"W. Brandon Lacy Campos" wrote: > I clearly stated that in some cases it may be necessary for a parent to > remove their child from a school. BUT, the school district/state should not > have to provide vouchers for a private education for your child.
The school district/state has an obligation to provide my children with an education, if they can't they should provide me with some means to. > That > detracts from the opportunities for real reform and for other children to > excel. Once again, I don't think money is the answer; and secondly, I will not sacrifice my children while the public schools continue to pursue a false ideology. Third, there's no proof that vouchers will negatively impact the education of other children, as long as the public schools can function as an economy of scale (and I don't see any reason that they can't). > Again, private schools can simple decide not to admit children. I believe that in specific cases the public schools should be able to select which students are admitted to a given school. That is, students who negative impact the education of other children should be assigned to special schools. > There > are not enough spaces in private schools to accomodate all the children of > Minneapolis. So you don't believe that vouchers would encourage the opening of additional schools? > Who gets to decide who gets to go to private school? Private > schools are already overwhelming white and middle-to-upper class. Private schools are overwhelming white and middle-to-upper class because poor parents don't have any means to enroll their children. > Do you > really think that dynamic would change? Yes, I do. In fact I've considered starting such a school myself. > The answer is not > abandoning schools. The answer is doing your part as a citizen to invest in > the collective future of our city. I was supportive of affirmative action in the 60s and 70s and I was willing to let someone else have a job that I wanted to account for previous discrimination, but I am not willing to sacrifice the future of my children to an experiment in social failure. Nor am I willing to stand by while the public schools perpetuate poverty and racism. > Take care of your child. If necessary, > advocate for a fresh start for a particular school (as a last resort). Move > your child to another school if it is absolutely clear that your child can > not get a proper education at the school he or she is attending (and if that > is the case, the school should indeed be fresh started or at least be in > some probationary period). I'm not willing to forget the other children left behind in failing schools. > Vouchers are the answer only for those who fail to grasp the real value and > purpose of public education. Vouchers allow poor parents a means to help their children. I don't need vouchers. If there's no improvement in the public schools, we're sending our children to private schools, vouchers or no vouchers. I wouldn't even object to income limits that would preclude my family from using vouchers. And, by-the-way, I understand the value and puprose of public education but it is not currently fulfilled by the MPS. > I will never support taking for the whole to > further privlege the few. Nor will I support any program that PROMISES to > destroy any hope of creating a fully funtioning viable public school system > that can build productive, critically thinking young people. Given your limited analysis, I don't think that you understand how such a system would function. > Minneapolis also needs to focus on K-8 community schools with open > enrollment for high schools. We need schools based in local communities, > that have small populations. Schools that all have the basic reading, > writing, and arithmetic, but also have languages, arts, sports, etc. In > addition, we need small community schools (with active site base teams) that > can adapt to the special needs and circumstances of the communities in which > they are located. > Why shouldn't we have open enrollment for K-8? Terrell Brown wrote: > [TB] Brandon has it right on. Minneapolis schools don't have a 50% > failure rate. Its very clear that students who stay in the same school > and show up for class are successful. We have a huge number of students > who change schools, primarily because the family moves, many times > during their elementary school years often multiple times during a > single school year. That is not the fault of the teachers in a specific > school of the Minneapolis Public School District. > According the Star Tribune the MPS fail to graduate 50% of their students in four years and according to the school district's own web site 38% of Black students dropout. > Minnesota also has state wide open enrollment, a student has the > opportunity to enroll in schools other than in his or her home district. > A lot of good this does poor parents. How are they going to transport their children to suburban schools? > I don't have any interest in diverting any part of that money to subsidize > some kid's tuition at Blake, Breck or De LaSalle, schools that can pick > and choose what students they want to admit to their programs, schools > that have extensive screening programs to decide what students to admit > to their programs. > Great, then set income limits for vouchers. > If a parent really thinks that the public schools are that bad, I > suggest they get off their duff and start a charter school. Use the > funding that goes to the charter school and start a program that is a > model for excellent education. Accept all students into the program, > don't just run and hide. > The burden of educating children should not be placed on parents, it is a responsibility and function of our government. I think that it's just as ridiculous to say that "if you don't like the public schools start your own" as it was to say "Love it or leave it." The public school can and should provide a quality education for all children. 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
