Ann Berget wrote: > As a Tennessean myself, a Memphian in fact, I assure you > that the difference between Nashville and Memphis is a lot > greater than just 240 miles along I-40. Nevertheless, > I think it is only fair to remind readers that Carol Johnson > has served Minneapolis Public Schools faithfully and admirably > for over thirty - thirty! - years, most of those years as a > classroom teacher. Her commitment to the children of Minneapolis > is indisputable. She has served as superintendent now for six > years at a time when the average tenure for urban superintendents > nationwide is just a little longer than two years. Concern at > the prospect of her possible departure is understandable, but > impugning her integrity in the process is unwarranted.
I have to admit that it is a little discomforting to question the success of an African-American given the state of contemporary American society, but success as an individual is not necessarily the same as effective job performance (as Clarence Thomas implied in his dissenting opinion on Affirmative Action). Certainly we can say that it is a great achievement for a young woman from Brownville, Tennessee to obtain a Ph.D. and rise to become the superintendent of the Minneapolis Public Schools. Yet, what should be important to us as citizens of Minneapolis is not, as Ms. Berget points out, her length of service or her degree of commitment, but Dr. Johnson's specific contributions to the achievement of students in the District. I doubt that many liberals will be willing to evaluate Judge Thomas' tenure on the Supreme Court by his length of service or his degree of commitment. In the GoMemphis article Dr. Johnson cites two of her accomplishments as the passage of the tax increase for small class sizes and her plans to "grade" schools. Neither of these speak to actual gains in student achievement or reductions in high school drop out rates. Her plan to "grade" schools appears to be a derivative of Bush's No Child Left Behind program which is now beginning to be represented as part of the Liberal Educational agenda. I have seen no clear cut evidence of Dr. Johnson's impact in Minneapolis other than her ability to mollify African-American parents who should be truly incensed by the failure of the Minneapolis Public Schools to do anything of value for a large percentage of their children. A White superintendent might be held accountable for these failures and be challenged for maintaining predominately White high schools in a predominately Black school district, but a Black superintendent seems to a get a free pass on these issues (which, if one is really cynical, might be the reason she has the job). Regardless, whether Dr. Johnson goes or stays will have little impact on the quality of education in Minneapolis as long has we have a liberal DFL dominated School Board that is unwilling to hire a task oriented superintendent who will make the reforms necessary to improve education quality in Minneapolis. And, I don't write this as a candidate for school board (never again!), but as a parent faced with having to pay, over and above my tax contribution, for quality education. 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, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
