David Brauer wrote: >> I looked carefully at my choices in Southeast and do not >> believe that schools rate as acceptable, let alone excellent. > > Curious - what are those options? Why did they fall short? Anyone in > Southeast?
Among others I looked at Pratt and Anderson. They fall short of my expectations for a number of reasons (and probably are the best schools in Southeast). 1) I think that the community school concept is flawed. I don't think that you can effective teach a highly diverse group of students. It works satisfactorily only if you set your standards low. Teaching is for the most part what is called a "conjunctive task," the progress of the group is limited by weakest students. 2) There is too much emphasis on Arts and not enough on Science. 3) There is too much emphasis on Multiculturalism and not enough on Cultural Literacy. 4) The system is not flexible enough to allow students to excel in areas that they are extremely talented. 5) After school programs have no academic focus. > Again, to agree with Michael, I know parents who move out of > non-Southwest sections of Minneapolis to get into the Southwest > quadrant. Thank you for supporting my argument. > Again, though, I can't help but wonder how much is fear and how much is > reality. For them, I really don't know. Test scores may give you some indication. >> I have to admit that what I expect for my children may not >> be close to the norm expected by most parents. There are >> many American families who are not interested in rigorous >> academics or a challenging intellectual environment, but >> there are other school systems that meet a variety of >> expectations, the MPS do not. > Despite what I believe is a misplaced confidence that others > lack these standards, I think thousands of us who do find our > kids well-served by MPS. Read a little about the standards of European and Asian schools, take a look at the standards of the best prep schools on the East Coast. I have no doubt that thousands will find their kids well-served by the MPS. The MPS function at a sufficiently high level of mediocrity that, as has been stated repeatedly, students can get into college. What they don't do is educate many of the minority students that attend them and they do not provide a true quality education for gifted students. > Perhaps the difference comes down to geography, or perhaps > looking at the system through mud-colored glasses. Mr. Brauer you are the one who is only willing to base their opinion of the MPS on the views of parents who have children enrolled in them. If you are not seeing though mud-colored glasses, then you are looking though ones with blinders. Michael Atherton Prospect Park TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ 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
