Linda Mann wrote: > As one of the chief enforcers of segregation in Minneapolis, the > MPS is not a progressive (nor a left) organization by any current > definition. The "Progressive Era" did originate a lot of the tracking > ideology that the School District still subscribes to but this ideology > is almost a century old and represented a totally different mindset than > the label "progressive" does today. One doesn't have to be a Socialist > today to believe in equality of educational opportunity although a century
> ago pretty much the only people who did were Socialists. After investigating the MPS for my school board campaign I would have to agree that the MPS are one of the chief enforcers of racial discrimination in the city, but I disagree with your analysis of the process. Rather than being a concerted effort, the MPS passively discriminate by failing to adopt educational policies that have been effective in other parts of the country. They continue to implement "feel good" programs designed to please the public and have very little real impact on student achievement (for example schools-within-schools and reduced class sizes). In addition they persist in policies that are self-defeating and have negative impact on racial minorities (for example, social promotion, mixed bilingual classes, disciplinary suspensions, and pull-outs). Michael Atherton Prospect Park _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
