Susan Maricle wrote: > Did anyone notice this story in yesterday's Strib? > A third-year middle-school math teacher in Mpls. > providing a Blackboard-Jungle-like account of her > year? I had to wonder what the paper's motivation was > for printing it. If the idea was to get policymakers > to say, "This is a troubled school, it needs more > funding," I'm afraid the opposite reaction will > instead be, "This is a waste of a school, let's not > throw good money after bad." > > Perhaps someone from the paper can enlighten us. You > can find the article at > www.startribune.com/stories/462/4067824.html
I haven't replied to this because of a lack of time, but since Ms. Maricle has just posted someone's editorial reply in the Tribune to the original story I thought it was about time to add some comments. Clearly, this teacher's journal is an anecdotal report, but it suffices as an existence proof. Not everything in the MPS is rosy, contrary to what many would like to believe. Mr. Brauer says that in his opinion his children are receiving a good education and he will "...only listen to those with kids IN the school system." Perhaps he will also listen to teachers in the system as well. It should be obvious by now that the educational quality in the MPS varies considerably along racial lines. Which is why I challenge any White parent to allow their children to be assigned to a school within the District by random placement, instead of a rigged system. I think that this racial divide is now recognized by a few of the staffers at the Tribune and this accounts for some of the recent cracks in the Wall of Optimism that normally silences negative reporting about the public school in Minneapolis. It appears that there is a power struggle between the "everything's fine establishment" and the "we've been sold out reformers." I'm on the reformers side. The most bizarre aspect of this conflict is that all of the problems identified by Ms. Maynard are managerial problems with obvious, if not simple, managerial solutions. Why is this to difficult to understand? I think there are a number of forces at work. 1) White parents. White parents are satisfied with the education their children are receiving in South and Southwest (or the NPR funded community school here in Prospect Park) and they don't want to acknowledge that there are inequalities in the system. One of the rationalizations you often hear is "it's those parents." "No point in worrying about it, nothing is going to help THEM anyway." 2) Unions. The unions are not interested in educational quality, they're interested in their bottom line, "No dollar left behind." 3) School Board. I'm not even going to waste my time, they are only there to be sure that White parents are happy, teachers get their money, and that the DFL says in power. It's a joke, but it's not very funny. 4) Black Leaders. They're only interested in making noise about silly symbolic symbols of discrimination that advance their careers, not fundamental impediments that perpetuate poverty and discrimination. The solutions are sooooo obvious, but no one can reach beyond their own selfish interests to seize them. Instead what happens? We get an editorial in the Star Tribune attacking the messenger rather than the message. Tell you what, have the School Board give me a four year iron clad contract with a base salary the same as one of the District's janitors and with the remaining salary dependent on academic performance and I'll narrow the achievement gap in Minneapolis...guaranteed. Or, more realistically, let us pray that they will hire someone who will. Do you believe in miracles? We need one. Michael Atherton Prospect Park REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ 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
