Steve Cross wrote: > If it is a societal problem, then expecting the schools to > solve the problem is going to be impossible for them. Society > has to fix the problem. Once it does, then the dropout rate > will go down even if nothing in the schools have changed.
There are a number of problems with this argument. 1) Even if it is a societal problem, if we place responsibility for the solution on the society, we might as well resign ourselves to accepting a graduation rate of 51%, because we won't see any reform in our lifetimes (we will not be eliminating poverty in the foreseeable future). 2) There's no need to attribute responsibility to society as long as the public schools fail to make reforms that we know to be effective. Just to cite a few: a) Nothing has been done about the problem of there being a disproportionate number of inexperienced teachers in minority schools. A problem that everyone acknowledges is a contributing factor to the poor performance of minority students. b) The MPS still practice social promotion; an educational policy that is now being reconsidered all over the country. c) The MPS lack a comprehensive parent involvement program. A factor that has been shown to significantly improve student acheivement. d) The MPS whole lacks adequate comprehensive vocational programs. > I think that most people could make a rational conclusion > once they consider what the makeup of those dropouts are and what > else is going on in our society that might cause them to > think that it is pointless to get a good basic education. I assume that you are implying that if the dropouts are mostly poor Blacks then that absolves the schools of responsibility. I would argue that it simply implies that the schools have not provided programs that are effective for minority youth. Which of our arguments is more accurate could be determined by actually implementing the reforms I've cited above and observing their effects. Failure to implement them places responsibility for the dropout rate on the schools themselves, not on the society. Keep in mind that the MPS have one of the largest achievement gaps in the country and this isn't due solely to the proportion of poor minority students. There are other places in the country that are doing better. In fact, there's one just down the river. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/100_largest/Table16_2.asp If you access this webpage, try comparing Cincinnati (which is 57% Black) to Minneapolis (which is 31% Black). Not that these are definitive statistics, but they do indicate a need to analyze the reason for the differences. > We have a lot to do. But it may still be a lot to do with > transforming our society and not just transforming its educational > system. Or it may not. The problem is that transforming the educational system may not be in the best selfish interests of the majority of White residents in Minneapolis. Assigning responsibility to the society allows liberals to rationalize away their responsibility for educational equality and allows them to avoid making reforms that are known to be effective. Dorie Rae Gallagher wrote: >Subject: RALLY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS -- 5 p.m. Mon. 2/28 at the Capitol If you haven't figured it out yet: money is not the problem. It's yet another rationalization for public school failure. Michael Atherton Prospect Park REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
