I think a lot of the school success depends on a few factors that I deal with on a daily basis with the kids I work with in the Minneapolis school district as well as the charter and alternative schools.
1. Students need to be accountable to their behavioral choices. While it is the schools policy to have discipline, the school students still need to follow the policy or deal with the consequences. Also, if kids are having trouble at home, school will be the same. Kids cannot drop their problems at the school door, they need help working through them. That's where I have the issue with the district for eliminating Social Workers and Counselors. Try eliminating some of the administrative overhead, like the 3-4 vice principals on staff. 2. Not all public, charter and alternative schools are organized well. I can name schools here, but I will not since I go to these schools to see the kids I work with. Having kids "sign in" when they come into school is ridiculous, the schools need to be taking the time to take attendance. They also cannot find the students in the school, so I question the actual skill and competence of the staff in the school system. 3. There are a lot of teachers out there that care and want to help the kids that are in the school. But again, like in point #1, the schools NEED social workers and counselors to help these students outside of the classroom. 4. Since everyone complains about money (lack of or people get paid too much), give the teachers something to work for, give them the money they rightly deserve to do what they do. But to do that, they would have to meet standards for the school district. Same goes with the administration, you want to get paid your enormous salaries, then earn them by doing the right thing for the students and make the schools a safe, healthy and environmentally friendly place, hire competent staff. 5. Partner schools with community programs that can assist students with whatever they need help with. Without kids, there are no schools. Shad Cook downtown > > There were a number of education editorials in Sunday's Tribune. > One of these opinion pieces cuts though the rhetoric and drives > home the responsibility for public school failure. As Denise > Johnson points out (http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/4620530.html): > What if a charter school could take the same poor minority children > that the MPS consistently fail with and help them succeed? No need to > theorize, it's already been done. The Seed Academy/Harvest Preparatory > in North Minneapolis is 99% African American with Minnesota Comprehensive > Assessments scores in the 80th percentile and above. > > So what are they doing different? A number of factors standout: > structure and discipline, effective instructional methods (Direct > Instruction), focused curriculum, a dedicated teaching staff, a cultural > environment supportive of academic success, and high parental involvement. > Is this such a surprise? The question is why the Minneapolis Public can't > duplicate this success. > > I believe that the difficulties lie in a philosophical commitment to > liberal educational axioms and bureaucratic inaction. Supporters of > the public schools argue that Direct Instruction stifles creativity > and it may well be true that middle class White students bring > sufficiently disciplined study habits with them and may not need as much > structure, but insisting on a lack of structure may penalize minority > students who need more focus. This is just one of several intrinsic > discriminatory practices in the public schools (low expectations > being another). > > It should be noted that Superintendent Jennings' reorganization > proposals do nothing to address these issues, they are strategies > to make the schools more attractive to parents and to maintain > financial solvency, they are not educational reforms. Keeping Whites > in the system will only give the appearance of equality and do > little or nothing to close the achievement gap. > > Although I dislike the phrase, "implicit racism," I think that its > time that White liberals admit that the educational practices that > work well for their children, may not work well for all children. > Their instance that the system is fine because their children can > get into good colleges belies the inequality of effect for > minorities. If there is to be social justice in the Minneapolis > Pubic Schools then White parents must take the responsibility for > insuring that the public schools work for everyone, not just for > them. > > 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. > > For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html > For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract > ________________________________ > > 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 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. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ 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
