James Sanna (james.sanna@gmail.com) is a freelance journalist covering K-12 education issues in Minnesota. He blogs at the Twin Cities School Notebook ( www.tcschools.wordpress.com )
The Minnesota Reading Corps, the celebrated early childhood literacy program , is looking for 500 new recruits, and one of them could be you! Staffed by AmeriCorps members who serve 1- or 2-year terms of service, MRC uses a slew of research-based techniques to greatly improve the reading skills of students “age three through grade three,” according to Anna Peters, MRC’s recruiting and outreach coordinator. MRC also includes volunteers, who commit to a minimum of one hour per week for 15 weeks. “Every day is different,” said Kris Jackson, an MRC member in North Branch, MN who’s finishing her second year of service tutoring second-graders. “The kids are always excited to see you, though, and they’re happy to learn!”MN Reading Corps: Members and volunteersMinnesota Reading Corps MEMBERS commit to a year of service that begins in August. Continue Reading
Now that spring has officially begun, a lot of you are probably wondering how to get your bike ready for the road, since you’ve left it in the garage or chained to the porch all winter. When it comes to bicycles, most of you are probably not as crazy as I am. I was like the US mail – neither snow, nor sleet, nor hail could stop me. That left my bike in need of a spring clean-up. I tracked down Jamie McDonald, the owner of Sunrise Cyclery, to show me what’s probably broken or rusted through over the long winter. Continue Reading
“[I]t seemed obvious from talking to other parents and students that the AP/IB classes were excellent and would be necessary for getting into a top college,” said Tina Chen, a 2003 graduate of St Paul’s Central High. Some parents, like Minneapolis parent activist Steve Kotvis, swear by the programs. His son, Kotvis says, graduated the IB program at Southwest High School with “a high level of comfort with holding a conversation with a teacher…It made him very competitive when applying to colleges.” Like Kotvis, many parents believe in the value of the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. They’re sometimes described as the keys to building a competitive transcript. “The IB program is an inclusive program. It is an elite program, but is not elitist,” said Shyamala Jithendranathan, the IB/AP Coordinator at St Paul’s Central High School. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
More than 100 parents and students in the West Metro Education Program descended on Minneapolis Public Schools’ headquarters March 5 to give a piece of their mind to the Minneapolis Board of Education. The meeting followed last week’s vote to accept Superintendent Bill Green’s recommendation that MPS pull out of WMEP, effective June 30, 2009. Green says WMEP did not fulfill its desegregation mission, and failed 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. Continue Reading
“There’s only one bully in the school – that’s me!” Leon Cooper jabbed a thick finger at his chest. “We don’t have any gangs, or drugs, or fighting. The kids know they have to leave that at the door…If you don’t have discipline and order, you can’t have a great school.” Cooper is the principal and superintendent of Minneapolis Academy, a South Minneapolis charter middle school. Continue Reading
Faced with a growing – and seemingly permanent – gap between revenues and finances, Minneapolis Public Schools is organizing meetings where parents and teachers are invited to give input into the district’s future. It’s not news that school politics and policy in the Twin Cities are less transparent than a brick wall, with precious few people trying to shed light on the goings-on in either district. But not everyone at one of Thursday night’s three community meetings was convinced MPS is trying to shed its old, top-down, bureaucratic ways as it looks to reorganize and shrink the number of elementary, middle, and high schools, and the complicated and expensive busing system. “Community engagement is just an obligation for the district to fulfill,” said community activist and Ramsey Fine Arts Center parent Ralph Crowder, who was disappointed that the NOrthside meeting did not include a broader discussion of why poor students and students of color were not succeeding in the school system. “People have a lot of suspicion that the community opinion might not sway what happens,” said David Allen, a contractor who works with the district’s Student Placement Center.Your opportunities for input on the proposed changes
MPS has a presentation of the options on its website and a web option for feedback on the plan
The MPS calendar for implementation calls for:February Gather Community Input on ScenariosWeek of March 9 Community meetings to share scenario impactMarch 24 Administration recommends plan to the boardApril 21 Board vote on planFall 2010 Begin implementing changes
That may be why only 30 people showed up in the gym at the North Commons Recreation Center, to hear Deputy Superintendent Bernadiea Johnson describe MPS’ financial predicament and the various options. Continue Reading
Caravaggio is British director Derek Jarman’s 1986 foray into the violent and tumultuous life of Michelangelo di Caravaggio, the celebrated Renaissance painter and convicted criminal. Continue Reading
It’s hard to imagine that famous Hollywood type Tilda Swinton hanging out with artsy, transgressive British director Derek Jarman—but here she is, working hand-in-glove with director Isaac Julien to p Continue Reading
