating the neighborhoods, but nothing has happened. If you are going > to deconcentrate poverty and desegregate the neighborhoods, you have to > identify the cause. It's not rocket science. Poverty is heavily > concentrated in certain neighborhoods as a result of illegal discrimination > in the job and housing markets. The solution is simple: enforce fair > employment and housing laws.
Even if poverty could be eliminated with employment and housing laws (which I seriously doubt; Johnson's war on poverty was a dismal failure), this proposal would leave generations of children behind before it would have any impact on the schools. The problems with the schools lies in the attitudes and behaviors of students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Each group must take their share of responsibility. Blaming the problem on poverty gets you nowhere. Change attitudes and you will change the schools. Poverty makes education more difficult, it doesn't make it impossible. 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
