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It amazes me the amount of propaganda distributed by the Minneapolis Public School System – District 1. While in some cases, a celebration is called for. When will parents, students, local colleges and the general public be able to celebrate the successful closing of the worse achievement gap between Whites and Blacks in the United States; some say the worse in history after World War II. It’s all happening in real-time, right here in front of us.
by Donald W. R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/The Independent Business News Network
"No more lies from the Minneapolis Public Schools."
Minneapolis, MN (IBNN NEWS/Education Editorial/March 19, 2012)…I started off last Friday very upset about hearing a story that a third grader was suspended from a local public school for “splashing water” at his fellow students. In third grade, (at least when I was in third grade), that could be one of the many things children do at that age.
This led me to understand more about a failed teaching system by some within the Minneapolis Pubic Schools. The lack of training for teachers and administrators who would “out” an third grader over splashing water makes you wonder what’s going on inside the minds of these folks. Oh, by the way – the offender was a Black child.
The racial disparities between White and Non-White children in the MPS are one of benign neglect; lack of training-the-trainers and an antiquated teaching system that is more “promotion” than “teaching.” Check the Minnesota Department of Education website and the MPS website – you’ll find facts on programs meant to address educational failures dating back to 2008. Don’t bother to ask the MPS representatives what happened – they just think you’re trying to start trouble.
For a Minneapolis Public School representative to tell you the truth, or reality about what’s going on is hard. Much like someone being embarrassed for having an erection for more than four-hours due to a penis-enhancing drug.
IBNN received a press release from the Minneapolis Public Schools. It announced the following:
“Dr. Bernadeia H. Johnson, superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), on March 16 was honored with the District Leadership for Excellence in Communications Award, presented by the Minnesota School Public Relations Association (MinnSPRA). The award is presented annually to one superintendent in Minnesota for outstanding leadership in school public relations and communications.”
IBNN’s question has always been, “If public school leadership goes around patting each other on the back, when does the failure in education within the MPS among Blacks and Native American students get addressed?”
The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), with data collected by the *U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office reveal stark racial and ethnic disparities in student retentions, with black and Hispanic students far more likely than white students to repeat a grade, especially in elementary and middle school.
According to Education Department analysis of other civil rights data it also unveiled today, Black and Hispanic students face disproportionate levels of discipline—more than 70 percent of students arrested or referred to law enforcement were Hispanic or black, as one example. Black students were 3 ½ times more likely to be expelled than their white peers. And while black students represented 21 percent of students with disabilities in the data analyzed, they represented 44 percent of students who were subjected to mechanical restraint.
“We are not alleging overt discrimination. These are long held patterns of behavior. Many educators may not even be aware of these discrepancies,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
With that statement made by Secretary Duncan, I picked up the phone and called the Minneapolis Public Schools and requested information on suspensions based on race, grade and economic status.
Since US Education Secretary Arne Duncan doesn’t have the “putz**” to admit the disparities in suspensions and expulsions are based in overt and covert discrimination when in come to Black and Native American students, IBNN has set out on a mission to compare several school districts that will show beyond a reasonable doubt that race, racism and prejudice plays a major role not only the expulsions numbers – but also is one of the main reasons the achievement gap still exists in the Minneapolis Public Schools.
Just because there’s Black management, doesn’t mean Black is managed.
* U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights office
** Yiddish for balls
