Tuesday Schools Round-up – Teacher Performance Pay/Colleges like rich kids/Low grad rates at HBCUs

Photo: Smitten Kitchen

Good afternoon (eesh! I need to get this out earlier!), and welcome to Tuesday’s Schools News Round-up. A short selection of stories today, followed by a truly unbreakable bread recipe:

 

• In the absence of much news out of the Minnesota Department of Education about how they are planning for federal stimulus dollars, we turn to Illinois and Georgia for examples of what other states are thinking. (Chicago Tribune / Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Filed under: Minneapolis, Minnesota, National, Achievement Gap, Budget Crisis, College Access, Education, Education Funding, Food, News, Performance Pay, Stimulating Stimuli, Teacher Quality

Schools Round-up: Washburn Wins / Charter Pay / Schools in Legal Trouble / Delicious Eggplant

The Washburn Millers
(Photo: MPS/Washburn High)

• First, a big congratulations to Millers Boys’ Basketball team from Minneapolis’ Washburn High School!  At the Target Center this weekend, they beat out Mankato West, 58-45, to win the state AAA high school basketball tournament.  To get there, they beat out St Paul’s Johnson High School, Grand Rapids High School, and the Academy of Holy Angels, a catholic school in Richfield.  This is their first championship win since 1994.  An interesting tidbit — they were coached by Reggie Perkins, a former Harlem Globetrotter. 

Filed under: Minneapolis, Minnesota, National, St Paul, Charter Schools, Education, Education Funding, Education Reform, Food, Hamas, LGBT, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota, News, Religion, Somali, Stimulating Stimuli, Washburn High School

A Leisurely Friday Schools Round-Up (3/27/09)

 

Flickr/ingirogio

It’s a sloooowwwww news day in education, so I’ll keep it short:

 

• MinnPost’s Cynthia Boyd discovers the severity of Minnesota’s Achievement Gap (we’ve got one of the worst in the nation). Not that Minnesota’s urban educators haven’t been, ya know, talking about this and highlighting it for the last how many years? (MinnPost)
• MPR’s Midday discusses ways to close the Achievement Gap (MPR)
• The Texas Board of Education narrowly rejected Christian conservatives’ efforts to require that the “weaknesses” of Evolution be taught in Texas classrooms. Since Texas buys enormous amounts of textbooks, this requirement would have dramatically changed the content of science textbooks published in this country.
• Still waiting on hard numbers for Minneapolis’ schools’ RFP for ways to “right-size” their administrative space. (See yesterday’s post)
• In personal news, I was just “friended” by the

  Filed under: Minneapolis, Minnesota, National, Achievement Gap, Education, Education Policy, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota, News

A Toast-y Thursday’s Round-up (3/26/09)

Why toasty, if the thermometer didn’t break 30 degrees today in the Twin Cities?  Read on, dear reader!

Photo: Hungry Bruno

• Hard to believe, but there’s even MORE education money this year (Washington Post).  

Filed under: Minneapolis, Minnesota, National, St Paul, Education, Education Funding, Food, MCA, Minneapolis Public Schools, News, Q Comp, St Paul Public Schools, Stimulating Stimuli, Teacher Quality

Tuesday Schools Round-Up (3/24/09) — Now With Ouzo-Cured Salmon

 

ouzo cured salmon

Tuesday’s round-up is full of politics, with a rather large side of Ouzo-Cured Salmon, with a side of Carrot Tzatziki.  Sounds kinda cool, right? (the salmon, that is — from KALOFAGAS)

 

The “Safe Schools for All” bill has irked the right-wing Minnesota Family Council for “promoting” homosexuality and gay marriage, according to the Star-Tribune.  The bill sets clear standards and guidelines for schools to follow if a student is bullied because of their sexual orientation,  physical appearance, or poverty.  Current standards protect students from bullying on the basis of  gender, race, and religion.  Proponents of the Safe Schools legislation say the current policy is too vague and lets some districts turn a blind eye to certain kinds of harassment and bullying.  Some great comments — from several sides — in the Strib story’s comments section.

Also at the State House, Education titan Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL – Roseville) lambasted the president of the state teachers’ union for supporting Governor Pawlenty’s proposed education budget, which includes a massive expansion of the Governor’s Q-Comp pay-for-performance plan.  The state’s non-partisan Legislative Auditor recently released a report saying there wasn’t yet enough evidence supporting Q-Comp’s effectiveness to support expanding the scheme.

In local news, a storied St Paul Catholic school is set to close.

The Pioneer Press continues with its illuminating series on school sports, this time highlighting the ways poor students loose out to their better-off peers, whose parents can afford to drive them to practices, or buy them even basic equipment like basketball shoes.

In national news, the Education Wars continue, as they likely will into next year, when a “new NCLB” might hit Capitol Hill.  Dana Goldstein at The American Prospect has a good summary of the politicking between the American Federation of Teachers, reformist leaders like Michelle Rhee of Washington DC and Joel Klein of New York City, and Obama Administration officials.  I’m left wondering where the National Education Association stands.  A side-note: Dan Brown (the teacher, not the DaVinci Code author) and Nick Kristoff debate Rhee’s pros and cons.

Lastly, some humor: the Republican National Committee gets a big donation from the AFT, and the fur flies!  

“What’s next? Accepting money from the National Abortion Rights Action League, Handgun Control, Gay Marriage PACs and George Soros?” asks Steve Lonegan, a Republican candidate for New Jersey Governor.

Filed under: Minneapolis, National, St Paul, "Safe Schools for All" Bill, Education Reform, LGBT, Mindy Greiling, Minnesota, National Issues, NCLB, News

Monday Schools Roundup (3/23/09)

 

(Photo: Flickr/Ingirogiro)

Today, for your delectation, we have updates on three stories I’ve been following here at TC Schools, plus potato chip cookies (wierd, I know…)

 

 First, St Paul Public School’s Superintendent, Meria Carstarphen, was formally offered the job as Austin schools’ Superintendent.  Even though Carstarphen was declared the sole finalist earlier this month, the Austin school board had to wait out a 21-day public comment period, with two meetings  where the public could question Carstarphen and air their views on her appointment.  Sadly (for us interested observers), it doesn’t sound like there were any fireworks.  Carstarphen will finish out the school year here in Minnesota before moving to Austin this summer; the Austin paper summarizes challenges awaiting her.

Next, a rather obscure bill that would give teachers at traditional public schools a much more direct hand in how their individual schools are run seems to be gathering steam.  At least, the proponents have convinced a Star-Tribune columnist.  When I first heard about the bill, it was hard to see how the bill would get traction — not directly related to Minnesota’s huge defecit, you’d think lawmakers would ignore it, even if it has a number of high-powered backers like the Minneapolis and St Paul teacher’s unions.  Sturdevant’s column, though, shows backers are trying to sell it as a cost-saving measure: let teachers run their own schools (a la charters), and there will be lower administrative cots.

Third, Scott County schools (think: Savage, Shakopee, etc.) are taking “baby steps” to address increasing segregation in their districts as immigrants (and poverty) moves to the suburbs.  At the West Metro Education Project parents’ meeting two weeks ago, Minneapolis Board of Education Director Chris Stewart told me that some suburban districts flat-out of trying to segregate all their low-income students and students of color into a few select schools (he refused to name specific schools).  The content of this article suggests there may have been something to his accusation.

Lastly, the Pioneer Press has two of what I assume will be a larger serries of stories on the death of school sports in Minnesota.  The PiPress’ Bob Shaw blames it on hyper-compettetive kids-athletes and a generation of helecopter parents who push kids to win above all else.  Kids are pushing back, he says, by dropping out of sports that are no longer fun.

And finally, Potato Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Intriguing, sure.  But eeew!

Filed under: Announcements, Minneapolis, Minnesota, St Paul, Achievement Gap, Announcements, Budget Crisis, Education, Education Policy, Meria Carstarphen, News, Segregation, St Paul Public Schools

Friday Round-Up Feeding Frenzy

No recipes this week, but a timely trio of tales from the Utne Reader, In These Times, and the American News Project highlight the politics of school lunches. Congress will be re-authorizing the Child Nutrition and WIC Act this year, financing federal school breakfast and lunch programs, plus the food-stamp program. With children – particularly poorer kids – facing all kinds of child obesity problems these days, lawmakers will (pardon the puns) have their plates full sorting things out. One thing’s for sure, says the American News Project, it’s going to be a feeding frenzy for the agricultural-industrial complex.

More Highlights:

• Now this is what I call inspiring. Particularly the first three students – not to detract from the achievements of student #4, of course. But those first three might as well be poster children for the poor urban students of Minneapolis and St Paul, except they look like they’re going to “make it out.” I’ve got nothing but respect for these kids, and the mentors who helped them out.
• Obama hits out at urban school districts for failing to educate their students – but he wants to help them reform! (Washington Post)
• A propos of this: The legislature tries to answer the question: What do you do if you require students to pass a test, but don’t teach them well enough to pass it? (Pioneer Press, TC Daily Planet)
• A boozin’ substitute teacher in St Paul (Pioneer Press)
• Trying to fight the achievement gap, Minneapolis Public Schools, the Minneapolis Urban League, and Front Street Marketing and Communication are working together to recruit poor kids into a federally-funded tutoring program. (Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder)
• Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis tries advertising to draw families back. Ever since Minneapolis and St Paul school officials started talking about needing to draw students away from charters, I’ve wondered when this would happen. Apparently it’s had an effect, says the report. (KTSP)
• The St Paul Federation of Teachers doesn’t like anyone running for school board this year! (Emily Johns/Star Tribune)
• ”Say you retire from a job that involves traveling long distances to dangerous places in order to focus on children and family. What happens when your old job calls you back? Especially if that job involves serving your country in uniform?” (Tell Me More/National Public Radio)

Filed under: Announcements, Minneapolis, Minnesota, National, St Paul, Achievement Gap, Carlos Mariani, Charter Schools, Early Chilldhood Education, Education, Education Funding, Education Policy, Education Reform, Federal Education Policy, GRAD test, Military Moms, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota, President Obama, School Lunches, St Paul Public Schools

MPS will Mend, not End WMEP partnership

As first reported by Patrice Relerford of the Strib, the Minneapolis Board of Education voted unanimously last night to approve a new recommendation from Superintendent Bill Green that MPS not pull out of the West Metro Education Project, a joint venture by Minneapolis and 10 metro-area school districts aimed at decreasing school and school district segregation.

Filed under: Minneapolis, Education, Education Reform, Minneapolis Public Schools, Segregation, WMEP

Second round, first meeting for Minneapolis Public School reorganization

Monday night saw the first in a new series of community meetings in Minneapolis, as school officials seek public input on several proposals to re-organize district schools. The meetings are a continuation of the public input process which began in February, and was extended after angry reactions from parents at many meetings who felt their voices were being short-changed.

At a March 9 meeting of roughly 20 parents at the Little Earth Neighborhood Early Learning Center, in Minneapolis’ Phillips neighborhood, participants were asked to rate their preferences for five scenarios – three options for re-organizing elementary and K-8 schools, and two for middle and high schools. The different scenarios have not changed substantially since they were presented in February, although Minneapolis Public Schools is no longer proposing that high school students take city buses in High School Scenario B.

(Originally published in the Twin Cities Daily Planet, 3/10/09)

Filed under: Minneapolis, Achievement Gap, Education, Education Policy, Minneapolis Public Schools, Restructuring, Shameless Self-Promotion

“Mend, Don’t End” WMEP, say parents; WMEP “a vanity project,” says MPS

(Originally published in the Twin Cities Daily Planet, 3/8/09)

With howls of protest, over 100 parents and students in the West Metro Education Program descended on Minneapolis Public Schools’ headquarters to give a piece of their mind to the Minneapolis Board of Education, following last week’s vote to accept Superintendent Bill Green’s recommendation that MPS pull out of WMEP, effective June 30, 2009. Green accuses WMEP of not fulfilling its desegregation mission, and of failing to address the achievement gap between poor students and students of color, and white students.

“Pulling out is a step backwards,” said Leah Lynch of Minneapolis, the aunt of two WMEP students. Lynch and her brother are black.

“This has been very disruptive for the students,” said her brother Keith, also of Minneapolis. “They’re going through lots of different emotions when they should be working on raising their test scores.”

Filed under: Minneapolis, Achievement Gap, Chris Stewart, Education, Education Policy, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota