I am
going to use my second post of the day to say a resounding AMEN to Heidi
Schmidt. Also, for example, I know that several Minneapolis High Schools have
partnerships with local business in which students from the high schools are
trained in practical workforce skills specific to the partner company. For
example, Patrick Henry High School, my alma mater, has had a partnership with
TCF Bank for at least ten years. One of the benefits of that partnership is that
TCF provides both practical training for students who are interested in teller
work and other entry-level banking work as well as summer internships for
students who are interested in other aspects of the banking world. I was a TCF
intern for two years. I spent two summers and two Christmas breaks interning
with the TCF Shareholder Relations Department. But, while the partnership
program is excellent, it is limited. Mr. Atherton's suggestion is nothing
more than rehashing what has already been done, city-wide, for ten plus years.
Also,
as Heidi mentioned, the public schools have and have had the PSEO program for
more than ten years and this includes taking classes at the State Universities,
the University of Minnesota, and community colleges. Those options are critical
for supporting students that have a wide range of interests. Unfortunately, when
generally conservative individuals start pushing vo-tech options and
"basic" (who defines basic...students...parents...teachers...community
members???) learning skills options for "under-performing" (generally a
code word for poor students and students of color) students...that generally
leads into tracking. I worked and lived in North Carolina for three years. The
last year I lived in NC (2000-2001), I worked with a youth organization that
worked primarily with high school students. The stories that these students told
of the "basic" programs, programs similar to those that Mr. Atherton
proposes, has done much to ensure that NC remains ranked 49th in the country in
terms of public education while having one of the fastest growing economies in
the nation. If we expect our students to achieve basically and we define basic
as nothing more than the ability to do simple math and regugitate historical
facts with a complete lack of critical thinking and analytical ability then that
is what we will recieve. I expect much more from the educational system. And I
expect that members of the Board of Education have high expectations for each
and every student in the public schools. Segregation didn't work for race, and
it sure isn't going to work based on perceived behavior
or ability.
Heidi,
you are in no way naieve. Political affiliations for school board members does
nothing to serve the students and everything to serve the base interests of the
political parties. I'm sure you followed the threads concerning party
endorsement and the blind support of party hacks to the endorsement process.
There is a complete lack of analysis of how party politics at the Board of
Education level affects student achievement. I was so turned off by the response
of the DFL members around the endorsement issue that I have now become a DFL
refugee. As of yesterday, I officially changed my party affiliation to the Green
Party.
-W. Brandon Lacy
Campos
-Powderhorn Park
-----Original Message-----Concerning Your Proposal: I believe that some of the vocational and technical training offered in the community colleges should be offered to high school students. The public schools should form partnerships with business who need skilled workers to provide training and jobs to high school graduates. That is what PSEO was designed for and I believe you will find that statewide approximately 6 percent of the llth and 12th graders take advantage of receiving high school credit for courses they take through community colleges, vo tech schools and universities.
It's time Board Members do not affiliate themselves with a party, but affiliate themselves with what is in the best interest of our children. It's time dollars are spent on education for children rather than on staff development. (i.e. Outcome Based Education cost school districts hundreds of thousands of dollars in training of staff. OBE was then scrapped by legislators and Graduation Standards was IN. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were again spent training staff in the Graduation Standards. Graduation Standards (Profiles of Learning) is, in fact, enhanced OBE.)
I
