In a message dated 5/28/2004 12:04:17 PM Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< So you are saying there are lying (even if to themselves) white racists that are actively and possibly coconsciouslyeeking to keep a wide racial learning gap. And (I'll stop full quoting here because data is data) you point to seemingly credible data about the effects of "ability-grouping and curriculum tracking" and resource disparities between the mostly white and mostly black schools on the racial learning gap. You then say that those two mechanisms were and are used to keep the racial learning gap wide. That is all very possible. As a candidate for the school board you want to do what? >> I want to be a voice for school reforms that can close the gap. Here are 8 reforms which the board could implement, given a critical mass of support within the school community in Minneapolis, and which would have the greatest impact: 1) Use testing to diagnose problems with schools and with individual students, not to pick winners and losers. We need to fix the school system, not downsize it. 2) Promote instruction for the general student population based on a college-bound curriculum and individualized educational planning, not 'ability-grouping' and watering down the curriculum for most students. 3) Provide special education services whenever appropriate to any student who is not thriving academically, and not wait until a student is performing two grade levels below minimum expectations for a 'normal' child of their age, or a comparable disparity between paired cognitive ability and achievement tests, which have been used by other districts to assess teacher effectiveness. A formal Individual educational planning process should be initiated with any student who is not thriving academically. Current policy in this area driven by rules for reimbursement of special education services by the state of MN. 4) Teaching positions filled by non-tenured teachers (those employed by the district for less than 3 years) should be distributed evenly throughout the districts schools, assigning the less experienced teachers to schools where the level of teacher expertise is above average. 5) Promote integration rather than segregation of the student population by class and race when drawing school attendance boundaries, when making decisions about where the schools should be, and any other decision that would have a significant impact of the class and racial composition of a school. 6) Repeal the school attendance policy adopted in 1999, which has been driving students out of the district and helping to raise test scores by driving a disproportionately large number of poor-performing students out of the district's schools rather than by helping to improve their test scores. 7) Repeal the district's "pay for performance" policy, which gives teachers financial incentives for taking some professional development courses and not others, rather than giving teachers pay increases linked to years of employment and additional education and training. Encourage teachers to decide for themselves what they need to learn in order to maximize their effectiveness as teachers! 8) I recommend that the board offer to amend the teachers contact to strengthen teacher tenure rights by a) adding language which recognizes the right of non-tenured teachers to appeal any decision to terminate their employment, which may be done only for cause; b) add language that requires the administration to fully inform teachers of their appeal rights, including time limits, when given notice of a layoff or forced transfer. c) add language that invalidates any layoff or forced transfer due to the elimination of a teaching position if the decision to eliminate the position is subsequently reversed. -Doug Mann, King Field Minneapolis School Board Candidate - - 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
