This is how the preamble of the 1999-2001 teachers contract describes the mission and organizational principles of the Minneapolis Public Schools:
"We exist to ensure that all students learn. We support their growth into knowledgeable, skilled and confident citizens capable of succeeding in their work, personal and family life into the 21st century....The strategic direction for the Minneapolis Public Schools is our overall guide...Student achievement is the primary focus of all we do." According to a resolution passed by the board on June 27, 1995 and entitled "closing the gap: Ensuring that all students can learn," the strategic direction is toward "closing the gap." All children can learn. All children can be educated. However, many kids aren't learning. They don't learn because they don't receive effective instruction. Why? The district is failing to collect, analyze and publicly report data that shows whether and where progress is being made toward 'closing the gap." And an enormous amount of money is spent on initiatives that do not boost student achievement or reduce the academic achievement gap. For example, The district plans to spend a total of 283 million dollars for the conversion of elementary and middle schools into K-8 neighborhood schools. [October 8, 2002, Minneapolis school board meeting] The district's new attendance policy has boosted attendance without improving student achievement. (In two years the proportion of students who attend school at least 95% of the time has increased from 37% to 60%.) The districts spends a lot of money to enforce this policy and loses a lot of money because of the drop in enrollment attributable to it. In just two years, enrollment districtwide went from about 50,000 to about 46,000. A decline in enrollment of that magnitude cannot be attributed to a comparable decline in the school age population. As district officials have put it, "we are losing market share to private schools, home schoolers and suburban public schools." And the thing that is driving much of the district's loss of market share is customer dissatisfaction. The district must discontinue its bogus 'Measuring Up' report cards and begin to collect, analyze and publicly report data that shows whether progress is being made toward 'closing the gap. That is the first, necessary step toward seeing that all children have access to a quality, public education. -Doug Mann, King Field http://educationright.tripod.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@;mnforum.org Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
