E-DEMOCRACY | Playing the blame game in education

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Tom Goldstein posted at 8:10pm, Jul 05:

I think the most significant problem in education right now is that no one is willing to take ultimate responsibility for the welfare of all children. Teachers blame parents or kids… while parents, some politicians, and administrators blame teachers. Teachers in turn blame administrators–or school board members. School board members blame the state or the federal government for a lack of funds or onerous expectations or whatever, while the state or federal government mandates an ever-changing patchwork of rules and regulations–and the cycle just perpetuates itself. Rarely, if ever, do you hear anybody willing to take responsibility or be held accountable, except in ways where there are no real consequences.

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OPINION | Community input key to school success in Minneapolis

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A conflict over the appointment of a principal at one Minneapolis K-8 school highlights a tension between an increasingly corporate management style in the Minneapolis Public Schools and the desire of parents to maintain the public schools as a space for democratic participation.The controversy at Clara Barton Open School began about two weeks ago when the Minneapolis Public Schools posted a list of new district principals. Parents objected that MPS had changed its earlier policies that allowed parents and teachers at K-8 schools to take part in interviewing new principals. When the Barton Open principal announced his exit in May 2014, the school’s elected Leadership Council requested opportunities to provide input and have teachers and parents involved in interviews. Administrators said parent and teacher “input” would come only in the form of editing a “leadership profile” document that had been created two years ago, at the time of another leadership transition. There was not adequate time, however, for teachers and the wider parent community to participate.After the administration’s choice was posted, parents held a meeting with MPS administrators. Continue Reading

Minneapolis school board candidate Don Samuels ready to take on the achievement gap

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After giving up his Minneapolis city council seat, which he had held since 2003, to run for mayor last year with an ambitious education platform, Don Samuels now throws his name into the ring for at-large school board member. He hopes to bring his deep connections within local and state government to support the superintendent’s agenda in fighting the achievement gap. “I’ve been staring this monster in the face forever with two hands tied behind me,” Samuels said of education issues. “I’ve been on the sidelines of this thing for a long time, and I just want to be in the middle of it.”Samuels ran for city council over a decade ago when former city councilmember Joe Biernat stepped down after receiving five felony charges. Samuels had just finished seminary in 2001, and was planning to start a ministry on his street in North Minneapolis for kids living in poverty. Continue Reading

Workshops help parents of Minneapolis Public Schools students learn their rights

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The is the first year Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) have hosted parent advocacy workshops in conjunction with the Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP). As described by Damon Gunn, program coordinator for the Office of Student, Family and Community Engagement for the MPS, “[We] partnered with the Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program out of Washington, D.C. that has been doing parent advocacy workshops for the last few years.“PREP has been working with other school districts for the last couple of years. New York City Schools and San Diego public schools are also partners.”PREP is an initiative of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law. In their literature, PREP claims to “support student success by empowering parents to become stronger advocates for their children through learning about their educational rights and building skills to take effective action for children.”This article is reposted from TCDP media partner Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Check out the links below for other recent Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder stories:Clinton decries growing U.S. political polarizationMy day at FenwayPREP is a series of workshops, hosted in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali, that help parents navigate through the MPS system. Continue Reading