Audrey Johnson wrote: >Racism and shortsightedness are pervasive throughout the state.
It's taken me some time to see that this is true. After all, you wouldn't think that "liberal" Minnesotians would be racist, but after no one objected to keeping affordable housing out of our neighborhood at our last neighborhood meeting I'm beginning to get a glimmer. >The lives our children face at home do have an enormous effect on the children. >The district cannot change that. What a defeatist assumption. Parent involvement programs have been effective in other states. Is there something different about Minnesota? I suppose it might be racism that prevents such programs from being implemented. > But we know what works, there is a massive effort to identify, support and sustain >education reform. Ah, so what works? More money? Please define reform. As far as I can see reform means using the same ineffective practices over and over again. >In the interim, the public education system is under assault from the extreme right >wing. Extreme right wing? Calling for accountability and testing places one in the same category as those opposed to interracial dating and believe in forcing third-world women to have babies that will starve to death? >Billions have been put into media campaigns across the country to really undermine >public education. Wow, billions. It's an outright conspiracy to improve the schools! It's funny because when I call WCCO after they broadcast a report citing "experts" who state that New New Math teaching techniques are effective, no one can give me any references. It seems that there maybe both liberal and conservative campaigns to influence the direction of the schools. >Yes, the institution of public ed needed to change, has changed and will >be forever changing. Time and human development does not stand still. >Until everyone in the system, administrators, teachers, parents, the community >and the policy makers start working together in a more coherent manner, there is >only so much schools can do. Ah, the old, "we have to have everyone on board," excuse. Well, don't hold your breath, because it ain't gonna happen. You need solutions that don't require everyone to work together. "There is only so much schools can do." True, but we're no where near that point yet. >Until educational policy is more about what kids need and less about >identifying winners and losers, and about political expediency, there will >be way too much tension within the state and the country to really reform >and change the outcomes. So trying to develop accountability causes too much "tension" and stress, so it would be better not to identify which students and schools are failing, that way the schools can continue as one undifferentiated mass of mediocrity and no one is to blame? >We know the importance of teacher quality, that is the biggest factor over which we >have control. Great, if you think that teacher quality is the most important factor why don't we have teacher testing programs and qualifying exams? >For many students, class size is also a factor. There is evidence that class size works for certain minority students, but why waste millions of dollars decreasing class sizes across the board? It's a very ineffective use of funding. >The community here is very supportive of that as well. Because they've been sold a bill of goods and haven't been presented with the facts. Must be an assault by the extreme left wing. >But when those factors over which we have no control start to draw away >from the educational experiences, like the lack of housing, early >childhood ed, and non funded mandates, every child and every individual >loses something. In the long run, we all lose. When school board members hold attitudes such as these it's no wonder that the schools have been losing and that we all will continue to lose because we will be prevented from make realistic reforms. 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
