For Immediate Release
February 13, 2004
PROUD PRATT PARENTS TO SCHOOL BOARD: WHY CLOSE YOUR HIGHEST-PERFORMING GRADE SCHOOL?
Parents of children at Pratt Community School, in southeast Minneapolis, gathered today to sign a letter to Minneapolis School Board members and Interim Superintendent David Jennings asking a simple question: Why close the highest-performing grade school in the District?
Last year's Pratt third-grade students had the highest scores on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment of any school in the district. In fact, Pratt students tested at the second highest average math score of any public elementary school in the state, and Pratt students had the third highest average reading score in the state.
"The motto of the Minneapolis Public Schools is 'Expect Great Things'" said Pratt parent Patti Harper. "As you can tell from the scores, our kids have lived up to it." Harper noted that what is most troubling about the recommendation to close Pratt, a K-5 program, is that Pratt is actually a model Minneapolis public school. "Pratt is a small neighborhood school in the vibrant Prospect Park neighborhood. It's incredibly diverse and —- best of all —- it's high-performing."
Pratt has a large Somali population and 51% of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Pratt parent Scott Johnson added: "Not one child at Pratt failed the third grade MCA tests last year. With 100% passing (which is a district record), Pratt is one of the few schools last year that could actually claim to have left no child behind!"
Pratt parents noted that the neighborhood has invested large sums of NRP money in the school building itself, and the Pratt students have done everything the school district has asked of them (with little, if any, issues of truancy). Pratt's program is neighborhood-based, with very limited busing costs, just four teachers and cost-sharing with a thriving community education program.
On the state math and reading tests last year, Pratt third graders far exceeded both district-wide and statewide averages -- even outperforming students in affluent suburban communities like Wayzata and Edina.
3rd Grade MCA Average Scores (2003)
Math Reading
Pratt School 1850 1695
Wayzata 1670 1595
Edina 1655 1593
Minnesota 1541 1517
Minneapolis 1444 1404Pratt parents plan to attend public hearings next week to bring their case to the Minneapolis School Board.
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CONTACTS
Patti Harper (W) 612-624-8256
(H) 612-379-4218
[EMAIL PROTECTED]Scott Johnson (H) 612-378-9430
(C) 612-369-2932
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