List Members: I am not attempting to slam anyone, and have nothing against Carol Johnson either when I say this: We are getting real tired of VISIONS. They sound so wonderful but what we really want is some CONCRETE CHANGE.
I know change needs to be visualized before realized, but come on! All of this means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING unless funding for education is made a priority over sports. There needs to education reform for students, parents AND teachers. Until the city, state and federal political powers that be and wanna-be do that, doing the right thing by our nation's youth is no more than pretty words spread out on canvas, and political campaigns are reduced to merely grown-ups playing a chidish game of "the dozens." The education thread will only stop when the sharp needle pops the sports bubble, and some major egos. Pamela D. Taylor (Who is the grandmother of a very very smart 4 year old granddaughter living in MPLS, and who will not allow her to be dummied down by attending the current MPS, so is hoping they can shape up somewhat in a year, weighing in from Tampa) --- Suzanne Kelly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Mpls Issues list members: MPS Superintendent Carol > Johnson asked me to > post the following message regarding the suspension > discussion. > > As Superintendent, as a parent and as a citizen of > this community, I > believe the suspension rates in Minneapolis Public > Schools are deeply > disturbing and unacceptably high. One post asked > whether the suspension > issue was �on my radar screen.� Believe me, it > absolutely is. > > This suspension issue is one we continue to grapple > with. But I would be > disingenuous if I said that it is one that we can > solve alone. Our > vision is that Minneapolis Public Schools will be > safe, orderly > environments where students, staff and families > share high expectations > for academic achievement and personal behavior. > Likewise, we envision a > community in which everyone helps create a mutually > respectful, fair and > caring environment where diversity is valued. > > When the first Measuring Up report came out in > February 2000, one of the > most troubling statistics was the number of > suspensions � almost 22,000 > (generated by 9,800 students) in the 1998-99 school > year. The number of > African American students suspended was also very > troubling. African > American students made up 44% of the total > enrollment, yet they > accounted for 74% of the total number of suspensions > for the 1998-99 > school year. > > We are disappointed that this has not changed > substantially in the past > two years. The largest reason for suspensions is > fighting. The majority > of suspensions occur in the middle grades (6-8). > > The district has taken a three-pronged approach to > tackling the high > number of suspensions and the over-representation of > African American > students among those suspended. > > 1. Communicate Behavior Expectations > Each school is expected to communicate to students > and families > expectations for student behavior. As a result of > the 1999 Blue Ribbon > Task Force on Student Behavior, all schools are > required to closely > monitor student behavior, track suspension data and > develop school wide > plans for reducing suspensions and improving student > behavior. We also > want families and others in the community to talk to > students about > appropriate standards of behavior not only in > schools but throughout the > rest of the community as well. > > 2. Give Teachers More & Better Strategies > We recognize that some teachers have developed many > effective strategies > for working with and developing relationships with > students. Others have > had limited experience with the diverse population > represented in our > schools. Our teachers are receiving training focused > on better teaching > and intervention strategies including workshops that > increase their > sincerity toward cultural diversity. > > Since we know the majority of suspensions occur in > our middle grades, > many of the middle schools use the Responsive > Classroom curriculum in > their advisory periods. Responsive Classroom is a > nationally recognized > program to help build strong classroom communities. > The program helps > students learn about respect, listening skills and > how to express their > own ideas. By learning respect for one another, > students gain trust with > their peers and are more likely to feel comfortable > in the classroom. > > The District�s investment in reduced class sizes > also helps staff to > develop more personal relationships with students > and minimize behavior > issues. The majority of disruptive behaviors can be > eliminated if adults > develop positive relationships with students (know > their names, respond > to them in personal ways, etc.) and engage them in > meaningful academic > work. > > 3. Establish intervention programs for specific > students > We have learned that while there must be > consequences for misbehavior, > only suspending students has not been successful. We > are seeing some > promising results from our work with three community > groups to pilot > efforts where we have observed some students with > chronic behavior > problems. These programs focus on African American > and Native American > students specifically and offer them alternatives to > suspensions, > programs that train them in conflict resolution and > peer mediation, and > help them to develop their own social competencies. > > Last week, more than 300 school, community and > partners in the faith > community met to discuss ways that we could bring > even more people to > the table to deal with this challenging issue. > > The District�s attendance initiative will also > positively impact the > suspension rate since it prohibits schools from > suspending students for > truancy. In the past, students who skipped school or > class risked being > suspended. The consequence students received for > their negative behavior > only served to reinforce it. > > Of course, some behaviors are potentially very > serious. The School > District�s Citywide Discipline policy mandates > suspensions for the > following: > � Possession of a weapon, alcohol or drugs > � Assault, sexual harassment or sexual violence > � Violating school bus safety guidelines > > Lowering our suspension rate is not about lowering > schools� expectations > of students, especially in the extreme cases noted > above. Efforts to > improve student behavior are about making sure we > maintain a school > environment where students do not disrupt each > other�s learning and > staff provide engaging lessons and build strong > relationships with > students. Parents and the community must promote and > model respectful > behavior and communicate the value of education to > students. > > Many of the poor behaviors that students exhibit in > school are learned > at home and in the community. Unfortunately, too > many of our students � > even kindergartners - arrive having experienced or > witnessed acts of > violence, abuse and sexual activity that leaves them > unequipped to > function well in a classroom setting without being > harmful or disruptive > to the other children. Even in these situations we > view suspension as a > last resort and our teachers weigh the needs of that > one child versus > their impact on the entire class. Mostly, teachers > want to make a > decision not to suspend but sometimes they run out > of other options. > > As I have said before, we need the collective wisdom > and input of the > community to solve these issues of behavior. The > vast majority of our > students are well behaved and respectful. Still, too > many of our > students need better access to mental health > services. Others simply > need a stable home and a decent meal. Still others > need adults who model > positive behaviors for them. I intend to hold the > district and its > schools accountable for our part in reducing the > suspension === message truncated ===> begin:vcard > n:Kelly;Suzanne P. > tel;cell:612.791.6889 > tel;fax:612.668.0235 > tel;work:612.668.0231 > x-mozilla-html:FALSE > org:MPS;Communications/Public Affairs > adr:;;807 N.E. Broadway Rm. > 106;Minneapolis;MN;55413; > version:2.1 > email;internet:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > title:Executive Director. Public Affairs > fn:Suzanne P. Kelly > end:vcard > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.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
