The report begins with citations to one Minnesota report after another, from 2004 to the present, calling for reform. The oldest of these warned in 2004 that Minnesota must cover the "full dollar cost" of educating these students, as determined by costing and effective practices research. But as each report comes and go, we keep on doing exactly what we did before We take the amount of revenue that we provided in the last biennium; we add on a given percentage, and deliver that money without any accountability, and then we keep on doing what we have done before at a higher cost In the last two years, for the very first time, the state actually imposed a requirement that districts teach reading according to the approaches that work. But still, there is no accountability for districts to actually do that
The Task Force report identifies several states where the Governor and legislature have called for massive reforms in funding paired with accountability. But Minnesota not so much.
One of the things we learned in task force presentations is that reform occurs when stakeholders joint together and demand bipartisan reform. Fannie Lou Hamer, who I am proud to say I met in Mississippi said: "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" but she didn't just say it; she mobilized. We need to mobilize in Minnesota for the benefit of these kids.
The least prepared teach Black children. Standards are lowered to attract more teachers and those conditionally certified teachers are put in the classrooms with Black children to practice. Teachers practice without immediate corrective feedback on Black children. We have learned the elements of explicit instruction. We learned about working memory. The theory applies to teacher education also.
Admittedly, as a retiring professor, PsyD, and workplace leadership consultant,
I too am one of those sideline "hand wringers!"
I am undeniable at a loss for offering any tangible, significant. measurable educational outcomes.
I wake and feel energized with thoughts of trying to do something toward viable educational improvements ... but what, where, how, when?
My energy quickly drains daily as my contributory ideas quickly retreat due to witnessing rapidlly shifting administrative priorities, policies, and program defunding. Thus creative resolutions fade into retiring ideas. Observation mode re-activated ... at least for now!
Many of your prescriptions are echoed in the recent Task Force Report on Minnesota's education of students of color, low income students and English language learners: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1StX4Li8i7CvVuTTc7emID0OJn-GYR8HL/view?usp=sharing
The report begins with citations to one Minnesota report after another, from 2004 to the present, calling for reform. The oldest of these warned in 2004 that Minnesota must cover the "full dollar cost" of educating these students, as determined by costing and effective practices research. But as each report comes and go, we keep on doing exactly what we did before We take the amount of revenue that we provided in the last biennium; we add on a given percentage, and deliver that money without any accountability, and then we keep on doing what we have done before at a higher cost In the last two years, for the very first time, the state actually imposed a requirement that districts teach reading according to the approaches that work. But still, there is no accountability for districts to actually do that
The Task Force report identifies several states where the Governor and legislature have called for massive reforms in funding paired with accountability. But Minnesota not so much.
One of the things we learned in task force presentations is that reform occurs when stakeholders joint together and demand bipartisan reform. Fannie Lou Hamer, who I am proud to say I met in Mississippi said: "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired" but she didn't just say it; she mobilized. We need to mobilize in Minnesota for the benefit of these kids.
The least prepared teach Black children. Standards are lowered to attract more teachers and those conditionally certified teachers are put in the classrooms with Black children to practice. Teachers practice without immediate corrective feedback on Black children. We have learned the elements of explicit instruction. We learned about working memory. The theory applies to teacher education also.
Thought thumping and well written Christopher!
Admittedly, as a retiring professor, PsyD, and workplace leadership consultant,
I too am one of those sideline "hand wringers!"
I am undeniable at a loss for offering any tangible, significant. measurable educational outcomes.
I wake and feel energized with thoughts of trying to do something toward viable educational improvements ... but what, where, how, when?
My energy quickly drains daily as my contributory ideas quickly retreat due to witnessing rapidlly shifting administrative priorities, policies, and program defunding. Thus creative resolutions fade into retiring ideas. Observation mode re-activated ... at least for now!