So what I come away with in Mr. Mann's writing is that government can do more than parents. This thinking in my experience is exactly what is wrong with the mps system today. The poorer schools receive up to twice as much money as do wealthier schools yet continue sliding down .I attended schools only in the Phillips neighborhood and can give you a number of success stories the difference was the parents. Black white or whatever if they messed around with school the parents brought trouble until the child improved. Now I see parents unsure of their role having been told its the school's job to educate and teach morals and teach nonviolence and teach diversity and teach .........on and on. Much of this is the role of parents which is what Rev. Gallmon is saying! Dain Lyngstad Phillips/edina --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > In a message dated 8/15/2003 3:34:31 AM Central > Daylight Time, Jim Mork > writes: > > > Is there really any reason anymore to believe that > just putting students of > > different races in the same school will magically > wipe away the > differences? > > > Integrating black and white students eliminated part > of the education > achievement gap during the 1970s and 80s. It wasn't > magic. The black and > predominantly black schools were generally inferior > to the white schools because the > school districts spent a lot more money on the white > schools. When the students > and teaching staff were integrated, differences in > average test scores between > blacks and whites decreased. Why? Instead of blacks > and whites going to > separate and unequal schools, blacks and whites were > going to the same schools, > although when it came to integrating the better > middle class white schools in SW > Minneapolis, the Minneapolis School Board had a "go > slow policy" (not an > unusual policy for big city school boards). > --------------------------------- > The Star-Tribune published an article in its > Thursday, August 14, 2003 > edition entitled "Schools Face Alarming Racial Gap." > Reverend Albert Gallmon, who > is extensively quoted, is identified as President of > the Minneapolis NAACP > branch, and is quoted as saying > > "Some people will say you are blaming the victim" he > said "But from where I > sit, being on the school board, being a pastor, we > have gotten away from the > African American community having a culture, an > environment that says education > is important." > > Some people will say that Gallmon is blaming people > who are being victimized > by the system for their victimization because he is! > > > Gallmon is also singing praises to the limited > "school choice" programs > offered by the state of Minnesota. Perhaps Gallmon > is unaware that the Statement of > Need and Reasonableness for Minnesota's voluntary > Desegregation Rule reads > like a white supremacist tract (in my opinion) and > that Minnesota's school > choice programs, including the "choice is yours" > program (which is part of the > settlement of the NAACP's educational adequacy > lawsuit) are remarkably similar to > "choice" programs run by states in the Deep South > during the early to > mid-1960s. > > The New Crisis (the NAACP's magazine) published an > article in the October > 2001 issue (Long Division) which noted that > differences between black and white > students in average scores in tests of reading and > math proficiency declined > significantly and steadily between 1971 and the > mid-to-late 1980s, then steadily > increased during the late 1980s and the 1990s (Data > from National Assessment > of Education Progress Exams). Averages differences > in NAEP reading scores for > black and white 13 year olds declined by about 50% > between 1971 and 1988, > then increased by about 75% by the late 1990s (using > 1988 as the baseline). > > Somehow I think it is unlikely that the NAACP > national leadership would > publicly endorse Gallmon's view that public schools > in Minnesota face an alarming > racial gap because black people don't value > education as much as they did a > generation ago. > In my opinion, Gallmon's statements are at odds with > formal positions of the > national NAACP that relate to the impact of school > policy on academic > achievement. Gallmon, who identifies himself as a > member of the school board, sounds > like a spokesman for the Minneapolis Public Schools, > not a spokesman for the > NAACP. > > It is also a matter of public record that Gallmon is > planning to open NAACP > Parent Information Centers without authorization > from the Minneapolis NAACP > branch and despite the vote of a 2/3 majority of the > branch in favor of a motion > to not open the centers and to return the money it > received from the state to > open the centers. > > At minimum the NAACP should completely disassociate > itself from the parent > information center project. Gallmon and branch > executive committee members who > want to promote and / or participate in the > operation of the parent information > centers should resign (or be kicked out of) their > positions as NAACP > officers. > > An open letter to the NAACP about the parent > information centers can be found > in the current issue of One Nation News (August 13, > 2003, page 2): "NAACP > member tells the president, board to do the right > thing." There is also a link to > the open letter on the home page of my web site, > Mann for School Board, > http://educationright.tripod.com > > -Doug Mann, King Field > has served on the Minneapolis NAACP Branch K-12 > education committee > 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
__________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com 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
