During the past two years I must have talked to dozens of teachers who said to me "you don't know what these inner city kids are like, you can't expect them to keep up with the rest of the kids." Parents who say the same thing about 'those' kids (pick any 'at-risk' ethnic group) usually go on to say that 'they' should go to their own schools (or classrooms) because they are holding 'our' kids back. And the failure of the district to see that all children get effective instruction reinforces the belief that 'those children' can't learn, aren't college material, etc.
I happen to know what those inner city kids are like. I know what happens to the kids (and their parents) when they are identified as 'low-ability' learners and put in separate groups and classrooms for reading instruction. 'Low-ability' learners generally do not receive effective reading instruction in grades K through 4. If they were receiving effective instruction they would be catching up, not falling behind. Somehow the kids who are designated as 'low-ability learners' get the idea that they are stupid, and quickly give up. Some withdraw and others act out. The answer is not to put those kids in their own classrooms or schools. They need to be educated, not separated. -Doug Mann 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
