While I agree with some of the policy proposals by Doug Mann (like #2 and #4), I don't see any proposals that deal with what is probably the biggest factor behind student performance problems: parental involvement. More than anything else, a lack of parental involvement pretty much spells doom for students. Teachers can only do so much to try to coax uninterested parents to take an interest in their children's academic lives; what do you do when parents just don't care? I remember a recent news story about a boarding-type school that took in students performing far below grade level and turning out a class where 100% of the students were going to college. Something like this, where the negative influences of the parents are close to eliminated, may hold great promise. Should this be tried here?
=== Nathan Hunstad CARAG Minneapolis, MN (651) 489-9107 -- Home PGP DH/DSS public key -- http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower/nhpubkey.txt ________________________________________________ Do you Gonzo?! http://www.angelfire.com/mn/freakpower ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 3:55 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] "Unlearning racism.." / 8 point plan to close the gap > 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 > 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
