There have
been many instances of teachers quitting because they are unable to cope with
disciplinary problems. Due to these
resignations, and because there is a substantial number of teachers taking medical
and personal leaves of absence, many students have had to endure long-term
substitutes who cannot control their assigned classes and, even in those
moments when they do maintain some control, lack the ability properly to instruct
the class.
Behavior is
a problem for many experienced teachers, as well. At Folwell Middle School an eighth grade math
class is inevitably so rowdy that the teacher just gives up, frequently telling
students to take a look at their I-Pads and figure out their assignment the
best they can. The same is true for a
geometry class at North High School, in which the teacher often gives up and
merely hands out an assignment for which students have not been properly
prepared to complete.
Even when
behavior is under control, numerous teachers are not imparting knowledge and
skill bases pertinent to topics introduced in class. My students in the New Salem Educational
Initiative (a program of fundamental math and reading skill development and
college preparation for students enrolled in the Minneapolis Public Schools)
frequently bring to our academic sessions homework assignments for which the
teacher has not covered the material on which the assignment is based.
One of the
most flagrant examples of professional incompetence in the Minneapolis Public
Schools concerns an English teacher at North High School who gave the Autobiography
of Malcolm X very strange treatment.
The students did not actually read even the assigned chapters. The teacher instead gave them an ongoing task
to skim select chapters to find out whether racism or familial and personal matters
most influenced the course of Malcolm X’s life.
This was the only task assigned, the only theme explored. And there was little follow-up class
discussion.
The question
itself is problematic, inasmuch as there was great intersection of these two
sorts of influences, rendering difficulty in separating encounters with racists
and experiences within the family and in the personal realm. Famously, for example, Malcolm X’s father was
murdered by a racist mob that broke into the family home.
But then
there is also the astounding fact that students did not even read the Autobiography
of Malcolm X, one of the great classics of African American literature. They were simply asked to hunt for passages
pertinent to the teacher-designated theme.
I asked one
of my students who is in this class a few questions about aspects of Malcom X’s
life that figure heavily in the book:
“Did you
learn about Malcolm X’s time on the streets in Boston, involving him in activities
that eventually landed him in jail?”
“How about
his time in prison, during which his wide reading and vocabulary development
pointed toward another approach to life?”
“Okay, how
about his affiliation with the Nation of Islam--- you, know, the Black Muslims--- and with Elijah Muhammad?”
“And did you
learn anything about his trip to Saudi Arabia, his becoming a more conventional
Muslim, and his founding of the Organization of African American Unity?”
“Anything
about his assassination?”
All of these
questions yielded answers in the negative:
This student--- African American,
male, highly intelligent, keen on learning all he can about all manner of
subjects--- had learned absolutely
nothing of importance after several weeks of assignments based on the Autobiography
of Malcolm X. This is astounding,
given that many African American males who for various reasons never acquired a
reading habit have nevertheless read and been inspired by this famous autobiography,
as told to Alex Hayley (author of Roots).
…………………………………………………………………………
Students of
the Minneapolis Public Schools are on track yet again to produce below grade
level scores on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and to score
poorly on the ACT college readiness exam.
Students are not being taught the skills necessary to perform mathematical
operations and to read the material appearing on these exams; and they are not being given proper
instruction in test-taking skills pertinent to the MCA and ACT formats. Furthermore, officials at the Minneapolis
Public Schools have not developed a viable strategy for addressing the problem
of teachers and parents who sabotage the MCAs by encouraging students to opt out
of this key assessment of student performance.
In this situation, the goal of the MPS 2020 Strategic Plan for substantial
annual student academic gains becomes mere verbiage without any reliable assessment
for measuring these gains.
This is a
school district in disarray, a district wherein classes are frequently
disorderly, instruction is poor, knowledge imparted is meager, and skills in
mathematics and reading are not being developed.
This
situation will abide until decision-makers adopt a program for the overhaul of
curriculum for knowledge intensity and skill mastery; the training of teachers capable of imparting
such a curriculum; the provision of opportunities
for skill remediation or academic enrichment as appropriate; resource provision or referral for families
of students struggling with dilemmas of poverty or dysfunction; and central office paring so that resources
may be directed to the four areas immediately noted.
Ed Graff
should turn to Michael Thomas, Cecilia Saddler, and Eric Moore to spearhead the
development of this five-point program, or he should make his exit. And this contingent of leaders must be
evaluated on their ability to develop such a program, whether Graff is present
or not.
The quality
of education at the Minneapolis Public Schools is abysmal.
There is a
path toward a better day.
Decision-makers
must demonstrate progress along that path.
Or they
should depart, to be replaced by those willing and able to proceed along the
path toward an education of excellence for the students of the Minneapolis Public
Schools.
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