I agree. Money matters. So does board accountability. It seems to me that the Minneapolis Public School district has enough money to do a pretty good job of educating our kids. As I noted before, Special School District #1 is among the least revenue challenged school districts in the state of Minnesota.
You say the school should have more money to spend on teachers. The Minneapolis Public schools could spend more money on teachers than it does. A lot of money has been misappropriated. For example, the district spent money on teachers aids and compensatory programs at high poverty schools, instead hiring teachers to reduce class sizes. Research shows that spending money on teachers gives you better results. I have proposed measures to reduce the high concentration of inexperienced teachers in community schools that serve poor neighborhoods. Spreading around the least experienced teachers would benefit the worst schools the most, but it wouldn't necessarily lead to a deterioration in the quality of education in the better schools. It's not a zero sum game. If you do a better job of training and retaining teachers, the whole system benefits. Why do I speak out? I believe that my son is entitled to a quality public education on the same basis as everyone else. However, he was designated as a low-ability learner and exposed to a dumbed down curriculum at the beginning of grade one (Fall 1997). I did a research paper on ability-grouping in the Spring of 1995. I never liked ability-grouping, but before my own son was identified as a low-ability learner, and educated accordingly, I didn't realize how much damage it can do to a child. When I discovered what was going on, I had to speak out. Advocates of the ability-grouping model say it merely accommodates differences in academic ability between children, that it does not increase disparities in educational outcomes between children. Our children spend 30 hours per week in a meritocracy where they get the education they deserve. I disagree. My son attended the Minneapolis Public Schools until last year, near the beginning of the 4th grade. While he attended a public school in Minneapolis I was extremely involved with his education, much more than any parent should have to be. I had to spend a lot of time on lesson planning and direct instruction at home. I did some direct observation in the classroom to identify problems, and drafted individualized educational plans, which I reviewed with the teachers, to address those problems. My wife and I looked for a good school within the system. Barton Open school is good. Its test scores have been among the highest in the district. It's an "untracking school." They don't ability-group. It is in high demand. We also tried to get our son into a better community school than the one he was attending. We asked for an administrative transfer to Burroughs, which was under-enrolled. That was not an option, according to one of the school district's attorneys, and Carol Johnson. I considered home-schooling. My wife and I did a lot of private school shopping. My son now attends a catholic school that has a fairly coherent curriculum and doesn't ability group. Most of the kids there are poor, most are nonwhite. It's not a great school, but its OK. I would prefer to have my son enrolled in a cost-free public school, but just about any school in the Minneapolis Public School district would be a bad choice. -Doug Mann, King Field Doug Mann for School Board web site: <http://educationright.tripod.com> _______________________________________ 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
