Nov 14, 2018

Annual Letter from the 2020 Advisory Committee >>>>> Introduction to and Presentation of Detailed Recommendations on Inclusions and Access (Article #3 Concerning MPS Administrative, Board of Education, and Public Confusion)

After the section on Action Steps Requested from the Committee, there is an introduction to the detailed recommendations of the 2020 Advisory committee, as follows:

 

Introduction

 

We, the 2020 Advisory Committee, see the diversity of our community as a strength and tremendous asset for MPS.  As such, we support the Minneapolis Public Schools promise to the community to provide an inspirational education experience in a safe, welcoming environment for ALL learners where our students can acquire the tools and skills necessary to engage confidently in the  community.

 

It is important that the district understand that a diverse learning community is an asset for our students whether they are academic standouts or struggling in school.  Too often, integration is proposed as a solution from a deficit rather than being properly seen from a growth mindset.

 

We request that the school board honor the Equity and Diversity Impact Assessment (EDIA) process when making district-wide resource decisions and especially when the decision is related to significant resource allocations and/or significant impact on MPS services to students across the district.

 

My Comments:

 

This introduction is not clearly written, presaging a general problem with this document as it moves toward the detailed recommendations.

 

I would simplify the introduction and avoid the usual jargon as follows:

 

We request that district decision-makers overhaul curriculum for knowledge intensity, for delivery in grade by grade sequence throughout the PreK-12 years, as detailed above [in my rendering of other sectional categories]. We are of the conviction that all students except those with significantly unusual challenges can master such a rigorous curriculum and acquire the knowledge and skill sets with alacrity.  Such a curriculum will necessarily include the entire international community and the representatives of that community residing in the United States.  Teachers and staff will be trained to  honor and inform themselves about the major aspects of all cultures across the international community, with special attention to those cultures represented in the Minneapolis Public Schools;    

 

…………………………………………………………………………..

 

The first category given for emphasis and detailed recommendations is as follows;  my own comments are save until the end of the presentation of this category.

 

Inclusion and Access

 

In alignment with MPS Equity and Diversity Policy 1304 we, the 2020 Advisory Committee, request that the school board remain committed to this policy and the underlying accountability message:

 

Every student deserves a respectful learning environment in which their racial and ethnic diversity is valued and contributes to successful academic outcomes.  Minneapolis Public Schools is committed to identifying and correcting practices and policies that perpetuate the achievement gap and institutional racism in all forms in order to provide all of its students with the opportunity to succeed.  Learning and work environments are enriched and improved by the contributions, perspectives, and very presence of students in each of our school and to our mission statements.

 

Equity, inclusion,  and valuing diversity must remain a core value for the district.  We believe that MPS needs to place greater emphasis on commitment to these beliefs that are embedded at the school and classroom level.  Strategies must extend beyond a simple look at school-by-school demographics.  The presence of a diverse student body is not evidence of inclusion, if all parts of that student body are not provided opportunity to participate in many of the programs within a school.

 

More intentional consideration must take place for the student, family, and staff experience within MPS.  Do all feel welcome in the school?  Are student supports available to ensure that students of any background can succeed?  Are the voices of all families well represented in school decisions, not just a vocal and privileged minority?  Are hiring practices equitable?

 

Self-Evaluation

 

We request that the school district perform a mandatory self-examination and assessment of the current equity, diversity, and inclusion practices within our schools/learning community, and the district.  This self-examination should be performed for all students in all racial groups and communities including students with disabilities;  in all areas of the school (classrooms, hallways, after school programs, etc.);  and for all types of programming, from IB programs to Special Education.

 

As schools and programs are undergoing what may be a difficult and painful self-assessment, it is important to stress the harm that is being done not just to those students being left our of certain programs, but that is being done to the students who are learning without the full benefits of a diverse classroom that would provide them with a richer experience.

 

Assessments of inclusion must include the voices of all families in the school, not just a vocal and privileged minority.  It is critical to understand the perspective of families who have felt excluded in the past.

 

Advisory 2020 Recommendations---  Inclusion and Access

 

>>>>>    One measure of the cost effectiveness or a program must be whether it advances district goals of academic excellence, equity, and inclusion.  Programs or communities that historically limit access to certain student groups and habitually exclude others must be asked to take corrective action.

 

>>>>>    Access should be viewed very broadly, such that schools are encouraged to look beyond their walls to the rich experience in the community outside (e. g., neighborhood groups, social services) for ideas and assistance in ensuring students and their families feel valued.

 

>>>>>    Inclusion also means that the rich diversity of students is reflected in the classroom, school, curriculum, and in the teaching staff.  Schools should be proactively working to ensure their schools reflect the diversity of our community.

 

>>>>>    Students need to be the drivers of the way they are learning, including individualized learning plans, student voice, student-led education, project-based learning, and having curriculum that reflects the students including race/ethnicity, disabilities, etc.

 

>>>>>    Based on our conversation with high school students, there is a need for fewer distractions from other students in the class.

 

>>>>>    Students have asked for broader access to life skills such as arts and financial literacy in school.

 

>>>>>    There is also greater need for partnerships with local companies and internship possibilities.

 

>>>>>    Ethnic studies should be a requirement for graduation.

 

My Comments:

 

The document has gotten repetitive at this point, so that key points are in danger of getting lost in the profuse verbiage.  In the document that I would rewrite, I would shorten the length to two or three pages (from eight and not repeat what I have laaredy driven home concerning the need to embed equity and respect for the cultures of the international community in the delivery of a knowledge-intensive, skill-replete, logically sequenced curriculum to be imparted by retrained teachers capable of imparting such a curriculum.

 

A number of recommendations of the committee are lamentable.

 

Consider, from this section on Inclusion and Access:

 

Students need to be the drivers of the way they are learning, including

individualized learning plans, student voice, student-led education,

project-based learning, and having curriculum that reflects the students

including race/ethnicity, disabilities, etc.

 

Ethnic studies should be a requirement for graduation.

 

Students should not be the drivers or leaders of the way that they are learning.  That is the responsibility of teachers who are imparting a knowledge-intensive, skill-replete curriculum

in the manner of village elders passing on the cultural inheritance of the human past.  Students should be given ample opportunity to express their views on all manner of topics featured in the curriculum and by the time that they get to high school they should be given ample curricular options for pursuing their driving personal academic interests and individual interests pertinent to the fine, technological, and vocational arts.  Content of ethnic studies should have already been covered in curriculum at the K-5 and grades 6-8 levels, so that specialized courses in history and literature will serve at a more sophisticated level the intent of the 2020 Committee.

The next article in this series will feature the 2020 Advisory Committee’s recommendation concerning Literacy and Curriculum, with my comments on those recommendations.

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