The research shows that the poor school performance of kids in poverty is strongly related to their mobility. The turnover at Banneker is off the charts. What does Banneker need? What do the kids at Banneker need? Why do the parents want to keep the school open? MAYBE WE SHOULD REALLY TALK TO THEM AND FIND OUT. If we really had a committment to solving the "problem" at Banneker, we would committ some resources to it -- there are programs that have worked in other places where parents are drawn in, some hired and trained as Aides, outreach workers for the parents are hired, services are provided in the school and it becomes a part of the community and the parents have an investment and that helps the kids. The kids who are poor and transient do worse -- so maybe it would be better for them to stay at Banneker, regardless of where they move to, if that's what the parents want -- but only if the school gets more help. Finally, if you have kids who are more than 2 years behind -- which apparently is much of the school -- that qualifies them for Special Ed -- and the only way they will learn to read is in very small classes with specific instruction. [And don't ask me to cite the specific research Michael, but I have seen it]. Does this school need to have a creative approach -- bring in and pay parents to help, partner with the U or Augsberg and get students in to help, add extra teachers in each classroom. If we cared at all, as a society, that's what would happen. There should be an uprising in the city over those test scores -- Seward and Barton, the top performers, would be medium schools in most of the rest of the state.
Disgusted and furious, Diane Wiley, Powderhorn [kid at Seward] _______________________________________ 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
