Taryn at MinnPost: Parents of color want a clearer way to assess schools in Minnesota.
This seems pretty well aligned with the challenges RDale is facing. Certain segments of the population want the schools to bend to meet them where they are rather than working hard to conform to normal American business expectations. (ie dress, behave, speak, etc like typical American)
Then to complain that the information is too hard to find. Here is a hint... Google "MDE School Report Card". Select "My School". (see below) Enter your school or district and hit search. Then pick the subject you are interested in. And if you do not read English, find a friend to help you.
This seems pretty well aligned with the challenges RDale is facing. Certain segments of the population want the schools to bend to meet them where they are rather than working hard to conform to normal American business expectations. (ie dress, behave, speak, etc like typical American)
Then to complain that the information is too hard to find. Here is a hint... Google "MDE School Report Card". Select "My School". (see below) Enter your school or district and hit search. Then pick the subject you are interested in. And if you do not read English, find a friend to help you.
"Torres Ray told MinnPost she thinks the state needs to make school data more accessible and understandable to parents. She thinks SF 299 is incomplete, but it would be valuable to develop a system that digs into schools’ ability to teach populations of students with challenging circumstances. “But we’ve been putting it in our heads that it’s so bad to expose the limitations and struggles of schools,” she said. “We prefer simply not to have a rating system.”
During the committee, she expressed disappointment with testimony from school leaders, as well as an assistant commissioner from the Minnesota Department of Education, who opposed this kind of rating system. They said it was rejected by a majority of stakeholders who attended public meetings about the new North Star system.
“Be creative and think about how you respond to these parents. I believe there was support … to figure out how to make our system accountable to predominantly children of color and indigenous children. The time has come and we must do that,” she said. “Saying no to this is just not helpful. Please see the room. See the room and get the message.”
34 comments:
I read the opposite message, which is that they want schools to close the gap. If that means teaching certain groups in a way easier for them to access (while maintaining standards of achievement and discipline, that is a GOOD thing.
I never saw you as such a flexible and sensitive individual. :-)
“The core question that parents of color, children of color, activists, myself and others are asking is are these goals of inclusivity – attention to these measures that incorporate cultural competency, race, ethnic background – are these measures important enough in education?” she said. “It is precisely because we have these challenges in regard to the student population that we have that we need to be more creative in finding tools that measure growth and are understandable.”.
¨Opponents of the bill said it would be impossible to boil down complex schools data into a single rating, and doing so would hurt schools struggling to improve student outcomes in schools serving diverse populations with unique needs, such as those with high rates of students learning English.¨
my school would very likely get a bad rating, even though my principal says we do better than the Somali students who attend MPS
It would be interesting to know what the Principal bases that view on our if he is helping to motivate the staff.
This not a great comparison, but it is worth studying.
Banaadir vs MPS District ELL
If one could identify a specific similar MPS school with a high number of Somali students it would be more meaningful.
Whatever happened to the NCLB tests and rankings? The ones that clearly identify "the gap," the largest in the nation by some accounts? That is what the minorities constantly and rightly rail against. The subject of the current massive lawsuit against the state, or is it just MPS?
And what you think of me ought to be irrelevant, but obviously it is not. I have for a long time thought that pedagogy needs to adapt to the individual, or at least to similar groups of individuals, to be effective. For example, I once had a student who could NOT learn by hearing. After numerous repeats, I wrote it down, and within 5 minutes she had mastered the material. A kindergarten student may be baffled by basic math because they were never taught the symbols for the numbers. They cannot translate the word "6" into "six" or cannot verbally count beyond their ten fingers. And I had one kid who only had 5.
Apparently they don't like the English reading, English writing, math and science measures and want something more or different???
And adapting teaching methods around a child's learning style / capabilities is an excellent thing.
Teaching around their "cultural competency, race, ethnic background"... Seems like it is asking a lot from a teacher with many different kids in the class. Especially when our goal is to ensure the child is ready to join our American culture and work places.
I look at those words differently. If you get a kid who doesn't speak English, or little English, you will be hard pressed to teach them concepts based on the English words for them. Likewise, there are some cultural concepts that do not even make sense to all English speakers. How many kids understand what "Social Security" is, or "retirement"? It's like the kids who can't count to 100 because they can't count past 6. Meet them where they are, for whatever reason.
Are you recommending that a diverse class with kids from 8 countries should have 8 text books / sets of curriculum?
Not at all. I am recommending that we recognize that we will have to take a different approach to each kid, or group of kids and recognize that some of them are going to have to start from a different place to get to the same destination. Keep the common standard, but recognize the need for a different (probably longer) route.
I am pretty sure that is what most teachers and schools strive to do today.
if you want to compare Banaadir students to other schools or statewide you can use a double filter- black or African American - along with English language learner. We do better than MPS. Although a 15-20% pass rate is nothing to brag about.
Cool... I had forgotten that hitting the triangle next to the search magnifying glass gave even more ways to slice and dice the numbers. Though you are correct that it is very disturbing... :-(
"I am pretty sure that is what most teachers and schools strive to do today."
That would be the hope. What do you suppose is the reality? Striving is not the same as doing. If we put all our effort into New Math, and New New Math, and Common Core Math, when are we going to find a way that ACTUALLY teaches math in a way that all can learn?
Well unfortunately as long as some parent(s) keep failing to fulfill their part of the deal, striving is probably the best we can hope for. :-(
Doesn't a "deal" involve two sides of a situation? If parents strive and teachers strive, does that solve the problem? Obviously not. One side needs to DO something, and it is the side of the employee, not the employer.
Success in this case does require 2 or more parties working to fulfill their roles and responsibilities.
1. Parent(s) are the primary party who is responsible for the proper development and learning of the child they chose to bring into our society. At a minimum they should ensure the child is fed, nurtured, kept safe, taught proper social skills, taught basic pre-school content, etc. And once the child enters the school system they should also ensure the child attends, homework is done, there is open communication between them and the teachers, behavior issues are addressed, etc.
2. Schools and Teachers are the secondary party who is responsible for working with the parent(s) and child to help the child learn and develop further.
3. The community is the third party and hopefully it can support the above efforts.
Now the unfortunate reality is that all 3 of the above are failing many children, but the buck stops with the parent(s). They chose to bring the child into this world.
As for employ / employer... The schools / teachers do not work for the parent(s). They work for our society / government, not the parent(s).
We the tax payers pay them and our social worker system to protect and educate children no matter what the parent(s) say or do. Therefore it is in the best interest of the kids and our tax dollars to focus improvement efforts on all three of the above parties.
The parent(s)
"We the tax payers pay them and our social worker system to protect and educate children no matter what the parent(s) say or do"
Didn't you just contradict everything you just said? And if every parent had a voucher there WOULD be an employer-employee relationship that would add accountability.
And you have forgotten the studies that say schools /can/ matter more than parents? That they don't seems to me the essential problem.
Unfortunately we have not given the Teachers and Social Workers enough authority and hours to undo all the damage done at home... Maybe someday.
Giving poor ineffectual uneducated parent(s) more money public money to spend is not a very good idea from my perspective.
Sources?
Oh, come now. We give these people you insist are irresponsible, uncaring, worthless, etc. Food stamps for food, housing vouchers, medicare cards, cash cards, and they do what they will. And presumably at least some of the money the public schools get for teaching their kids comes out of the property and sales taxes they pay. WHY do you want to deny them the rights that the rich parents have? It is for the children, you know.
We HAVE given the teachers the authority. They are not using it properly. They are entirely responsible, according to you, for their 30% of the problem.
I am not sure I have ever labelled them uncaring or worthless... Usually incapable, irresponsible and/or neglectful.
This from the guy who will not even give them free long acting contraception or complete sex education... Like the rich people get...
As you are aware, I have more issues with vouchers than just giving parent(s) choice.
Unfortunately as my recent posts show, our poor Teachers get their hands tied in many ways. We tell them who must stay in their classroom no matter the child's behavior. I am pretty sure they would do things differently if they truly had the authority.
Granted, the "authority" of teachers are limited, but the System has no such constraints other than what they impose on themselves, usually for reasons that have nothing to do with improving education, and generally to the detriment of it.
I'm in favor of useful, value-conscious, age-appropriate sex education; I just don't see it very often.
I am in favor of people having access to all the birth control they want and know how to use. Condoms that sit in a drawer or fail aren't worth the price, even if free.
What the parents of color are demanding right now is one of two things: widespread cross-district busing based on color, or vouchers. Which do you believe will help education more? Remember Tallulah, LA.
You must be kidding...
"System has no such constraints other than what they impose on themselves"
If you think condoms are a good form of birth control... You must be really old. :-)
Well I know vouchers would leave too many kids worse off than today... So let's try busing again. :-)
Let me get this straight. It is your assertion that because some kids would be "worse off" that we cannot allow some or even more kids to be better off? And I am talking about universal vouchers, so I'm not sure how what you fear could even happen.
Objections noted. But the voucher should come to the full amount the district spends, and the special ed kids get what they actually cost. This means the public schools that are working well get to keep their kids, while the poor ones have the opportunity to improve before competition springs up. And the public schools should be relieved of all restrictions that the voucher schools aren't required to follow. And public schools should be allowed to rent out classrooms or whole schools to charters/privates, in cooperative agreements, keeping a portion of the voucher.
Your objections stand or fall depending on how the program is implemented.
I am thinking that all schools would be happy if...
"the special ed kids get what they actually cost"
Cross Subsidy Data
That would make a lot of sense except that it seems like the more money we provide for special ed kids the more "special ed" kids we get. Since each one of them has an IEP (individualized education plan) it makes sense to me that the schools could establish a true cost for each of these rather than a blanket amount that they cannibalize the regular budget to get. And unless the federal government wants to fully fund their mandates, or we offer state money for vouchers on that basis, I think the mandates need to be dropped and treated as we do any other program, like remedial reading classes for some kids-- well justified by the results produced.
I am sure the public schools would ecstatic if
"I think the mandates need to be dropped "
Now you can go lobby the politicians and courts...
And you will not? Remember, this is a swap for universal vouchers. You can't have one without the other.
Lost me. Please clarify.
you want me to lobby so that silly mandates on the public schools are dropped. This is to create a level playing field so that the public schools can compete with other schools for the "universal voucher."
I wasn't even considering the type of school dilemma.
I was noting that unfunded mandates should be ended one way or another no matter what is done regarding vouchers.
Schools having to move money from normal kids to special ed just because the government is not funding their mandate seems wrong. And it is BIG dollars.
I was not referring to unfunded mandates. I was referring to government requirements like: that discipline must be applied by race quotas, that certain funds MUST go to food service or buses or "gender education" or whatever-- hundreds of them beyond just academic content and testing requirements. Schools could be vastly more efficient if allowed the freedom to do so, and the idea is that public schools should be allowed to compete for the "universal voucher" without both hands tied behind their backs. Again, the good schools would easily survive and the poor schools would have a few years of full funding before competition "swooped in."
Well until the funding is fixed...
The cross subsidies will continue in order to conform with the law...
You are correct, and not. Certainly the SE mandate is probably the biggest one, but "fixing the funding" is broader than that. There are many restrictions on how a District may use its money, giving the school boards little latitude to save here to spend there as needed. They don't even control their own teacher pay, in the real sense. "Fixing funding" generally just means spending more, rather than trying to improve the education results for the same or less money, as any normal business would do. The State is trying to run the "education business" rather than "putting it out for bid" as is done with things like roads.
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